We always hear manufacturers saying that they are making a "racecar for the road," but Aston is actually talking about a Formula 1-worthy car that is fully street-legal. Or even better, a car with F1-like abilities, without being hampered by the severe technological restrictions of the sport.

Officially, Aston Martin’s CEO Andy Palmer says the car, now codenamed Project AM-RB 001 (a mashup of the company names), will be "about spectacular beauty, aerodynamic efficiency, advanced technology and getting around a race track in a fast but elegant way." Talk to Aston Martin personnel privately, though, and they say they are gunning for the fastest car, period — potentially encompassing both 0 to 60 and overall top speed. They’re even entertaining the idea of outdoing the new Bugatti Chiron, which will be electronically limited to 261 mph on the street. The hopes are for a road-legal car that could shatter that Nürburgring lap record.

Could it take down the Chiron?

Contracts with Red Bull for the audacious undertaking were only recently completed, and will see Newey serving as the technical director while styling will be performed by Aston Martin’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman. Aston’s bespoke customization department, Q, will be responsible for making the car road-legal.

Currently the AM-RB 001 — also known as "Project Nebula" — exists only in the virtual world: it’s been designed using computer simulations and software which are a fixture in the fast-moving world of F1, where cars are redesigned every season.

The glyphic rendering provided by the company is pretty inscrutable. The left-hand bubble is the front wheel well and the top bubble the cockpit. The rest of the swoopy lines are the rear of the car (and would obviously suggest a mid-engine design). Squint at it and, well… we should be shown a physical model sometime this year, Aston says.

This is a huge leap for Aston. It has long had some of the most beautiful cars, but as an independent company without a massive R&D budget or the economies of scale enjoyed by companies like Volkswagen Group — which owns Porsche, Audi, Bugatti, and Lamborghini — technology has been a recurring issue. A recent partnership with Mercedes-AMG has given Aston new transmissions, electronics, and turbocharged engines, but AMG will not be involved in this project.