Aston Martin

Aston Martin

Aston Martin

Aston Martin

Aston Martin

Seemingly, there comes a time in every great Formula 1 car designer's life when he (and sadly they are almost always a he) gets a little bored of the straightjacket of rules that bind creativity. Inevitably, thoughts soon turn to applying some of that race-bred knowledge to "the ultimate road car," sometimes to extremely good effect. Gordon Murray and the McLaren F1 is the best-known example, although Ferrari's F50 deserves a mention, too. Its V12 is based on an actual Formula 1 engine, and that engine is fully stressed (i.e. rigidly mounted to the carbon fiber tub, with the suspension attached to it). Now Adrian Newey and Red Bull Racing—along with Aston Martin—want to join this club with the AM-RB 001.

Now, Aston Martin is a company that is no stranger to the hypercar, having built the One-77 and more recently the Vulcan. But that car is not street legal. Its racing experience comes from competing against versions of the company's production cars at Le Mans and elsewhere. The AM-RB 001 on the other hand was born in more rarefied air, which is where Newey and Red Bull enter the picture.

Newey is probably the most successful engineer working in Formula 1 right now. His designs have won 10 World Drivers Championships and 10 World Constructors Championships since 1991 (first at Williams, then McLaren, and with Red Bull Racing since 2006). But Formula 1 recently got a bit boring for Newey. Fears that he would leave (possibly for the challenge of working at Ferrari) earned him a pair of golden handcuffs from the team, with an expanded portfolio (Red Bull Advanced Technologies) giving him some creative freedom outside the sport.

This is where the AM-RB 001 comes in. The car revealed to the public on Tuesday is still very much a work in progress—we won't see the interior until some time next year—but there are some details worth noting. Although Newey's experience comes from Formula 1, don't expect the AM-RB 001 to resemble the Red Bull RB12 race car with number plates and headlights. The AM-RB 001 makes plenty of downforce, but that's generated by the body—specifically the shape of the car's underbody—so there are no massive wings.

There's no hybrid system, either. It will be powered by a bespoke naturally aspirated V12 (so should sound amazing), and the car will have one horsepower for every kilogram of weight. There are two seats, and the AM-RB 001 will be completely road legal. Theoretically this vehicle won't be terrifying to drive down to the shops, although we're told the (inevitable) track-only version will be capable of lapping the UK's Silverstone circuit as fast as one of the 1000hp hybrid Le Mans prototypes.

"I've always been adamant that the AM-RB 001 should be a true road car that’s also capable of extreme performance on track, and this means it really has to be a car of two characters," Newey said. "That’s the secret we’re trying to put into this car—the technology that allows it to be docile and comfortable, but with immense outright capabilities."

In the same way that Peter Stevens worked with Gordon Murray to style the F1, Aston Martin's design chief, Marek Reichman, is working with Newey on the styling of the AM-RB 001. "The shared challenge has been finding that magical tipping point where we achieve the most efficient engineering solutions and the most beautiful styling solutions without any compromises," Reichman said. "My personal challenge has been expressing the AM-RB 001’s extraordinary performance and the unique way in which it delivers that performance. Its style reflects its revolutionary nature, while possessing the form and beauty that makes it unmistakably an Aston Martin."

The plan was originally to build 99 AM-RB 001 road cars—between £2 and £3 million ($2.6 and $3.9 million) a pop—as well as 25 track specials. But according to Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer, at least 370 customers have shown interest to date. While Aston Martin and Red Bull won't build nearly that many, Martin told Autocar that a production run of 150 road cars may happen, with deliveries beginning in 2018.

Listing image by Aston Martin