This “F1 for the road” is using F1-style tactics ahead of production.
Aston Martin today announced that its joint project with Red Bull, called the AM-RB 001 will be powered by a naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine from Cosworth, going through a seven-speed gearbox from Ricardo.
The new hypercar, which was developed together with Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Red Bull Racing resident technical genius Adrian Newey, opted to work with Cosworth and Ricardo “for their unrivalled expertise and willingness to push the performance boundaries.” Ricardo is most notable today for being responsible for the V8 engines found in McLaren models, while Cosworth will likely leverage on its strong motorsports pedigree.
The AM-RB 001 is expected to be feather light, as Aston Martin is boldly claiming a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. The AM-RB 001 will also feature a hybrid system that will maximise the car’s punch, helped further by the inclusion of an F1-style energy recovery (ERS) system to pull electric energy from braking. The batteries used to service this system will be supplied by Rimac, and will likely be a lightweight variety. The anchors on the AM-RB 001 will see Alcon callipers and Surface Transforms carbon-ceramic disks, while Bosch has been confirmed to supply the engine control unit, the traction control unit, and the electronic stability system.
Wipac, a lighting manufacturer in Britain, will be responsible for the AM-RB 001’s LED headlights and taillights. Chief technical officer at Red Bull Racing, Adrian Newey said that, “much like Formula One, designing, engineering, and building a car like the AM-RB 001 is a massive team effort. To achieve great things you need to surround yourself with the best people.”
Newey describes the AM-RB 001 as “an innovative piece of engineering art.” David King, Aston Martin’s vice president, said that the “AM-RB 001 presents huge challenges. It’s a real test of everyone involved, but that’s as it should be, for we’re genuinely raising the bar with this car. That’s what makes the project so special, and why having the right technical partners is so critical.”
In case you’re wondering if you should rush out to your local Aston Martin dealership to snap up one of the 150 slated for production, you’re out of luck: They’ve all been sold, for a price that’s speculated to be somewhere around the £2,000,000 (or around $3.37 million) mark. The (purported) 670kW V12 howler will be utilising every trick in the book to be one of the most technically- and technologically-advanced cars to ever be produced.
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