Aston Martin introduced the design concept for its third mid-engined hypercar in Geneva. The V6 hybrid turbo AM-RB 003 – previously known as Project 003 – will benefit from the close involvement of Red Bull Advanced Technologies in its design and engineering.
AM-RB 003 will incorporate concepts and technologies taken directly from Formula 1 and applied to the Aston Martin Valkyrie, extending the trickle down of genuine F1 technology into a series-production car. However, numbers will still be limited to 500 coupes worldwide.
Full technical details will be revealed as the development program progresses, but it will be the first car to receive Aston Martin’s new hybrid turbo V6 engine, marking Aston Martin’s return to in-house designed engines.
Included in the new power unit will be the Nexcel sealed oil system that first featured in the Valkyrie. The system is able to facilitate oil changes in under 90 seconds and allows for the refinement and reuse of the car’s engine oil. It’s use on the Aston Martin AM-RB 003 will be the first for a road-going car.
According to Miles Nurnberger, Aston Martin director of design, while the AM-RB 003 is heavily influenced by Valkyrie, it is very much its own car: “We were quite deliberate in AM-RB 003 to not disguise its lineage, but we were equally emphatic that it would be a distillation of Valkyrie and not a dilution.
“The design isn’t as extreme in some areas, but it pushes just as hard in others, and is even taking certain ideas and concepts a step further. That’s a natural function of design evolution, but also testament to just how great an influence working with Red Bull Advanced Technologies on Aston Martin Valkyrie has had on our approach to everything that’s come since.”
Sharing the same fundamental styling and aerodynamics with the Valkyrie, the AM-RB 003 features a pronounced front keel and large rear diffuser, with the underfloor generating the bulk of the downforce. It will also benefit from next-gen aircraft morphing technology, to create a variable airfoil across the rear wing.
