Automotive

Aston Martin and Red Bull uncover revolutionary AM-RB 001 hypercar

Aston Martin and Red Bull uncover revolutionary AM-RB 001 hypercar
The AM-RB 001 offers plenty for car lovers to get excited about
The AM-RB 001 offers plenty for car lovers to get excited about
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Red Bull was on hand at the London launch
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Red Bull was on hand at the London launch 
Red Bull and Aston Martin have teamed up on the AM-RB 001
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Red Bull and Aston Martin have teamed up on the AM-RB 001
The AM-RB 001 at its launch
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The AM-RB 001 at its launch
The team behind the hypercar collaboration on stage at its London launch
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The team behind the hypercar collaboration on stage at its London launch
Daniel Ricciardo speaks at the launch of the AM-RB 001
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Daniel Ricciardo speaks at the launch of the AM-RB 001
A look at Aston Martin's production line during the launch
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A look at Aston Martin's production line during the launch
The car is designed by Marek Reichman and Adrian Newey
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The car is designed by Marek Reichman and Adrian Newey
Red Bull's F1 car at the launch
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Red Bull's F1 car at the launch 
The assembled crowd ready for the AM-RB 001's launch
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The assembled crowd ready for the AM-RB 001's launch
Max Verstappen was on hand to get involved in the Aston Martin build process
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Max Verstappen was on hand to get involved in the Aston Martin build process
Dan Ricciardo puts his stamp on one of Aston Martin's car
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Dan Ricciardo puts his stamp on one of Aston Martin's car
The covers are whipped off at Aston Martin's launch event
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The covers are whipped off at Aston Martin's launch event
Aston and Red Bull's tie up is becoming more and more concrete by the day
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Aston and Red Bull's tie up is becoming more and more concrete by the day
Ricciardo on hand to please the crowd at the Aston Martin launch
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Ricciardo on hand to please the crowd at the Aston Martin launch
The team behind the hypercar on stage
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The team behind the hypercar on stage 
The AM-RB 001 uses a totally unique aerodynamics concept
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The AM-RB 001 uses a totally unique aerodynamics concept
The car's profile is stunning
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The car's profile is stunning
Power will come from a mid-mounted V12 engine
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Power will come from a mid-mounted V12 engine
Red Bull's fingerprints are all over the suspension and gearbox
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Red Bull's fingerprints are all over the suspension and gearbox
The covers come off the AM-RB 001
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The covers come off the AM-RB 001
The car's body is free of spoilers, thanks to the Newey's aero
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The car's body is free of spoilers, thanks to the Newey's aero
The AM-RB 001 in profile
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The AM-RB 001 in profile 
Aston Martin and Red Bull's design is said to make the car LMP1 fast on a track
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Aston Martin and Red Bull's design is said to make the car LMP1 fast on a track
The AM-RB 001 offers plenty for car lovers to get excited about
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The AM-RB 001 offers plenty for car lovers to get excited about
The beautiful detailing on the AM-RB 001
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The beautiful detailing on the AM-RB 001
The car looks like it's from the future, but uses current engine tech
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The car looks like it's from the future, but uses current engine tech
The detailing on the rear of the car is beautiful
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The detailing on the rear of the car is beautiful 
Reichman's design is like a lightning quick, bulked up version of the current Aston Martin design language
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Reichman's design is like a lightning quick, bulked up version of the current Aston Martin design language
The AM-RB 001 promises a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio
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The AM-RB 001 promises a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio
The rear spoiler and valance is the closest thing to ugly aero elements on the surface of the body
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The rear spoiler and valance is the closest thing to ugly aero elements on the surface of the body
View gallery - 30 images

When Aston Martin and Red Bull announced a mysterious hypercar project, our interest was well and truly piqued. The thought of a road car with aerodynamics by Adrian Newey is enough to get any motorsports fan fired up, let alone one designed by Aston Martin whiz Marek Reichman. Unsurprisingly, the results of their collaboration are stunning. The AM-RB 001 mixes state-of-the-art underbody aerodynamics with a silhouette to make car lovers weak at the knees, in what promises to be one of the most innovative car designs we've seen in a long time.

Just a quick glance at the AM-RB 001's heavily sculpted flanks is enough to know this is something special, even in a world flush with remarkable cars like the McLaren P1, LaFerrari and Porsche 918. Built around a carbon-fiber structure, it doesn't rely on big wings and scoops to create downforce. Instead, Adrian Newey has used a complex weave of stationary underbody components to create downforce, giving chief designer Marek Reichman free rein to make the body fit in with the classic Aston aesthetic.

All of this complex design and forward-thinking aerodynamics is thanks, in part, to the tight restrictions placed on Formula 1 designers. For every one of Newey's innovations, there's a rule tweak or restriction to stop it giving Red Bull an advantage. Road cars aren't constrained by such draconian rules about diffusers and downforce, opening the door for one of the world's great aerodynamicists to see his wildest repressed visions come to life.

The car's body is free of spoilers, thanks to the Newey's aero
The car's body is free of spoilers, thanks to the Newey's aero

"Road cars have far less legislation to restrict the design," Newey told Gizmag earlier this year. "To have opportunities to explore lots of different areas, and try to do things perhaps a little bit differently to any other road car that's out there at the moment is fantastic."

For a project of such importance, details are a bit difficult to come by at the moment. We know power will come from a mid-mounted, naturally aspirated V12 with enough grunt to give the car a perfect 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, putting it in territory previously reserved for the unhinged Koenigsegg One:1.

We also know that power will be transmitted to the road through a clean-sheet gearbox dreamed up by Newey, but developed by the team in Red Bull's Advanced Technologies lab. Likewise, the suspension system is a unique design capable of coping with extreme aerodynamic loading at high speed, but also capable of delivering a usable on-road ride. This duality of purpose is something, according to Newey, intrinsic to the AM-RB 001.

The car's profile is stunning
The car's profile is stunning

"I knew Red Bull Racing had the ability to handle the pure performance aspects, but Aston Martin's experience of making beautiful, fast and comfortable GT cars is of great benefit to the project," he said. "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. 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"

This sentiment is echoed by Dr. Andy Palmer, Aston Martin's CEO and President.

"To have Aston Martin working alongside Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing and the invaluable assistance of project partner AF Racing AG is an extraordinary creative collaboration. One that unites the very best of road and race car thinking," Palmer said, speaking at the car's unveiling in London on Tuesday. "As the project gathers pace its clear the end result will be a truly history-making hypercar that sets incredible new benchmarks for packaging, efficiency and performance and an achievement that elevates Aston Martin to the very highest level."

The rear spoiler and valance is the closest thing to ugly aero elements on the surface of the body
The rear spoiler and valance is the closest thing to ugly aero elements on the surface of the body

You might have already worked this out, but we're a bit excited about the AM-RB 001. It's not often a car company starts with a completely blank page, and even less often they give one of the world's greatest designers and aerodynamicists the opportunity to sketch out his ideal road car design unburdened by the weight of restrictions and rules.

This promises to be one of the most exciting developments in the motoring world, up there with the McLaren F1 as a once-in-a-generation proposition and it's one we'll be following very closely.

Source: Aston Martin

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2 comments
2 comments
DaveBG
I will believe it when i see the independent reviews from car reviewers i trust.
kid-jensen
Surely any "ground-up" hypercar design these days should be all-electric?
The Tesla S was not suposed to be an ultra-performance car. but itamnaged to embarrass many supercars whilst at the same time being quiet and comfortable.
We all love the sound of a sophisticated high-reving engine at full-chat, but it's time to recognise IC engines belong to the past and move on.