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Aston Martin Project 003 details revealed in dealer brochure

Aston Martin showed the as-yet-unnamed Project 003 hypercar at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Now that the English carmaker is accepting deposits for the coupe, it has provided dealers with brochures for prospective customers. Two of those prospective customers let Carscoops and Diario Motor flip through the pages and see what the fuss is about. Each site words some of the specifics a bit differently, which we're not sure is down to the language in the brochure or the way it's written up. Carscoops says Aston Martin's targeting a combined 1,000 horsepower, DM says there will be 1,000 hp. Either way, it's a pleasant ballpark to play in. We say "combined" because there will be a brand new twin-turbo V6 in back and an electric motor on the front axle. The duo means all-wheel drive in addition to that potential four-figure horsepower. If Aston Martin does hit 1,000 ponies, that would put the "son of Valkyrie" just behind the Valkyrie, which makes all of its 1,160 hp with a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 built by Cosworth. The brochure says dry weight will come in below 1,350 kilos, or 2,976 pounds. The brochure also asserts a power-to-weight ratio of 750 bhp per tonne. Working backward, that ratio would mean 1,012 hp if the 003 came in right at 2,976 pounds. Shifting through an F1-inspired eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the carmaker expects a 0-60 time of "less than 2.5 seconds," to be expected for a car about 100 pounds heavier than a McLaren 720S with at least 200 more horsepower. And according to Diario Motor's telling, top speed will crest 350 kilometers per hour, or 218 miles per hour; Carscoops says terminal velocity lies beyond 220 mph. Lots of Valkyrie tech will be adapted for the junior coupe, including the active suspension and active ride height, as well as platform control. A limited-slip differential will keep the back end in line with what we're sure will be fancy electric motor control on the front axle. Seems all that was said about the sci-fi cabin — which TopGear magazine's Jack Rix showed us recently — is that ingress and egress will be less challenging than on the Valkyrie. Only 500 units will leave the factory, in both left- and right-hand drive, deliveries to begin in 2021. American purchasers will need to leave $300,000 with their dealers to hold a place in line. Those monies will be applied to an MSRP that starts "at no less than GBP875,000" before options, or roughly $1.2 million in green money. AM-RB 003 View 9 Photos

Aston Martin hires Ferrari's 'key guys' to challenge 488 GTB

Aston Martin is wasting no time in its aggressive product rollout, and it's putting Ferrari and other supercar makers on notice. At the recent launch of the DB11 V8 in Catalonia, Spain, we caught up with Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. The Aston chief gave us new details on plans for a mid-engine car to go up against the Ferrari 488 GTB, the McLaren 720S and the Lamborghini Huracan. Palmer says Aston has harnessed a great deal of learning from the $3 million Valkyrie hypercar and plans to apply that to its next mid-engine car, slated to land sometime in 2020 or so. As indicated in part of our conversation below, design plans for that car are developing quickly. Autoblog: You said there will be a forthcoming mid-engine sports car. I still think the Ferrari 488 GTB is one of the best I've driven. How do you compete with that? Andy Palmer: "Well, I agree with you. That's the best car in its segment. And we're going to take it on. And I realize the gravity of that statement, of what that means." AB: So how do you take on the 488 GTB? AP: "Well, to start with, you recruit from Ferrari the head of body structures, and the head of powertrains. I've now got three of Ferrari's key guys. And really, it's a big compliment to Ferrari. That's the defining car in its segment, and it's really, really good. And those three guys now work for me. And you combine those guys with Nick [Lines, chief planning officer, Aston Martin] and Marek [Reichman, chief creative officer, Aston Martin] who you know really well, and you create some great recipes. And now I've got a better understanding of what that car looks like." AB: How far along is that car? Is there a clay model already? AP: "Yeah, there's clay. There's actually eight quarter-scales. And there's one in particular that I'm leaning toward. We've got it pushed out; it's gone to a second studio in Milton Keynes. That studio is different from Gaydon. And I've got a pretty good idea of what the replacement for the 488 is going to be like as well. So, if we're going in that market, we need to be ahead of the 488. And there's no naivete about what that means." View 16 Photos One of the recruits Palmer is referring to is Max Szwaj, former head of innovation and body structures at Ferrari and Maserati. Szwaj has been named vice president and chief technical officer in his new role in Gaydon.

Aston Martin deal with Red Bull means F1 tech for Vanquish

Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing made no secret that their AM-RB 001 hypercar (rendering above) would use Formula One tech, but the cutting-edge motorsports knowledge will also trickle down to more accessible Aston Martin vehicles. "Some of the technologies we are developing with Red Bull Technologies and Adrian [Newey] will undoubtedly flow through to the next Vanquish," Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told Drive. He thinks the model's price is high enough to allow the use of F1 tech. "I am particularly interested in structural carbon fiber and KERS type technology that you could easily see working in that car," said Palmer. The AM-RB 001 is due for 2018, and the new Vanquish would come afterward. Aston Martin and Red Bull hope their hypercar project sets benchmarks in the class. "The McLaren F1 is the perfect analogy of what we're trying to do - bring Formula One to the road in a genuine and authentic manner," Palmer told Drive. He claims that simulations already show the AM-RB 001 could lap Silverstone quicker than an F1 car. For context, the slowest qualifying time in the British Grand Prix last year was a 1:39.377 lap around the nearly 3.7 mile track. With projects like the hypercar, the next Vanquish, and the latest DB11, Aston Martin has a busy launch calendar over the next few years. A next-gen Vantage is in the company's plans, and there's the DBX crossover, too. The British sports car maker also wants to do two limited-edition models a year, like the Vantage GT12 and Vulcan in 2015. The vehicles for 2016 and 2017 are still mysteries, but 2018 would bring the electric Rapide and the AM-RB 001, according to Palmer. When combined with Mercedes powertrains and technology in future models, the company hopes to appeal to more customers. Related Video: