The AM-RB 001 is the result of a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing.
The AM-RB 001 is the result of a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing.
courtesy aston martin
Just 99 of the AM-RB 001 are expected to be made.
Just 99 of the AM-RB 001 are expected to be made.
courtesy aston martin
The AM-RB 001 is expected to be offered in road and track-focused versions.
The AM-RB 001 is expected to be offered in road and track-focused versions.
courtesy aston martin
Aston's chief designer, Marek Reichman, has incorporated some known Aston Martin styling cues into the front of the car -- specifically the shape at the front edge of the bonnet and hood.<br />
Aston's chief designer, Marek Reichman, has incorporated some known Aston Martin styling cues into the front of the car -- specifically the shape at the front edge of the bonnet and hood.
courtesy aston martin
The complex bodywork surfacing on the AM-RB 001 is likely to create a lot of downforce to help increase the car's cornering speeds.
The complex bodywork surfacing on the AM-RB 001 is likely to create a lot of downforce to help increase the car's cornering speeds.
courtesy aston martin
Aston is suggesting the AM-RB 001 should be able to lap circuits as quickly as a modern-day F1 car.
Aston is suggesting the AM-RB 001 should be able to lap circuits as quickly as a modern-day F1 car.
courtesy aston martin
Aston Martin designer Reichmann (left) worked with Red Bull technical guru Adrian Newey on the project.
Aston Martin designer Reichmann (left) worked with Red Bull technical guru Adrian Newey on the project.
courtesy aston martin
Aston Martin has experience with limited-run track day cars -- it is making just 24 of its Vulcans, and the car is <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2015%2F03%2F24%2Fautos%2Faston-martin-geneva%2F">reportedly</a> sold out.
Aston Martin has experience with limited-run track day cars -- it is making just 24 of its Vulcans, and the car is reportedly sold out.
courtesy aston martin
A look at Aston Martin's new hypercar: The AM-RB 001

Editor’s Note: John McIlroy is Deputy Editor of Auto Express and Carbuyer. The views expressed here are solely his own.

Story highlights

Aston Martin has unveiled plans for a revolutionary hypercar, conceived in conjunction with the Red Bull F1 team

The new AM-RB 001 will have a V12 engine that produces as much as 900 bhp -- and a supercharged price tag to match

CNN  — 

Bored with your Bugatti? Got a glaring gap between the Ferraris and Lamborghinis in your garage?

Aston Martin has just unveiled what could be the car for you – the AM-RB 001, a track-focused hypercar conceived in conjunction with the Red Bull Formula One team.

It may not have the catchiest name, but this revolutionary car is guaranteed to boast extreme styling and even more radical performance when it starts arriving in the multi-car garages of its well-heeled buyers in 2018.

It’s also likely to come with an equally radical price tag – when queried on a guide for the expected cost of an AM-RB 001, Aston Martin sources trotted out an age-old proverb.

“If you need to ask how much it is, you probably can’t afford it anyway.”

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Turbocharged 900 bhp

At the heart of the AM-RB 001 will be a mammoth V12 engine that eschews turbocharging but still manages to produce as much as 900 brake horse power (bhp) – that’s more than modern Formula One cars.

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Hybrid technology is also likely to feature and Aston Martin is making some bold claims for the vehicle.

“This is a no-excuses halo model,” says the company’s boss Andy Palmer, who has overseen a remarkable transformation in Aston’s prospects over the past 18 months. “It will be the most luxurious car in its class, but also the quickest and the fastest.”

That’s a bold statement indeed, though in truth Aston will probably split production into two versions – a hardcore, stripped-out track car which, it is claimed, can lap circuits as quickly as an F1 racer, and a slightly softer version that’s tuned for road use.

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Secretive styling

Either way, we’ll have to wait a little longer to judge the cabin quality. The first photos of the car are said to give a “good representation” of the final creation’s design but there’s no sign yet of the interior.

We do get a good look at the exterior styling though, and it reveals a car that has complex surfaces, plenty of curves and features that appear to be designed to channel air and create maximum downforce, sucking the car down onto the road.

This attention to detail should come as little surprise, for the AM-RB 001 is the work of Aston Martin designer Marek Reichman and the dominant F1 technical director of the past decade, Adrian Newey.

Aston Martin's latest creation, the DB11, has been called "the most important car in the firm's 103-year existence" by Andy Palmer, the company's chief executive. Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, the four-seat sports GT costs a cool £155,000 ($217,000).
Aston Martin's latest creation, the DB11, has been called "the most important car in the firm's 103-year existence" by Andy Palmer, the company's chief executive. Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, the four-seat sports GT costs a cool £155,000 ($217,000).
Aston Martin
The brutally powerful V12 petrol engine sits underneath the sweptback bonnet and behind the Aston's trademark radiator grille.
The brutally powerful V12 petrol engine sits underneath the sweptback bonnet and behind the Aston's trademark radiator grille.
Aston Martin
The DB11 marks an overhaul for Aston Martin. Previous incarnation the DB9 relied on design features that could be traced back to 2003, with an engine that was in essence two Ford V6s bolted together.
The DB11 marks an overhaul for Aston Martin. Previous incarnation the DB9 relied on design features that could be traced back to 2003, with an engine that was in essence two Ford V6s bolted together.
Aston Martin
The technology under the hood is indebted to the alliance of sorts with AMG -- the all-new twin-turbocharged V12 was developed with the German performance brand's knowhow.
The technology under the hood is indebted to the alliance of sorts with AMG -- the all-new twin-turbocharged V12 was developed with the German performance brand's knowhow.
Aston Martin
The state-of-the-art motor closes down some cylinders when they're not needed to save fuel -- a trick that couldn't even be considered on the DB9's old unit -- but produces 600 HP in full song, enough for a top speed of 200 mph (320 km/h).
The state-of-the-art motor closes down some cylinders when they're not needed to save fuel -- a trick that couldn't even be considered on the DB9's old unit -- but produces 600 HP in full song, enough for a top speed of 200 mph (320 km/h).
Aston Martin
In the chassis, too, there's a small AMG influence but the work is mostly Aston's own engineers'. They've created a scalable platform for this car that will also underpin the next generation of the Vantage, and a new SUV due within a couple of years, called DBX.
In the chassis, too, there's a small AMG influence but the work is mostly Aston's own engineers'. They've created a scalable platform for this car that will also underpin the next generation of the Vantage, and a new SUV due within a couple of years, called DBX.
Aston Martin
The DB11 draws on a variety of aerodynamic tricks, including what Aston Martin call a "curlicue," a curve beyond the front wheels, and an "Aeroblade," an air channel beyond the door that ends below the boot lid, both creating downforce to keep the car firmly planted around corners.
The DB11 draws on a variety of aerodynamic tricks, including what Aston Martin call a "curlicue," a curve beyond the front wheels, and an "Aeroblade," an air channel beyond the door that ends below the boot lid, both creating downforce to keep the car firmly planted around corners.
Aston Martin
Mercedes influences reveal themselves inside too, which a new infotainment system to rival the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. Double-stitched leather upholstery can be personalized, with a wider gamut of options than the current flagship the Vanquish.
Mercedes influences reveal themselves inside too, which a new infotainment system to rival the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. Double-stitched leather upholstery can be personalized, with a wider gamut of options than the current flagship the Vanquish.
Aston Martin
Unveiling the DB11: The new face of Aston Martin

The connection between the multiple F1 champions, Red Bull, and one of Britain’s most renowned luxury sports car manufacturers is likely to be a major draw to collectors and wealthy enthusiasts who will buy an AM-RB 001.

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The last time a top-line motorsport designer got involved in a road car project was probably in 1990, when McLaren employed Gordon Murray to come up with a new supercar – the iconic F1.

Newey’s name is no less appealing than Murray’s, and perhaps even more attractive given that the Englishman’s Red Bull cars delivered four world titles in a row for Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013.

Still, Newey has been looking away from the F1 grid for a while now – the Aston design lured him from another side project involving America’s Cup racing yachts.

The numbers count

No more than 99 shining examples of the car are likely to be produced, and you’ll probably need to spend at least $2.6 million (£2 million) to get one of them.

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That sounds like an extraordinary figure but it is unlikely to bother Aston Martin, which has picked up on an increasing trend for ultra-high-end vehicles. Bugatti’s Chiron for example – the $2.4 million successor to the Veyron – has already racked up around 180 orders.

Aston itself has already dipped its toe into this market with the Vulcan, another V12-engined special edition that cost $2.3 million and sold out in a few months.

The AM-RB 001 will almost certainly follow suit and, if it does succeed, expect the use of a number in the car’s name to be ever more significant.

After all, what’s the point of 001 if you can’t take the series up to at least 007?