Aston Martin brings in more big names for its upcoming supercar

By Stephen Edelstein February 15, 2017

Aston Martin’s upcoming AM-RB 001 supercar will be a team effort.

The project started as a collaboration between Aston and the Red Bull Racing Formula One team (the “RB” in “AM-RB 001”), but the partners are bringing in some other impressive names from the world of motor sports to make the new supercar a reality.

Aston now says the AM-RB 001’s V12 engine will displace 6.5 liters, and will be built by noted racing-engine maker Cosworth. The British firm has built a number of winning race engines, most notably the Ford-based DFV V8 that powered a generation of F1 cars. The V12 will be mated to a seven-speed paddle-shifted transmission developed by Ricardo, another racing firm, with input from Red Bull.

In addition to the V12 and seven-speed gearbox, Aston commissioned a “lightweight hybrid battery system” from Croatian firm Rimac, indicating the AM-RB 001 will in fact be powered by both gasoline and electricity. Rimac is best known for its electric supercar, the Concept One, which boasts a claimed 1,088 horsepower. Other electronics, including driver aids like traction control and stability control, will be supplied by Bosch.

Finally, Multimatic will construct the AM-RB 001’s carbon-fiber chassis. This company worked on Aston’s previous limited-edition supercars, the One-77 and the Vulcan. It also builds the Ford GT under contract with the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker, and helps run the racing program for that car. Aston claims the AM-RB 001 will have a power-to-weight ratio of 1:1, meaning it will have one horsepower for every kilogram of weight. The only other car to achieve that so far is the 1,341-hp Koenigsegg One:1.

Aston only plans to make 150 road-going versions of the AM-RB 001, including all prototypes. It will also build 25 track-only versions, for a grand total of 175. The price tag for each car is expected to be somewhere near $3 million but, given the potential performance on tap, Aston probably won’t have trouble selling them all. Deliveries will begin in 2019.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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