Motor Australia – May 2019

VALKYRIE:Thebigdaddy.Aston’sshortcut
tomid-enginedcredibility– a road-legal,RedBull-
sculptedhypercarwitha 865kWhybridV12.
VALKYRIEAMRPRO:Thebigdaddy,
butfortrackworkonly.AMRProistheultimate
Valkyrie– allthehybridV12glory,justwithoutany
road-legalcompromises.
AM-RB003:Notasfast,orwild,oras

expensive,asValkyrie,butstill built around a

carbon-fibretub.Crucially,atmo V12 is swapped

fora morepowerfulversionof Vanquish’s hybrid-

assistedV6.Just 500 willbebuilt, and it’ll be with

usbeforeVanquish;late2021/2022.

VANQUISH:Thenewmid-engined Ferrari 488

(nowF8Tributo)andHuracan rival. Aluminium tub,

hybridV6powertrain.Dueon sale in 2022.

ASTON’SSUPERCARFAMILY EXPLAINED

a yearagowerecruitedJoergRoss
[ex-Ferrari,ex-Maserati,intotheroleof
headofpowertrains].He’sa wizardon
theenginesideandthisnewturboV6
is hisbaby.It’sa performancehybrid,
nota plug-in.Thetwotechnologies
complementeachother;they’reattheir
bestin differentspheres.”
Aston’spowertrainwillneedtotarget
atleast535kWgiventhelikesofthe
530kWMcLaren720SandFerrariF8
Tributoarebenchmarked.
Szwajis atpainstopointoutthat,
givenitslessthanboundlessbudget,
nothingAstonMartindoescanbea
one-shot.Thishybridis asmuchabout
future-proofingAstonMartinin thelong
termasit is buildinga Ferraribeater
rightnow.“Thistechnologyis maturing.
It’sstillexpensive,butyoudon’tneed
tospendhugeamountsofmoney,and
weneedthistechnologytomeetthe
emissionschallenge,”explainsSzwaj.
“Thereis a lotofuncertainty.Wemust
designsomethingthatwillexciteandbe
sociallyresponsibleatthesametime.”

These factors will challenge the next

Vantage and DB11 just as they must

shape the Vanquish, a consideration that

serves to illustrate both the enormity

of the task Aston’s team is facing (with

no major OEM from which to pilfer

parts and thinking, as Porsche can, for

example) and the enormous flexibility

this solution will bring to the firm’s

technical arsenal.

“But you need to think of it as a

platform for further development.

The base V6 will deliver amazing

performance but it’s also the base of the

powertrain in the AM-RB 003, with a

different kind of hybrid system to deliver

the increased power. This is a powertrain

we can scale up or down with a different

number of cylinders. With the electrified

transmission, we also have the possibility

of all-wheel drive. We are looking at this

• we’d be stupid not to.”
  Just as Vanquish’s powertrain
  demonstrates flexibility, the chassis
  structure Szwaj is developing promises
  performance with adaptability, too.

Constructed primarily from bonded

aluminium, as Vantage and DB11 are, the

Vanquish should use composites in key

areas to reduce weight.

The design team has faced a

challenge: deliver a car that, while being

based on an engineering package

quite unlike any other Aston Martin,

nevertheless looks like an Aston Martin.

At the same time the project’s ambitious

performance targets also insisted

that form must be tightly tethered

to function, with no indulgent style-

led flourishes that might corrupt the

car’s aerodynamic efficiency. “We’re

looking at a very aggressive layout for

our cooling, and therefore the aero

performance of the car,” confirms Szwaj.

Certainly the Vanquish and AM-RB

003 have striking forms, from low,

almost feline faces, through to graceful

flanks to brutal diffuser tunnels.

However, the overall message, from

your eyes to your beating heart, is

clear: these are two Aston Martins that

promise to drive like no other.

ABOVE

Increasedusability

comparedwiththe

ValkyriemeansAM-RB

003 willusedihedral

doorsinplaceof

Valkyrie’sgullwing

setup

OPPOSITE

Insteadof

conventionalflaps,

a Flexfoilsurfaceon

therearwingwillallow

thecartotweakits

aerobalancewithout

shiftinga conventional

rearwing

➜

BELOW

Theinteriorwilluse3Dprinted

parts,tominimisetheamountof

materialrequiredtomakeeach

component,reducingweight

M FRONTEND.PACENOTES

NEWS / REVIEWS / LATEST TECH / MOTORSPORT

24 may 2019 whichcar.com.au/motor