ln
AUGUST 2016
wey
mises
ivalent
formance
an LMP
around
erstone”
N
e
Sil
“There’s a continuity going from
Formula 1 to the Playstation X-
car [a virtual racer done for the
GT5 game] to this – there’s a loose
lineage there, but if you put the
cars together you could see the
evolution from chimpanzee to
homo sapiens.”
Although we’ll have to wait
for the final specs, we know
that the AM-RB 001 will use a
mid-mounted atmo V12 engine
driving the rear wheels, possibly
in conjunction with a KERS-style
hybrid assistance system.
“The honest truth is that we are
still evaluating a whole load of
potential solutions,” Newey said.
“What I can say is that central to
the concept is that the car should
be small, light and efficient.”
Two versions will be sold, a
track-only variant and a fully legal
road car. Reichmann suggests that
total build will be about 100 cars,
with 25 of these likely to be the
track variant.
There’s no official word on price,but we’re told to expect it to be
between £2m and £3m. With the
pound the way it is, we won’t even
bother converting that. Fair to
say that, if you need to check the
currency, you can’t afford it.
The stripped-out version will,
Newey promises, offer equivalent
performance to an LMP1 race car
around a lap of Silverstone, but
he’s keen to say that the road-going
version will be almost as fast.
“Many parts will be common, but
obviously it will have an interior
in it and won’t have quite the big
wings of the track car.”
To hit its target, the 001 will
have to be about 20 seconds a lap
quicker than the Porsche 918 and
McLaren P1.
Despite that, Newey is adamant
the car is not built to chase
numbers, getting in a dig at the
Bugatti Chiron.
“It’s not just about the statistics,
it’s about how you feel in the car,
the pleasure in driving it. If we take
the [example of] the manufacturer
that’s chased the very high top
speed, then it’s arguably not a
terribly involving car to drive.
“We want to try and produce a
car that will put a smile on your
face whenever you drive it.”
MIKE DUFFNissan has helped develop a new GT-R. But
instead of having four wheels, this one has
rotors. The Japanese car company has
unveiled the GT-R Drone, which it claims will
accelerate from 0-100km/h in 1.3sec. Nissan
helped develop the GT-R Drone in conjunctionwith drone racers Tornado XBlades Racing in
order to keep up with its fastest road car while
filming. The GT-R Drone can run at 185km/h
and has a turning circle of just 30cm. We
haven’t tested the drone, but we have driven
the road-going GT-R in Belgium (see p36).Keeping up with the GT-Rs
Room for two despite
an uncompromised
F1-style ‘keel’ for
ultimate aero