James Bond‘s next ride just might be the fastest street car ever, thanks to a high-octane collaboration with Formula One racing team Red Bull.
007’s favorite automaker Aston Martin needed an infusion of technology to give it the scorching speed needed to top rivals from Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren. And Red Bull sought an avenue into production road cars, like its on-track competitors, Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG.
The first union of this high-speed marriage will be the $2.8 million-plus AM-RB 001, a two-seat, mid-engine hypercar the company promises will be as fast as a Formula 1 race car or Le Mans prototype. Unlike Aston’s Vulcan track-only model, the car will be available in both street-legal and track-only versions when it arrives in late 2018.
Power comes from an all-new naturally aspired V12 engine, which will please purists, while drivers can expect that the combustion engine will be supplemented with hybrid-electric assistance in the manner of modern F1 and Le Mans racers, which should also please the technophiles.
At this early point in the AM-RB 001’s development, specifics are in short supply. But the car will feature a 1:1 horsepower to weight (in kilograms) ratio, giving it about 1 horsepower for every 2.2 lbs. By comparison, the McLaren P1 carries about 3.65 lbs. for each of its ponies.
Red Bull aerodynamics expert Adrian Newey developed the AM-RB 001’s underbody airflow, leaving Aston design chief Marek Reichman a free hand to style the bodywork with familiar Aston cues rather than purely as a wind tunnel exercise for optimum aerodynamics, according to spokesman Matthew Clarke.
“Working so closely alongside Adrian and an organisation like Red Bull Racing is a fabulous experience,” Marek gushed in a statement. “By definition the objectives we’ve set for the car ensures there has never been an Aston Martin – or any car, actually – quite like the AM-RB 001.”
Which is as it should be to ensure Bond will continue to leave all those villains in the dust.