What's all this about?

You're looking at the third entry in Aston Martin's mid-engined hypercar series, one that kicked off with the AM-RB 001, which became the astonishing Valkyrie and was quickly followed by the AM-RB 002, which turned into the Valkyrie AMR Pro. This, then, is the AM-RB 003, and it has been revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.

Is it just me that thinks it looks a lot like the Valkyrie?

No, because Miles Nurnberger, Aston Martin's director of design, acknowledged as much once the wraps came off the vehicle, although he insists that the AM-RB 003 has an identity all of its own: "We were quite deliberate in AM-RB 003 to not disguise its lineage, but we were equally emphatic that it would be a distillation of Aston Martin Valkyrie and not a dilution. The design isn't as extreme in some areas, but it pushes just as hard in others, and is even taking certain ideas and concepts a step further. That's a natural function of design evolution, but also testament to just how great an influence working with Red Bull Advanced Technologies on Aston Martin Valkyrie has had on our approach to everything that's come since."

OK, so what do we know about it?

Like the Valkyrie, it's a carbon-tubbed, carbon-bodied beauty that favours extreme aerodynamic prowess, a direct result of the involvement of the aforementioned Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) and its F1 guru, Adrian Newey. Indeed, some of the bodywork uses FlexFoil, developed by FlexSys Inc, a next-gen aircraft morphing technology that allows the AM-RB 003 to create a 'variable airfoil' across the entirety of its rear wing. Aston Martin will be the first company to implement this tech in the automotive industry, once the AM-RB 003 launches.

Oh, so it's going to be built, then?

Yes, in a run of just 500 units for the entire world, all of them coupes. At the moment, further technical details are thin on the ground and they'll bleed out as the development programme of AM-RB 003 rolls on, but we do know it will be powered by a mid-mounted turbo V6 engine as part of a hybrid powertrain - which is an Aston Martin in-house developed unit, and not one sourced from Mercedes-AMG. Intriguing...

What else can you tell me about the AM-RB 003?

Due to the aerodynamic demands required of the AM-RB 003, its shape is necessarily like that of the Valkyrie, with much of its negative lift (downforce) generated by the pronounced front end, that huge double-diffuser at the rear and a flat underfloor. However, in a bid to distance it from 'AM-RB 001', the 003 has new light clusters fore and aft, which - altogether - weigh less than the single headlamp unit of a DB11. The AM-RB 003 is also said to have a 'more usable and comfortable' interior than the Valkyrie, so there are LMP1-style doors that open forwards and take a section of the roof with them, in order to make getting in and out of the Aston a more graceful process. Behind the two seats is a luggage 'terrace' for bags, there will be stowage areas dotted throughout the cabin to hold phones, wallets and other odds and sods, and the two seats are placed further apart for more occupant space, thanks to a wider centre console... which has been 3D printed, like much of the stuff in the car, to save weight. In this case, the console is 50 per cent lighter than if it had been made via more conventional car-construction techniques. And finally, the 'Nexcel' sealed oil system means that the oil can be changed on AM-RB 003 in just 90 seconds, with used engine oil able to be refined and reused in other applications. Clever, eh?

Matt Robinson - 5 Mar 2019