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New mid-engined Aston Martin Project 003 hypercar due in 2021
The Project 003 will be the third Aston hypercar, slotting in beneath the Valkyrie, and our exclusive image previews how it could look.
Aston Martin has confirmed a third mid-engined hypercar is currently under development and that it will be designed to sit alongside the Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro.
Yet to be named, the rival to the McLaren Senna and Ferrari LaFerrari is currently known under the codename Project 003. And Red Bull Racing will be involved with the car’s development.
The project is still in an early state and Aston says that the new model will arrive in 2021, and while both right-hand and left-hand-drive production is planned, the car will be limited to 500 examples globally. It will slot into the range beneath the Valkyrie, of which only 175 editions are being produced.
Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Aston boss Andy Palmer revealed that car is an additional part of his seven-year plan. “It falls into the category of a ‘special’,” Palmer told us. “It’s the connector, it’s the dot between the Valkyrie and the Ferrari 488 competitor[also under development]. Let’s put it as a LaFerrari competitor so it’s in that kind of realm, like the McLaren Senna and Porsche 918. As for power, it would more than compete with those.”
Aston says that Project 003 will be mid-engined, built around a lightweight structure, and road legal. A V6 turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid engine will provide power. “In the 003 it’s a turbocharged V6,” Palmer said. “There will be hybrid power in there, but very much tuned from a KERS perspective than a normal hybridisation perspective; think of it as race-tuned.
“Obviously it’s a new engine, designed by Aston Martin. We’re demonstrating that in that V12 arena we have mastery, so V12 and V6 is obviously closely related.”
Power output should sit somewhere between that of the DBS Superleggera and Valkyrie, at around 1,000bhp. That should translate to a 0-62mph time of less than three seconds and a top speed upwards of 200mph. Technology will be borrowed from the Valkyrie project, such as active aerodynamics and active suspension.
A single sketch (above) hints at the design of the new model, suggesting a wild aerodynamic profile and a fighter-jet-style canopy. Despite this, Aston promises that Project 003 is being designed to be a more practical offering than the Valkyrie, with space for luggage. Our exclusive image gives you a better idea of how the finished model could look.
Palmer added: “If you go from Valkyrie to our 488 rival, from £2.5million to £200,000, that jump probably isn’t enough to give you the view of the mother and the father.
“When you see the design language for 003, it’s really interesting. We’re designing 003 and what we call AM9 [the 488 competitor] side by side so you see that bloodline.”
The 003 is the latest in a long line of new models being developed by Aston. The next big launch from the British firm is its first SUV previewed by the DBX concept; it’s expected to be called Varekai when it arrives early next year. Project 003 will follow shortly after Aston’s other mid-engined model, the AM9 Ferrari 488 competitor.
Auto Express
The Project 003 will be the third Aston hypercar, slotting in beneath the Valkyrie, and our exclusive image previews how it could look.
Aston Martin has confirmed a third mid-engined hypercar is currently under development and that it will be designed to sit alongside the Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro.
Yet to be named, the rival to the McLaren Senna and Ferrari LaFerrari is currently known under the codename Project 003. And Red Bull Racing will be involved with the car’s development.
The project is still in an early state and Aston says that the new model will arrive in 2021, and while both right-hand and left-hand-drive production is planned, the car will be limited to 500 examples globally. It will slot into the range beneath the Valkyrie, of which only 175 editions are being produced.
Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Aston boss Andy Palmer revealed that car is an additional part of his seven-year plan. “It falls into the category of a ‘special’,” Palmer told us. “It’s the connector, it’s the dot between the Valkyrie and the Ferrari 488 competitor[also under development]. Let’s put it as a LaFerrari competitor so it’s in that kind of realm, like the McLaren Senna and Porsche 918. As for power, it would more than compete with those.”
Aston says that Project 003 will be mid-engined, built around a lightweight structure, and road legal. A V6 turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid engine will provide power. “In the 003 it’s a turbocharged V6,” Palmer said. “There will be hybrid power in there, but very much tuned from a KERS perspective than a normal hybridisation perspective; think of it as race-tuned.
“Obviously it’s a new engine, designed by Aston Martin. We’re demonstrating that in that V12 arena we have mastery, so V12 and V6 is obviously closely related.”
Power output should sit somewhere between that of the DBS Superleggera and Valkyrie, at around 1,000bhp. That should translate to a 0-62mph time of less than three seconds and a top speed upwards of 200mph. Technology will be borrowed from the Valkyrie project, such as active aerodynamics and active suspension.
A single sketch (above) hints at the design of the new model, suggesting a wild aerodynamic profile and a fighter-jet-style canopy. Despite this, Aston promises that Project 003 is being designed to be a more practical offering than the Valkyrie, with space for luggage. Our exclusive image gives you a better idea of how the finished model could look.
Palmer added: “If you go from Valkyrie to our 488 rival, from £2.5million to £200,000, that jump probably isn’t enough to give you the view of the mother and the father.
“When you see the design language for 003, it’s really interesting. We’re designing 003 and what we call AM9 [the 488 competitor] side by side so you see that bloodline.”
The 003 is the latest in a long line of new models being developed by Aston. The next big launch from the British firm is its first SUV previewed by the DBX concept; it’s expected to be called Varekai when it arrives early next year. Project 003 will follow shortly after Aston’s other mid-engined model, the AM9 Ferrari 488 competitor.
Auto Express
