GIMS Live: Aston Martin 003 Is A Baby Valkyrie
The third in Gaydon's mid-engined family is here and it goes by the codename of Aston Martin 003 but it really is a baby Valkyrie.
The Aston Martin 003 is the third car that spawns out of the collaboration between Aston Martin and the Red Bull Racing F1 team. The car essentially is a smaller, more toned down Valkyrie.
A striking new development with the 003 is that it will use Aston Martin's newly developed V6 turbo engine. Next to that it'll also be supported with a hybrid. It'll also carry through the same philosophy as the Valkyrie. However it'll make some compromises to improve its practicality and road use.
And you can see that through the styling of the car. The Aston Martin 003 is unmistakably family of the Valkyrie but it's not a copy shrunk down. Miles Nurnberger, Aston Martin Director of Design said the following about the 003 design.
“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."
Next to that, Aston Martin is also using spacecraft technology verified by NASA called "FlexFoil". It's used on the rear wing and allows the car to change the downforce levels. However it doesn't change the physical angle of the wing. This virtually eliminates turbulence and drag from current systems .
Return of in-house engineering
More info about the V6 hybrid will be revealed later as the programme progresses. But this engine marks the return of Aston Martin in-house designing of engines. The Aston Martin 003 also uses a revolutionary Nexcel Oil System. This system allows oil changes to be done in under 90 seconds. It was first introduced on the Aston Martin Vulcan. From there on the team further developed through multiple 24 Hour campaigns.
The car will be limited to only 500 pieces. It doesn't sound like a lot for the more entry level Valkyrie but it serves as a test platform for the upcoming Vanquish Vision.
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