The Baby Valkyrie is here and it means serious business. Ahead of this, Aston Martin's tie-up with Red Bull Advanced Technologies has blessed us with two mid-engined insane hypercars- the Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro. And, the RB-003 joins the same party.
Starting with the outside, the pouty front-lip makes the 003 look like it's posing for a selfie. This alongside a massive rear-diffuser at the rear helps the hypercar enjoy maximum downforce. From the back, we could not help but notice the similarities that the car shares with Mercedes AMG One.
The 003 ships with a carbon body alongside active suspension and electronic systems that “shares a common philosophy with the Valkyrie”. But new and exciting for the 003 is the 'Flexfoil' - a technology developed for the aerospace industry that Aston says “allows for the car's downforce to be changed without changing the physical angle of the entire”.
The British manufacturer has decided to ditch the Cosworth-developed V12 engine for a hybridised turbocharged V6 engine that is being developed in-house. We have been told that the car will use the same Nexcel sealed oil system as the Vulcan, meaning you can change the said oil in about 90 seconds.
Aston says that the 003 was designed to look like the Valkyrie on purpose, saying it “shares the same fundamental styling and aerodynamic philosophy” as the latter but makes “greater concessions to practicality and road use”. The cabin is surprisingly spacious, with LMP1-style doors. A wider 3D-printed centre console dominates the dash and in it is an infotainment system that supports smartphone connectivity.
Aston Martin aims to produce 500 examples of the 003, which is considerably more than what the company plans for the Valkyrie. However, we are not sure how many of these will be seen roaming the streets.