Yahoo Autos Red Bull to Collaborate with Aston Martin on Second Mid-Engined Supercar
Trying to work out future-model strategies beyond the modest limits to which automakers want to share their plans often feels like attempting a jigsaw puzzle in the dark, in a hurricane. As with detective novels, small details and throwaway lines can turn out to be hugely significant.
Aston is more forthcoming than most when it comes to the outer reaches of its model plan. Company boss Andy Palmer previously told Car and Driver of his hopes to produce a mid-engined supercar that will be positioned below the almighty Valkyrie. Now we have confirmation from the other side of the fence that Red Bull Racing, which is co-developing the Valkyrie with Aston, is involved in this more junior model and is thinking of other projects beyond that.
“We have a growing advanced technology department within Red Bull and we’re all fully involved with the two cars, the Valkyrie and then the track version,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told journalists at the British Grand Prix, facts we already knew. But then things got more interesting as he continued, unprompted: “We’ll be heavily involved in 003, and then we’ll be looking at fourth-iteration and fifth-iteration cars as well.”
Prior to getting its official name, the Valkyrie was known as the AM-RB 001, with these other models seeming to have stuck to the same naming convention. Although an Aston spokesman was keen to stress that anything beyond the son of Valkyrie is an aspiration rather than a signed-off project, it’s clear that serious thought is already being given to creating a longer-term relationship with Red Bull, one that would potentially create some serious competition to Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren.
Aston Martin’s Sub-Valkyrie Mid-Engined Supercar May Spawn an Entire Range
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Last year Aston poached McLaren’s chief test pilot, Chris Goodwin, and gave him the spectacular job title of Expert High Performance Test Driver, with a brief to lead the dynamic development of the mid-engined cars. It sounds like he is going to have his hands full.
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