Aston Martin confirms mid-engined Ferrari fighter

The British brand has issued a single pencil sketch and initial details of its Project 003, a more affordable sibling to the Valkyrie hypercar, with confirmation it will feature a high-tech, electrically-assisted turbo charged petrol engine when it launches in 2021.

The car will utilise learnings from the Valkyrie program, which has been jointly developed between Aston Martin and the Red Bull Racing F1 team and oversee by Aston's creative director Marek Reichman and Red Bull's aerodynamic guru Adrian Newey, and feature active aerodynamics and active suspension that Aston claims will provide it with "next-level precision, control and driver connection" and class-leading dynamics on both the road and race track.

Built around a (presumably carbon fibre) "lightweight structure", the car will be powered by a yet-to-be-detailed turbo petrol electric powertrain, which is most likely to be based on the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 hybrid currently under development by Mercedes-AMG and previewed in the AMG GT 4-door coupe concept that produces up to 600kW of power.

Unlike the narrow focus of the Valkyrie, each of which will be tailored to its owners, the Project 003 is designed to be more accessible and practical for everyday use, including space for luggage says Aston, and will be produced in both left- and right-hand drive, fully homologated for all global markets.

It will still be rare though, as Aston Martin has confirmed it will limited to just 500 coupe units around the world.

“It was always the intention for the Aston Martin Valkyrie to be a once-in-a lifetime project, however, it was also vital to us that Valkyrie would create a legacy: a direct descendent that would also set new standards within its own area of the hypercar market, creating a bloodline of highly specialised, limited production machines that can exist in parallel with Aston Martin’s series production models," said Aston Martin boss, Andy Palmer.

"I’m thrilled to announce that this car is the Project ‘003’, and our next step into a dynamic and exacting arena.”