Aston Martin RB 003 & Vanquish Vision
Vanquish – a name that makes the connoisseur’s mouth water. Let’s look back to the year 2001, when the first Aston Martin Vanquish saw the light of day – a bang. Its chassis was made of aluminium and carbon. Under its bonnet was a V12 engine, whose sound provided for pleasant goosebumps – probably one of the best sounding engines ever built. It continued with the Vanquish S, strengthened by another 20 hp, in 2004 and stopped with the end of production in 2007. It took until 2012 before another Aston Martin was allowed to wear this legendary name again. In 2018 the last copy rolled off the line and its successor became the DBS Superleggera.
But fans of Aston Martin can be happy – in Geneva, the British company showed a concept car to show what the future of the Vanquish could look like. It has nothing to do with the legendary front-engined sports cars. Aston Martin wants to compete with the biggest names, all the way up. And the established top dogs in this sports car category are the new Ferrari F8 Tributo and the McLaren 720S. V12? No. Unfortunately, the Vanquish Vision only gets a V6. At the moment, there are only a few technical datas, but it is obvious, that this engine will either get turbochargers or a hybrid system for more power. Taking the bigger Valkyrie as its idol, a naturally aspirated V6 plus hybrid system is an option. 720 hp are to be expected in the face of competition. Maybe Aston Martin will top them all off though.
Visually, one looks at the larger brothers Valkyrie and RB 003 – the front of the Vanquish Vision shows close proximity to the Valkyrie, while the rear with the two exhaust pipes quotes another sports car from Great Britain. Let’s be surprised what is being prepared in Gaydon. It’s always exciting and the Vanquish Vision is definitely an asset to the sports car world.
Aston Martin RB 003
Red Bull gives you wings – says the famous advertising. In the case of Aston Martin, these winged words seem to have something more in them, and the number of sports cars co-developed with Red Bull Advanced Technologies certainly deserves the title impressive. After RB 001 (Valkyrie) and RB 002 (Valkyrie AMR Pro) now there is the RB 003, which according to the latest rumors is supposed to carry the name Valhalla. The final name is still unknown, as well as exact technical data, prices and other information. Only the production number of 500 units has already been communicated.
Visually, the RB 003 is clearly based on its big brother Valkyrie. Its interior, however, should be suitable for everyday use and even a small luggage compartment behind the seats is provided. The bodywork dispenses with opulent wings and impresses with flowing shapes. The aerodynamic efficiency should, as already in the Valkyrie, be achieved by extreme air flow through the vehicle. In addition, Aston Martin relies on active air guiding elements and changeable body surfaces.
Probably the biggest difference is in the drive: While the big brother Valkyrie will receive a prestigious 12-cylinder engine, the smaller RB 003 has to settle for a V6. It will be equipped with with hybrid components to achieve adequate performance. How much power it will get is currently still in the era of the speculative – certainly below the Valkyrie, which generates a system output of 1,176 hp, and above the 725 hp DBS Superleggera. Since the Vanquish Vision should also be more powerful than the DBS Superleggera, one can assume about 950 hp for the RB 003. At the moment you can only speculate about the price, but one million euros is certainly what you have to consider as a minimum. Despite all the confusion, it doesn’t help to run to the nearest Aston Martin dealer, as all RB 003 are already sold out according to recent information.
Images: Aston Martin, Oliver Kühlein, Matthias Kierse
