Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has dropped a major
hint with regards to what the upcoming AM-RB 003 hypercar could be called when
it finally goes into production. Palmer was talking to Autonews Europe in Geneva when he said
“Valhalla is a name we have registered in our naming book,” although he didn’t
confirm that it would be for the 003, which is due out in 2021 and will be
powered by a new V6 hybrid unit developed in-house by the British automaker.
According to Aston Martin, the AM-RB 003 (limited to
500 units) will have performance to “meet and surpass existing top-end
hybpercar rivals,” which is why it’s expected to cost more than £ 1 million.
Like the Valkyrie, the 003 was also developed with
the help of Red Bull Advanced Technologies, a division of the Red Bull Racing
Formula 1 team. Palmer also addressed how much it meant for his company to work
with Red Bull chief engineer Adrian Newey on this project, saying “one of the
things about working with Adrian is the F1 obsession with weight, beyond
anything I’ve seen in the car industry. It’s changed our thinking.”
He used the cockpit design as an example, where
instead of an infotainment screen you just get a holder for your smartphone. As for the design, the AM-RB 003
is clearly influenced by the Valkyrie, although the automaker claims that it’s
more of a “distillation of Aston Martin Valkyrie and not a dilution.”
