Cosworth to supply engines for ‘Valkyrie’ Red Bull/Aston Martin hypercar (3rd Update)

Valkyrie

UPDATE The V naming strategy at Aston Martin dates back more than 70 years to 1951, when the British brand gave a DB2 about 20 more horsepower and applied the Vantage name to the new “high performance" 125-hp car.

Now, Aston Martin is applying Norse-power to the hypercar it is co-developing with the Red Bull Racing Formula One team. Announced on the eve of the 2017 Geneva auto show where the hypercar is on display, the new name for the car that we've only known thus far as AM-RB 001 is Valkyrie.

In Norse mythology, Valkyrie literally translates as “chooser of the slain." These female figures select who may live and who may die in battle. The Valkyrie then bring half of those slain on the battlefield to Valhalla, where they are governed in the afterlife by Odin, ruler of the gods.

So, if you want to look at the Valkyrie's flowing, sensual forms and see a female figure, Aston Martin is giving you reason to with the Valkyrie name. We think it's just an awesome car.

“Aston Martin model names have deep meaning. They need to inspire and excite. To tell a story and enrich a narrative that stretches back some 104-years," design boss Marek Reichman said in a statement. “The Aston Martin Valkyrie is an incredibly special car that demands an equally remarkable name; an uncompromising car that leaves nothing in reserve."

This rumor is now 'fact' because it has been confirmed that the Valkyrie will have a hybrid powertrain featuring a 6.5-liter V-12 developed by Cosworth with electric boost courtesy of Rimac. Total output should be about 1,000 horsepower.

02/18/17

AM-RB 001

Details continue to trickle in on the AM-RB 001, the $3 million hypercar Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies are co-developing.
Specifically, Aston has named a few suppliers.

The company says it has tapped longtime racing-engine builder Cosworth to do the 6.5-liter V12. Cosworth has of course built successful IndyCar and Formula 1 engines over the years. Croatian drivetrain developer Rimac is supplying the lightweight hybrid battery system, while transmission builder Ricardo is handling the seven-speed gearbox.

Composite expert Multimatic is working with Red Bull Advanced Technologies to construct the car’s carbon-fiber MonoCell. Multimatic has worked on Aston’s One-77 and Vulcan.

Electronics expert Bosch has been tapped for the engine control unit (ECU), transmission control unit (TCU) and electronic stability program (ESP). Alcon and Surface Transforms are partnering on the brake calipers and carbon discs.

Red Bull Racing chief technical boss Adrian Newey says the AM-RB 001 is indeed a massive team effort. “To achieve great things you need to surround yourself with the best people," he said, adding that he and his team looked for experience, creativity, energy, diligence and perfectionism when choosing the suppliers.

No more than 150 road-going AM-RB 001s are being built, including all remaining prototypes, with 25 additional track-only versions. First deliveries are due to start in 2019. AutoWeek

03/17/16 (GMM) As reported earlier, Aston Martin is entering formula one with Red Bull (announcement).

The luxury British carmaker, earlier linked with a tie-up with Force India, will add its iconic wings logo to the livery of the energy drink-owned team's cars, starting in Australia.

But that is not all.

The two brands announced in the Albert Park paddock that F1 designer Adrian Newey will help Aston Martin produce a "next generation hypercar".

"Formula one offers the ultimate global stage to build wider awareness of the Aston Martin brand," said Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer.

"However, this partnership will deliver even more than that when the hypercar that Aston Martin and Adrian Newey are in the process of developing hits the road."

Palmer told reporters in Melbourne that Newey has been briefed to make the hypercar "faster than an F1 car around Silverstone".

03/17/16

Red Bull to run Aston Martin power?

(GMM) Aston Martin's touted F1 foray is back on track, it emerged in the Melbourne paddock on Thursday.

In January, Force India admitted that its rumored tie-up with the British luxury carmaker had fallen through.

"It probably won't happen for 2016," said team official Otmar Szafnauer, "but we're still talking."

But before the Force India talks ever took place, it was Red Bull that initially negotiated with Aston Martin.

So tongues began to wag in Melbourne on Thursday when Aston Martin chief Andy Palmer, who knows Red Bull well from the Infiniti sponsorship days, touched down for the season opener.

The Australian website Drive quoted an insider as confirming that Palmer is preparing to make "a significant announcement" in Melbourne later on Thursday.

Red Bull is powered by Tag Heuer-branded Renault engines in 2016, but only with a one-year contract.

So with Aston Martin 5 per cent owned by Mercedes, and Adrian Newey believed to already be working with Aston Martin on a road car, a potential Mercedes engine could be in the offing for Red Bull next year.

Williams has also been linked with the Aston Martin rumors, but sources suggest the most likely outcome is a Red Bull sponsor deal this year before a deeper involvement for 2017.

"For me, formula one has a merit when it can deliver something technologically from the track to the road," Palmer told Drive at the recent Geneva motor show.

"For me the reason to go into formula one is basically for the technology transfer."