Great Scott...AM-RB 001 will be an LMP1 car for the road

[ELVA164]

I didn't hear about this car until just now, but it sounds absolutely mindblowing. A joint effort between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, the car is about a year from being a running prototype.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/aston-martin-am-rb-001-first-look-review/

[roguetoaster]

Seems like another amazing work of engineering, but there is at least one serious problem.

You (most everyone on r3v) and I will never, ever be able to drive one, let alone sit inside. A very select few of us will see it in person, but none of us will likely ever own one. Many of us will not make the amount of money it takes to buy one road car in their entire lives.

You see, these types of cars are unattainable to even very successful people, and that lack of attainability makes them very much uninteresting to me.

[BlackbirdM3]

I gotta say, as cool as it is, its not very attractive. I am a function over form person but that thing is too busy for me. Futuristic? Yes, it would be great if we lived in 2459 but we don't. Give me a V12 Vantage S and I'll call it good.

Will

[ELVA164]

Seems like another amazing work of engineering, but there is at least one serious problem.

You (most everyone on r3v) and I will never, ever be able to drive one, let alone sit inside. A very select few of us will see it in person, but none of us will likely ever own one. Many of us will not make the amount of money it takes to buy one road car in their entire lives.

You see, these types of cars are unattainable to even very successful people, and that lack of attainability makes them very much uninteresting to me.

While I can understand your frustration (having to look at a GT40 MkIV then walk away forever is no fun...) but I think it's just as important for these types of cars to exist as an idea. Just imagine if nobody bought a Ferrari 250LM, or an Alfa T33 Stradale, or a Lancia 037...it's nice for me just knowing the cars are out there, and that they supported their respective manufacturers.

I gotta say, as cool as it is, its not very attractive. I am a function over form person but that thing is too busy for me. Futuristic? Yes, it would be great if we lived in 2459 but we don't. Give me a V12 Vantage S and I'll call it good.

Will

I dunno, this thing screams purpose but also has very smooth curves and delicate lines for a modern car. The roofline reminds me more of a car from my era than something new, and that makes me happy. :)

[roguetoaster]

While I can understand your frustration (having to look at a GT40 MkIV then walk away forever is no fun...) but I think it's just as important for these types of cars to exist as an idea. Just imagine if nobody bought a Ferrari 250LM, or an Alfa T33 Stradale, or a Lancia 037...it's nice for me just knowing the cars are out there, and that they supported their respective manufacturers.

If there had been no purchases of a 250LM we might have seen Ferrari branch out in to sedans, and then dominate DTM, or maybe even WRC in later years. It is great that those cars existed as they furthered some aspect of motorsports, but do modern LMP cars or Super-GTs really further road car tech? Sure, they might justify large process costs up front (carbon tubs, nanoweaves etc), but at this point in the life of the automobile, and with all of the standards imposed on road going cars I just don't see the point. Basically, I love attainable motorsports, and attainable motorsports related cars/motorcycles.

[ELVA164]

I respect your opinion, although I'm pretty sure LMP and endurance GT racing are the two largest sources of race-to-road tech by a large margin. Either way, my point was I just think it's cool to know a road car with full ground effect will exist out there somewhere just like I like knowing there's a car with a manual transmission, V12 engine, no driver aids, and a top speed of 242mph out there. And with the same amount of luggage space as a Ford Fiesta!

[mrsleeve]

If there had been no purchases of a 250LM we might have seen Ferrari branch out in to sedans, and then dominate DTM, or maybe even WRC in later years. It is great that those cars existed as they furthered some aspect of motorsports, but do modern LMP cars or Super-GTs really further road car tech? Sure, they might justify large process costs up front (carbon tubs, nanoweaves etc), but at this point in the life of the automobile, and with all of the standards imposed on road going cars I just don't see the point. Basically, I love attainable motorsports, and attainable motorsports related cars/motorcycles.

You can buy a corvette with carbon ceramic brakes for the street, thanks to the C5 and C6 racing program.

The C6, C7 vette and the CTS-v caddies owe a lot of their real world on the street performance to what was developed for the factory race programs of the last 10 years.

[Shangsta]

Yeah lmp cars are used a lot in street car development. Look at mazda and their skyactive program which finds stuff they develop making it onto street cars

[Vincent Brick]

Seems like another amazing work of engineering, but there is at least one serious problem.

You (most everyone on r3v) and I will never, ever be able to drive one, let alone sit inside. A very select few of us will see it in person, but none of us will likely ever own one. Many of us will not make the amount of money it takes to buy one road car in their entire lives.

You see, these types of cars are unattainable to even very successful people, and that lack of attainability makes them very much uninteresting to me.

I feel the same way about new BMWs. I am entering middle-aged and can count on one hand the number of times that friends within my age group bought a brand new car at any price. I got excited when I saw a new 2-Series for the first time, fell in love, but then its like "well maybe 10 years from now I can afford one with 100k on it..."


Too bad they didn't make this thing look more like an actual LMP car, but I guess its not as ugly as the new McLarens.