Motor Authority - blog Category: One-77

 

Fresh from its worldwide reveal earlier this summer in Europe, the 2010 Aston Martin One-77 supercar made its first Stateside appearance this weekend as the classic-car world readied for the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Aston calls the One-77 its "definitive" sports car, and it's difficult to argue with that assertion. Not only does the One-77 sport the credentials of a shattering supercar--more than 700 horsepower, a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph or more--it's also finished to the extreme, with every surface given some sort of polish or treatment.

It's dazzling in person, from the massive 7.3-liter...

  Fresh from its worldwide reveal earlier this summer in Europe, the 2010 Aston Martin One-77 supercar made its first Stateside appearance this weekend as the classic-car world readied for the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Aston calls the One-77 its "definitive" sports car, and it's difficult to argue with that assertion. Not only does the One-77 sport the credentials of a shattering supercar--more than 700 horsepower, a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph or more--it's also finished to the extreme, with every surface given some sort of polish or treatment. It's dazzling in person, from the massive 7.3-liter V-12's carbon-fiber shroud to the white leather and stitching that lines the two-seat cabin. Immense wheels with carbon-ceramic brakes have their own presence, and so do the headlights--up close, they're ferally shaped and shot with LEDs. The Cosworth-tuned car will tour the world as it prepares for its first owners. Priced in Bugatti Veyron territory at nearly $2 million, this may be as close as mortals like us come to the race-ready supercar. Enjoy these live shots from Pebble Beach weekend--and read on this week as Motor Authority takes you for a first drive in the Aston Martin DBS Volante. MORE: 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance coverage Read More

Aston Martin's amazing One-77 appeared out of nowhere and stunned the motoring world with its bold design and exorbitant price tag, which is expected to run in the vicinity of $2 million. The current model being shown around the world is a prototype of what will be a future production version, and to further this end Aston Martin has revealed that it will be building a test example that will be tracked at the renowned Nurburgring circuit in Germany.

The news comes from One-77 program manager Chris Porritt, who revealed to Autocar that engineers hope to fine tune the car at the Nurburgring before it enters production, currently scheduled for... Aston Martin's amazing One-77 appeared out of nowhere and stunned the motoring world with its bold design and exorbitant price tag, which is expected to run in the vicinity of $2 million. The current model being shown around the world is a prototype of what will be a future production version, and to further this end Aston Martin has revealed that it will be building a test example that will be tracked at the renowned Nurburgring circuit in Germany. The news comes from One-77 program manager Chris Porritt, who revealed to Autocar that engineers hope to fine tune the car at the Nurburgring before it enters production, currently scheduled for next year. Spy photographers will be gearing up to capture pre-production shots of the One-77, and the motoring world will be anticipating what the lap times will be like for the new Aston Martin hypercar - with such a high expected price tag, performance is expected to rival that of some of the fastest production cars, such as the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the Nissan GT-R, both of which can tackle the 'Ring in around 7 minutes and 26 seconds. The prototype One-77's power unit is an extreme evolution of the 6.0L V12 engines fitted to the DBS, DB9 and new V12 Vantage models. The brief for the engine team was reportedly to take the 6.0L V12 as far as it could go, both in terms of output and weight reduction. The targets were a power output of no less than 700hp (522kW) with a 10% reduction in engine mass. Incredibly, the Aston Martin and Cosworth engineers who worked on the powertrain achieved a mass reduction of some 25% while increasing displacement to 7.3L. With a projected weight of 1,500kg the prototype One-77's top speed is predicted to be in excess of 200mph, with a 0-60mph time in approximately 3.5 seconds - both figures that point to some serious performance potential if the handling is capable enough. As for a final production version, the engine will likely remain unchanged.First completed Aston Martin One-77 supercarAston Martin One-77 supercar live shots Read More

The era of epic supercars is certainly not over at Aston Martin, with the carmaker confirming the development of a brand new flagship model late last year. A life-size mock up was then put on display at the 2008 Paris Motor Show to tease the public and start building interest for the car, which is estimated to cost a cool £1.2 million. A technical design showcase at March’s Geneva Motor Show revealed more features, including its bespoke carbon-fiber chassis and V12 engine, and shortly after Aston Martin released the first tentative details about production plans. This was then followed up with the first completed model, which was... The era of epic supercars is certainly not over at Aston Martin, with the carmaker confirming the development of a brand new flagship model late last year. A life-size mock up was then put on display at the 2008 Paris Motor Show to tease the public and start building interest for the car, which is estimated to cost a cool £1.2 million. A technical design showcase at March’s Geneva Motor Show revealed more features, including its bespoke carbon-fiber chassis and V12 engine, and shortly after Aston Martin released the first tentative details about production plans. This was then followed up with the first completed model, which was revealed at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como, Italy, where it also took the event’s prestigious design award. Over the weekend, Aston Martin opened a new showroom at the Nurburgring-Boulevard in Germany where the One-77 was displayed to the general public – and our photographer. This is the same version that was on show at the Lake Como Concorso d'Eleganza and was used by engineers to test the engine and gearbox. Aston Martin’s European operations chief Marcel Beci revealed in March that the first actual customer car will roll out of the company’s Gaydon factory later this year and that the limited production run of just 77 cars will be complete by the end of 2010. Beci also explained that Aston Martin keeps in close contact with all its One-77 customers, and that every effort is being made to ensure the car does not fall prey to resellers who may attempt to profit from it. After all, the One-77 is being built not just as a halo car, but as an ultra-halo car, a sort of rekindling of the legacy of Aston Martin, plus a projection of the brand into the future. It's designed to be the most quintessential Aston Martin ever, and the most perfectly personalized car available. The structural core of the One-77 is a lightweight and immensely rigid carbon-fiber monocoque. Conceived and designed at Aston Martin's Gaydon HQ, the monocoque, or 'tub', has been built in partnership with Multimatic (MTC) – a world leader in carbon composite technology. Attached to this tub is a set of double wishbones at each corner, with pushrods employed to transfer vertical suspension movements to the horizontally mounted spring/damper units. The dampers are fully adjustable and feature advanced Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) technology - a world-first for a road car application. These special valves use high-precision machined components to enable the shock-absorbing characteristics of the damper to be changed without having to remove them from the car. Underlining the truly bespoke nature of the One-77, the car's suspension characteristics will be precisely set-up by Aston Martin engineers to suit the owner’s exact requirements. The One-77's power unit is an extreme evolution of the 6.0L V12 engines fitted to the DBS, DB9 and new V12 Vantage models. The brief for engine team was to take the 6.0L V12 as far as it could go, both in terms of output and weight reduction. The targets were a power output of no less than 700hp (522kW) with a 10% reduction in engine mass. Incredibly, the Aston Martin and Cosworth engineers who worked on the powertrain achieved a mass reduction of some 25% while increasing displacement to 7.3L. Wearing Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires (255mm up front and 335mm up back) developed specifically for it, all 700hp is transmitted to the road through the rear wheels via a new six-speed gearbox. Controlled via column-mounted paddles behind the steering wheel, this robotised sequential manual is a new generation of Aston Martin's familiar automatic. Stopping power comes from a set of carbon-ceramic discs and uprated calipers designed to transmit less heat from the brake pads into the brake fluid. With a projected weight of 1,500kg the One-77 will occupy the very highest echelons of road car performance. Top speed is predicted to be in excess of 200mph, with a 0-60mph time in approximately 3.5 seconds. The custom-built nature of the One-77 echoes personalization programs recently undertaken by Lamborghini and Ferrari. Buyers will be able to customize every single part of the car, from the gearbox to the interior trim elements. Even the seats will be tailored to fit the driver and passenger’s individual curves. As the company CEO Ulrich Bez explains, the car should fit the owner like a tailored suit.Aston Martin One-77First completed Aston Martin One-77 supercarAston Martin One-77 supercar live shotsAston Martin Project One-77 Episode 3 Read More

The era of epic supercars is certainly not over at Aston Martin, with the carmaker confirming the development of a brand new flagship model late last year. A life-size mock up was then put on display at the 2008 Paris Motor Show to tease the public and start building interest for the car, which is estimated to cost a cool £1.2 million.

A technical design showcase at the recent Geneva Motor Show revealed more tempting details, but if you missed the show you can catch up on the latest happenings in this new video released by Aston Martin today.

With the release of this third episode in the Project One-77 Series, Aston Martin has decided it... The era of epic supercars is certainly not over at Aston Martin, with the carmaker confirming the development of a brand new flagship model late last year. A life-size mock up was then put on display at the 2008 Paris Motor Show to tease the public and start building interest for the car, which is estimated to cost a cool £1.2 million. A technical design showcase at the recent Geneva Motor Show revealed more tempting details, but if you missed the show you can catch up on the latest happenings in this new video released by Aston Martin today. With the release of this third episode in the Project One-77 Series, Aston Martin has decided it was time to show off the car’s new carbon-infused chassis as well as the build process for its sumptuous interior. Aston Martin presented the One-77's bare chassis at the Geneva event in an attempt to showcase the engineering and design expertise behind the bespoke supercar. After all, the One-77 is being built not just as a halo car, but as an ultra-halo car, a sort of rekindling of the legacy of Aston Martin, plus a projection of the brand into the future. It's designed to be the most quintessential Aston Martin ever, and the most perfectly personalized car available. The next stage in the One-77’s development will be the performance and durability phase so expect some exciting spy footage in the coming months. In the meantime, take a quick read of all the details gathered so far in our previous story.Aston Martin One-77Aston Martin One-77 PDF leakAston Martin Project One-77 Episode 3 Read More

Aston Martin is already one of the most bespoke and prestigious labels on the planet but the company is seriously considering positioning its next-generation models further upmarket to make way for the relaunch of Lagonda. Earlier this month CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez revealed plans to resurrect the Lagonda marque in order to preserve the Aston Martin name for the company’s sports cars and use Lagonda for models with a completely different character, such as a high-end crossover or large premium saloon.

Moving Aston Martin further upmarket would see top-sellers like the DB9 and V8 Vantage priced closer to their rivals from Maranello. At the... Aston Martin is already one of the most bespoke and prestigious labels on the planet but the company is seriously considering positioning its next-generation models further upmarket to make way for the relaunch of Lagonda. Earlier this month CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez revealed plans to resurrect the Lagonda marque in order to preserve the Aston Martin name for the company’s sports cars and use Lagonda for models with a completely different character, such as a high-end crossover or large premium saloon. Moving Aston Martin further upmarket would see top-sellers like the DB9 and V8 Vantage priced closer to their rivals from Maranello. At the same time production volumes would be lowered in an attempt to free up capacity for the Lagonda models and increase exclusivity. This is a strategy that other carmakers are considering as the global auto industry restructures and responds to slowing demand and increased environmental and financial concerns. Fewer cars but with higher prices is a strategy Jaguar is also considering adopting as it weathers the industrial storm. Aston Martin is already establishing some serious upmarket credentials with its upcoming One-77 supercar, which is expected to cost a staggering $1.75 million and limited to a production run of no more than 77 units. Despite recent reports that Aston has attained more than 100 orders for the One-77, an inside source has revealed to AutoWeek that only 25 cars are likely to see production. As for the DB9 and V8 Vantage, both cars are set to be replaced by 2011 and the new-generation models will have to suffice for at least eight years after their respective launches. The current pair account for almost 90% of Aston’s 7,000 sales in the past 12 months and executives are worried that the current volumes can’t be maintained going into the future. One option might be to move the next Vantage closer to the DB9's pricing and move the DB9 closer to the DBS's $277,000 price level. Ferrari's F430 and 599 GTB, for example, command premiums of about $85,000 over the comparable Vantage V8 and DB9. Another issue to consider for Aston Martin is the overlapping nature of the DB9 and the V8 Vantage, which are both essentially two-seater front-engined sports cars (not counting the rear seats in the DB9 since these are only for small children). There has been talk of the possibility of replacing both models with a single mid-engined supercar to reduce manufacturing costs and concentrate on other areas such as the upcoming Rapide, although consolidating these two remains unlikely for now. Aston Martin’s immediate future is to focus on emerging markets such as Russia and China, where customers are more interested in more practical premium four-doors rather than sports cars. The upcoming Rapide will address this issue but, as Bez has pointed out in the past, resurrecting the Lagonda brand is critical.Aston Martin One-77Aston Martin V12 Vantage spy shotsAston Martin Rapide Concept 2007 Read More