Alastair Sloane checks out the new $2.5 million Aston Martin
British carmaker Aston Martin has thumbed its aristocratic nose at doomsayers outside the embattled automotive industry and revealed its most ambitious supercar yet - a hand-built lightweight flyer expected to cost upwards of $2.5 million.
The limited edition One-77 is described as the "ultimate expression of Aston Martin" and will be tailored to suit its owner's desires, inside and out.
The race-bred variable suspension system, for example, will be adjusted at the time of sale for optimum handling and ride on roads where the car will be most used.
Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez unveiled the One-77 at the Geneva Motor Show. "This is Aston Martin's definitive sports car, one that epitomises everything Aston Martin, from technology, craftsmanship of the hand-rolled aluminium panels to the attention to detail," he said.
The One-77 - so named because only 177 will be built - is a carbon-fibre tub with aluminium body panels. It rides on double-wishbones at each corner and fully adjustable shock-absorbers borrowed from Aston Martin's motorsport division. Tyres have been specially built by Pirelli.
Under the bonnet is a 7.3-litre V12 engine, a development with renowned specialists Cosworth of the 6-litre unit used in the DBS, DB9, and new V12 Vantage.
The One-77 V12 is mounted 10cm lower than any other Aston Martin in production, thanks largely to a dry-sump oil system. It also sits back more towards the cabin to further improve the centre of gravity.
Aston Martin expects the final production V12 to generate upwards of 520kW (700bhp). Said programme manager Chris Porritt: "Our brief to the engine team was for them to take the 6-litre 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 700bhp with a 10 per cent reduction in engine mass.
"Incredibly, the Aston Martin and Cosworth engineers achieved a mass reduction of some 25 per cent.
Power goes to the rear wheels via a sequential six-speed gearbox, again developed specifically to handle the One-77's power and torque. Said Porritt: "The lessons learned in its development will ultimately find their way into the company's series production models."
So will the carbon ceramic brakes, re-engineered for improved stopping power and to better dissipate heat build-up.
The One-77 is expected to come off the production line weighing around 1500kg. Aston Martin reckons the mix of power and weight will get it from zero to 100km/h in a tad over three seconds and on to a top speed of upwards of 330km/h.
But that's not only what the One-77 is about. It has been built to "occupy the very highest echelons of road car performance," says CEO Bez.
