If the development of the Aston Martin Valkyrie wasn’t proof enough that Aston Martin wants to be a player in the performance car industry, maybe this little news surrounding its plans for a super sports car to compete against the Ferrari 488 will do the trick. For those who are unaware, Aston Martin is building a supercar in the vein of the 488 and the Lamborghini Huracan and, from what Aston Martin's CEO told Autoblog, it plans to make a statement with the car and put the establishment on notice.

This early on, it looks like Aston Martin has already recognized one of the most important aspects of the car’s development: having the right people in charge of it. That much was made clear by Palmer when he said that they’ve brought in “three of Ferrari’s key guys” to take the helm in the development of the planned supercar. Of the three, two have already been mentioned, including Max Szwaj, former head of innovation and body structures at Ferrari and Maserati and Joerg Ross, former head of advanced engines at Ferrari and Maserati. Szwaj has since been named vice president and chief technical officer of Aston Martin while Ross is now the chief engineer of powertrain at the company. A third hire has already been finalized but his identity has yet to be revealed. It’s no accident that all three individuals all come from the same place, which also happens to build one of the cars - the 488 GTB - that Aston Martin is targeting. That’s as good a sign as any that the British automaker is really pulling out all the stops to give the segment a real jolt.

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Gaydon isn’t messing around anymore

Aston Martin is serious about its mid-engine sports car, ladies and gentlemen. It’s one thing to develop a car of this status using your own experience and expertise, but it’s another thing to understand that the product could be better if you looked outside of your own walls for help. That’s what Aston Martin recognized early on that moved it to actively hire key people away from Ferrari to work on a car that will rival arguably one of the most well-rounded Ferrari sports cars in modern history. That tells you that the British automaker is serious about its plans. It’s also a clear warning shot to companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren. Aston Martin is coming. And it’s coming prepared and ready to take the fight to the best in the business.

The other key thing that Andy Palmer noted about the mid-engine sports car is that its development is progressing to the point that there are actually eight quarter-scale models of potential designs for the sports car. Palmer even admitted that there’s one design, in particular, that he’s leaning towards. That particular scaled design, he adds, has already been sent to a studio in Milton Keynes, where it’s presumably going to undergo advanced development.

Even with all these things coming to light, actual details about the sports car are still being kept under wraps, so it’s still unclear as to what we’re dealing with here. I don’t want to get swept up in the hype, but if everything that Palmer says comes to fruition, it would be difficult not at least get curious about what Aston Martin plans to do with this model. Remember, this mid-engined sports car is an all-new model for Aston - much like the DBX SUV. Anything is possible as far as I’m concerned.

References

Aston Martin Valkyrie

Read our full review on the 2018 Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Ferrari 488 GTB

Read our full review on the 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB.

Read more Aston Martin news.