Aston Martin’s long-awaited mid-engine hypercar is about to take the 2019 Geneva Motor Show by storm. It’s called the AM-RB 003 — we previously knew it as “Project 003” — and Aston Martin wants us to think of it as the Valkyrie’s offspring, or, as Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer calls it, “the bridge” that connects the world of mid-engine Astons with the high heavens where the Valkyrie currently resides. Truth be told, the AM-RB 003 shares more than a family tree with the Valkyrie. The former is, in many ways, heavily influenced by the latter, using much of the same technology and fundamental design cues that came to define the Valkyrie. That’s why the AM-RB 003 looks a lot like its “father,” albeit with a more refined and streamlined appearance that goes hand in hand with an electrified powertrain that features a turbocharged V-6 engine. Only 500 units of the AM-RB 003 will be released. There’s no specific price tag yet, but don’t expect it to sell for anything less than £1 million. If you’re keeping score, that’s $1.32 million based on current exchange rates.

Aston Martin’s reinvention is close to its completion. Once regarded as one of the finest purveyors of grand tourers in the industry, the British automaker has flipped the script on that narrative by releasing a series of gnarly performance cars in the past few years. We first got a glimpse of Aston’s dark alter-ego with the arrival of the Vulcan. Then the Valkyrie showed up and out the window went our perception of Aston Martin. Now it’s the AM-RB 003’s turn, and we’re not sure what to make of the automaker anymore. It’s not really a personality crisis. it’s more of Aston Martin finally embracing its savageness as we all bear witness to it, rooting for the automaker to show more of its teeth.

Front three-quarter look of AM Valhalla
Aston Martin

It’s not as extreme as the Valkyrie, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Physically, it looks more civilized than father dearest. Say what you will about the Valkyrie’s ungodly performance qualities, but it’s not winning any design awards. The AM-RB 003, on the other hand, looks like it’s already primed for a scaled-down LEGO Technic version. At the very least, it’s what the Valkyrie could’ve looked like if Aston Martin wanted it to look more conservative. The fascia and the profile lines of both models are similar, but the AM-RB 003 boasts a more usable design, in part because it’s also pegged as a road car. The doors, for example, open out forwards and out of the roof. It’s still a fancy setup, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Remarkably, the AM-RB 003 also boasts a cargo area, a segment of space that’s completely unknown to the Valkyrie. Aston didn’t say how much space there is behind the seats, but it should be ample enough to store a handbag or two.

The interior layout of the AM-RB 003 is probably it’s biggest trump card over the Valkyrie, especially if you’re the type who values style and comfort. The center tunnel is a lot more prominent in the AM-RB 003 than in the Valkyrie where it was really an afterthought. At the very least, the cabin looks more polished than the Valkyrie’s. Charming, isn't it?

Given where they fall in Aston’s pecking order of performance cars, it’s not shocking to note that the AM-RB 003 is the more civilized of the two hypercars. That’s because it really is, at least when you compare it to the Valkyrie. But don’t make the error of assuming that the AM-RB 003 is nothing but a purring kitten wearing a lion’s mane. This is still a hypercar in every sense of the word, a product of Aston Martin’s ongoing partnership with Red Bull Racing.

Aerodynamics wizard Adrian Newey is largely responsible for the AM-RB 003’s sleek body.We don’t know how much power this hybrid powertrain has, but are we really going to expect anything less than 800 horsepower? It might even boast 1,000 horsepower, a possibility that shouldn’t be ignored considering who we’re dealing with here. Whatever it is, no number is too high when it comes to the partnership between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing.

Speaking of partnerships, Aston isn’t just sharing beds with RBR when it comes to the development of the AM-RB 003. NASA’s in on the fun, too. It has no drag and no turbulence. It creates no wind noise, either. And it’s cleanly integrated into the body, which serves the hypercar’s aesthetics astonishingly well. The technology is NASA-approved, and Aston Martin says that when it arrives in production form, the FlexFoil rear wing will come with “greatly increased actuation rates to allow real-time response to changes in the vehicle’s dynamic state.” That’s cutting-edge technology right there.

At some point in the near future — late 2021, by Aston’s own estimate — we will see the AM-RB 003 out on the road. It’ll carry a different name and we’ll know more about its hell-raising performance capabilities. But for now, it’s called the AM-RB 003, and it’s the latest example of the automaker’s evolving identity.

This isn’t James Bond’s Aston Martin anymore, folks.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Aston Martin AM-RB 003.

Read our full review on the 2018 Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Read our full review on the 2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro.