There was a time not too long ago when Aston Martin was reserved for only making a couple grand touring cars at a time, while also having a low expectation on reliability. Many also remember this era being tied to ownership under the Ford Motor Company, but since 2014, CEO Andy Palmer has been leading the exciting resurgence of the famed British brand. Over the past four years, Aston Martin product launches have been increasing rapidly, technology has been advancing, and their future has never looked brighter. They have shown, that within the next five years, they will have all that it takes to solidify themselves as a global performance brand. While Aston’s vehicles have never been less than exciting and dramatic, the cars below help justify how hungry they are to break into new untapped areas for the brand, while still retaining the elegance they are know for.
2015 Aston Martin Vulcan
At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the Vulcan was shown to the world. While the front engine naturally aspirated V12 setup was not a new concept for the brand, they had never before committed to such a raw track only sports car to be made in limited numbers for their elite clientele. Later in 2017, they also debuted the track package shown above, the AMR Pro. The car was engineered completely in house with an asking price of $2.3 million. Aston Martin had now provided a worthy alternative to Ferrari’s XX race program and Mclaren’s GTR program.
2018 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Following the success of the brand’s beautiful DB11 GT car, June of 2018 saw the debut of the DBS Superleggera. A new flagship Aston GT car always signals the inevitable launch of the more hardcore variant, and this new DBS did not disappoint with over 700hp from their own in house twin turbo V12. The DB11 and DBS lineup also debuted significant improvements under the skin, thanks to the brand’s partnership with Mercedes-Benz. The AMG sourced engine (available in the V8 DB11 model) and the Mercedes sourced infotainment technology gave these cars extra credibility in terms of usability and reliability, something that could not always be said for the last generation DB9 range.
2020 Aston Martin Valkyrie
In 2017 the collaboration between Aston Martin & Red Bull Racing, gave us a glimpse into their upcoming project, the AB-RB 001. Since then, the concept has been fully developed for production in 2019 and named, the Valkyrie. The road legal (!) hybrid-electric sports car will be Aston Martin’s breakout into the “race car for the road” category which has become very hot lately with entries from Mclaren and Mercedes-AMG. Continuing the momentum seen from the Vulcan, they will also be offering 25 units of the track only AMR Pro variant. Both models will total well over $3 million and be powered by Cosworth sourced V12 engines. The Valkyrie represents a bold entry into an area that Aston Martin would have never thought to be selling into some 15 years ago.
2020 Aston Martin AM-RB 003
At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, Aston Martin displayed a prototype for its third project with Red Bull Racing, dubbed the AM-RB 003. In the next year or two, the brand plans to make a limited run of 500, soon to be named, AB-RB 003. Not much is confirmed yet, but it’s a mid-engine setup using turbo-hybrid V6 power, probably aiming for around 1000hp. The aerodynamics and technology borrow heavily from their current Valkyrie project. Once launched, this model will put Aston Martin up against other hyper-GT’s like the Mclaren Speedtail, Keonsigsegg Regera, and Bugatti Chiron.
Aston Martin Vanquish Vision Concept
The second car Aston Martin showed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show was the Vanquish Vision Concept. The mid-engine concept again relates heavily to the AM-RB 003 (which itself derives from the Valkyrie), but this one represents a future model not limited in production or as focused on track performance. It shows us what a flagship mid-engine sports car from Aston Martin might look like, a category normally dominated by the Mclaren 720S and the new Ferrari F8 Tributo. Aston says the production version is still about three years off. We have Lambo vs. Ferrari, why not have Mclaren vs. Aston Martin as the next British sports car rivalry?
What’s Next?
How will Aston Martin continue all of the momentum (and costs) associated with their latest projects? The DBX Crossover concept shown a few years ago, aims to go into production in 2020 and become the brands volume seller. The DBX will rival the latest elite sport SUV offerings from Bentley, Lamborghini and Maserati. If it’s successful, it could become what the Cayenne was to Porsche back in 2002, fueling the brands bottom line for further high end developments in racing and hypercar territories. Then there’s the recent rebirth of the Lagonda sub-brand owned by Aston Martin. Their latest model being the Taraf, Lagonda has also been quick to show concepts of future sedan and SUV products, while displaying a potential for autonomous tech.
There’s no doubt that exciting (and potentially controversial) times are coming up in the next five years at Aston Martin. I never thought there would be a time where three mid-engine Aston Martin sports cars existed at the same time, but here we are witnessing their plan for dominance in all areas of what it means to be a successful performance brand like Porsche or Ferrari. The Aston Martin brand that once gave you a Volvo key-fob with your Vantage is long gone. Long live the new reborn Aston Martin!
