Aston Martin says this is no mere car, but ‘possibly the world’s most desirable automotive art form’.
The One-77 is essentially the Bugatti Veyron from England – a million pound, hand-built hypercar of which just 77 will ever be built. It’s carbonfibre, powered by a V12 and thumpingly quick and exclusive.
Aston Martin utilized an ingenious carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, a first for the marque in a road car application, to maximize performance while minimizing mass. Aston’s engineers worked in partnership with Canadian motorsports supplier Multimatic to create a monocoque tub with an aluminum honeycomb core and wrapped in a carbon-fiber skin.
Mounted 275 mm aft of the front axle’s centerline is a bespoke, free-revving 7.3-liter V-12 engine developed in collaboration with Cosworth, producing in excess of 750 horsepower and 750 Nm of torque. The engine begins life as Aston’s own 6.0-liter engine from the DB9 which is extensively reworked to the point that the only common part from its original form is the timing chain. The iron cylinder liners are removed, and the engine is bored further to 7.3 liters; iron particles are plasma-welded to a depth of six microns, and additional machine work is performed for weight reduction, even down to machining slots at the bottom of the engine block. Unique cylinder heads, unique crank, rods, pistons, cams, and intake system are added, in total reducing the weight of the engine by 25 percent. A dry-sump lubrication system provides further weight savings and allows for the engine to be mounted 100 mm lower in the chassis, while the aluminum casting forms the oil reservoir and provides the inboard mounting points for the push-rod suspension system. A six-speed automated transaxle was developed specifically for the One-77 from the single-clutch transmission from the V8 Vantage and receives power through a carbon driveshaft and magnesium-alloy torque tube.
Inside, the One-77 offers the same uncompromising attention to detail, with carbon fiber and CNC-machined anodized aluminum dominating nearly every surface. The electronically controlled carbon sport seats were elegantly trimmed in stitched leather, while Alcantara stretches across the headlining above. The squared steering wheel was developed specifically for the One-77, and graphite instrument panels complement the elegant design. There is no sound deadening in the cabin, so the symphony of intake and exhaust noise is unimpeded when the driver presses the accelerator. A Bang and Olufsen system was delicately crafted from solid billet specifically for the car, complete with rising bookshelf speakers.
The complete package made the One-77 the finest and most powerful of Aston Martin’s grand tourers and stretched the creativity of the design and engineering teams. Much of the performance aspects were adapted directly from the knowledge gained from the V8 and DBS race cars and brought to the extreme. The team was set a target top speed of 200 miles per hour, which is cleared by an additional 20 mph in testing at Nardo.
