Aston Martin 003 hypercar breaks cover

The first mid-engined Aston Martin supercar has been officially confirmed and it will be a lightweight turbo-petrol hybrid scorcher to rival the McLaren 720S and Ferrari 488.

Expected to be called the Aston Martin Vanquish, the vehicle is currently codenamed Project 003 and will take advantage of many of the developments created for the upcoming Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR hypercars, which were tagged 001 and 002 during their gestation.

Just 500 units of the Aston Martin 003 will be produced, ensuring exclusivity.

To stop rivals stealing its secrets ahead of its arrival within three years, Aston Martin isn't giving too much away just yet.

But a single sketch of the slinky supercar has been released, suggesting an organic design that looks more aerospace than automotive. Well, it is missing wheels, after all…

The likely powerplant that will slot into behind the driver and passenger is a V8 engine, given that Aston Martin will want to retain its 12-cylinder units for the top-shelf Valkyrie hypercar models and flagship grand touring car, the DB11.

It's entirely likely the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 used in the new Aston Martin Vantage will be given hybrid electric augmentation to create a true Ferrari slaying machine. Peak power could easily top 500kW, giving the new-generation Aston Martin Vanquish class-topping pace.

The Aston Martin Vanquish -- aka Project 003 -- will also up the ante in a dynamic sense, with what the British car-maker says will be "a lightweight structure" upon which "active aerodynamics" are integrated for high performance on road and track.

Aston says we can expect "outstanding levels of downforce in a road-legal car, active suspension systems providing next-level precision, control and driver connection".

The new Aston Martin Project 003 will also bring more practicality than the $5 million Valkyrie, offering "more practical concessions to road use, including space for luggage".

Aston Martin Lagonda president Andy Palmer said it was "…always the intention for the Aston Martin Valkyrie to be a once-in-a lifetime project", but that the company wanted to leverage the know-how bestowed upon the project by Red Bull F1 engineering genius Adrian Newey.

"…it was also vital to us that Valkyrie would create a legacy: a direct descendent that would also set new standards within its own area of the hypercar market, creating a bloodline of highly specialised, limited production machines that can exist in parallel with Aston Martin’s series production models," said Palmer.

The all-new Aston Martin Vanquish will be built in both right- and left-hand drive and is almost certain to be a starter in Australia from around 2022. Deliveries of the new car will begin in Europe in late 2021.