One-77 and Lagonda wow Geneva

Aston Martin's eagerly awaited, techno-laden One-77 flagship made its first appearance at the Geneva motor show, and the company used the opportunity to outline the mechanical nitty-gritty of the V12-powered super-coupe.

Billed as "Aston Martin's definitive sports car", the One-77 is said to be a culmination of all the marque's know-how. It appeared at Geneva in the form of a concept mock-up and an impressively bespoke 'work-in-progress' carbon-fibre and billet-alloy rolling chassis.

In the words of Aston Martin boss Dr Ulrich Bez: "Right from the very beginning of the project the vision for One-77 was very simple: It had to combine high-technology with hand-built craftsmanship, and demonstrate the unique capabilities and passion of our designers, engineers and technical partners."

Motive power comes from what currently stands as the ultimate interpretation of the company's V12 engine -- and the unit in question was developed in partnership with Cosworth.

With displacement stretched to 7.3 litres, the dry-sumped engine is mounted 100mm lower than in any previous V12-engined Aston Martin road car, which obviously helps keep the One-77's centre-of-gravity as low as possible.

The engine is also mounted 257mm aft relative to the front wheel centerline and this takes the front-mid-engined layout shared by all of Aston Martin's current road cars to a new level, according to the company.

"Our brief to the engine team was for them to take the 6.0-litre V12 as far as it could go, both in terms of output and weight reduction. The targets were a power output of no less than 700bhp (522kW) with a 10 per cent reduction in engine mass," said the car's program manager, Chris Porritt.

"Incredibly, the Aston Martin and Cosworth engineers achieved a mass reduction of some 25 per cent, and although we've yet to complete the final engine calibration work, I'm confident we'll see in excess of 700bhp," said Porritt.

In keeping with the best modern supercar practice, the One-77's structural core is a strong, lightweight carbonfibre monocoque (rather than aluminium, as per the brand's other offerings), and it's suspended by Aston's favoured double-wishbone suspension.

However in the case of the One-77, the suspension is mounted inboard, with pushrods employed to transfer vertical suspension movements to the horizontally mounted spring/damper units.

A practice taken directly from racing car design, Aston says the main advantages of inboard suspension are a reduction in unsprung weight and the ability to package the suspension components more effectively.

The One-77 is touted as a true bespoke car as, once delivered to its owner, the car's suspension characteristics will be precisely set-up by Aston Martin engineers to suit their exact requirements -- from settings suitable for long-distance touring, to a Nürburgring Nordschleife weapon.

Shod with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres (255/35 ZR20 front, 335/30 ZR20 rear) developed specifically for the One-77, all 520-plus kW is transmitted to the road through the rear wheels via a new generation of Aston's six-speed sequential gearbox.

Stopping power comes from a premium Carbon Ceramic Matrix braking system, and the company says it has paid special attention to cooling, as the brakes have less time to cool between bursts of acceleration.

With a projected weight of 1500kg the One-77 will "occupy the very highest echelons of road car performance" boasts Aston Marin. Top speed is confidently predicted to be in excess of 320km/h, with a 0-100km/h time of about 3.5sec.

Meanwhile, the venerable British company also used the Geneva show to announce the return of Lagonda, one of the oldest (and nowadays little known) names in the ultra-luxury segment.

The vehicle it used to showcase the brand is the Lagonda Concept, billed as "a powerful four-wheel drive, four-seater car that will satisfy the most discerning and demanding owner." The concept (reputed built using a Mercedes-Benz GL-Class as a 'donor' car), replaced the One-77 rolling chassis as the focus of the Aston stand on the second press day of last week's show.

Explaining the rationale behind the brand, Aston boss Dr Ulrich Bez said: "An Aston Martin is an authentic, pure sports car, but Lagonda is something else, a new brand that will reach into new markets.

"Lagonda will create a new kind of customer relationship, instilling the spirit of travel, adventure and style into a single, formidable package. An Aston Martin demands to be driven. A Lagonda demands a destination."

What this essentially translates to is that Lagonda will be an overtly luxury-focused offering -- in the vein of Bentley -- and plans are afoot to forge a presence in 100 global territories, vastly increasing the reach of the company and tapping into a new customer base.

"The brand will return to Russia, enter emerging markets in the Middle East, South America, India and China, as well as responding to demand from the dynamic, innovation-focused consumers of Europe, North America and the Far East," says the company.

Lagonda is ostensibly committed to "innovative new propulsion technologies, new materials and elegant forms, creating a functional luxury for the near future".

Critically, the brand will allow the exploration of alternative powertrain solutions including flexfuel, low-emission diesel and hybrid systems.