About two years in the past, Tim Burton, or as most of you could know him by his YouTube title Shmee 150, stood inside a particular storage of a house in sunny Arizona, beaming at a satin chrome Aston Martin One-77. Nonetheless, this wasn’t simply any different One-77, however a automotive that shouldn’t exist: the so-called ‘78th One-77.
Chassis #10711: The Aston Martin One-77 Prototype That Refused to Retire
On paper, sure, Aston Martin solely made 77 buyer automobiles of its One-77. Nonetheless, as Burton reveals within the video, this specific instance, beforehand owned by James “artvandelay” on Instagram, is sort of vital: a resurrected growth prototype that was made highway authorized. Constructed initially as one in every of simply 10 check automobiles, Chassis #10711 noticed motion on the Nürburgring, Le Mans, and Nardo, logging almost 25,000 check miles, which makes it the very best mileage One-77 in existence.
This automotive additionally served as a media mule, and made the rounds at occasions and venues like Geneva, Goodwood, and Monterey again within the day, earlier than finally fading into company obscurity as this specific chassis caught hearth throughout its stint as a Security Automobile. Finally, Aston Martin determined to carry the automotive again to life after a suggestion was made by a collector from Africa, who refused supply. This offered James with the chance to amass the automobile. Whereas most growth automobiles finish their days both in crash labs or storage, AM/01-Professional was stripped to its bones and was refreshed inside out with a brand new grille, new wheels, a rear diffuser, headlights, and taillights, all whereas retaining the Cosworth-tuned 7.3-liter V12 and transmission.
This powerplant was as soon as topped probably the most highly effective naturally aspirated engine on the earth, with 750 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque on faucet. Its carbon monocoque, developed by Multimatic, meant a curb weight of simply shy of three,600 kilos. 0-60 mph occurs in beneath 3.7 seconds, and the highest velocity is rated at 220+ mph. Nonetheless distinctive figures in 2025.
Regardless of being over a decade previous, stuff just like the push-rod suspension seen via the clear rear glass, the absolutely adjustable dampers, carbon ceramic brakes, mixed with that radically hand-formed aluminium outer shell and space-age wanting cabin, implies that the One-77 stays evocative to this present day. Chief engineer Chris Porritt’s aim with the automotive was to carry DTM race automotive dynamics to the highway in an beautiful front-engine GT automotive, or as I wish to name it, Gentleman’s Categorical.
A Legacy of Exclusivity
However what actually units this automotive aside are among the issues that the manufacturing One-77s by no means bought. Assume pre-production aero tweaks, and experimental ECU maps. Upon buying the automotive, James wrapped the unique copper pearl paint in satin chrome. He additionally went to nice lengths to unearth this automotive’s lineage whereas researching One-77s.
“My intent was at all times to teach the automotive group,” – stated James “artvandelay”
Whereas James has since bought the automotive, throughout his possession, he made it his mission to meticulously doc the automobile’s distinctive provenance. He had in depth literature in regards to the automotive readily available, together with its look on the Feb 2012 cowl of duPont REGISTRY (déja vu?), an unique Aston gross sales brochure, and even a pair of customized Cole Haan sneakers, given out on the 2009 media launch occasion, and different memorabilia.
So there you’ve gotten it, the 78th One-77. Whereas the automotive’s whereabouts are presently unknown, what’s left behind is a automotive with an unimaginable story, and one which was extensively documented by James. From a technical standpoint, chassis #10711 performed a pivotal function within the One-77 story and represents the genesis of this unimaginable hypercar from Aston Martin, as a result of the identical workforce that labored on it could go on to develop future high-end Aston Martins just like the Vulcan and Victor.
Photographs: Aston Martin, Artvandelay
