Pitching at least two bespoke products at a market populated exclus­ively by the Masters of the Universe, Aston Martin are reaching for the strato­spheric high-​​end of a rapidly polar­ising car market.

Aston Martin describe the One-​​77 as a ‘technical showcase’ (polit­ically correct term for car you will never afford?) and their defin­itive sports car, one that epitomises everything Aston Martin from technology, the hand-​​craftsmanship of the hand rolled aluminium panels to the attention to detail.

The brief when creating the One-​​77 was to squeeze performance out of every aspect of the V12 road car structure. With a projected weight of 1,500kg and a power output of 700 BHP Aston and the Cosworth engineers with which they teamed up, expect the One-​​77 to occupy the very highest echelons of road car performance. Top speed is confid­ently predicted to be in excess of 200mph, with a 0-​​60mph time of approx­im­ately 3.5sec.

Thanks to the purity of a front-​​engined, rear-​​drive layout, the respons­iveness and immense tract­ab­ility of a naturally aspirated V12 and the low mass, high-​​rigidity properties of a carbon fibre chassis, the One-​​77 promises a really special driving experience.

An evolution of Aston Martin’s Carbon Ceramic Matrix brake technology has been used as the basis for the One-77’s braking system. The internals of the calipers have been re-​​engineered to transmit less heat from the brake pads into the brake fluid, while the discs themselves have been developed to ensure the maximum possible contact area between the face of the disc and the brake pads for improved stopping power.

Underlining the truly bespoke nature of the One-​​77, 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 the ultimate long-​​distance GT, to a machine capable of conquering the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

But while function­ality and efficiency are paramount in the design and construction of the One-​​77, Aston have paid great attention to pushing the aesthetic attributes not only of the coachwork and the other externals, but also to the minutiae of the engin­eering that links together the disparate elements of its DNA.This from the press release:”From the mesmer­ising weave of the glossy carbon fibre tub and the abstract, sculp­tural beauty of the dry sump’s oil reservoir, to the unerring precision of the billet machined aluminium suspension mounts, the One-77’s rolling chassis is an automotive master­piece.” ‘Nuff said.

With the design of the Lagonda Concept, Aston have built in the requisite capab­il­ities for the applic­ation of future power­trains, including flexfuel, low emission diesel and hybrid systems. Though it looks suspi­ciously like an SUV to us, Aston have described the concept as “a four-​​seat inter­na­tional tourer, an avant-​​garde luxury car that draws inspir­ation from the brand’s illus­trious past as well as the visual language of speedboat design, the spacious individu­alist envir­onment of the upper class cabin and the bespoke feel of contem­porary modern furniture.”

Whether even the masters of the universe have deep enough pockets to indulge in either of these exuber­ances for the next few years, you’ve got to admire the engineers and designers at Aston Martin for keeping the dream alive. Here’s hoping they keep their heads in the clouds – but their feet firmly placed on the English earth.