Last year, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a prototype was unveiled that was already very close in shape to the final version of the car. Now, the latest masterpiece from the British designer, developed in collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, is ready to hit the market. Only 50 examples of the RB17 will be produced, making it an exceptionally rare collector’s item, reserved for a very select few.

At the heart of the RB17 lies a rear mid-mounted, naturally aspirated 4.5-litre Cosworth V10 capable of screaming to around 15,000 rpm, complemented by an electric motor that contributes roughly 200 horsepower while also handling reverse gear duties.

Together, the hybrid system delivers a combined output in the region of 1,200 horsepower, all sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission. The result is extreme performance, with the RB17 expected to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in little more than two seconds and reach speeds well beyond 350 km/h.

The car is built around a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, clothed in advanced composite bodywork, keeping overall weight below the 900-kilogram mark — an astonishing figure for a car of this capability. Its aerodynamic package is designed to generate huge levels of downforce, rivaling that of some modern endurance prototypes, while a pushrod suspension system with active, circuit-focused elements reinforces the RB17’s clear track-based DNA.

Despite his move to Aston Martin last year, Red Bull Advanced Technologies technical director Rob Gray has revealed, speaking to Top Gear, that Adrian Newey remained involved in refining the final details of the project right through to its completion.

He finally added: “He can do everything on the car — I'm pretty sure he could design every part on the car, and he has done so in his history, but at the same time, he's always had a team around him to turn his early concepts into reality."

The two-time world champion was spotted earlier this year in a series of images shared by Aston Martin at the MotorLand Aragón circuit, at the wheel of the second of the two road-legal hypercars designed by Adrian Newey: the Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Despite being homologated for the road, its technical specification has little in common with a conventional production car and is far closer to a Formula 1 machine in terms of outright performance.