Pre-production Red Bull RB17 renderings reveal minimal changes from the original concept shown at GoodwoodThe hypercar packs a Cosworth 4.5-liter V10 that revs to 15,000 rpm plus electric assistance for 1,183 total horsepowerExpected to debut at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, proving that racing car designers make the best road carsRight, forget everything you think you know about hypercars. Forget the McLaren P1, forget the LaFerrari, forget even the Bugatti Chiron. Because Adrian Newey – the man who's designed more championship-winning Formula One cars than anyone has a right to – has just shown the world what happens when you give a proper racing car designer a blank cheque and tell him to build something for the road.The Red Bull RB17 isn't just another hypercar with a big engine and some carbon fiber bodywork. This is what you get when someone who understands aerodynamics better than most people understand breathing decides to create the ultimate expression of automotive performance. It's a Formula One car that's been civilized just enough to avoid getting you arrested on public roads.We've just gotten our hands on what appear to be the first renderings of the pre-production version, and the remarkable thing is how little has changed from the concept that blew everyone's minds at Goodwood last year. When most manufacturers reveal a concept and then water it down for production until it looks like a slightly sportier family saloon, Newey has basically said "sod that" and kept everything exactly as mental as it was in the beginning. RB17 design and aerodynamics Looking at these new images, the only noticeable change from the original concept is the LED headlights, which now sport an L-shaped design that probably serves some aerodynamic purpose that us mere mortals couldn't possibly understand. Everything else remains gloriously, magnificently extreme. The front end still features that massive double splitter with its central spine and curled edges that look like they could slice through air molecules individually. Those venturi tunnels are still gaping wide enough to swallow small children, and there are still holes in the front clamshell that expose the inboard front suspension like some sort of automotive anatomy lesson. This isn't styling for the sake of looking dramatic – though it certainly achieves that – this is pure function dictating form. Every surface, every vent, every seemingly outrageous design element exists because Newey's computer simulations and wind tunnel testing have proven it makes the car go faster. When you've spent decades making cars that can lap Silverstone quicker than most people can drive to the shops, you tend to know what you're doing. The result is something that looks like it could take flight at any moment, which is probably exactly what Newey intended. This is a man who understands that the difference between a road car and a racing car isn't just power – it's how efficiently you can manage the air flowing over, under, and around the vehicle. RB17 powertrain and performance Under what passes for a hood in this aerospace project masquerading as a car sits a Cosworth-built 4.5-liter V10 engine that revs to 15,000 rpm. Fifteen thousand. Most road car engines are gasping for breath at half that figure, but this thing keeps pulling all the way to the sort of revs that would make a motorcycle jealous. On its own, this V10 produces 986 horsepower, which is already enough to propel you into the next county at a rate that would concern traffic safety experts. But because apparently that wasn't quite mental enough, there's also a 197-horsepower electric motor that handles low-speed duties and provides what the engineers politely call "torque-fill." Combined, you're looking at 1,183 horsepower, which is the sort of number that makes you question whether humans were ever meant to travel this quickly while remaining in contact with the ground. This isn't just fast – this is "redefine your understanding of what fast means" territory. The electric motor serves a dual purpose: it provides instant torque at low speeds where the V10 might be feeling a bit lazy, and it fills in the gaps in the power delivery to ensure there's never a moment when you're not being pressed firmly into your seat by the relentless march of acceleration. But the real party piece is that V10. In an era where everyone's gone turbocharging mad and fitted their engines with more electronic aids than a modern hospital, Newey has gone gloriously old school. No turbos, no complex hybrid systems that require a degree in electrical engineering to understand – just a massive, naturally aspirated engine that screams its way to 15,000 rpm like a Formula One car from the golden age. The sound it makes is probably illegal in several countries and could quite possibly shatter windows at full chat. Which is exactly as it should be, because when you're building the ultimate expression of automotive performance, making it quiet would be like asking Pavarotti to mime. This isn't just about the numbers, though they're certainly impressive enough. This is about the philosophy behind those numbers. While other hypercar manufacturers are busy adding complexity and weight in pursuit of marginal gains, Newey has gone back to first principles: make it light, make it powerful, and make the aerodynamics so sophisticated that the car practically drives itself around corners. The pre-production RB17 is expected to make its debut at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, which seems entirely appropriate. Goodwood is where the original concept first shocked the automotive world, and it's where we'll get to see whether the production reality lives up to the incredible promise of that initial reveal. Based on these renderings, it looks like Newey and his team haven't compromised an inch. The RB17 remains every bit as extreme, every bit as unhinged, and every bit as brilliant as we hoped it would be. In a world of increasingly sanitized supercars, here's something that remembers what automotive madness is supposed to look like.
