Aston Martin One-77 Breaks the 200MPH Mark

Aston Martin’s One-77 supercar exceeded its original expectations and comfortably broke the 200mph mark in initial high speed testing. This means the car made on step closer to setting a new all-time record for the British marque. The One-77 recorded a 220.007 mph (354.86kmh) top speed in dry but windy conditions.

"The One-77 is currently undergoing a stringent development process ahead of planned launch in 2010 with high speed testing taking place at a top secret proving ground in southern Europe," a company statement reads. "Dynamic testing is now scheduled to continue into the New Year."

The One-77 was first seen, as a technical illustration, at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show. Equipped with the new 7.3l, naturally-aspirated V12 powerplant, mounted 100 mm lower than in any previous V12-engined Aston Martin road car, the One-77 is able to provide up to 700 horsepower.

The top speed was rated, until recently, at about 200mph (321.8 km/h), and the sprint from naught to sixty stood at 3.5 seconds.

The two-door, two-seat sports coupe is based on an innovative new carbon fibre monocoque body structure and adopts new active aerodynamic technology. The British supercar will be produced, as the name suggests, in a limited run of maximum 77 units individually numbered examples, with deliveries expected to commence in mid-2010.

With a price tag yet unknown, but expected to be well above the 1 million pounds mark, the One-77 won the Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in April.