About two years ago, Tim Burton, or as most of you may know him by his YouTube name Shmee 150, stood inside a special garage of a home in sunny Arizona, beaming at a satin chrome Aston Martin One-77. However, this wasn’t just any other One-77, but a car that shouldn’t exist: the so-called ‘78th One-77.
Chassis #10711: The Aston Martin One-77 Prototype That Refused to Retire
On paper, yes, Aston Martin only made 77 customer cars of its One-77. However, as Burton reveals in the video, this particular example, previously owned by James “artvandelay” on Instagram, is quite significant: a resurrected development prototype that was made road legal. Built originally as one of just 10 test cars, Chassis #10711 saw action at the Nürburgring, Le Mans, and Nardo, logging nearly 25,000 test miles, which makes it the highest mileage One-77 in existence.
This car also served as a media mule, and made the rounds at events and venues like Geneva, Goodwood, and Monterey back in the day, before eventually fading into corporate obscurity as this particular chassis caught fire during its stint as a Safety Car. Eventually, Aston Martin decided to bring the car back to life after an offer was made by a collector from Africa, who refused delivery. This presented James with the opportunity to acquire the vehicle. While most development cars end their days either in crash labs or storage, AM/01-Pro was stripped to its bones and was refreshed inside out with a new grille, new wheels, a rear diffuser, headlights, and taillights, all while retaining the Cosworth-tuned 7.3-liter V12 and transmission.
This powerplant was once crowned the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the world, with 750 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque on tap. Its carbon monocoque, developed by Multimatic, meant a curb weight of just shy of 3,600 pounds. 0-60 mph happens in under 3.7 seconds, and the top speed is rated at 220+ mph. Still exceptional figures in 2025.
Despite being over a decade old, stuff like the push-rod suspension visible through the transparent rear glass, the fully adjustable dampers, carbon ceramic brakes, combined with that radically hand-formed aluminium outer shell and space-age looking cabin, means that the One-77 remains evocative to this day. Chief engineer Chris Porritt’s goal with the car was to bring DTM race car dynamics to the road in an exquisite front-engine GT car, or as I like to call it, Gentleman’s Express.
A Legacy of Exclusivity
But what really sets this car apart are some of the things that the production One-77s never got. Think pre-production aero tweaks, and experimental ECU maps. Upon acquiring the car, James wrapped the original copper pearl paint in satin chrome. He also went to great lengths to unearth this car’s lineage while researching One-77s.
“My intent was always to educate the automotive community,” – said James “artvandelay”
While James has since sold the car, during his ownership, he made it his mission to meticulously document the vehicle’s unique provenance. He had extensive literature about the car on hand, including its appearance on the Feb 2012 cover of duPont REGISTRY (déjà vu?), an original Aston sales brochure, and even a pair of custom Cole Haan shoes, given out at the 2009 media launch event, and other memorabilia.
So there you have it, the 78th One-77. While the car’s whereabouts are currently unknown, what’s left behind is a car with an incredible story, and one that was extensively documented by James. From a technical standpoint, chassis #10711 played a pivotal role in the One-77 story and represents the genesis of this incredible hypercar from Aston Martin, because the same team that worked on it would go on to develop future high-end Aston Martins like the Vulcan and Victor.
Images: Aston Martin, Artvandelay
