Oof, yes. This is the new Aston Martin Valiant - and it’s a muscle-bound brute that pays homage to an infamous race car from the 1970s.
What you’re looking at is a track-honed, road-legal and ‘extreme’ version of the Aston Martin Valour, which launched last year.
While the standard Valour gets power of 715 PS and 753 Nm of torque, the Valiant ups the ante with 745 PS, courtesy of a 5.2-litre Twin-Turbo V12 engine mated to a bespoke 6-speed manual transmission.
Those power figures only tell half the story, though.
Just 38 Valiants will be built globally, with all already fully-allocated to happy punters.
And the Valiant itself was born out of a personal commission from none other than F1 legend Fernando Alonso, who asked Aston for a lightweight version of the Valour that he could blat around a track while also enjoying a ‘thrilling ride’ on the road.
The looks of the Valiant - like the Valour - are borrowed from the Aston Martin RHAM/1 that raced in the Le Mans 24h during the 1970s. The RHAM/1 was affectionately known as ‘The Muncher’ thanks to its appetite for chewing through brake disks.
Unlike the RHAM/1, though,, the Valiant gets carbon ceramic brakes as standard, a 3D-printed rear subframe, a magnesium torque tube, 21-inch magnesium wheels and a motorsport-spec lithium-ion battery - all in an effort to shed weight.
There’s also something called Multimatic Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) dampers, which are capable of simultaneously adjusting each damper to one of thirty-two discreet damper curves in less than six milliseconds. You’re talking proper motorsports tech - and those dampers aren’t even available in the aftermarket.
Compared with the Valour, the Valiant has been re-sculpted to offer more downforce while there’s a liberal use of carbon fibre throughout. At the back there’s an upswept ‘Kamm’ tail, fixed rear wing, and a rear-diffuser. A quad-pipe titanium exhaust system also provides an ‘incredible soundtrack’, says Aston Martin.
The two-seat cockpit is designed to be both functional for racing but also finely-tailored for when you’re driving to the golf club. A cutaway section in the transmission tunnel exposes the gear linkage running rearward to the six-speed transaxle while there’s a new gear knob, compared with the Valour, for more precise shifts. Recaro Podium race seats and a steel half-cage add safety, as does a four-point race harness.
Describing Valiant’s aggressive look, Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, said: “Valiant is an extrovert. One look leaves you in no doubt of its intentions. A true thoroughbred aimed at being enjoyed to the full on a racetrack, yet still usable on the road, it takes clear inspiration from motorsport, expressing its character through dramatic, muscular form and a plethora of beautiful, functional details.”
Aston Martin’s retro hypercar is priced from around £2 million.
And if you dream of getting behind the wheel of your own supercar, have a chat with the experts in the Select Car Leasing Specialist division.
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