Aston Martin has gone back to its roots with this, the new Valour - with the British firm making no apologies for calling it an ‘old school brute’.
The Valour has been created to mark Aston Martin’s 110th anniversary.
Just 110 models will be built, and the Valour is very much a muscle car for ‘purists who crave undiluted and visceral driving experiences’, according to Aston Martin.
There’s no electrified powertrain or sophisticated automatic gearbox.
Instead you can expect an ‘unapologetic’ 5.2 litre Twin Turbo V12 engine mounted at the front of the car and mated to a manual transmission.
While we don’t yet know precise details about the Valour’s pace, it has power of 715 PS and 753 Nm of torque - which is a significant cut above the new Aston Martin DB12, which has power of 680 PS thanks to a 4.0 litre V8.
The Valour has been inspired by a few Aston Martins of old.
One is the original V8 Vantage, launched in 1977 and hailed as Britain’s first supercar.
Another is a Le Mans racer from 1980, officially called ‘RHAM/1’ but affectionately known as ‘The Muncher’. Weirdly, The Muncher is also renowned for having set a new world caravan towing speed record in a bizarre stunt, achieving a top speed of almost 125 mph!
Meanwhile the Valour also pays homage to the Aston Martin Victor, a one off, 850 PS hypercar from 2021.
The Valour gets a mechanical limited-slip differential, three driving modes including ‘Track’, and a bespoke suspension set up. While it’s inspired by track weapons, the Valour is built to shine on the road.
The bodywork is pure carbon fibre, with a ‘horse shoe’ vent on the clamshell bonnet and large carbon fibre intakes on either side at the front.
There’s triple tailpipes underneath a razor-sharp rear that ‘emits a gloriously heavyweight soundtrack’, says Aston Martin.
Miles Nurnberger, Aston Martin’s Director of Design, said: “At Aston Martin our design is always progressive, but when it comes to celebrating a significant milestone – in this instance our 110th birthday - we allow ourselves a little latitude. Consequently, Valour is gloriously unapologetic; an old-school brute refined and reimagined through the lens of 2023. Making a return to a chiselled shape, moving away from the more sculptural forms that define current series production Aston Martin’s, with bold details and modern materials rooted in the present. We were keen to ensure its looks reflect the driving experience. The raw physicality of the shape should tell you all you need to know about the ferocious performance and analogue thrills of taming a 715PS manual transmission sports car, yet the clear use of the latest technology points to a car with modern manners and exceptional dynamic capabilities”.
Pricing hasn’t been announced for the Valour - but you’d be wise to set aside north of £1 million.
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