Aston Martin has started testing its new Valkyrie hypercar on the public roads around the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire ahead of the first round of customer deliveries getting underway.
“You will probably hear it before you see it!”, said Aston CEO Andy Palmer on Twitter. That’s because the Valkyrie is powered by a 886bhp, 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine developed by engineering legend Cosworth. We don’t know what the Valkyrie sounds like at full chat just yet, but its 11,100rpm redline suggests that it’ll be quite the screamer.
While its 12-cylinder heart sets the Valkyrie apart from today’s eco-friendly rivals, its aerodynamics are arguably the most significant part of the hyper machine. That’s because it has been designed by Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey, the mastermind behind multiple F1 championships at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.
The Valkyrie is a tightly-packaged machine, with an ultra-compact cabin seemingly vacuum formed around the engine and venturi tunnels that run along the bottom of the car. The front of the car melds Aston design cues with an F1-style front wing and defined wheel arches, while the back has an curved wing that automatically moves for optimum downforce.
Therefore, it’s a shame we won’t see the car enter next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans under the new hypercar regulations as had been intended. The company pulled the plug on the racing programme earlier this year, citing a rule change – and not the Lawrence Stroll takeover – as the reason behind it’s plan to withdraw from the event.
You might, however, see one on the road very soon. Just know that the person driving it spent at least £2.5m to get behind the wheel.
Keyword: Aston Martin Valkyrie 2020: V12 hypercar hits the road ahead of first deliveries