Yahoo Finance Aston Martin harks back to ‘era of brutal V12 performance’ with new supercar
Aston Martin has unveiled the design of a new limited-edition supercar for petrolheads as the British brand resists a push to scrap combustion engines.
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s executive vice president and chief creative, said the Valiant would “honour the internal combustion [engine]”.
Just 38 of the new vehicles which cost around £2m apiece will be manufactured and they have all already been allocated.
The car will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Deliveries are slated to begin before the end of 2024.
The Valiant has a lightweight, full carbon fibre body and a 5.2 litre Twin-Turbo V12 engine. It is designed to hark back to a highly modified Aston Martin DBS V8 that competed at Le Mans in the 1970s, nicknamed the “Muncher”.
The new model was built by the company’s bespoke division – the James Bond-inspired “Q by Aston Martin” team.
Features include a 3D-printed rear frame, which saves 3kg, and light-weight magnesium tyres which cut its mass by 14kg.
Further carbon fibre, titanium and magnesium components trim off additional weight.
The launch of the Valiant follows the release of the Aston Martin Valour, a special edition model created for the company’s 110th anniversary last year. All 110 of the vehicles, estimated to be worth over $1.5m, sold out within two weeks.
Aston Martin said the new car’s design and engineering were intended to be a nod to an “era of brutal V12 performance”.
Work on the Valiant began as a personal commission for Fernando Alonso, who drives for the Aston Martin Aramco F1 team.
Mr Alonso asked for a “more extreme” version of the Valour.
“Valiant is born from my passion for driving at the limit,” Mr Alonso said.
Mr Reichman called the car a “true thoroughbred aimed at being enjoyed to the full on a racetrack, yet still usable on the road”.
The unveiling of the new petrol-powered supercar’s design comes after Aston Martin in February put the launch of its first all-electric model on hold until at least 2026, blaming a lack of demand for luxury battery-powered vehicles.
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin’s executive chairman and biggest shareholder, said at the time drivers still wanted “the sports car smell, feel and noise” of a petrol engine.
The Valiant is the latest in a series of limited-run supercars developed by Aston Martin under Mr Stroll.
However, the company has grappled with long delays to some of its most exclusive vehicles.
The launch of its £2.4m Valkyrie hypercar was repeatedly pushed back.
Aston Martin is also battling to stem losses. It lost £139m in the first three months of the year – a jump of 90pc compared to a year earlier.
Overall revenues dropped by 10pc as its SUV sales sank.
This year Aston Martin is planning to ramp up production of its new Vantage model as well as an updated DBX SUV.
