The ultra-exclusive Aston Marin Valiant comes a year after the related Valour.
What happens when Formula One ace and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso asks his employer, Aston Martin, to build a new street car?
The answer is called Valiant, a track-focused but road-legal car from Q, Aston Martin’s wonderfully named bespoke commissions department.
It follows the Valour, which arrived a year ago, and is powered by the same 5.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Only here the output has been increased to 735 horsepower and weight has been trimmed with the use of magnesium, titanium and 3D printing. The muscular body is made entirely from carbon fiber, with styling inspiration sought from a 1980 Le Mans racer affectionately nicknamed ‘Muncher’ by Aston Martin.
Aston says it will produce just 38 examples of the Valiant, and that the car will receive its public debut at the hands of Alonso at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern England next month.
That massive V12 engine is paired to a bespoke, six-speed manual transmission – a rarity in any car these days, let alone a track-oriented Aston supercar – and produces 482 ft-lbs of torque. Aston hasn’t revealed a 0-60 mph time or a top speed, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they began with a three and a two, respectively.
The car is powered by a V12 engine and drives the rear wheels through a manual transmission
Aston says how the Valiant combines “the brutal style and blistering performance of a bygone evocative age of brutal V12 performance with state-of-the-art contemporary engineering, lightweight materials and spectacular design”.
The Valiant is fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes as standard, with huge 410 mm rotors at the front and 360 mm rotors on the rear axle. Aston says how its use of 3D printing has saved 6.6 lbs from the rear subframe, and that the use of a magnesium torque tube cuts mass at the center point of the car by almost 19 lbs. The Valiant’s 21-inch wheels are also made from magnesium and are claimed to reduce unsprung mass by almost 31 lbs. A further 25 lbs is saved by using a motorsport-spec lithium-ion battery for the car’s ancillary electrical system.
The biggest difference between the Valpur and new Valiant, according to the British automaker, is its suspension. The car employs a motorsport-grade system called Multimatic Adaptive Spool Valve, which is claimed to adjust each damper to one of 32 discreet damper curves in under six milliseconds. Aston claims the system, which is motorsport-derived and not available on the public aftermarket, gives its engineers “almost limitless scope for tuning ride and handling characteristics.”
The two-seat interior features satin-finish carbon fiber detail, a half-cage and mounting points for ... [+]
Simon Newton, director of vehicle performance at Aston Martin, said, “With Valiant we’ve shifted the emphasis towards much increased track capability while retaining enough usability to remain enjoyable on the road…It all combines to create an amazing experience Valiant owners won’t find in any other car.”
The Valiant’s rear end is where it differs most from the Valour, thanks to the large, fixed wing fitted above the upwards-sweeping ‘Kamm’ tail. The rear also features a fixed, one-piece clamshell opening, which houses a hinged real screen panel that allows access to a stowage space designed for helmets and race suits.
Created with input from F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, the Valiant is track-focused but remains ... [+]
Also differing from the Valour is the new car’s prominent exhaust system which sprouts from the rear with four titanium tailpipes that have been “styled for maximum visual impact,” Aston says. Meanwhile, the two-seat cockpit makes extensive use of exposed carbon fiber with a satin finish, a unique steering wheel with a slim-diameter rim, a half-cage with anchor points for a four-point race harness, and an H-pattern shifter for the manual transmission.
Aston Martin says the first Valiant deliveries will commence in the fourth quarter of 2024. Fernando Alonso will receive his first, naturally.