Aston Martin’s radical Valhalla supercar will enter production next year, packing 1000bhp from a hybridised V8 and using a chassis set-up inspired by Formula 1 cars.
As the Gaydon company's first plug-in hybrid model, the Valhalla "heralds a new definition of Aston Martin", according to the firm as it transitions from pure combustion, to hybrid, to electric vehicles.
The exclusive model (just 999 models will be made) also forms an integral part of the brand’s bold 'Project Horizon' transformation plan.
Having already released the new Aston Martin DB12 and the ultra-exclusive V12-engined Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar, Aston will launch as many as eight new cars by 2026 – including replacements for today’s Aston Martin Vantage, Aston Martin DBS models, and variants (for example, Volante models) of its popular cars.
Now, with a release imminent, prototype models of the mid-engine Ferrari SF90 Stradale rival have been testing at Silverstone. Real world tests will begin in the new year.
Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but Autocar understands the previously mooted £1 million price tag has been slashed, with the firm instead opting for a price between £600,000 and £700,000.
Influence by Formula 1
One of the biggest influences in the Valhalla’s two-year transformation from the RB-003 Geneva concept to production has been Aston’s new factory-backed F1 team, learnings from which are said to have informed almost every aspect of the car.
Notably, the Valhalla – unlike the 2019 concept – is not powered by a bespoke, Aston Martin-developed V6 as was originally planned. Instead, the Valhalla follows Aston Martin Vantage in adopting a powertrain supplied by technical partner Mercedes-Benz; more specifically, the AMG performance division's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, which revs to 7200rpm and drives the rear axle through an all-new bespoke eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which will also be used on other future Aston Martin models.
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That they have to say it will have "an authentic Aston Martin sound character" says it all. Because it doesn't have an Aston Martin engine. An Aston Martin MUST imo have an Aston Martin engine. This has a Mercedes engine, and that's beyond shameful, no matter how good the engine is. Does the SF90, or ANY Ferrari, have someone else's bought-in engine? OF COURSE NOT. The absurdity of such a notion is obvious. It's just as absurd for Aston Martin.
Did you say that when the DB9's engine was made in a factory in Germany, I wonder.
When motors are electric in a few years nobody will care who makes them. AM is ahead of the curve this time.
Am I the only one who thinks that from the front it looks (in an evolutionary sense) like the Tesla Model 3's ancient ancestor that first emerged from the water?