The Aston Martin Valiant Is An F1 Driver’s Dream Supercar
This $2.5 million Aston race car for the road was originally commissioned by two-time F1 champ Fernando Alonso.
What racing drivers like in their road cars is an perennially hot topic among F1 fans. For Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, the ideal daily driver is exactly what the British marque is now selling. The Valiant follows the muscular Valour as the latest ultra-limited edition ride from Aston’s bespoke service, Q by Aston Martin. The $2.5 million missile is similar in that it boasts a completely carbon body, Aston’s excellent twin-turbo V12, and a magnificently anachronistic six-speed manual transmission, as Car and Driver notes.
But the Valiant was also directly derived from a commission by Alonso, who wanted a lightweight and racier version of the Valour. “Take out mass and make it more playful, more motorsport,” was the F1 double champs directive, per C&D. In accordance with Alonso’s wishes, the force-fed 12-pot churns 734 horsepower, about 20 more than was developed in the Valour.
From grille to wing, the golden Valiant is decked out in decidedly aggro aerodynamic bits. The deep front splitter helps pin the nose to the tarmac, and above that are several gaping vanes that help cool the engine and reduce the mass in front of the axle, thereby improving handling. Scalloped side fenders and aero discs fitted to 21-inch magnesium wheels work with the splitter to reduce turbulence and drag. Those wheels, along with the quad-pipe tips in the back, reference the Aston’s 1980 RHAM/1 “Muncher” Le Mans racer.
The rear also features a sweeping tail and trunk topped by a retro fixed wing redolent of now-classic sports cars from the 80s/90s. According to Aston, the rear is “shaped to balance downforce gains made by the front splitter and styled to leave no doubt as to Valiant’s performance capabilities, it is one of many unmistakable design signatures.” A rear diffuser—designed using something called “Computational Fluid Dynamics” to further reduce drag and lift—completes the aero kit.
Beyond the components visible to the naked eye are several other race-derived technologies, including a 3D-printed subframe that saves six pounds without compromising rigidity, a motorsport-spec lithium ion battery that saves 19 pounds, and Multimatic Adaptive Spool Valve dampers that automatically adjust the suspension in less than six milliseconds—the system is reserved exclusively for racing and is not available to purchase on the aftermarket, Aston notes.
“Valour was a spectacular celebration of Aston Martin’s 110th anniversary, and stirred me to create a more extreme, race car inspired version that was track-focused, while also delivering a thrilling drive on-road,” Alonso said. “Valiant is born from my passion for driving at the limit and I have enjoyed working closely with the Q by Aston Martin team on both the design and technical specification and believe we have created a masterpiece.”
Back to what can be appreciated in imagery, the interior features what has to be the coolest shifter fitted to any car in years. Rising from a raw carbon fiber bowl, the polished metal stick and its bespoke spherical knob are completely uncovered, exposing their mechanical housing. Aston also cut a slit in the tunnel between driver and passenger to expose the linkage to the transaxle, creating a semi-skeletonized transmission and a hardcore aesthetic. A built-in half-cage as-standard together with bespoke trimmed Recaro Podium seats, further underscoring the “race car for the road” assignment.
As its first customer, Alonso will debut the first of 38 Valiant examples at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, after which customers will begin taking deliveries late this year.
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