This is the Aston Martin Valiant, a thrilling throwback to the brand’s most brutalist era of high output, exceptionally muscular sports cars. A derivation of the strictly limited-edition Aston Martin Valour, unveiled this time last year to mark the company’s 110th birthday, the Valiant will be more limited still; 38 units to the 110 Valours. All are already spoken for, naturally.
What gives the Valiant added punch is the dramatic body kit, an extremist confection of carbon fibre and sharp angles that cloaks an already muscular machine. Although road legal, Aston Martin describe the Valiant as ‘track-focused’, pointing out that the original concept for the model came from a personal commission from none other than Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team driver Fernando Alonso.
Alonso’s suggestions for a highly tweaked Valour became the Valiant you see here, thanks to the work of the Q by Aston Martin bespoke service, which has ramped up the 70s muscle car inspired looks of the Valour with race-inspired styling cues. In addition to the a hefty rear wing, deep carbon fibre aero splitters front and rear (the latter bisected by no less than four exhaust pipes), the Valiant shares the very analogue, manual approach of its sister car.
For the uninitiated, that means pairing Aston Martin’s mighty 745PS Twin Turbo 5.2-litre V12 with a six-speed manual gearbox, rendered as a gloriously mechanical confection of linkages and machined metal in the heart of the car. The chassis specification has also been uprated to place more emphasis on track dynamics – this is a low, ground-hugging car – so a roll cage has been fitted as standard.
Carbon fibre is everywhere, inside and out. This includes the entire bodywork, as well as the bespoke interior, with extensive use of magnesium and titanium components and even 3D printing for certain components, such as the rear sub-frame. Magnesium is used for the 21” wheels, and even the car battery is a motorsport-spec lithium-ion unit.
Cars like the Valiant still play a big role in Aston Martin’s world view. It is a company that bridges many worlds, from luxury performance SUVs, grand tourers, all-out sports cars, a Formula 1 team, GT racing, ultra-limited-edition hypercars and, next year, a challenger at the Le Mans 24 Hours. In amongst all of this, the ability to build ultra-short run models to exacting customer specifications is both a source of pride and a way of showing the brand’s core values off to the world.
A small handful of lucky owners will get to experience this car, sure to be priced even higher than its predecessor (rumoured to start at around £1m). Whether they wrap it up in cotton wool and keep it as an investment, or try and get the most out of its well-credential performance capabilities is of course entirely up to them. However, it would be a shame not to experience the Valiant in its element, given the lengths Aston Martin has gone to make it stand out.
‘Valiant is an extrovert. One look leaves you in no doubt of its intentions,’ says Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, ‘it takes clear inspiration from motorsport, expressing its character through dramatic, muscular form and a plethora of beautiful, functional details.’
