RE: Aston Martin plots even wilder Valkyrie

RE: Aston Martin plots even wilder Valkyrie

Tuesday 22nd June 2021

Aston Martin plots even wilder Valkyrie

Leaked screenshot suggests we haven't seen all of Aston's hypercar range just yet



They say good things come to those who wait, so by that logic the Aston Martin Valkyrie might be one of the greatest cars in the history of the automobile. Next month will mark five years since a full-scale model was first shown at Gaydon and, as this latest image shows, Aston isn't quite done fiddling with its 1,176hp V12 hypercar yet.

Having first emerged on Jalopnik, the screenshot shows a Valkyrie unlike any other that we've seen before. Which, given how long the project has been running for, is surprising - by now it was assumed that just final issues were being ironed out, rather than entirely new models being conceived.

So, what is it? With nothing official from Aston Martin yet, we can only speculate. But even by the standards of the Valkyrie, this is extreme. It's barely recognisable against the standard car, and there are some significant changes even when compared to the AMR Pro. Almost everything is different, from front to back, with new wings, spoilers, wheels, intakes, lights - the lot.



The fact that this leaked pic shows a car with a wiper, headlights and mirrors is likely quite important, moreover, as the AMR Pro Valkyrie was a track-only variant, with just 25 proposed. Might this be an AMR Pro converted for road use, like the Lanzante McLarens? Perhaps the motorsport programme is back on, and this is a rival for the Toyota GR Super Sport? That this is a screenshot from a customer website surely implies this is going ahead in some form or another.

This latest Valkyrie tease (remember when it ran at the British GP - that was two years ago) comes amid fresh turmoil around the issue of selling them. Apparently Aston Martin plans to sue a Swiss car dealer for withholding Valkyrie deposits. A deal with Nebula Project AG was signed back in 2016, which involved collaboration on the mid-engined cars, but also commission-based royalty payments linked to Valkyrie production. Aston claims that cars were sold in breach of the agreement, a decision which is likely to wipe £15m off this year's profit, and has terminated the agreement with Nebula.

So having sat dormant for so long, the Aston Martin Valkyrie project is back to hogging the headlines again. Though no more details were announced, Aston Martin has quietly told PH that the exact status of the leaked car will be coming later this month. Let's all hope the Valkyrie is worth the wait - this new picture suggests it very well might be.




Author
Discussion

Six Potter

Original Poster:

5,983 posts

212 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Well some lairy aero additions there, I guess they are looking to up the downforce. Looks purposeful, I like it.

I'm not sure I fancy trying to park this at Tesco's with the size of that splitter hanging out at the front end, but I don't suppose that's a problem I'm going to have any time soon...

Edited by Six Potter on Tuesday 22 June 15:18

McAndy

12,336 posts

176 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
I'd like to see some sort of official roadmap for all of these new models with some milestones marked off as complete. While I have a great deal of faith in Tobias moving things on, the current state of play all feels a bit Bahar right now: lots of talk, pretty models, nothing actualised. I continue to fear for AM's future.

Jas-2jxyw

25 posts

84 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Let's just focus on the actual 'base' model coming out first....then worry about special editions.


redroadster

1,729 posts

231 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Rear wing not latest thinking type a la porsche Swan kneck.

Manic Street Sleeper

996 posts

40 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Vapourware #35

Six Potter

Original Poster:

5,983 posts

212 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
redroadster said:
Rear wing not latest thinking type a la porsche Swan kneck.
The rear wing also doesn't have end plates which is something that you invariably see on race car wings, I guess there is often a form vs function trade off with these things.

oilit

2,618 posts

177 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
I wonder if this is a wealthy customer one off commission?

WCZ

10,492 posts

193 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Manic Street Sleeper said:
Vapourware #35
cars will be delivered and within the next few months a lot will be revealed

sumpoil

431 posts

163 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Looks lovely - assuming it is a genuine car. No doubt some trick aero will be happening at the rear and that front splitter looks like it could be retractable, just in case the kerbs and sleeping policemen in Tesco's car park are a bit high.

Great looking and yes I'd love one, but I'm struggling with 'road car'. It's not really a 'road car' is it, it's an engine and two seats in a shrink-wrap package. No point going to Tesco in it as it doesn't even look like there's room for a toothbrush. I want one!!! (the car, not a toothbrush).

giveitfish

4,030 posts

213 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Is this just what the Le Mans Hypercar would have looked like had it not been cancelled?

jl34

523 posts

236 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
redroadster said:
Rear wing not latest thinking type a la porsche Swan kneck.
i think Adrian Newey can wipe the floor with any aero engineer from Porsche and we can presume he knows what he is doing !

GingerMunky

1,162 posts

256 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Manic Street Sleeper said:
Vapourware #35
Does feel like a long time coming. They must be under some pressure to get this out and realise all that potential income. Aston Martin don't seem to be out of the woods yet, hopefully in 12 months time many of these will be delivered and 10,000 DBXs to get the company back on track.

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
jl34 said:
redroadster said:
Rear wing not latest thinking type a la porsche Swan kneck.
i think Adrian Newey can wipe the floor with any aero engineer from Porsche and we can presume he knows what he is doing !
Haven't Red Bull and AM split over this project already?

Either way they're clearly not pursuing every ounce of efficient downforce with that wing design, otherwise it'd be a swan-neck and endplated version. Newey or not, some things are known well enough by now. wink

Manic Street Sleeper

996 posts

40 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
WCZ said:
Manic Street Sleeper said:
Vapourware #35
cars pictures of cars will be delivered and within the next few months a lot will be revealed

brillomaster

1,240 posts

169 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
that looks like a render a child put together, that rear wing looks awful.

as already mentioned, AML should focus on releasing just the base car to customers at some point, hopefully this decade. Maybe.

samoht

5,631 posts

145 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
"So, what's our PR strategy for this dispute with Nebula?"
"Ah yes, good point, a complex financial deal with some mysterious Swiss money men falling through and losing us millions doesn't exactly project strong, competent leadership"
"I guess saying the deal was cooked up by the previous guys doesn't help?"
"Nah, finger-pointing doesn't go down well in the court of public opinion. We need a distraction"
"Ok, maybe something highly visual and Valkyrie related, no journo can resist a good image"
"Right... I'll ask around in Styling, sure one of those crayon types will have wasted an afternoon drawing out something ridiculous that we'd never build"
"Good idea, it just needs to look cool and be tied to the Valkyrie. Then at least the news pages will lead with the car, and bury our lost millions in a footnote."

JxJ Jr.

652 posts

69 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
samoht said:
"So, what's our PR strategy for this dispute with Nebula?"
"Ah yes, good point, a complex financial deal with some mysterious Swiss money men falling through and losing us millions doesn't exactly project strong, competent leadership"
"I guess saying the deal was cooked up by the previous guys doesn't help?"
"Nah, finger-pointing doesn't go down well in the court of public opinion. We need a distraction"
"Ok, maybe something highly visual and Valkyrie related, no journo can resist a good image"
"Right... I'll ask around in Styling, sure one of those crayon types will have wasted an afternoon drawing out something ridiculous that we'd never build"
"Good idea, it just needs to look cool and be tied to the Valkyrie. Then at least the news pages will lead with the car, and bury our lost millions in a footnote."
The strategy seems to work, at least to some extent. It'll be interesting to see Nebula's side of the story, because aside from potential wrongdoing on their side, there's also a bit of a whiff of Aston trying to extricate themselves what they may now see as an unfavourable deal.

kbee540

197 posts

207 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Trying really hard to care. Failing.

I know, I know....here I am commnenting on an article about something I claim not to care about, but god zero-taste gazillion-pound hypercars are getting boring and special editions of zero taste gazillion pound hypercars are just ridiculous. I'm one small voice that doens't matter, but I'm sure I'm not alone in basing my affection for Aston Martin on the 'gentlemans express' classy yet understated take on GT cars they've personified for so long. Making ugly c*ck-waving cars to compete with Ferrari and Mclaren just makes them seem rather gauche.

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
They should focus on the DBX and sod everything else. Release an EV version and a few more engine choices. Perhaps a 2.0d, 3.0d etc and a 2.0T petrol.

Price them from £45k and they will be sorted. Otherwise they will probably disappear.

1781cc

575 posts

93 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
quotequote all
Six Potter said:
Well some lairy aero additions there, I guess they are looking to up the downforce. Looks purposeful, I like it.

I'm sure sure I fancy trying to park this at Tesco's with the size of that splitter hanging out at the front end, but I don't suppose that's a problem I'm going to have any time soon...
With a car like this you at least need to be shopping at Waitrose or M&S where you'll probably have a better chance of parking it next to something nicer than a smashed up red micra with an "old guys rule" sticker on the hatch