RE: Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro announced
Thursday 16th November 2017
Aston Martin's Valkyrie is set to redefine the performance car market when it arrives with the first lucky owners in 2019. It may be the pinnacle of modern motoring design, but there was always going to be something keeping it from reaching its full potential. So, despite still being over a year away from release, Gaydon has decided the time right to one up it already.
Because the standard one wasn't very extremeTo that end, Aston Martin has unveiled the Valkyrie AMR Pro, a car "freed from the constraints and considerations of road use." Developed in parallel with the street legal version, the Valkyrie AMR Pro will usurp its Vulcan based counterpart at the top of Aston's performance tree. And how!
This is your plain Jane version, OK?All of this adds up to a top speed predicted to be close to 250mph. It's not just quick in a straight line though, the Valkyrie AMR Pro able to sustain cornering forces in excess of 3.3g and braking of more than 3.5g. In fact, following extensive simulation work, Red Bull reckons that the AMR Pro will be capable of lap times rivalling those of contemporary F1 and LMP1 cars. Let that sink in for a second.
Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro announced
The road car hasn't even been delivered yet, but the track Valkyrie is here already!
Because the standard one wasn't very extreme
Specific details are scarce, but we do know there'll be much larger front and rear wing elements for substantially increased downforce, as well as track focused revisions to the car's active aero. It'll be powered by the same 6.5-litre Cosworth-built V12 engine as the road car, but here it will develop more power and more torque - with exact figures yet to be released - thanks to a "significant engine recalibration" and the modification of the road car's emission control systems.
Smaller 18-inch wheels will allow for the fitment of Michelin racing tyres - made to the same spec as those used by LMP1 cars - while the AMR Pro will also feature Formula One inspired race-spec carbon brakes. Mr Newey's background coming to the fore in some pretty spectacular ways.
In order to save as much as possible from the existing car's already frugal 1,030kg kerbweight, the heater and infotainment screens have been shown the door, and several parts have been replaced with ultra-lightweight equivalents. The windscreen and side windows, for example, are now polycarbonate, the carbon fibre construction has been lightened, new suspension uprights and carbon fibre wishbones save further weight and moulded race seats replace the adjustable items from the road car. The exhaust has even been on a diet thanks to the decreased need for silencing.
This is your plain Jane version, OK?
In order to be able to safely handle and fully exploit that incredible performance, owners will be taken through an intensive driver development programme, including both simulator and on-track tuition and even physical fitness training. Once up to speed, customers will then have access to a series of dedicated track events held at some of the world's most prestigious circuits. Should be quite a spectacle!
We'll have a while to wait before we get to see that though, with delivery not scheduled till 2020. There's no word on pricing either; it's presumably an even greater amount than the £3 million charged for the road-going car, although - you guessed it - every single one is sold already anyway.
Discussion
The initial hype was "we are going to build a road car that can lap as fast as an F1 car"
Now they need to build an unhomologated race car to do that, because the initial claim was fanciful at best, naive at worst.
This is a $4million slice of humble pie for Mr Newey. It better taste pretty good!
Now they need to build an unhomologated race car to do that, because the initial claim was fanciful at best, naive at worst.
This is a $4million slice of humble pie for Mr Newey. It better taste pretty good!
Harry_mac said:
The initial hype was "we are going to build a road car that can lap as fast as an F1 car"
Now they need to build an unhomologated race car to do that, because the initial claim was fanciful at best, naive at worst.
This is a $4million slice of humble pie for Mr Newey. It better taste pretty good!
Not really. Right from the start of the project they said there would be a road version and a track-only version, the latter of which would be as fast as an LMP1 car. I don't think they ever claimed F1 car performance, and certainly not for the road version.Now they need to build an unhomologated race car to do that, because the initial claim was fanciful at best, naive at worst.
This is a $4million slice of humble pie for Mr Newey. It better taste pretty good!
From the official announcement in July 2016:
Adrian Newey, Red Bull's Chief Technology Officer and the man who started the whole project, confirms the track-only variant will be as fast as an LMP1 racer.
Harry_mac said:
The initial hype was "we are going to build a road car that can lap as fast as an F1 car"
Now they need to build an unhomologated race car to do that, because the initial claim was fanciful at best, naive at worst.
This is a $4million slice of humble pie for Mr Newey. It better taste pretty good!
Yeah I noticed that too, cheeky sods. Now they need to build an unhomologated race car to do that, because the initial claim was fanciful at best, naive at worst.
This is a $4million slice of humble pie for Mr Newey. It better taste pretty good!
I had the privilege to take a close look at the Valkyrie and sit inside earlier this week at the Dubai Motor Show. It was interesting also to chat with the CEO of AM Middle East. The technical Details are staggering. I think the aim of AM is also to bring the special sound of the old V12 F1 engines back. Because is is how the car should sound at the end.
We also have been talking about the purpose of this car, because a race car will already deliver the performance. I came to a conclusion for myself that this car is a piece of art, a driveable sculpture. If you're not driving it, just park it in your living room and enjoy it.
I was having a chat with some Arab customers at the stand of the Project One and the same folks at the Valkyrie stand. I was shocked about their level of information regarding this car. They have no clue that these cars are completely different when it comes to their concept. They don't care, they like it's looks, they buy it. It's a hit in the face of a die hard fan like myself, who is never be able to drive or own one.
Now to the announcement of the race version. The timing of announcement of the first pictures makes absolutely sense to me, as according to my chat with AM Middle East, many Valkyrie vehicles are sold at the AM stand here at the exhibition. I think that now almost all cars are sold out, now it's time to sell the race version.
I agree, that a race version doesn't makes absolutely sense to me and I would rather prefer an old LMP1 racer to run it one a year, with history and race patina, than this.
Robert
We also have been talking about the purpose of this car, because a race car will already deliver the performance. I came to a conclusion for myself that this car is a piece of art, a driveable sculpture. If you're not driving it, just park it in your living room and enjoy it.
I was having a chat with some Arab customers at the stand of the Project One and the same folks at the Valkyrie stand. I was shocked about their level of information regarding this car. They have no clue that these cars are completely different when it comes to their concept. They don't care, they like it's looks, they buy it. It's a hit in the face of a die hard fan like myself, who is never be able to drive or own one.
Now to the announcement of the race version. The timing of announcement of the first pictures makes absolutely sense to me, as according to my chat with AM Middle East, many Valkyrie vehicles are sold at the AM stand here at the exhibition. I think that now almost all cars are sold out, now it's time to sell the race version.
I agree, that a race version doesn't makes absolutely sense to me and I would rather prefer an old LMP1 racer to run it one a year, with history and race patina, than this.
Robert
Tri_Doc said:
Surely buying an ex-LMP car or used Le Mans car would cost less than £4m? Why not just do that?
I don't know the answer to that, but there's obviously a market for this sort of thing. McLaren sold 58 P1 GTRs for around 2 million each, there were 24 Aston Martin Vulcans for around 2 million, and Ferrari have sold countless numbers of their XX series cars over the years. All costing millions and with no race history and nowhere to race them. There must be more to it than the sheer performance on track.thegreenhell said:
Tri_Doc said:
Surely buying an ex-LMP car or used Le Mans car would cost less than £4m? Why not just do that?
I don't know the answer to that, but there's obviously a market for this sort of thing. McLaren sold 58 P1 GTRs for around 2 million each, there were 24 Aston Martin Vulcans for around 2 million, and Ferrari have sold countless numbers of their XX series cars over the years. All costing millions and with no race history and nowhere to race them. There must be more to it than the sheer performance on track.thegreenhell said:
Not really. Right from the start of the project they said there would be a road version and a track-only version, the latter of which would be as fast as an LMP1 car. I don't think they ever claimed F1 car performance, and certainly not for the road version.
From the official announcement in July 2016:
Adrian Newey, Red Bull's Chief Technology Officer and the man who started the whole project, confirms the track-only variant will be as fast as an LMP1 racer.
Hmmm .... so the track-only version will basically be an LMP1 car .... which will lap as fast as .... errrr ... an LMP1 car. Shock news!From the official announcement in July 2016:
Adrian Newey, Red Bull's Chief Technology Officer and the man who started the whole project, confirms the track-only variant will be as fast as an LMP1 racer.
I know the whole hyper-car thing (and SUV thing) keeps companies like Aston Martin afloat and we should be grateful for that - but honestly, I'm just getting numb to the whole thing to the point where I just don't care. Seemingly every few months someone else is jumping on the hyper-car bandwagon with the usual passe 'teaser' shots and extravagant performance claims. Is there much marketing value left in doing that kind of thing now it's been done so many times? Must be I guess.
But as someone said, if you want to lap a circuit as the speed of and LMP1 car there are plenty of used racing cars out there that will do the job for a lot less money - but, as we all know, a car that is capable of that kind of speed is one thing, actually driving it at that speed is something else entirely.
Tri_Doc said:
Surely buying an ex-LMP car or used Le Mans car would cost less than £4m? Why not just do that?
With apologies in advance for my cynicism: because there are loads of super-rich people who will literally buy anything if they think it's suitably exclusive, limited edition etc. It's about bragging rights, having something that few others will have, as well as allowing owners to feel in some way like racing drivers. AM, Ferrari, McLaren etc seem to have no problem whatsoever finding buyers for these vehicles, to the point where I don't know why the likes of PH even bother reporting on them any more. By the time the general public get to read about these cars, they're invariably all sold out already - often on the basis of little more than models, design sketches etc. While I have no doubt that cars like the Valkyrie require massive research and investment to make them happen, as reflected in the purchase price to the buyer, I reckon that if AM charged £10m, £15m, £20m, people would probably still buy them. There's a story today about how Christies have sold a painting for something like $450m, but it can't be said with any certainty whatsoever that Leonardo Da Vinci was even the artist!
thegreenhell said:
Tri_Doc said:
Surely buying an ex-LMP car or used Le Mans car would cost less than £4m? Why not just do that?
I don't know the answer to that, but there's obviously a market for this sort of thing. McLaren sold 58 P1 GTRs for around 2 million each, there were 24 Aston Martin Vulcans for around 2 million, and Ferrari have sold countless numbers of their XX series cars over the years. All costing millions and with no race history and nowhere to race them. There must be more to it than the sheer performance on track.Having seen some of the shonky workshops and trucks the privateer endurance boys use (Hey Steve!), I can almost understand it. Play a premium and get treated like a F1 driver...
Here it is testing on track.. https://uk.motor1.com/news/193533/2018-apollo-ie-h...
Oh no wait, my bad, thats the better looking Apollo IE for half the price
Oh no wait, my bad, thats the better looking Apollo IE for half the price
noble12345 said:
Here it is testing on track.. https://uk.motor1.com/news/193533/2018-apollo-ie-h...
Wrong car I am afraid mate
Oh no wait, my bad, thats the better looking Apollo IE for half the price
Wrong car I am afraid mate
Oh no wait, my bad, thats the better looking Apollo IE for half the price
Sway said:
They're paying for the 'experience' and to 'be part of the team'...
Having seen some of the shonky workshops and trucks the privateer endurance boys use (Hey Steve!), I can almost understand it. Play a premium and get treated like a F1 driver...
Haha I resemble that remark...Having seen some of the shonky workshops and trucks the privateer endurance boys use (Hey Steve!), I can almost understand it. Play a premium and get treated like a F1 driver...
Theres a vast number of stupidly wealthy people willing to spend a large fortune on stuff like this. Membership to an exclusive club, treated like a pro driver, semi exclusive use of the best tracks in the world..... What's not to like. Plus the manufacturer often has other race cars at the event and it's not uncommon to get sales of those cars, I know of several people that have bought GT4 cars (after having tuition in them before driving their multi million supercar) because they liked it and they could!
noble12345 said:
Here it is testing on track.. https://uk.motor1.com/news/193533/2018-apollo-ie-h...
Oh no wait, my bad, thats the better looking Apollo IE for half the price
P1 front end, Lambo engine (at a guess) Enzo cabin side profile, pimp my Knightrider cabin and the backend of a prolapsed bulldog.Oh no wait, my bad, thats the better looking Apollo IE for half the price
If I wanted an expensive mongrel, i'd buy a Labradoodle.
Edited by The Vambo on Thursday 16th November 21:39
GroundEffect said:
"In fact, following extensive simulation work, Red Bull reckons that the AMR Pro will be capable of lap times rivalling those of contemporary F1 and LMP1 cars. Let that sink in for a second."
An LMP1 pole time at Spa was a 1:54.0 this year...F1 was 1:42.5. That's a big difference.
Slightly OT, but back in 1970 (or 1971?) when Spa was in its original (longer and better) form - the Porsche 917 was quite a bit quicker round the track than the F1 cars - Jenks was moaning about it in Motorsport at the time.An LMP1 pole time at Spa was a 1:54.0 this year...F1 was 1:42.5. That's a big difference.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff