Even more power and an interior for Aston Martin Valhalla

Do you also no longer see the wood for the trees when it comes to the new supercars and hypercars from Aston Martin? Don’t worry, we can shed some light on the matter. Aston Martin launches three mid-engined supercars over a period of several years. The first of these, the Aston Martin Valkyrie, is already in production and is by far the most expensive and exclusive of the bunch. With a multi-million dollar price tag and a V12 with more than 1,000 horsepower, this is a true extremist, a car that really only belongs on the road according to the letter of the law.

This is followed by the Aston Martin Valhalla, a car that we could once again admire live. The Valhalla is not finished yet, but little by little we will learn more about it. The third and final step in Aston Martin’s supercar offensive is the new Vanquish. That will also be a supercar with a mid-engine, but that car will go a lot less towards hypercar regions in terms of price than the other two.

1,012 hp

Back to the middle step, the Aston Martin Valhalla. The Valhalla is a considerable step lower on the ladder than the Valkyrie, but with an intended price tag of €700,000 excluding taxes (one ton less than previously predicted) is still well worth the price. The car does not have a V12, but the 4.0-liter biturbo V8 known from other Aston Martins and AMG. However, Aston Martin has tackled that block firmly. Previously, 750 hp of petrol power was mentioned, now that has grown to 800. In the Valhalla, the V8 is part of a new plug-in hybrid powertrain, with two electric motors. That gives a total power of 1,012 hp, 62 more than previously announced.

The torque should be around 1,000 Nm. The petrol engine only drives the rear wheels, but the front axle can also be electrically involved in the drive. This is done in an ingenious way via a new automatic eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. According to Aston Martin, this means that the full power, including that of the front electric motor, can be sent to the rear wheels. The other way around is also possible, because in electric mode this super-Aston is a pure front-wheel drive. He only lasts 15 kilometers, but that does of course reduce CO2 emissions. Aston Martin aims for about 200 grams per kilometer and that means for Dutch buyers that the bpm amount should remain somewhat acceptable.

Beyond the SF90

The basis of the Valhalla is formed by a carbon monocoque, of course intended to get the right combination of impossibly high stiffness with a very low weight. In total, the car weighs 1,550 kg, which is indeed not much for a plug-in hybrid with a V8. The sprint from 0 to 100 is done in 2.5 seconds, the top speed is about 350 km / h. With those numbers, the Valhalla is very similar to that other plug-in hybrid supercar, the Ferrari SF90. When asked, Aston Martin acknowledges that that car has regularly been mentioned in the development of the Valhalla, but does not call the SF90 a direct competitor. “We are looking to the future, so we want the Valhalla to surpass today’s SF90,” said Simon Inglefield, Global Head of Personalization and Special Sales at Aston Martin. Inglefield is closely involved with the Valhalla, because he certainly is ‘Special’. There will only be 999, is the idea. That is considerably more than the 150 Valkyries, but still not much.

Step-by-step

Compared to the previous introduction in 2020, a lot has changed about the Valhalla. Take a close look at the shape of the still voluptuous flanks, the now straight-cut windscreen and the new nose and butt: in fact, only the basic recipe is still intact. That exterior is not new in itself, because we already got to see it in 2021. That green car was the ‘exterior concept’, the gray one is now the ‘interior concept’. This car also has an interior, unlike the previous one. Aston Martin takes potential buyers, the press and other interested parties hand in hand through the development process, whereby the car is always a little more ‘finished’.

According to Inglefield, the exterior is 90 percent done, while the interior is 80 percent done. It is already partly clear what will change. For example, the prototype still has adjustable pedals and a ‘fixed’ seat, which is part of the carbon fiber structure. The production model will ‘just’ get an adjustable seat, because this is said to save weight and provide comfort. Although the numbers suggest otherwise, comfort is indeed a theme with the Valhalla. The car has matrix LED headlights, two-zone climate control, an infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay and even adaptive cruise control. Nevertheless, a very sporty feeling predominates in the interior. The seat is impossibly low, the steering wheel is flattened at the top and bottom and the view to the outside is minimal. That makes some doubts about Aston Martin’s idea that this should be a daily usable car, unlike the Valkyrie. The Valhalla is also primarily an extremist, although we like to be surprised by the production model.

Simon Inglefield

More supercars

The idea that the Valhalla would also have GT-like qualities has made us very curious about the future of Aston Martin’s more traditional models. After all, we have known the brand for years as the producer of Grand Tourers with a V8 or V12 in the nose, cars that carry performance a lot less highly than the Valhalla and the Valkyrie. Inglefield does not make any concrete statements about it, but when asked emphasizes again that ‘the Valhalla is good at everything’. That suggests that Aston Martin emphatically wants to go in the direction of a real supercar builder, and more Aston Martins will be developed according to this recipe in the future. The best example is the new Vanquish, which, as mentioned, also gets a mid-engine. It promises to be a supercar of the McLaren 570S level, and therefore a relative bargain next to the Valhalla. It will appear next year in an even more ‘finished’ form and should go into production in 2024.