Throwback Thursday: AM Valkyrie Wows at Silverstone Public Running

Testing at one of the most testing tracks

For any proud British sportscar brand, Silverstone is the testing circuit of choice. The famous F1 circuit, located in Northamptonshire, hosts the British Grand Prix and is one of the fastest and most challenging of all tracks. Built on a former RAF airfield, it features very fast, flat, sweeps. Silverstone is the kind of circuit that can easily expose if a car lacks balance at very high speeds. And that is why Aston Martin wanted its Valkyrie to lap there, on a public debut nonetheless. This would prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that Aston Martin’s ambitious hypercar project is valid.  

Running hot - as a V12 should

Pay careful attention to the background in this image. Notice the heat haze around the vehicle. This is a clear indication that Aston Martin’s Valkyrie is not an electric vehicle. This is an undiluted supercar powered by what might be the last great naturally-aspirated engine to ever be produced. Powering the Valkyrie and creating the heat haze, is a huge 6.5-liter V12 engine. Built on commission by Cosworth, with some hybrid assistance, the Valkyrie’s powertrain is good for an incredible peak power output of 1160hp. 

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Proving people wrong

There have been doubters concerning Aston Martin’s Valkyrie. Many thought it was too ambitious and radical of a project to ever translate into a viable production vehicle. But when the Valkyrie finally rolled onto Silverstone and showed its capability, all naysayers were assuaged. The Valkyrie is real and it runs, brilliantly. To debut the Valkyrie at Silverstone was deeply poignant for Aston Marti as being the traditional British sportscar company with a stellar history of outstanding cars.

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Absolutely solid at speed - even at Silverstone

The Valkyrie commands an enormous road presence no matter the setting. At Silverstone, it finally had the opportunity to run and show that it looks even more striking at speed. Aerodynamics is crucial to Aston’s hypercar with each bit of its surfacing and overall shape dictated by the principle of creating a stable but nimble hypercar.

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Corners like nothing else

Valkyrie claims to be the world’s fastest overall hypercar. And that does not mean only top speed. AM wished to have the Valkyrie excel in all aspects of performance: braking, cornering and apex-to-clipping-point acceleration. The promise with Valkyrie has been to deliver cornering grip and lateral stability that is unrivaled by any other super- or hypercar. Part of achieving this has been mounting the V12 engine and cockpit in a manner that centers most of the Valkyrie’s weight in the middle. And by the middle, we mean between the wheelbase and tracking width. Much like it would be in an open-wheeled race car. 

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A statement of greatness

Allocation for the Valkyrie tips the scales at $3.2m each. Aston Martin has already secured payment for its entire production run of only 150 vehicles. For potential owners, it will be greatly heartening to finally have seen Aston Martin’s hypercar run, on a real track. At Silverstone, the proof of concept was absolutely inarguable. Not only does the Valkyrie look great, but its stellar technical package works. And with input from some of Britain’s best engineers, one would expect nothing less.

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These cars are effectively cousins

One of the most significant inputs for Valkyrie has come from the world of F1. And more specifically, the Red Bull Racing team, which has won multiple championships. Red Bull Racing counts as its lead designer, Adrian Newey, one of the most gifted high-performance car designers of all time. It was Newey who forced the Valkyrie’s shape, refusing to compromise. Newey was also the mastermind behind the Valkyrie’s aerodynamics, which are hugely complex for a non-F1 car.

>>Join the conversation about the AM Valkyrie right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!