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Aston Martin Rings In 2024 By Lapping Valhalla Around Silverstone

This marks the first official look at the upcoming Aston Martin Valhalla in its supposed natural habitat. 

While most other automakers have started to wind down their activities approaching this upcoming festive season, it does appear however for this to not really be the case at Aston Martin. Such is because amid the rather slow trickle of auto news these days, the British supercar maker has surprised with a recent teaser of its upcoming Valhalla absolutely belting around Silverstone. 

The first time that Aston Martin has officially teased its Valhalla in its supposed natural habitat, this recent track outing with this mid-engined hybrid has provided the best glimpse yet of its sophisticated active aerodynamics at work. Of which components includes an active multi-element spoiler up front, small ducts just aft of the rear wheel and of course the honking great adjustable wing out back. 

Aston Martin is keen to point out that this upcoming supercar takes its underbody aerodynamic cues from the outgoing AMR23 Formula 1 car, with it also having completed hundreds of hours of aerodynamic testing in the wind tunnel alongside engineers at its Formula 1 team too. But as the Valhalla is a road car (and hence does not have to adhere to the strict aerodynamic rules of F1), it actually instead features an even more sophisticated fully aerodynamic system at either end of the vehicle, which in turn is slated by the automaker to generate over 600 kg of downforce at 240 km/h. 

As for what will be sending the Valhalla to those speeds meanwhile, propulsion for this Aston Martin comes courtesy of a twin-turbocharged flat-plane V8 that is mated to not one, not two, but three electric motors. Combined power output for this hybrid powertrain is currently quoted at a more-than-healthy 1,012 PS. And while there is not to be any F1-esque MGU-K or MGU-H technology integrated into this powertrain, but the Valhalla will nevertheless feature an F1-style carbon fibre roof-mounted snorkel that feeds both the engine intake and cools the turbos mounted within the V of the engine. 

Other ideas plucked from the world of Formula 1 featured in this Valhalla is to be its fully carbon body that was developed directly from the carbon innovations made to Aston Martin’s F1 cars. The circuit racer has also served as a base for the road car’s carbon fibre bucket seat, with the entire cockpit ergonomics having apparently been developed to be enable drivers of the Valhalla to feel as if they are to be in the AMR23. This point is further hammered home by current Aston Martin F1 drivers Lance Stroll and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso having supposedly provided input towards the driving dynamics of this upcoming supercar too. 

Originally unveiled back in mid-2021, this Valhalla is set to enter production sometime next year. Just 999 units of these hybrid supercars will be produced, with deliveries to its 5 lucky local customers to likely be starting soon after.

Joshua Chin

Automotive journalist. Professional work on dsf.my and automacha.com. Personal writing found at driveeveryday.me. Instagram: @driveeveryday

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