Aston Martin Valhalla Hybrid

ASTON MARTIN

VALHALLA HYBRID SUPERCAR

When two Formula One teams get together to create a supercar the results are bound to be something special and that’s certainly the case with the Valhalla, a new hybrid exotic that’s the fruit of a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull racing.

WORDS TONY WHITNEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ASTON MARTIN

Quite how the two great racing rivals got together to initiate this project is something of a mystery, but the resulting sports car is proving to be well worth the effort. This is not Aston Martin’s top sportster, the Valkyrie holds that vaunted spot, but the manufacturer points out that it’s more usable as an everyday car. The Valhalla is Aston Martin’s first series-production midengined supercar. As a plug-in hybrid with a big V-8 at its heart, the car won’t quite please EV purists, but it’s certainly a highly practical proposition with no range anxiety for owners to suffer from. It’s a sleek and slippery styling job with just a hint of Aston Martin around the nose. This will be a limited production model, but the 999 units promised by Aston Martin would seem quite generous. ›

The source of the Valhalla’s remarkable performance figures is a mid-mounted AMG-built 4.0-litre V-8 with dual turbochargers. AMG, a division of Mercedes-Benz, produces some of the worlds most respected performance powerplants for road cars and also supplies the Aston Martin F-1 team. Supplementing the V-8 is a 150KW/400V battery hybrid system that contributes 204-horsepower to the total of 950. Transmission is an 8-speed automatic with manual override and the car features all-wheel drive. The Valhalla will run to 130 km/h in electric-only mode but the range is only 15 km, so most driving is intended to be done with the seamless hybrid system working continuously.

The basic ‘tub’ of the car is fabricated from carbon fibre, as is the engine cover. There are almost no straight lines in the bodywork at all and the Valhalla is a mass of compound curves adding up to a car that most will agree is sensational to look at from any angle. The famed Aston Martin badge appears in several places and the words ‘Aston Martin’ are writ large across the rear of the car.

The opulent interior includes all the features buyers expect nowadays, including infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Audio. There’s also blind spot monitoring – probably essential for the driver of a car like this. The seats are fixed in place with differing driver heights taken care of using pedals that adjust fore and aft. Cabin stowage space is expectedly limited, though better than many supercars. There’s some luggage room up front and more stowage room behind the seats. There’s even space to stow the charging cable. ›

The Valhalla is a bold move by Aston Martin but a necessary one. Aston Martin’s range of elegant sports coupés and convertibles are well known and will continue to enjoy a robust demand, but for companies in the exotic car segment and boasting an F-1 team, a supercar like this near the top of the range makes good sense. There is the multi-million euro Valkyrie of course, but that cannot really be considered a volume production product and will be built in tiny numbers. Aston Martin hopes that the Valhalla will sell strongly, hence the high production figure, and looking at the spec sheet and styling, there’s no reason to think the company is on the wrong track. The cars should reach customers sometime during 2023. e Z ENGINE: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 plus two electric motors, 950-horsepower total. Z TRANSMISSION: 8-speed DCT automatic. Z ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h in 2.5-seconds. Z TOP SPEED: 350 km/h. Z I LIKED: Superlative styling in every way. Like nothing the brand has ever done, yet still an Aston Martin. Astonishing performance in all respects. Added torque and economy boost associated with hybrid powertrain. Choice of Mercedes-AMG as an engine supplier Z I DIDN’T LIKE: Limited EV only range. Stowage limits grand touring capability. Z MARKET

ALTERNATIVES:

Ferrari 296 GTB, Ferrari SF90, McLaren Artura, Lamborghini Countach, Honda NSX. Z WHO DRIVES ONE? Aston Martin enthusiasts who’d like a supercar from the marque but won’t run to the astronomical price tag of the multimillion euro Valkyrie. Z PRICE AND

AVAILABILITY:

Estimated €720.000. Orders now being accepted for 2023 delivery.