That mysterious Valkyrie leak? It's Aston's 2021 refresh of "the ultimate no rules hypercar" …
By Matt Bird / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Loading comments
If the name ‘Valkyrie AMR Pro’ seems familiar, then you’re not mistaken – at Geneva three years ago, Aston Martin revealed a track-only version of its V12 hypercar and said it would build 25 examples. But the AMR Pro that will now enter production at the end of 2021 is a very different proposition, inspired by the cancelled Le Mans Hypercar project.
The most obvious changes are in bodywork; this AMR Pro a substantially different thing to look at than the 2018 version. Aston Martin states that the original was “very much an exercise in squeezing as much performance from the road legal Valkyrie platform”. This 2021 AMR Pro, still in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, “benefits from the Le Mans project’s pure, race optimised chassis, aerodynamic and powertrain developments.” Indeed, without race rules to adhere to, Aston reckons this AMR Pro is more capable than the actual competition car would have been. Which of course they were going to say.
Still, there’s plenty about the car to back up the claim. The new Pro has a 380mm longer wheelbase than a Valkyrie, with a track increased by 96mm at the front and 115mm at the rear. The overall length is up by 266mm, largely thanks to the aero additions that promise 100 per cent more downforce than the standard car.
With power from the 6.5-litre V12 still said to be in the region of 1,000hp – there isn’t yet a final figure – as well, plus carbon everywhere to keep weight down, it’s suggested that the AMR Pro will have circuit performance “approaching that of a Formula 1 car.” Apparently a 3:20 lap of Le Mans is being targeted; Kamui Kobayashi’s Hyperpole at last year’s 24 Hours was 3:15.267…
Tobias Moers said of the new car: “The entire Aston Martin Valkyrie programme has been an extraordinary adventure in engineering. As an expression of the passion and expertise that can be found within Aston Martin and its closest technical partners, Valkyrie AMR Pro is a project beyond compare, a true ‘no rules’ track-only version… Nothing else looks like it, nothing else sounds like it, and I am absolutely certain nothing else will drive like it!”
Aston says that 40 Valkyrie AMR Pros will be built, up from the number it proposed in 2018. A price hasn’t been announced, of course, but each buyer will be treated to bespoke track days, a dedicated instructor team, their own racewear and fancy dinners; all AMR Pro experiences “promise to showcase the Valkyrie in the most exhilarating way”. With physical testing due to get underway very soon, first deliveries should happen before the year is out. Fingers crossed…
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