Aston Martin sure knows how to celebrate a century (and a decade). In honor of its 110th anniversary, the automaker has unveiled a new V12-powered supercar called the Valour. Limited to just 110 units globally, the Aston Martin Valour boasts retro design cues and a manual gearbox as the company dubs it “the last of an era.”
Like the limited Aston Martin Victor from 2020, the Valour looks to the iconic V8 Vantage of the 1970s and 1980s for inspiration. The exterior does an excellent job of blending old and new; a clamshell hood with a “horseshoe” vent and retro rounded headlights give the Valour a distinctive front fascia.
Horizontal “light blade” taillights and a large embedded spoiler offer up additional retro cues in the rear, while the beautiful 21-inch lightweight forged alloy honeycomb wheels come wrapped in new Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tires (275/35 front, 325/30 rear). Buyers can pick from 21 standard exterior colors, or they can peruse the Q by Aston Martin color palette for something more unique – like exposed carbon fiber.
The interior is no less extravagant. Aston Martin designers took the classic woolen tweed – like that of the 1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1 – and blended it with high-tech carbon fiber accents and modern, lightweight seats. Even the rounded wooden shift knob has its own retro charm.
The V12 in question is a front-mounted, twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter unit that produces 705 horsepower (715 PS) and 555 pound-feet (753 Newton-meters) of torque. It comes with the aforementioned “bespoke” six-speed manual transmission (again, just like the Victor) and a mechanical limited-slip differential.
But immense power and a manual gearbox are only part of the equation. The Valour has a unique suspension distinct from other Aston Martins that uses adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars tuned specifically to match the power output of the V12. Beyond that, the Valour has additional bracing, front and rear, that improve torsional and lateral stiffness, as well as carbon ceramic stoppers. The front brakes are six-piston, 16.0-inch carbon ceramic rotors, and the rear brakes are four-piston, 14.0-inch rotors. The pair help shed 50.7 pounds over standard steel brakes.
As expected, Aston Martin doesn’t list any pricing details for the Valour. Our guess is that all 110 examples have already been accounted for. Nevertheless, the Valour kicks off production at Aston Martin’s Gaydon Headquarters in Q3 of 2023, with the first deliveries scheduled to take place later this year.
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