The Aston Martin Valour pairs the twin turbo 5.2L V12 with a manual gearbox for the first time.
The Goodwood Festival 2023 is upon us and with it comes a slew of new collectible cars for the ultra-rich. From Aston Martin is the new Valour – a new special edition vehicle inspired by the original V8 Vantage and the Vantage based RHAM/1 ‘Muncher’ Le Mans racer from 1980.
The Aston Martin Valour promises to be a pure driver’s car in the same vein as the GMA T.50. It too comes with a V12 engine and a manual transmission. That being said, on the Valour, the engine is placed in front.
Only 110 Valours will be made globally, which will pretty much guarantee they’re all sold out by now, snapped up by millionaires and billionaires the world over. Aston Martin hints that this is an ‘end-of-an-era’ spec car, meaning either one of their last 12 cylinder products or one of their last vehicles with a manual transmission.
The motor in here is an in-house twin turbocharged 5.2L V12 with 715PS and 753Nm of torque. While this engine has been featured on other models before, this will be the first and possibly only time it’s being mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Aston Martin has thrown in a mechanical limited-slip differential to enhance the connection between driver and car. There are three driving modes – Sport, Sport+ and Track, which modify the behaviour of the electronic traction control and stability control systems.
The Aston Martin Valour comes with unique suspension featuring adaptive dampers, springs and anti-roll bars. The vehicle was designed to be a road car first, but still strikes a good balance between sportiness and comfort on a custom body structure from the company. They’ve also a new steering system that reduces discomfort to the driver. Large 6-piston and 4-piston carbon ceramic brakes help deliver stopping power on the Valour.
The wheels are ‘Honeycomb’ style 21″ lightweight forged alloy pieces wrapped in specific Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres in staggered sizes.
In terms of looks, you get a large ‘horse shoe’ vent up front with twin NACA ducts for ventilation. The face is definitely distinct as far as modern Aston Martin vehicles go thanks to the retro-inspired round LED headlights and daytime running lights which are bordered by ‘eyebrow-like’ flares. Extensive use of carbon fibre and aluminium bring the car’s overall weight down despite the size.
The rear end features an elegant Kamm tail and a prominent diffuser for aerodynamic optimisation. In fact, aero is a huge aspect of the Valour’s design. There’s a prominent front splitter and front fender vents incorporated as well as vortex generating ‘exoblades’.
Around back, we see a dramatic taillight graphic with six LED clusters on each side, a bit like on the Valkyrie. A triple tailpipe stainless steel exhaust system is the centrepiece of the rear.
Inside, the Valour has seating for just two. The cabin is simple and minimal, though the press photos don’t do a good job of showing the whole thing off. There’s a choice of gear knob materials. You can either have it in machined aluminium, titanium, carbon fibre or walnut. The shift mechanism is exposed. Hopefully nothing falls in and jams the thing up. Q by Aston Martin has a host of personalisation options available, including 21 paint colours.
