2022 Aston Martin Valkyrie could be the ultimate wild ride

Few cars are as hotly anticipated. Aston Martin ValkyrieOr with such a long wait. Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing initially AM-RB001 It appeared all the way in March 2016. first renderconfirmation of Valkyrie nametrack-only announcements AMR Pro and Spider Variant, sadly unrealized I plan to bring it to the racelet’s take a closer look Cosworth 6.5 liter V-12 that moves it, Tour of the configuration process, simulator driveand Right Seat Experience at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed riding shotgun To Aston’s then-CEO Tobias Moers.Also, not everything was smooth sailing, with delays increasing and still unresolved legal disputes Overdeposit with a Swiss Dealer Group.

Well, finally, we drove it.

Let’s start with the good news for adrenaline-addicted millionaires still waiting to be delivered. The finished car fully lives up to designer Adrian Newey’s promise. This is to be the most extreme factory-built vehicle ever that wears license plates and is faster than most real race cars. And while our first experience he was limited to the 3.36-mile Bahrain International Circuit, it was a fully street-legal car fitted with road tyres.

Ok, so street legal is a misnomer for American buyers. The Valkyrie can only be imported under “show and display” requirements, so it doesn’t have to be used for commuting or hauling lumber from Home Depot. and complexity. To do that, he had to use what design director Miles Nurnberger proudly showcased as the world’s smallest and lightest rear license plate his lamp.

The Valkyrie’s need to accommodate human cargo was always a low priority in car packaging, with Newey placing far more emphasis on aerodynamic requirements. But while the rooms are small, they could have been smaller, and Nurnberger tells of a meeting where he managed to persuade a famous designer to free up an extra 8 millimeters (0.3 inches) of space. A round of applause from the engineering team. “No one remembered Adrian that he gave up a millimetre ago,” says Nuremberger.

However, that concession does not create a spacious cabin. Valkyrie is a car you wear, not sit in. Climbing requires an inelegant shuffle over the sidepods, then folds into a carbon fiber racing seat. Once in place, the moveable pedal box allows even taller drivers to find leg room, but even with the seat’s moderate amount of padding removed, it’s still comfortable for an average height driver. The helmeted head touches the roof when the door is closed.

The 6.5 liter V-12 is a distinct highlight and not a surprise. In fact, it dominates the driving experience so much that it steals every scene. Pause after pressing the start button on the steering wheel. Then the engine cranks for a few seconds to build up oil pressure before rushing into raucous life. Even through the padding in the helmet, it idles a lot at 1000 rpm and takes about 10,000 more rpm to hit the limiter. But rolling out of the pitlane is a surprisingly gentle process. There is a launch control system, but it is left to its own devices, powered solely by his 141 hp electric motor powered by his 1.7 kWh Rimac battery mounted between the V-12 and his 7 planes. Then Valkyrie departs. -Speed ​​transmission. (There is no reverse gear, so backup is always electric.) Immediately the clutch engages, connecting the engine to the wheels.

The first laps on the track are mostly spent adjusting to the grueling performance. The Valkyrie is more than just numbers, but his claimed 2.5-second zero to 60 mph time and his electronically limited top speed sound of 220 mph are impressive. While these numbers are well within hypercar standards, the Valkyrie experience really isn’t. This is the car that makes the Koenigsegg One:1 look sophisticated and understated.

Much of the sense of anarchy is due to the combination of noise and vibration as the Valkyrie spins. The mesh cog that drives the camshaft is just inches on the other side of the firewall, delivering an almost painful cacophony once you hit the redline of altitude. But it also depends on the character of the engine and the immediacy of its response, the absence of any delay between pressing the accelerator and feeling the response. His Valkyrie is very fast as he puts out a total top power of 1,139 horsepower for a weight of less than 3,000 pounds. At the end of the circuit’s longest straight, 0.6 miles, the digital speedometer shows 300 km/h (186 mph). It uses a conservative braking point. But subjectively it feels even faster than that.

We spent very little time in the chassis’ Urban and Sport modes, both intended for road use. Selecting the most aggressive track function, active suspension lowers the ride height and offers the option of variable traction control settings. The highly honed Valkyrie quickly proves that a corner can be more than a break between chances to unleash hell on the straight.

Grips are one area where the Aston doesn’t feel otherworldly. Running road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires means they stick less than running slicks. Hydraulic-assisted steering provides crisp, well-defined feedback and sharp turn-in, but traction control intervenes violently when you try to overlap your steering and accelerator inputs. Still, it doesn’t feel snappy or intimidating when you push down on the traction control. As speed increases, more downforce is assisted from the active wings and diffuser. Faster corners can be taken at speeds that seem impossible. (Fun fact: The electric flaps in the giant Venturi tunnel are colloquially called ‘cat flaps’ by Aston mechanics.)

Even in the blessed environment of a circuit surrounded by mechanics, there were some problems. The car’s brake pedal felt like it had a dead patch at the top of its travel and didn’t reduce the actual level of deceleration, but eased its resistance several times during larger stops. The Valkyrie’s engine also cut redlines when the coolant got too hot. Aston blamed the high temperatures in Bahrain for running half a lap in high gear, which allowed the car to cool and the rev limiter to return to normal.

Racetracks are a lot of fun, but not enough to know how the cars would cope in the real world. The Valkyrie always feels like a big compromise on normal roads. It’s cramped, hot, and noisy, and without ear protection, occupants’ hearing is impaired. Cosworth also says the engine he needs to rebuild every 50,000 miles. Still, none of that arguably detracts from the allure of top-of-the-line cars. Its many compromises derive directly from the famous designer’s refusal to compromise his vision. That’s what makes it a masterpiece.