To celebrate Aston Martin’s 110-year history, the British brand revealed this limited-run special called Valour in July 2023. Now the car has appeared on display to the public at the 2023 Monterey Car Week in California.
Inspired by the one-off Victor, the Aston Martin Valour has been designed to “reconnect customers with the engagement of driving, given the digital era,” according to the brand’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman.
The new car is powered by a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 that sends 705bhp and 753Nm of torque to the rear wheels through a bespoke six-speed manual gearbox. Performance figures have not been revealed, but expect the 0-60mph time to be around three seconds. Aston says the Valour is the only front-engined V12 sports car with a manual transmission.
The design of the Valour’s carbon-fibre bodywork also references Aston’s V8 Vantage model from the seventies and eighties – including the RHAM/1 ‘Muncher’ Le Mans racer and even the twin-supercharged Vantage V600 of the nineties – with the Valour’s brawny stance and delicate aero details in particular standing out.
Reichmann told Auto Express the Valour’s design had a clear focus on “getting air out of the car”, with the car’s vented bonnet and front eyebrow bridge (which covers the Valour’s traditional round LED headlight units) helping to cool that powerful engine as well as reduce the muscular-looking machine’s drag.
A prominent front splitter, juts forward from the base of the Valour’s traditional Aston-shaped grille, while at the rear the car features an integrated ducktail-style spoiler. New LED light blades draw a parallel with Aston’s Valkyrie hypercar, while a full-width polished aluminium accent milled from solid billet separates the upper and lower bodywork at the rear. A triple-exit lightweight stainless steel exhaust helps 7kg compared with a regular exhaust, and Aston says it “emits a gloriously heavyweight soundtrack”.
Carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted as standard, with 410mm discs clamped by six-piston calipers at the front and 380mm discs and four-piston calipers at the rear, which help save 23kg compared with steel brakes. They’re mounted behind a set of new 21-inch lightweight forged ‘Honeycomb’ alloy wheels, while the Valour features a mechanical limited-slip differential to aid traction.
There are three driving modes: Sport, Sport+ and Track. Aston says these driving modes have been tuned for wider differentiation, with throttle response, the engine’s torque management and the V12’s sound signature all tweaked depending on the setting chosen.
The chassis features adaptive suspension dampers, springs and anti-roll bars with a bespoke set-up for the Valour. The suspension geometry has also been tuned specifically for the Valour for a sporting drive. On top of this there are shear plates at the front and rear, fuel tank bracing and a rear suspension strut brace to improve body rigidity. However, Aston says the Valour is a road car first, so with this in mind the firm’s engineering team has “a sporting balance of taut, precise vertical body control and resolute resistance to roll.”
Inside, buyers get a choice of machined aluminium, titanium, carbon fibre or walnut for the gearknob, and the Valour’s shift linkage is exposed. The launch car features woollen tweed panels on the carbon-fibre-shell sports seats (inspired by Aston’s Le Mans- winning DBR1), while the door cards, air vents, centre console and transmission tunnel are also made from carbon fibre.
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However, through Aston’s Q division, these elements and many more can all be customised to buyers’ tastes. The car’s livery can also be customised, with the Valour’s body separated into four sections: front, bonnet, sides and rear.
Just 110 Valour models will be made, with production set to start in Q3 this year before deliveries begin towards the end of 2023. All Valours are now spoken for and “each car will be a commission”, according to Alex Long, Aston’s head of product and market strategy. He also told Auto Express that the Valour is priced from just over £1million before options, but the firm expects buyers to add plenty of personalisation features as part of the purchase process.
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