Future mid-engined Aston Martin cars to be exclusively limited-run
Aston Martin Valhalla will be limited to 999 units in its initial coupé form
British marque had previously been expected to offer a mainstream model rivalling to the Ferrari 296 GTB
Aston Martin’s mid-engined supercars will be low-volume halo products, chairman Lawrence Stroll has told Autocar.
Aston Martin had been expected to put a mainstream mid-engined supercar on sale by the middle of the decade, to rival the likes of the Ferrari 296 GTB. However, this has been put on ice, the focus for mid-engine models having shifted to models like the Valkyrie and Valhalla, rather than a car inspired by 2019’s Vanquish Vision concept.
Speaking to Autocar at the Monaco Grand Prix, Stroll confirmed that the Valhalla would be limited to 999 units in its initial coupé form.
He said that “volume wasn't important” for mid-engined models for Aston Martin and that the focus would instead be their profitability and exclusivity, hence the decision to not make a “normal car” in the mid-engined line-up.
The Valhalla will be built around a carbonfibre monocoque being developed by the Aston Martin Performance Technologies division, newly established in the Aston Martin Formula 1 team’s new factory at Silverstone.
The wind tunnel there will also be used to optimise its aerodynamics, with the result, said Stroll, that the car will be “as impressive” as the Valkyrie.
It will also be the first Aston Martin to use a hybrid powertrain, borrowing a turbocharged plug-in-hybrid V8 from technical partner Mercedes-AMG.
The 4.0-litre powerplant revs to 7200rpm and drives the rear axle through an all-new bespoke eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which will also be used on other future Aston Martin models. Combined with two electric motors – one per axle – it will produce more than 1000bhp, framing the Valhalla to take on the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, targeting a Nürburgring lap time of 6min 30sec.
Autocar understands that the Valhalla will be priced between £600,000 and £700,000.