To celebrate their 110-year history, Aston Martin has revealed this limited-run special, called Valour.
As you can see in the images, it takes clear inspiration from the one-off Victor and aims to “reconnect customers with the engagement of driving, given the digital era,” according to the brand’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman.
Under that very sculpted hood sits a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 that sends 705 hp (526 kW) and 753 Nm (555 lb-ft) of torque to the rear wheels through a bespoke six-speed manual gearbox. According to Aston, the Valour is the only front-engined V12 sports car with a manual transmission.
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.
A triple-exit lightweight stainless steel exhaust helps 7kg compared with a regular exhaust, and Aston says it “emits a gloriously heavyweight soundtrack”.
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.
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 will be unique. The Valour is priced from just over £1 million (approx. R24 million) before options, but the firm expects buyers to add plenty of personalisation features as part of the purchase process.
