Aston Martin star Valhalla and her new mid-engine hybrid supercar, the star of the upcoming Bond
Aston Martin showcased the exterior design of its mid-engine supercar, Valhalla, and presented with it all the technical specifications. And Valhalla’s bid, which came to coincide with the delivery of the Valkyrie supercar just weeks away , was the British carmaker quietly working on two mid-engined models; One is Valhalla and the other, the revived Vanquish.
Valhalla . Overview
Aston Martin Valhalla debuted in 2019 at the Geneva International Motor Show, and known internally as Project 003 , is the company’s first serial-production mid-engine with a 937-hp hybrid and a carbon-fiber plug.
The powertrain in Valhalla has been replaced by a V8 hybrid 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine to replace the Mercedes-AMG’s V-6 engine, and what we see here is the production model of the Valhalla concept that will have input from Formula racing cars. 1 Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll and Valhalla models from Nico Hulkenberg.
The new Aston supercar will also be depicted in the upcoming James Bond movie, No Time To Die.
Although Valhalla will indeed be the first mid-engine Aston Martin, it has a notable predecessor.
Introduced by Aston Martin in 1979, the world’s fastest production car was revealed, signed by Aston Martin and it was a gull-winged Bulldog.
Exterior design Valhalla
Given that this is an Aston Martin with an engine positioned as never before in an Aston, Valhalla stands apart from the rest of the Aston lineup.
Looking at it, Valhalla’s front end is unequivocally an Aston with mandatory rotors on the grille.
The Aston Martin has taken the
aggressive Valkyrie and toned down the styling considerably to give the Valhalla more elegant lines.
The upper body looks relatively clean, with the predominantly carbon-fiber chassis sweeping into the sexy stern.
And a closer look at Valhalla provides some great technology, too.
For example, although the car has a more traditional stance when compared to the flagship Valkyrie, its straight headlight units have a distinctive LMP look, and include many aerodynamic modifications learned during the Valkyrie’s wind tunnel work. Dynamic calculations of the barriers and air obstruction were made.
Interior Design
Aston Martin hasn’t revealed the interior of the Valhalla, but the automaker says it will have a F1-style seating position, albeit not as stiff as the Valkyrie.
The supercar features a custom-fitted fixed tub seat for each owner, with an adjustable pedal box and steering column.
As for the Mercedes-Benz switchgear, Valhalla will have it designed in-house.
Despite the compact feel in the cockpit, a new central infotainment system with a touch screen will be offered with Apple Car Play and Android Auto mobile services.
It will be offered with LED matrix headlights, with dual-zone air conditioning, and backed by a wide range of driver safety features such as automatic emergency braking, active cruise control, forward collision monitoring and a rearview parking camera.
Valhalla’s potential
Valhalla looks light on a supercar with a V8 engine.
Its carbon-fiber body structure makes it extremely light at just 3,417 pounds, which is nothing for a PHEV hybrid and lightness is not the most important thing, it is also very solid.
The suspension system also has F1-style drive arms with brake springs and internal dampers.
Created in collaboration with Multimatic, it, like other modern supercars, has an adjustable height, with a front axle lift system ideal for city camber.
For track driving, the suspension may be lowered completely.
Other features include an automatic limited-slip differential at the rear axle, carbon-ceramic brake rotors, and special Michelin Pilot Sport rubber wrapped around centrally-locking wheels 20-inch front and 21-inch.
“Preserving the essence of the exceptional concept car is vital when facing the challenge of bringing it into production,”
said
CEO Tobias Moers . “With Valhalla, we have not only kept our commitment to building a supercar that would dominate the world, but we have also exceeded our original goals.
The result is a pure driving machine – a machine that is at the forefront of performance and technology but allows the driver to feel the emotion, the excitement, and the ability to be fully connected and in control.”
Aston Martin Valhalla’s performance
Well, that’s the big problem.
For all those who’ve been following Aston Martin’s version of the mid-engined car will know that never before has Aston Martin modified a V-6 and upgraded it to a V-8.
We now know how powerful it is, with 937 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque.
Thanks to a 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine paired with a pair of electric motors.
Engine exhaust gases exit through a two-pipe unit installed on top.
It’s the same engine found on the AMG GT Black Series, and both the engine and electric motors are mated to a unique eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission without an actual rear gear.
Aston claims that Valhalla can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 217 mph.
Aston Martin is claiming just 6 minutes and 30 seconds time to cut Valhalla rounds of the race track in Nordschleife.
Hybrid power
This is the first Aston car to be fitted with a hybrid engine.
Valhallas’ front wheels are powered only, in pure EV mode, but in other modes, torque is split between the axles.
However, that won’t be for long – the Valhalla EV has a range of less than 10 miles, and is limited to a top speed of 80mph.
Interestingly, the continuously variable power splitting between front and rear depending on driving requirements means that 100% of the battery’s power can be directed to the rear to assist the V-8.
Valhalla, despite its small size, is an important step towards the all-electric Aston sports car, which is due to arrive in the middle of this decade.
The Valhalla will be available in both left- and right-hand drive configurations by the end of 2023. Aston Martin has not provided an update on the number of units that will be built, however, the pre-estimate is set at 500 models.
Also, no word from Aston if we’ll get a Volante version of the Valhalla.
The car is planned to enter production in 2023. It was originally slated for a limited production run of 500 examples starting at $1,000,000. However, as of August 2021, the Valhalla will be limited to 999 examples with an estimated price of US$800,000 (GB£580,000).
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