This year marks the 110th anniversary of Aston Martin, and to celebrate, the British carmaker has released the Valour as a limited-run V12-powered brute fitted with a manual gearbox that takes us back to the golden era of driving.
The Valour is also a nod to the brand’s long affiliation with front-engined sportscars which harks back to its birth in 1913.
Aston’s latest supercar shares a lot in common with the likes of the original V8 Vantage and its RHAM/1 ‘Muncher’ Le Mans racing cousin as its design borrows heavily from the two, as well as the similar-looking one-off Victor that was released in 2020. There are also nods to the 1990s V600 Vantage and the One-77 supercar.
Anything inspired by those cars is bound to be none other than beautiful and that the Valour is. Up front is Aston’s iconic-shaped grille, flanked by a set of classic-looking circular LED headlights that lead up to the clamshell bonnet. There you will find a large ‘horseshoe’ vent and two NACA ducts that have been added to exhaust as much heat from the engine bay as possible
Aerodynamics have been paid attention to with a large front splitter, side skirts, and an imposing rear diffuser, while the rear end is characterised by an upswept Kamm tail. Below that sits two clusters of light blades that act as taillights, identical to the ones found on the Valkyrie. Topping the back of the car off is a triple exit exhaust system which has been made from lightweight stainless steel.
Step inside and you’ll immediately notice a manual shift knob protruding from the central tunnel which can be finished in a choice of machined aluminium, titanium, carbon fibre or walnut. If you want to channel a bit of 1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1 in your Valour, Aston suggests wrapping its two seats in woollen tweed as a contrast to the rest of the carbon fibre-clad interior.
What lays under the bonnet is arguably unheard of in this day and age, that being a twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 making 526kW and 753Nm of torque which has been bolted to a 6-speed manual gearbox for the first time.
The Valour also gets a mechanical limited-slip differential and bespoke suspension with adaptive dampers, springs and anti-roll bars. Three driving modes can be selected from, with each changing the character of the car in terms of throttle response, torque management and exhaust sound.
Standard-fit carbon ceramic brakes can be found on all four corners with the front discs measuring 410mm in diameter and clamped by six-piston calipers, while the rear 350mm disc is sandwiched by four-piston unit. The brakes are masked by a set of 21-inch forged alloy ‘Honeycomb’ wheels all-round, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 rubber.
Just 110 examples of the Aston Martin Valour will be made at the company’s headquarters in Gaydon, with production commencing in the third quarter of 2023 before the first customer deliveries are made in the fourth quarter.
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