Raise your horns: Aston Martin’s Valhalla blends race-car dynamics and high-tech craft

The wait is finally over. Aston Martin first took the covers off the car that would become the Valhalla back at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Back then it was the Aston Martin AM-RB 003, one of a projected series of mid-engined supercars that were to flow from the range-topping Valkyrie (originally the AM-RB 001). Alongside the 003 was the V6-powered Vanquish Vision Concept, then intended as the ‘starter’ supercar birthed from the DNA of multi-million-pound Valhalla.

The Vanquish concept came to nothing, and the nameplate reverted to the front-engined, muscular ICE-powered cars from whence it came, a new version of which arrived this year, the Mk3 Vanquish. All effort went into delivering the fiendishly complicated Valkyrie and its variants to a high-rolling, supremely patient customer base, and the 003 went into hibernation, surfacing only as a prop in the background of Daniel Craig’s Bond swansong, No Time To Die.

One pandemic later, and the Valhalla was re-shaped and re-born, shown to the media at Silverstone in 2021. Now deliveries are finally in sight, with the reveal of the finished car – and interior – due to start arriving in Q2 2025.

In the interim, Aston Martin has burned through three CEOs and pushed its EV ambitions a little further down the road. Now stewarded by Adrian Hallmark, former CEO of Bentley, the Valhalla’s arrival marks a fresh start for his much-anticipated tenure. This car has a lot to prove.

It’ll do that proving courtesy of an all-new plug-in hybrid powertrain, which mates Aston’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine (making 828PS) with three E-motors to make a total power output of 1,079PS. A substantial chunk of the 999 potential customers will be more than happy with the promised stats – an electronically limited maximum speed of 350km/h (217mph) and 0-100km/h (62mph) in 2.5 seconds – but Aston is hoping buyers will be more excited by the car’s driver-focused dynamic systems, calling it the ‘ultimate driver’s supercar’.

The Valhalla makes full use of the aero experience Aston has garnered from Formula 1, with active systems including a massive pop-up rear spoiler that lifts up to 255mm to create additional downforce (and also serves as an air brake). The hybrid system not only provides an injection of accelerative power but also drives the torque vectoring system for better cornering, as well as a pure EV mode (with a rather paltry range of 14km) and all-electric reverse gear.

There’s a lot of technology crammed beneath the sleek carbon fibre bodywork, slotted into a bespoke carbon fibre tub that has been engineered by Aston Martin Performance Technologies, the consulting arm of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. All-in-all, the Valhalla comes in at 1655kg, thanks to the extensive use of materials like carbon fibre and F1-derived moulding processes.

Unlike Valkyrie and its variants which achieved its performance objectives at the expense of comfort and everyday usability, the Valhalla is designed to be a much more usable car. Away from the track, and the exploration of the Valhalla’s power and myriad driver systems, the car is more spacious, comfortable and refined than its elder sibling. Dihedral doors allow for easier access to an interior that, while influenced by racing configurations, also includes the bespoke craftsmanship and high-quality materials that define the brand.

The HMI includes an information panel behind the race-style wheel, as well as a central touchscreen. Each can be configured to show information on the car’s many systems and settings, with a dedicated race mode or a more road-going focus. Much of the interior features exposed structural carbon fibre but as with every Aston Martin, the customization options are endless, thanks to the Q by Aston Martin personalization service and no two Valhallas will be alike.

According to CEO, Adrian Hallmark, the Valhalla is ‘the first ever mid-engine series production Aston Martin… the ultimate driver’s supercar. On paper and on track, Valhalla delivers the most driver-focused, technologically advanced supercar, with true hypercar performance and yet on the road it is as useable and enjoyable as any Aston Martin.’

Aston Martin Valhalla, configurator available at AstonMartin.com, @AstonMartin