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Aston Martin has revealed the spectacular Valiant, a special, ultra-limited two-door built from a personal commission from Formula 1 driver, Fernando Alonso.
Based on the one-off Valour from a few years ago, the track-focused Valiant is powered by a 548kW/753Nm twin-turbo V12 engine paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Aston Martin doesn’t specify any weight figures but there are numerous lightweight materials like a fully carbon fibre body and magnesium and titanium parts.
It’s all designed to go around a race track faster, as you might expect given the original commissioner. The adoption of a 3D-printed rear subframe saves 3kg with no reduction in stiffness, while a magnesium torque tube reduces mass at the centre point of the car by 8.6kg. Lightweight 21” magnesium wheels – with 275/35 front and 325/30 rear tyres – improve steering response and wheel control, reducing unsprung mass by 14kg. A motorsport-spec lithium-ion battery has been fitted to save a further 11.5kg.
READ MORE:Alonso questions Hulkenberg penalty after sprint clash
Standard fitment of Multimatic Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) dampers, capable of simultaneously adjusting each damper to one of thirty-two discreet damper curves in less than six milliseconds, has allowed Aston Martin’s engineers “almost limitless scope for tuning ride and handling characteristics.”
The dampers offer motorsport-level damping control and an operating control bandwidth previously exclusive to the highest echelons of motorsport
The body was designed for maximum aerodynamics while retaining the awesome looks of the Valour. There are heavily scalloped side fenders, carbon fibre aero discs fitted to the 21-inch magnesium wheels, along with vortext generators just ahead of the rear wheels to reduce turbulence, drag and lift.
Those wheel covers were inspired by the ones fitted to the legendary 1980 RHAM/1 ‘Muncher’ Le Mans racer. They also aid in reducing reduce turbulence and drag created by the wheels. In addition, six inlets draw cooling air onto the carbon ceramic brakes to maintain optimum braking performance during track use, with apertures around the circumference of the wheel allowing the extreme heat generated by the carbon ceramic discs to vent.
