Aston Martin has marked its 110th anniversary with the launch of a stunning new special edition that pays homage to its illustrious history of front-engined sports cars. Called the Valour, the British brand’s newest creation is an exclusive model that combines a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 engine with a six-speed manual transmission, delivering what may just be the purest and most organic driving experience witnessed in a production Aston Martin from recent years.
The car also follows the footsteps of other legendary Aston Martin family members, such as the twin supercharged V600 Vantage from the 1990s, which was once hailed the world’s most powerful production car, and the exquisite One-77 supercar, which showcased the brand’s design and engineering excellence.
At the same time, the car demonstrates Aston Martin’s innovative vision for the future, using the latest technology and materials to give birth to genuine automotive masterpieces. The car is limited to only 110 units worldwide, making it one of the most exclusive and desirable automobiles to ever bear the famous winged badge.
Photo: Aston Martin
Designed under Miles Nurnberger’s lead, Valour’s silhouette is unmistakably Aston Martin, with a long clamshell bonnet, a short tail, and a low-slung stance. The car’s bodywork is made entirely of carbon fiber, which not only reduces weight and enhances performance but also allows for greater sculptural freedom and precise aerodynamics. Valour’s lines are sharp and angular, creating a sense of tension and aggression that contrasts with the smooth and elegant curves of the current models in the manufacturer’s lineup, such as the DB12, DBS, Vantage, or even the DBX.
The front end of the Valour is dominated by an enlarged Aston Martin signature grille flanked by a set of round LED headlights, unique to this model, both elements nodding to the original V8 Vantage from the 1970s
The front bumper integrates everything perfectly, incorporating additional air intakes to provide supplement the airflow toward the tremendous twelve-cylinder orchestra under the hood and a carbon fiber splitter, which improve cooling and aerodynamics.
The side profile of the Valour reveals its muscular proportions with its widened fenders accommodating the 21-inch forged alloy ‘Honeycomb’ wheels with a unique five-spoke design. The roofline slopes gently towards the rear, creating a fastback shape that evokes that legendary ‘Muncher’ Le Mans racing car from the late 70s.
This brings us to the stunning rear-end view of the Valour, dominated by its distinctive Kamm tail that enhances downforce and stability at high speeds alongside the oversized diffuser. A set of Valkyrie and Valhalla-inspired light blades are masterfully inserted in the slotted horizontal air vent, which spans the entire width of the car and creates a striking visual effect when the lights are on or at every press of the brake pedal. A lightweight stainless steel triple tailpipe exhaust system providing a thunderous V12 roar provides the finishing touch to the spectacular road presence of the Valour.
Photo: Aston Martin
The Valour’s exterior is also highly customizable, with a flexible approach to livery design. The car’s body is divided into four areas- front, hood, sides, and rear- and customers can choose from a variety of hand-painted stripes and graphics, which can be applied in any one of the 21 available paint colors. These designs can enhance the car’s character and personality, as well as reflect the customer’s preferences and tastes.
The heart of the Valour is its 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine, which delivers a staggering 715 PS (526 kW) and 555 lb-ft (753 Nm) of torque. This engine is derived from the one used in the DBS Superleggera but has been specially tuned and calibrated to work flawlessly with the one-of-a-kind gated six-speed manual transmission.
Performance figures are not yet made public, but we can estimate that the Valour with outpass the DBS Superleggera’s mid-3-second acceleration time and maybe even its 211 mph (340) kph top speed. The car also features a bespoke suspension system featuring adaptive damping and highly advanced traction and stability control systems, which allows the driver to choose between three modes: Sport, Sport+, and Track, adjusting suspension, steering, throttle response, and exhaust settings to suit every driving scenario or driver preference.
To further enhance its distinctive dynamic character, Valour benefits from a custom body structure that features several reinforcements and braces. These elements increase the rigidity and stability of the car, allowing the suspension to work more effectively and provide more accurate body control and increased refinement. The car also has a newly-devised steering system that eliminates unwanted disturbances and gives the driver greater feedback behind the wheel.
Photo: Aston Martin
Stopping power is under no circumstances neglected in the new Valour. It comes fitted with a carbon ceramic braking system featuring 410mm x 38mm front discs with 6-piston calipers and 360mm x 32mm discs with 4-piston calipers at the rear. The system is engineered to resist brake fade at temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius (1472 degrees Fahrenheit), enabling the driver to exploit Valour’s full performance potential with maximum confidence.
The interior is simple and elegant, with a focus on the manual transmission gear lever, which offers a choice of four different materials for the gear knob: machined aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, or walnut. The gear lever also features an exposed shift mechanism, which highlights the mechanical connection between the driver and the car.
The interior also features a mix of traditional and modern materials, which create a beautiful contrast and harmony between the past and the present. For example, the seats are covered with woolen tweed inspired by the seat coverings of Aston Martin’s 1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1. The seat shells, door cards, air vents, upper center console, and transmission tunnel are made of a high-tech weave pattern carbon fiber adding to the visual appeal of the inside living space, alongside the lightweight benefits.
For those who want to go beyond the standard options, they can work with Q by Aston Martin to create genuinely bespoke specifications. Q by Aston Martin is the brand’s personalization service, which offers a range of unique and exclusive options for the most discerning customers. Examples of this include a one-off livery design, fully exposed carbon fiber bodywork with a choice of tinted colors (red, blue, or green), painted wheels, Mokume carbon fiber interior detailing, and even more tweed and cashmere fabrics for the seats and headlining.
Photo: Aston Martin
The Valour is a truly unique vehicle that absolutely celebrates Aston Martin’s 110 years of history but also looks to the future. It is a car that honors the brand’s tradition of front-engined sports cars but also showcases its innovation and vision. It is a car that delivers a pure and visceral driving experience and offers a high level of craftsmanship and personalization.
According to Miles Nurnberger, Aston Martin’s Director of Design, the Valour is “an old-school brute refined and reimagined through the lens of 2023”. The Valour has a chiseled shape, which moves away from the more sculptural forms of the current series production Aston Martins and features bold details and modern materials. Valour’s design conveys the physicality and intensity of “taming a 715 PS manual transmission sports car, yet the clear use of the latest technology points to a car with modern manners and exceptional dynamic capabilities”.
Only 110 units will ever be produced globally, making it one of the most sought-after and collectible models in Aston Martin’s history. The production of the Valour will start at Aston Martin’s Gaydon Headquarters in the third quarter of 2023, and the first deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of 2023. The pricing of the Valour is not publicly disclosed at the moment, but the configurator is already live for anyone interested.
