Celebrating its long history of front-engined sports cars, Aston Martin has unveiled its new Valour supercar, marking the brand’s 110th birthday.
Sporting an exterior design inspired by the original Aston Martin Vantage of the 1970s and the one-off 12-cylinder Victor coupé, this new powerful supercar sets itself apart from the rest of the marquee’s current line-up by offering a six-speed manual gearbox, which the manufacturer says offers a more “visceral” driving experience and pays homage to the front-engined muscle cars of Aston Martin’s past.
Described by Aston Martin’s director of design Miles Nurnberger as “an old-school brute refined and reimagined” through a modern lens, the Valour is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 that has reportedly been specially designed for its manual transmission.
The supercar has an output of 715hp – around 45hp more than the V8-powered DB12 coupé, but 45hp less than Aston Martin’s flagship DBS 770 Ultimate supercar which uses the same V12 engine. The Valour’s top speed and acceleration stats are currently unconfirmed.
In addition to custom front and rear underbody panels and fuel tank bracing to make the car’s exterior more rigid and provide more precise body control, the Valour’s bodywork is entirely made of carbon fibre as a weight-saving measure, and the car also comes with a new power steering set-up to give the driver a more “detailed feel” when corning.
Standard-fit carbon ceramic brakes are housed by 21-inch “honeycomb” alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.
The supercar has been designed with exclusivity in mind – only 110 will be sold worldwide, and although pricing has not been announced, it is understood that the model’s price tag is likely to surpass the £1 million mark.
As you would expect with this ballpark pricing, the Valour is highly customisable, with 21 different paint colours available across four different areas of the exterior – the front, bonnet, sides and rear. An exposed carbon fibre bodywork finish is also available through Aston Martin’s ‘Q’ customisation service.
Buyers can also create their own unique cabin specification, with a woollen tweed upholstery trim coming as standard.
The coupé’s production is scheduled to start at the brand’s headquarters in Warwickshire this Autumn, with the first Valour orders being delivered by the end of this year.
