Aston Martin has unveiled a new supercar heavily inspired by the jaw-dropping, one-off Victor – and equipped with a thunderous 705bhp V12 and a six-speed manual gearbox.
With design cues taken from the original V8 Vantage and Aston Martin’s snarling 1970s RHAM/1 prototype racer – known as ‘The Muncher’ – the new Valour is the firm’s 110th birthday present to itself and a celebration of its hallowed 12-cylinder engine.
Just 110 examples of the Valour will be sold at a price understood to range from £1 million to £1.5 million. Each buyer is invited to customise their car through Aston Martin’s Q bespoke service, offering one-off liveries, an exposed carbonfibre body finish and a raft of interior personalisation options.
Whereas the Victor was based on a surplus One-77 prototype chassis, the Valour is built around a bespoke body structure – thought to be derived from the V12 Vantage.
The 5.2-litre V12, based on that of the DBS, sends 705bhp and 555lb ft to the rear wheels through a specially designed six-speed manual gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip differential. Mating the V12 to a manual gearbox (the DBS, DB11 and Vantage all use ZF-supplied automatic gearboxes) was “a big part of honouring that driver-pleasing character”, said Aston Martin engineering boss Simon Newton.
The dynamic brief for the Valour, said Newton, was to provide a “state-of-the-art driver’s car” with “the true heart and soul of a timeless analogue classic” – a point emphasised by the manual gearbox’s visible shift linkage. Modifications include the fitment of front and rear shear panels, a rear suspension tower strut brace and fuel tank bracing, boosting rigidity.
The car also receives adjustable dampers and a new power steering set-up intended to provide more granular feedback through the wheel. Stopping power is provided by standard-fit carbonceramic discs measuring 410mm by 38mm with six-pot calipers up front and 360mm by 32mm discs with four-pot calipers at the rear.
