Aston Martin Valkyrie

The Aston Martin Valkyrie (also called through its code-names as AM-RB 001 and Nebula) is a limited production hybrid sports car collaboratively built by British automobile manufacturer Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing and several other manufacturers.

The sports car is a product of collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing to develop a track-oriented car entirely usable and enjoyable as a road car.^[1] The car's makers claim the title of fastest street-legal car in the world for it. Adrian Newey,Red Bull Racing's Chief Technical Officer and the world's most successful F1 designer aided in the design of the car.

Its main competitor is the Mercedes-AMG One.

Design

Exterior

A show car was initially unveiled to the public in order to give the public an idea of its design. The design was nearly finished at the time in a near-production-ready form.

The exterior of the car is extremely aerodynamic for a sports car, with an extensively open underfloor, that works on the principle of the venturi effect, that can fit an entire person, and is capable of producing 1,814 kg (4,000 lb) of downforce at high speed. Gaps from on top on the car (e.g. the front axle and the roof intake) and a large front splitter aid in generating downforce. The wheels are also designed to manage the airflow and be as light as possible at the same time.

Interior

The interior design was leaked online on 20 June 2017 and gave a preview of the car's design. The interior has no gauge cluster, but rather a collection of screens. By the left and right corners are the screens for the camera side mirrors. One screen sits at the top of the center console, which may have a collection of live vehicle information, and regular vehicle controls, but this is not confirmed. A screen is used on the race-inspired steering wheel and acts as the driver gauge cluster. Dials and switches sit beside the wheel screen to allow for easier changes without driving interruption. The seats, formed from hollow carbon fibre straight into interior perimeter, are bucket variants, and have two seat belts for each car seat.

Because of the extremely small interior and doors (which are practically roof-only hatches), each seat is designed specifically for the owner's body shape through 3D scanning. A removable steering wheel provides slightly more space for entry and exit.

Specifications

Road version

In February 2017, Aston Martin revealed most of the vehicle's specifications. The final specifications were revealed later in the year.

Several manufacturers (other than Aston Martin and Red Bull) have taken part in the Valkyrie's construction, those being Cosworth, Ricardo, Rimac Automobili, Multimatic, Alcon, Bosch, Surface Transforms, Wipac, and Michelin.

The car contains a 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine tailored by Cosworth, which was initially planned to produce around 1,000 hp (746 kW; 1,014 PS), but it was later announced in June 2017 that the engine would have a power output of 1,146 PS (843 kW; 1,130 hp) at 10,500 rpm with a redline of 11,000 rpm. At the same time the power output figures of the engine were released, the weight was also mentioned, at 1,030 kg (2,271 lb), which surpasses the intended 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, with 1,112 PS (818 kW; 1,097 hp) per ton. The car can accelerate to 97 km/h (60 mph) from a standstill in a time of 2.5 seconds.

A Rimac-built hybrid battery system, which performs as a KERS system, is installed along with the engine. The power is delivered by a 7-speed paddle-shift transmission constructed by Ricardo. The exhausts come out nearby the engine, similar to the ones from F1 race cars and the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Bosch supplies the Valkyrie's ECU unit, traction control system, and ESP. The braking system is provided by Alcon and Surface Transforms. The front and rear lights are manufactured by Wipac. The car has all-carbon fibre bodywork and is installed with a carbon fibre Monocell from manufacturer Multimatic. Michelin supplies the Valkyrie with the company's high-performance Sport Cup 2 tyres, having sizes of 265/35-ZR20 at the front and 325/30-ZR21 at the rear. The wheels are constructed out of lightweight magnesium alloy (20" front, 21" rear) with race-spec centre-lock wheel nuts to reduce mass.

Track version

The track only variant of the Valkyrie called the Valkyrie AMR Pro was introduced at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Only 25 units will be produced, all of which have already been sold out. The AMR Pro uses the same 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine as used in the Valkyrie road car along with the Rimac Energy Recovery System, although the KERS system will be reprogrammed in terms of its control systems.The engine will also be modified, which means the AMR Pro will have increased engine power output figures than its road legal counterpart.

The AMR Pro uses smaller 18-inch wheels at the front and rear. This is to allow the Michelin racing tyres (based on LMP1 race cars) to actually fit the car, with F1-inspired carbon-carbon brakes to aid braking performance. The air-conditioning system and infotainment screens have been removed, and have been replaced with racing counterparts. The car will be able to generate 3.3 g lateral force during cornering and 3.5 g during braking. Top speed is intended to be higher than the road car, at 402 km/h (250 mph). The car's exhaust will have very minimal parts to silence the engine.

The AMR Pro will have a significantly more aggressive design, with a LMP1-style rear aerodynamic fin, a large dual-element rear spoiler, and a large rear diffuser.