Check out the wild new Aston Martin Valiant
Track-focused Valour evolution gets Multimatic dampers, more power, less weight - and the Alonso seal of approval
It was hard to think of a car that ticked more PH boxes than the Aston Martin Valour in 2023. Evoking the design of classic 20th-century Vantages was a great start, and pairing its aesthetic swagger with a 5.2-litre V12 and a six-speed manual made it hard to think of how a limited edition Aston could be made better. Apart from making more than 110 of them, perhaps. But Fernando Alonso reckoned he could do better (or so the story goes); apparently inspired by his unique specification of Valour, Aston Martin has created this: the circuit-focused (but still road-legal) Valiant.
We’ve been here before, albeit in a slightly different context, with the Alpine A110 R Fernando Alonso. Clearly, the man loves a track-ready production car. And he’ll definitely still be part of the Aston team come the Festival of Speed debut. Even by the standard of a carbon-clad French lightweight, however, and the formidable spec of the Valour, the Valiant looks pretty extreme. Aston says the new car ‘pushes the boundaries of performance and engagement to evolve, intensify and reimagine the ultimate Aston Martin driver’s car.’ So the power bump from 715hp to 745hp from the V12 isn’t the big news, really; attention instead should be paid to the chassis, aero and lightweighting upgrades.
The Valiant uses a lithium-ion battery, for example, saving 11.5kg; a magnesium torque tube saves another 8.6kg. The rear subframe is 3D printed and drops weight by 3kg over before. The 21-inch wheels are magnesium and reduce unsprung mass by 14kg, promising better steering response and wheel control. The exhaust is now titanium instead of stainless steel. There’s a half cage inside, Recaro Podium seats like it’s a Clio project car - albeit beautifully trimmed, of course - and even exposed linkage for the six-speed manual. If customers want manual supercars, Aston is going all-in on the concept.
Said to be the most significant change from Valour to Valiant is the inclusion of Multimatic’s Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) dampers. Think motorsport-spec suspension, basically, and being able to adjust each damper to one of 32 curves in less than six milliseconds (!) with ‘almost limitless’ scope for tuning ride and handling. So while Sport, Sport+ and Track modes still exist, they’ve been recalibrated to take full advantage of the elite-spec hardware. This isn’t quite like getting some good coilovers on a track car - Multimatic’s suspension is only available from Multimatic, was deemed good enough for the Ferrari Purosangue and is said to bring ‘operating control bandwidth previously exclusive to the highest echelons of motorsport.’ Ay carumba.
The aerodynamics of the Valour have been similarly overhauled to make the Valiant. There’s a new front splitter with end planes, a large carbon grille for more cooling air, ‘heavily scalloped’ wings and vortex generators ahead of the rear wheels. The chunky fixed wing at the back end ensures the Valiant won’t be mistaken for a mere Valour, and helps to balance out the downforce created by the more aggressive front end. The diffuser is newly designed as well. The ceramic brakes, in anticipation of proper use on track, now get additional cooling vents.
The Valiant interior is described as ‘a brilliant combination of race-bred functionality and the immaculate design flourishes and mastery of materials for which Aston Martin is renowned’. So there’s carbon everywhere, a new steering wheel and even a redesigned gear knob to help perfect the weight and feel of the shift. Buyers can have Alcantara or semi-aniline leather, and all will get an anchor point on the cage for mounting four-point harnesses. The boot is ‘perfect for the storage of race helmets and race clothing.’ They’re really serious about this being used on track days, albeit ones where lunch has palette cleansers rather than quarter pounders. Perhaps nothing says Aston circuit car like pads in those Recaro seats with ‘passive thorax ventilation for increased comfort during extreme driving.’
Fernando Alonso said of the car he inspired: “Valour was a spectacular celebration of Aston Martin’s 110th anniversary, and stirred me to create a more extreme, race car inspired version that was track-focused, while also delivering a thrilling drive on-road. Valiant is born from my passion for driving at the limit and I have enjoyed working closely with the Q by Aston Martin team on both the design and technical specification and believe we have created a masterpiece.”
Pretty hard to disagree, right? Just 38 Valiants will be built - so yes, the Alpine Alonso is rarer - and all of them are already spoken for. Likely for many hundreds of thousands of pounds, if not seven-figure sums. Deliveries are due in the fourth quarter of this year; if you aren’t one of the lucky few, be sure to check out the Valiant at the Festival of Speed. No prizes for guessing who’s hooning it up the hill.
The Aston Martin marketing team really need to put the thesaurus down and learn that verbose descriptions do not make them seem clever. Some of the guff they come up with: ‘passive thorax ventilation‘, taken from their IG: ‘immoderation incarnate’ ‘tame the untameable’ ‘punched with poise’. Oh shut up.
Not sure either really appeals to me in the real world. I do like the retro 70’s gold on the Capri though. Needs velour seats.
I know they have their V car naming scheme, but not sure that naming it after the least good V bomber that was retired due to metal fatigue is such a good idea. If you are going to buy a posh Aston, you might be preferring a Vulcan or Victor.
Fernando said all that did he ? Blimey. I thought only corporate PR-types spoke like that.
I like Fernando's car though. Not bad at all.
I have noticed that slime-prose seem to have been the training material for AI. It’s what they barf forth when asked to write.
I’m ambivalent about the car, BUT, kudos to AM for the weight saving measures.
Fernando said all that did he ? Blimey. I thought only corporate PR-types spoke like that.
I like Fernando's car though. Not bad at all.
Like the car though. S’pose that’s the main thing.
This is why I think Pistonheads is a great site, but a very odd user community at times.
You have people who LOVE to slag off anything fast and interesting from a manufacturer in the 2020s, because "it won't be as good as the VH platform Astons, or the 458/F12" etc
We're sitting metaphorically in the dying embers of the car industry, at a time when these vehicles will become ever more unreachable if they're no longer made.
Imagine when the V600 Le Mans Vantage came out in the 90s. Power, brutal design, tons of HP... we fetishise this car today because it is the car of yesterday, with all the styling cues we have now got used to.
Why can't some of us take a step back and judge this for what it is? It's a big powerful car from a manufacturer which has stayed committed to the genre. Long live Aston for doing this crazy stuff.
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