Created with the help of Aston Martin’s bespoke division, Q by Aston Martin, the Aston Martin Valiant is a lighter, more powerful, more track focused version of the V-12-powered, six-speed manual transmission Valour. (We’ll have a first drive story of that car here on motortrend.com next week.) And it isn’t just a one-off toy for Alonso, who is a two-time F1 world champion. Aston is building 38 mechanically identical Valiants, all of which are already sold, despite a price of about $3 million per car.
The Valiant’s turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 boasts 735 horsepower, an increase of 30 hp over the Valour-spec version. That’s all down to software: The engine, which drives the rear wheels through a Graziano six-speed manual transmission, is mechanically identical. Its peak torque output of 555 lb-ft is the same as in the Valour, too.
The Valiant’s bold, full-width carbon fiber grille is not a mere styling statement. Rather, it has been designed to increase the flow of cooling air to the engine and reduce mass ahead of the front axle to improve weight distribution.
The Valiant’s carbon-ceramic brake setup, which comprises 16.1-inch rotors at the front and 14.2-inch units at the rear, is also identical to that of the Valour. The Valiant’s 21-inch wheels, hidden behind carbon fiber aero covers with a pattern design of their own, are the same size as those on the Valour, but they’re made of magnesium and reduce unsprung weight by a total of 31 pounds.
In total, the Valiant is about 220 pounds lighter than the Valour, thanks to items such as those magnesium wheels, a motorsport specification lithium-ion battery that weighs 25 pounds less than a conventional unit, a magnesium torque tube that saves 19 pounds, and a 3D-printed rear subframe that is almost 7 pounds lighter (from Divergent 3D). But the Valiant is much more than just a Valour that’s put on some muscle and lost a few pounds. Both the chassis and the aerodynamics have been upgraded, too.
“The Valour is intended to be thrilling on the road and fun to drive on the track,” says Simon Newton, Aston Martin’s director of vehicle performance. “With the Valiant, the emphasis is much more on precision and control.” Which is what you’d expect of a car Fernando Alonso would want to drive.
The key to the Valiant’s sharper chassis tune, says Newton, is the adoption of Multimatic Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) shocks. These high-end, high-performance, motorsport-spec shocks simultaneously adjust to one of thirty-two discreet damper curves in less than six milliseconds, allowing Newton’s engineers to fine tune the Valiant’s ride and handling characteristics to Alonso’s liking.
Although the final tire specification is still being tested, the Valiant will almost certainly be fitted with sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, 275/35s at the front, and 325/30s at the rear. The Valour rolls on more road friendly Michelin Pilot Sport S5s.
The other big change over the Valour is the Valiant’s aerodynamic package. Up front is a big splitter with multi-layer end planes that guide and smooth airflow around the front wheels. Broad side sills with upswept vortex generators smooth airflow along the flanks, reducing turbulence, drag and lift. At the rear, the sharp Kamm tail and upswept deck lid are topped by a prominent fixed wing profiled to balance the downforce gains made by the front splitter. The carbon fiber rear diffuser is fully functional and frames the Valiant’s quad-exit titanium exhaust system.
Overall, the Valiant generates 424 pounds of downforce at 150 mph, three times as much as the Valour and twice as much as the V-12 Vantage, says Simon Newton. “It’s the most downforce we’ve had on a front-engine Aston Martin road car,” he says.
Inside, the Valiant features a built-in steel roll cage that also provides anchor points for 4-point race harnesses. The standard Recaro Podium seats provide enhanced lateral and shoulder support and have pads with passive thorax ventilation for increased comfort during extreme driving. You can see the hand of Alsono in two key touchpoints in the Valiant interior: The steering wheel rim is perfectly round, unlike that in the Valour, with a slimmer diameter rim and no switches on the spokes. And the aluminum knob atop the exposed shifter linkage is more spherical in shape.
While the first cars will be delivered to customers in the fourth quarter, the Aston Martin Valiant will make its public debut next month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. And driving it up the famous hill climb course past the Duke of Richmond’s front door on one of the days will be the man whose idea it was in the first place, Fernando Alonso, in a new paint finish other than this “Auric Gold” debut color.
