When you’re a famous racing driver like Fernando Alonso, you generally get what you ask for. When you’re making a request to the team you represent on the F1 grid and that manufacturer smells a public relations birthday cake, you get what you want and, in this case, more.
Alonso went to Aston in search of a more extreme version of its most recent road-going supercar, the Valour, built to celebrate Aston’s 110th anniversary. The nice people at Aston Martin’s customisation programme, Q, answered the phone. Would Aston make a road-going supercar that was lighter weight, more powerful, and more track-focused, Alonso asked? Why not, said Q. The result is before you.
Meet the Valiant. Like the Valour, it is powered by a V12 strapped with twin turbochargers and mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Output is 40bhp more than the Valour, for a total of 745bhp and 555lb ft of torque. Both cars keep all that power in check with a set of carbon-ceramic brake rotors clamped by six-piston calipers. However, the most significant changes lie elsewhere.
At each corner of the vehicle sits one of Multimatic’s Adaptive Spool Valve dampers. (We’ve driven them on the Ford GT, a car engineered, in large part, by Multimatic.) Aston’s partnered with the Canadian firm for years, including on the One-77 (2009–12) and the Vanquish Zagato, so the presence of these trick dampers on a track-focused limited-edition model is no surprise. For more information on what makes these dampers so cool, click here.
The Valiant is stiffer and lighter than the Valour, thanks to a 3D-printed rear subframe (which saves 3kg), a torque tube made of magnesium (minus 8.6kg), wheels made of the same exotic material (minus 14kg), and a motorsport-spec lithium-ion battery (minus 11.3kg).
Q also fettled the bodywork of Alonso’s commission to improve aerodynamics compared to the Valour. A new front splitter, a carbon fibre rear diffuser, and an upswept deck lid topped by a fixed wing improve downforce. A set of end planes, the aero discs fitted to the wheels, the side sills, and the vortex generators ahead of the rear wheels help air flow more smoothly around the vehicle, particularly over the wheels.
Other goodies that distinguish the Valiant include the four exhaust tips protruding from the rear, all made of titanium. The steering wheel is unique to this car, and there are no controls on its spokes. The car boasts a half-roll cage made of steel.
Has Aston Martin succeeded in making a collectable? As a motorsport-influenced, road-legal tour de force, the Valiant puts us in mind of the Ford GT Heritage Editions, but the success of this car in the secondary market surely depends on how Aston Martin continues to perform on the race track, whether in Formula 1, Alonso’s current field, or in sports car racing. Together with the Heart of Racing team, Aston already fields GT3-spec Vantages in the World Endurance Championship, and next year, it is adding three cars – derived from the Valkyrie – in the series’ top class.
Meanwhile, we’re wondering if Alonso wishes that nobody else got in on his party . . .
