Aston Martin has revealed new details about its next hypercar – the Valkyrie – and the Formula One style design of the new car.
The unique profile of the car is partly thanks to Aston Martin working with Red Bull Racing and their aerodynamicist Adrian Newey (of F1 fame), which includes underbody aerodynamics that can develop more than 1.8 tons of downforce at high speed – territory more suited to F1 cars.
Technology is being used in a wide range of ways to tune the Valkyrie, including to make the car as light as possible.
The headlamps use an anodised aluminium frame to make them more than 30% lighter than those used by Aston Martin in their other vehicles, while the rear light is said to be the world’s lightest.
Even the Aston Martin badge wasn’t safe from the need to be lighter – the standard badge was considered too heavy and so the design team created a new “chemical etched aluminium badge” that’s just 70 microns thick, which is 30% thinner than a human hair and 99.4% lighter than the traditional badge.
Matt Hill, Aston Martin’s creative director of interiors, said: “It’s been a tremendous challenge to make the interior packaging work.
“We’ve embraced Red Bull Racing’s Formula One ethos and approached from a different angle than conventional road car design.
“In this instance, we’ve started from a position where you think something is impossible and work at it until you find a way to make it work.
“We’ve been fighting for millimetres everywhere, but the battle has been worth it, as it’s been fantastic seeing customers try the interior buck for size.
“They love the ritual of getting in and how it feels to be sat behind the wheel.
“They’re also genuinely surprised at how the car just seems to swallow them. You really do have to sit in it to believe there is genuine space for two large adults.”
