Pace Notes

IF IT HAPPENED THIS MONTH, IT’S IN HERE

- ANDY ENRIGHT

01 700KW VALHALLA UNVEILED

Hybrid hypercar targets sub 6m30s ’Ring lap, looks the goods

IT HASN’T HAD the most straightforward of gestations, but Aston Martin has finally unveiled the signed-off exterior design of its Valhalla hypercar. With 550kW from an AMG-sourced 4.0-litre V8 augmented by a pair of electric motors on both front and rear axles, the Valhalla is the marque’s first full production mid-engined car.

The carbon-fibre chassis is augmented by F1-style pushrod front suspension with inboard mounted variable rate springs and adaptive dampers reducing unsprung mass, aiding packaging and ensuring a sleek front end. The Valhalla is relatively light for a car with a V8 motor and the ability to drive on full electric power for 15km and at speeds of up to 130km/h, the engineers at Gaydon targeting a dry weight of less than 1550kg.

Technical highlights include Aston Martin’s first adoption of a dual-clutch gearbox, this installation featuring eight forward speeds, with e-reverse and power deployment via an e-diff. From there, a maximum torque deployment of more than 1000Nm is marshalled by bespoke staggered Michelin rubber, 20-inch up front and 21-inch hoops at the rear.

Aston Martin’s CEO Tobias Moers, has had his hands full rectifying what he perceived to be some fairly significant issues with the Valhalla’s development. Earlier this year, he told sister title CAR that “some things were fundamentally wrong.”

“We were, for instance, wasting cash on a new V6,” he noted. “It did not even comply with EU7 regulations at a point in time when it was already clear that combustion powerplants will soon be a thing of the past.”