VALKYRIE. THE CAR WE FEARED WE'D never drive. Yet here it is, parked proudly in the sultry warmth of the Bahrain International Circuit, awaiting its audience with a select group of the world's motoring media. Whether you're remotely fond of Aston Martin or simply seduced by the insanity of attempting to build and homologate Adrian Newey's vision for the ultimate road-legal hypercar, getting behind the wheel of a finished Valkyrie is a Big Day indeed.
Such has been its turbulent genesis, troubled financing, and tortured gestation, the Valkyrie's plug could surely have been pulled countless times. Few cars have endured such a protracted and, at times, humiliating development, fewer still conducted under such public scrutiny. Still, if it was easy everyone would be doing it. Right?
That literally nobody was doing it should probably have been enough of a clue to deter Aston Martin from committing to such a moonshot, but in AML's defence the prospect of a Newey-designed, high-downforce, high-revving, hybrid hypercar was utterly mouth-watering. Building a head of steam in advance of AML's Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange certainly did the ultra-ambitious project's sign-off chances no harm, but whichever way you slice it, the Valkyrie programme has been catnip to anyone who loves fiendishly fast cars.
And rightly so, for not since the McLaren F1 had we been treated to the prospect of a car that would rewrite the rules of road-legal performance. Yes, there has been the Bugatti Veyron, but where Ferdinand Piëch's vision was a rocket sled blessed with the temperament of a VW Golf, the Valkyrie was Newey's chance to take all his Grand Prix-winning genius and refract it through a road-going hypercar prism. For Aston it was an irresistible opportunity to reach for the stars.
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
