MONSTER MUNCH
Evo UK|September 2024
Inspired by a brake-eating 1970s Le Mans racer and packing a 705bhp twin-turbo V12 and a manual transmission, the Valour is an Aston Martin for modern times but with bags of old-school appeal
JAMES TAYLOR
MONSTER MUNCH

IT'S EASY TO DISMISS THIS CAR AS AN IRRELEVANCE. Ultra-rare. Ultra-expensive. Based upon old-generation hardware. And sold out: 110 Aston Martin Valours are being made (to mark 110 years of Aston Martin in 2023), and all are spoken for. Each is being built in a specification unique to its owner and the price will vary accordingly, but assume somewhere in the region of £1.5m depending on spec, including taxes.

Since it exists in the unobtainosphere, perhaps it doesn't really matter what it feels like and drives like. But we're about to find out nevertheless. Today we're kidnapping this particular Valour from the Gaydon factory, and hanging on to the key for as long as possible.

Meeting it for the first time, it's quite a thing to behold. Some cars are different in person from in pictures and the Valour is one of them. It's a more compelling object to behold in three dimensions. Not pretty per se, but that's not the point: this is intended to be a bruiser of a car, taking its cues from the muscular DBS and V8 Vantage models of the '60s, '70s and '80s. And, in particular, RHAM/1, aka 'Muncher', a highly modified DBS V8 that raced at Le Mans twice, and so called for its appetite for munching through components - brakes especially - as well as gobbling up the Mulsanne Straight.

And if the Valour looks a little familiar for more recent reasons, that's because it's also inspired by 2020's Aston Martin Victor: the very special one-off built around a One-77 chassis and Vulcan components, with an 836bhp V12 engine, a manual gearbox and a similar Muncherinspired design (see evo 286 for the drive story). The Valour isn't built on a One-77 donor but rather a development of the Vantage platform, albeit with some parts in common with the most recent DBS to accommodate the V12.

This story is from the September 2024 edition of Evo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2024 edition of Evo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM EVO UKView All
BMW M135 xDrive
Evo UK

BMW M135 xDrive

The M135 has lost an and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
Audi S5
Evo UK

Audi S5

S5 by name, S4 by nature, is Audi's new mid-size petrol-powered saloon a step in the right direction?

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
Lamborghini Urus SE
Evo UK

Lamborghini Urus SE

Lambo's super-SUV gets a major mid-life overhaul, going hybrid in the process. Has it become any easier to like?

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
HALL evo OF FAME
Evo UK

HALL evo OF FAME

The evo Hall of Fame was established to recognise the great and the good of our corner of the universe. Prepare to welcome this year's inductees

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
CIRCUIT DAY
Evo UK

CIRCUIT DAY

After three days of assessing their behaviour on the road, it's time to head to the Circuito de Navarra to find out how our nine contenders respond when their handling limits are explored

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024
Evo UK

EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024

Nine brilliant cars, from flyweight roadsters to bombastic supercars to a be-stickered estate(!), do battle on some of Europe's finest and most spectacular roads. Which will emerge victorious? Place your bets now.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
Porsche Panamera GTS
Evo UK

Porsche Panamera GTS

It lacks the raw power of its hybrid rivals, but does the new GTS’s more traditional approach give it its USP?

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
Alpine A290 GTS
Evo UK

Alpine A290 GTS

The new electric Renault 5 has won plenty of plaudits. Is the hotter Alpine version a car to win petrolheads' hearts too?

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
Evo UK

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.

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2024
TYRE 2024 TEST
Evo UK

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

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024