For a brand that often took years to simply update old models, Aston Martin has been extraordinarily busy lately, launching new products like the DB11 and its first-ever electric vehicle, the RapidE. It’s also working up a new hypercar, the Valkyrie, announced at the Geneva Motor Show last winter.
Now, the British marque revealed plans to produce a track-only version, the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, of which just 25 copies will be produced.
“Valkyrie has always been about pushing the limits and redefining the possible,” said Aston CEO Andy Palmer. “The road car will set new benchmarks for performance, engineering and technology – a hypercar in the truest sense – and with the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro those limits will be pushed further still.”
Like the street-legal version, the track Valkyrie AMR Pro will use a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter Cosworth V-12 engine. There will be the same kinetic energy recovery systems, or KERS, borrowed from Formula One, but like the engine itself, it will be retuned for maximum track performance.
(Aston Martin drops the top with new DB11 Volante. For the story, Click Here.)
All told, the drivetrain is expected to deliver even more output than the street model, which should push it well north of 900 horsepower, with torque also expected to increase compared with the road model.
Both cars were designed in collaboration with Red Bull Racing and Adrian Newey, a renowned Formula One designer. But the AMR Pro edition will get a customized aerodynamic package that, among other things, will deliver “significantly increased downforce,” Aston noted.
It will run on the same Michelin racing tires used by LMP1 cars in the World Endurance Championship — though they will be slightly smaller than the tires on the road car. And the AMR Pro will be equipped with carbon fiber brakes similar to what’s used on the Formula One circuit.
(Aston Martin parts ways with LeEco on RapidE EV program. Click Here for the story.)
Getting the tire formula is essential, of course, if Aston aims to deliver what it describes as “lap performance to rival recent Formula One cars.” The Valkyrie AMR Pro is expected to pull as much as 3.3g in turns, and hit a top speed of around 250 mph. It will also deliver 3.5g of braking deceleration.
Another important change from the street Valkyrie: Aston will chuck such street necessities as the heater and the infotainment system to reduce the weight of an already light vehicle. Lightweighting will be a critical goal, with Aston even going with a lighter weave of carbon fiber than will be found on the street Valkyrie, while the standard glass windshield will be replaced by a polycarbonate material.
(To see more about Aston Martin going 100% hybrid, Click Here.)
The track Valkyrie will become a highlight of the new AMR Pro sub-brand. No price has been announced, but apparently it won’t matter, as all 25 of the track Valkyries have been accounted for, with deliveries set to begin in 2020.
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