Saga of the Aston Martin Valkyrie

[SSO]

Just posted an article on the story of the Aston Martin Valkyrie from the initial idea to the 1st delivery:

https://karenable.com/the-saga-of-the-a ... -valkyrie/

Comments?

Any surprises?

[Marv]

Didn't realise Ferrari were trying to lure Newey away from RBR with the promise of allowing him to develop the road and race cars.

I wonder if he's disappointed with how things have turned out with the Valkyrie? I mean, he can't be over the moon. Good job RBR won the drivers world title last year...

Anyway, interesting article as always...lots of stuff I didn't know with some thought-provoking questions

[Pete_]

Fascinating story, there's a lot I didn't know there. Thanks for sharing!

Do you think there might be anything to Andrew Frankel's implication that Stroll wants to take the Valkyrie to Le Man's?

[SSO]

Fascinating story, there's a lot I didn't know there. Thanks for sharing!

Do you think there might be anything to Andrew Frankel's implication that Stroll wants to take the Valkyrie to Le Man's?

Andy Palmer originally wanted to take the Valkyrie to Le Mans as well and that did not end well. I think it is more Stroll B.S.

[SSO]

Didn't realise Ferrari were trying to lure Newey away from RBR with the promise of allowing him to develop the road and race cars.

I wonder if he's disappointed with how things have turned out with the Valkyrie? I mean, he can't be over the moon. Good job RBR won the drivers world title last year...

Anyway, interesting article as always...lots of stuff I didn't know with some thought-provoking questions

I cant imagine Newey is too happy with what has gone done. He did describe the car at Goodwood last July as still needing significant development.

[Sundayjumper]

When they’re still at the point of not keeping it running for what - one minute ? - to do Goodwood at full pelt, a full 24h sounds optimistic.

[SSO]

When they’re still at the point of not keeping it running for what - one minute ? - to do Goodwood at full pelt, a full 24h sounds optimistic.

Highly

[speedingfine]

https://www.evo.co.uk/aston-martin/valkyrie

[RobYob]

Well, timing off AMLs success in F1 couldn't be better for selling a few more.

[mik]

Journo vids have started. Not watched more than 60 seconds yet, but it looks pretty track-focussed to me (?)

[Holley]

Journo vids have started. Not watched more than 60 seconds yet, but it looks pretty track-focussed to me (?)

Mixed opinions so far.

Meaden/Harris/Duff seem impressed but also have some strong dislikes. Watson/Catchpole couldn't have given a better review.

I like it, just a shame that as a driver you're the one that doesn't get to enjoy the engine noise fully.

[Zonda_]

Regardless of reliability I can't see anyway drivers could race that for any length of time with that noise. Although, saying that, was it just me or did the race version seem quieter?

[mik]

Quick back of fag packet calculations:

Poster car of my generation - 1989 Countach QV. Less than £100k new from memory.

A current hypercar like the Valkerie costs - in todays money - approx 25x what the Countach would have set you back. In the same timeframe, average salaries have increased by approx 2.5x.

I don't claim this is a like-for-like vehicle comparison - it's more to consider how much further into the stratosphere hypercars have pushed (in terms of performance/capability and cost). Full order of (relative) magnitude.

I'm not sure what I would do with a Valkerie tbh. Even if I won the Euromillions.... I can think of far more suitable road cars. I can think of much better track cars (unless you are at a hypercar-only track day you're never going to string together more than 2 or 3 corners before you come across something that causes you to slow). And if I wanted to go racing - then I want a proper race car.

[Mito Man]

It's so stupid that I like it. The noise reminds me of a McLaren F1 GTR which required headphones and an intercom for the driver and passenger to talk to each other. I do wonder where you will drive that on track in the UK with such strict noise limits now.

[Gavster]

Quick back of fag packet calculations:

Poster car of my generation - 1989 Countach QV. Less than £100k new from memory.

A current hypercar like the Valkerie costs - in todays money - approx 25x what the Countach would have set you back. In the same timeframe, average salaries have increased by approx 2.5x.

I don't claim this is a like-for-like vehicle comparison - it's more to consider how much further into the stratosphere hypercars have pushed (in terms of performance/capability and cost). Full order of (relative) magnitude.

I'm not sure what I would do with a Valkerie tbh. Even if I won the Euromillions.... I can think of far more suitable road cars. I can think of much better track cars (unless you are at a hypercar-only track day you're never going to string together more than 2 or 3 corners before you come across something that causes you to slow). And if I wanted to go racing - then I want a proper race car.

If you go back another 34 years, the poster car would have been a Mercedes 300SL which AutoExpress say was only £4,393 new, so the Countach was approximately 20x that. It seems that cars have continued to rise in price at a far greater multiplier than salaries.

[Mito Man]

Perhaps looking at how total wealth and number of ultra high net worth individuals have increased in that time period may be a better metric. After all the person on an average salary isn't buying these cars.

[mik]

Perhaps looking at how total wealth and number of ultra high net worth individuals have increased in that time period may be a better metric. After all the person on an average salary isn't buying these cars.

Correct, but I didn't have the time (aka couldn't be arsed) looking that up.

[ZedLeg]

Started watching the Catchpole video earlier but I've not finished it yet.

Don't really get it though, doesn't fit with Aston as a brand and there are plenty of other options at that price level now.

[mik]

Just finished watching the Harris video. Enjoyed it, but my questions remain.

Who TF really wants a "road car" with the engine bolted directly to the tub? Surely you'll want out of the car for a break within even an hour of driving? @SSO - what am I missing? Even the XJR-15 wasn't directly mounted (was it?). (And come to think of it - the XJR15 probably completely debunks the point I made above - wasn't it £700k odds around 1990-ish? )

And yeah the contrast between the multi-layered external music, and the internal... well it's probably unfair to call it "noise", but it isn't exactly a melody is stark. And not in a good way.

[duncs500]

I love it. It's crazy, cars like that are supposed to be crazy.

It doesn't really matter to me whether it's shite and not a realistic proposition for road use, or not relevant or whatever (they'll do fuck all miles anyway). It's a study in how extreme a road car can be made.

Ever since someone pointed out that the AMG One thing didn't have much more power than some other AMG model but needed a regular rebuild (can't remember the exact details), I can't take it seriously. This is on another level IMO.