The new Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider, unveiled at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, is a thrilling next-step in the progression of the Aston Martin Valkyrie bloodline.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider promises an intense experience like no other. One shaped by the unbeatable sensory stimulus that comes with roof-off driving in one of the world’s most extreme hypercars. One that delivers the most comparable experience to that of an F1® car, not limited to the track.
The pursuit of open-top luxury comes with the challenge of ensuring the core experience remains true to Aston Martin and Adrian Newey’s exacting performance objectives for the original Aston Martin Valkyrie programme. As these positioned Valkyrie at the very cutting-edge of hypercar design and engineering it means the Valkyire Spider has benefitted from unique engineering solutions born from the combined talents of Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT).
While the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s unique 1155PS hybrid V12 powertrain remains unchanged, the Valkyrie Spider has received revisions to its carbon fibre structure, plus precise recalibration of both the active aerodynamic and active chassis systems. All with an eye to maintaining optimal Valkyrie performance when driven in a roof-off condition.
Key to Valkyrie Spider’s unprecedented performance is the ultra-lightweight construction and high downforce aerodynamics package. The upper body surfaces of the teardrop-shaped cockpit and lower tub contours follow the envelope of space available between the huge full-length Venturi tunnels that run either side of the cockpit floor. Drawing huge quantities of air beneath the car to feed the rear diffuser, these tunnels are the key to generating Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider’s extraordinary levels of downforce – >1400kg at 240km/h in track mode – while keeping the upper body surfaces free from additional aerodynamic devices that would spoil the purity of the open-top styling.
Capable of achieving a vMAX of 330km/h+ with the roof removed (350km/h+ with roof on), it’s the fastest and most extreme open-top, road-legal Aston Martin ever built. Delivering LMP1 levels of performance, Valkyrie Spider is simulated to set impressive lap times, not normally achievable in a road-going car.
The same driver focused cabin sits at the heart of Valkyrie Spider. F1® inspired low hip-to-heel height and near-central seat positioning, along with a 6-point safety harness to keep the occupants safely in the car. A centre rear-view camera system along with front and rear parking sensors will aid the driver at both high and low speeds, with displays sitting just above the Instrument Panel.
Valkyrie Spider features a bespoke, removable lightweight roof comprising of a carbon fibre central panel, latching onto the tub at the rear and to the windscreen surround at the front, along with a pair of polycarbonate roof windows, hinged on either side. On opening the doors, the roof can simply be lifted off and stowed away. Modifications to the carbon fibre tub have been made to support the removable roof panels and the luxury open-top layout, as well as new doors. The now front-hinged dihedral doors, which are unique to Valkyrie Spider, have been redesigned to tilt forwards.
Such is the hype that 85 examples of the Valkyrie Spider are already oversubscribed and allocations will begin shortly, available in both left and right-hand drive derivatives, with first deliveries scheduled for H2 2022.
