Aston Martin Valour V12 throws it back – and how!

Pining for the days when blokes were blokes, machines were more analogue than hard wired and big petrol donks weren’t public enemy number one? Well, the Aston Martin Valour is here, and it gleefully gives the middle finger to automotive political correctness.

Powered by a bespoke version of Aston’s 5.2-litre V12 petrol behemoth, the Valour pumps 526kW and 723Nm through a – get this – a six-speed manual that’s attached to a mechanical limited slip differential between the monstrous 325mm-wide rear tyres. How quaint!

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A bespoke thin-wall stainless steel exhaust system shaves 7kg off what Aston terms a “more traditional system”, and ends with a matched triple outlet that screams Le Mans racer.

Even though the powertrain is a nod to a glorious past, the Valour taps into Aston Martin’s collective resources to produce a thoroughly modern, ultra-desirable – and highly collectible – driver’s car. Based on a tweaked version of the company’s bonded alloy platform, the Valour incorporates adaptive dampers, uprated springs and adjustable everything.

Nestled behind the 21-inch staggered rim set is a set of suitably oversized stoppers, too, with 410mm carbon-ceramic rotors up front and 360mm versions on the rear axle, clamped by six- and four-piston calipers, respectively.

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Outside, the Valour pays homage to the one-off Victor of 2020, with LED headlights, new-design grille, boosted guards and that unmistakable Kamm sweep to the integrated rear wing.

Carbon fibre abounds, too; witness the prominent front splitter and huge rear diffusor array, which will also help keep the Valour stuck to the circuit.

Inside, too, is a world where race meets racy, with lightweight carbon buckets trimmed with leather, a gorgeous manual shifter and lashings of carbon fibre.

Want one? Just 110 will be built – one for each year of Aston Martin’s existence – and the price will be… substantial, let’s say. First deliveries are expected late in 2023.

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