Two years after Aston Martin unveiled the distinctive but awkwardly titled concept AM-RB 003, the final production version has arrived with a much simpler name: Valhalla.
The automaker unveiled the hybrid supercar on the Thursday ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, which will see Aston Martin compete as a manufacturer for the first time in over 60 years. Aston Martin returned to Formula One this year with a team co-sponsored by Cognizant, the professional services company at the center of Casey Newton’s multi-part investigation into the problem of content moderation on Facebook. In 2020, the company was acquired by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, the de facto villain from season three of the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
Stroll walked away with Aston Martin after a dramatic showdown with Geely (China’s largest private automaker), who made a competing bid for the ailing luxury automaker. Stroll’s first move was to postpone some of Aston Martin’s electric vehicle projects. So that the Walhalla project survived the turbulence is its own little miracle.
Grid view
No matter … to the car! It’s a 937 horsepower hybrid beast with a top speed of 217 mph and the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in less than 2.5 seconds. It does this by combining a 740 hp twin-turbo V8 engine with a pair of electric motors (one on each axle) and through active aerodynamics on the front of the car and with the rear spoiler, as well as tunnels under the car, which can direct the air – Tricks that Aston Martin developed on the predecessor Valhalla, the Valkyrie.
A body made mostly of carbon fiber keeps things light enough at 1,550 kilograms (3,417 pounds), though the design has more nooks and crannies than the ultra-sleek Valkyrie. Aston Martin says a new infotainment system runs inside on a central touchscreen that also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – meaning the smartphone-mounted system from the AM-RB 003 concept has been graciously ditched. (Unfortunately the company has not published any pictures of the cockpit.)
All in all, the Valhalla seems to go well with some other hybrid supercars like Ferrari’s SF90 Stradale, whatever that is worth. Very few will be made, and they will cost an astronomical amount. For most of us, it’s just a browse.
Given Aston Martin’s recent history, you might not be surprised to find this car just one last bit of fascination. The internal combustion engine comes from Mercedes-Benz, which provides the overall drive for the Aston Martin F1 team. I wonder what the brake ducts look like …
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