Aston Martin has revealed an open-topped Valkyrie Spider hypercar at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterey, California today, limited in production to just 85 units - and they're all sold.
Chopped top
Cutting a hole in the roof of the Valkyrie was made rather more complicated by the design of the gullwing doors in the coupe, so Aston Martin ditched them. In their place is a pair of front-hinged dihedral doors. Open those and then it's possible to manually remove the new roof. It consists of a centre section made from carbon fibre and two polycarbonate 'roof windows'
Given the extreme lengths the Valkyrie's designer - F1 supremo, Adrian Newey - went to, to give the hypercar coupe unheard of levels of downforce, it would seem a little strange to undo all that work by removing the roof...
However, Aston Martin is adamant that the Valkyrie Spider is not compromised, and the active chassis and aerodynamics systems have been recalibrated to cope with the removal of the roof. Aston also states that the weight increase is 'marginal'.
Red Bull Racing's Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey said: "Right from the very beginning of the Aston Martin Valkyrie project we were driven by exacting targets that went way beyond any previous road car and the Valkyrie Spider brings that same ethos to the open cockpit hypercar category. What you see is a simple removable roof panel, but the challenge of remaining true to the Valkyrie concept was anything but. Maintaining aerodynamic performance with the roof removed was of paramount importance, likewise keeping any unavoidable weight gains to an absolute minimum whilst maximising enjoyment for the driver."
Indeed, with the roof removed, the Valkyrie Spider can hit over 330km/h (just 20km/h down on its roof-on top speed), comfortably making it the 'fastest and most extreme open-top, road-legal Aston Martin ever built.' Its high downforce (over 1,400kg when travelling at 240km/h in Track mode) is promised to allow for lap times comparable to LMP1 racers'.
Same V12 hybrid powertrain
The naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 petrol engine developed by Cosworth is unchanged for the Spider, revving to over 11,000rpm. It's part of a hybrid powertrain that produces up to 1,155hp, sent to the rear wheels.
F1-like interior experience
Arguably, an open version of the Valkyrie is closer in concept to the Aston Martin F1 team's racers than the closed-roof model is. As in the coupe, the Spider accommodates two people, sitting close together near the centre of the car, with their feet mounted relatively high. Six-point safety harnesses are standard, as is a rear-facing camera in place of a rear-view mirror.
Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Tobias Moers said: "The Aston Martin Valkyrie is the product of incredible innovation and technology, but above all it has always been about emotion. With the Valkyrie Spider we are taking that passion and emotion to the next level. The driving experience promises to be truly sensational. The sound of that 6.5-litre V12 engine revving to over 11,000rpm with the roof removed is something I cannot wait to hear."
Following its debut in the States, the 85 build slots will be allocated to buyers with first deliveries due in the middle of 2022. A price has not been confirmed, but it is expected to be a little more than the regular Valkyrie’s. We’re talking a few million Euro here...