Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider Revealed At Pebble Beach
Aston Martin may come away from Monterey Car Week as the winner in the “biggest reveal” category. All they had to do was take the top of their latest hypercar, the Aston Martin Valkyrie. It is funny that even the most hardcore hypercar still has a market for those who want to drive with the top down.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider made its debut at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and marked what Aston Martin calls the “progression of the Aston Martin Valkyrie bloodline.” Could that mean there will be more variations of the Valkyrie in the future? Perhaps, Aston Martin will reveal any plans for another variant of the hypercar during the auto show season next year.
How did Aston Martin remove the roof from the Valkyrie?
One of the essential elements of any hypercar chassis is its rigidity. Engineers take care to design a chassis that can withstand lateral forces without bending or flexing. Removing the roof will undoubtedly compromise that goal. So, some engineering magic is required when manufacturers want to create a convertible version of a high-performance car.
Thankfully for Aston Martin, they had the help of Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer and aerodynamic extraordinaire Adrian Newey. As a result of their combined efforts, the team created custom supports for the chassis that maintain the same levels of integrity as the Valkyrie coupe. To accommodate the removable roof, the Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider is equipped with front-hinged dihedral doors. It is an elegant solution, but it was not easy to achieve.
As Adrian Newey explains, “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 maximizing enjoyment for the driver.”
That “enjoyment for the driver” means that the Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider can reach a top speed of 205 mph with the top down.
Does the Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider have any other differences?
Besides the dihedral doors, the removable roof, and the extra chassis bracing, there are no other major differences between the Valkyrie Spider and the coupe. Both cars come with the same 1,140 hp hybrid V12 powertrain.
Naturally, Aston Martin wanted to keep the experiences as parallel as possible between the Spider and the coupe to avoid shortchanging either model. They have stressed that maintaining parity was a high priority. However, one can argue that taking the top off on such a radically designed hypercar is quite the advantage.
That is a notion that even Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers acknowledges stating, “The driving experience promises to be truly sensational. The sound of that 6.5-liter V12 engine revving to over 11,000 rpm with the roof removed is something I cannot wait to hear.”
Is The Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider sold out?
Aston Martin originally only planned to produce 85 examples of the Valkyrie Spider, and currently, all of them have sold out. Aston Martin said that the car was “oversubscribed.” Though, we are not convinced that Aston Martin will produce more cars beyond the planned 85.
Anyone who missed out on the Valkyrie Spider should probably start planning for the next Valkyrie variant, assuming that there will be one at Monterey Car Week 2022.
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