Remember when Aston Martin paired up with Red Bull Racing to make the Formula 1 car for the road? Yes, we’re talking about the V12-powered Aston Martin Valkyrie, officially announced two years ago.
Since then, Aston Martin has been slow dripping information on the road-legal F1 car to remind everyone that they are still making it. But never have we heard the Valkyrie going pedal-to-the-metal on track, until now.
Aston Martin has just released some footage of the Valkyrie undergoing testing at Silverstone. The sleek styling of the car does look quite special on track, but it’s the sound of the shouty V12 engine that made us want to do unspeakable things.
To the surprise of no one, the F1-derived engine sounds just like the old-timer V12 Formula 1 cars. And that is a great thing to sound like – I mean, just listen to it!
In case you’ve forgotten, the cosworth-built 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine produces a peak power of 1,014 hp (1,000 bhp) and 740 Nm of torque. The V12 mill will be paired to a hybrid system which brings an additional 162 hp, for a total power output of 1176 hp. All of that in a car that weighs just approximately 1,100 kg.
And did we mention that the V12 engine revs all the way up to 11,100 rpm? Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer, who is also the source of the second video above, once said “Nothing sounds better or encapsulates the emotion and excitement of the internal combustion engine more completely” about the V12 engine in the Valkyrie, and the new videos are the definite proof of that.
