Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer promised it at Toronto’s Canadian International Auto Show in February and today he delivered: the psychotic AM-RB 001 hypercar will shed its fax-machine name and henceforth will be known as the Valkyrie. Tremendous.
Oh, and Aston also used the Geneva Motor Show to introduce its own performance brand in the vein of AMG and M, to be called AMR.
“Cars such as the Vantage GT8 and Vantage GT12 confirmed that our customers love raw, race-bred models, but we also knew there was an opportunity to create cars that offer a sharper performance focus but stop short of those truly hardcore, special series models,” Palmer said a statement. “With the AMR brand we have the perfect platform to deliver both.”
If one considers AMR as a link between Aston’s road and race cars, they wouldn’t be too far off. The AMR treatment will crank handling and performance abilities to “11,” while providing a unique look-at-me design slathered in Stirling Green paint and lime green accents to visually separate the models from non-AMR trims. Introverts need not apply.
Aston chose the Vantage and Rapide as the first recipients of its new go-fast moniker, a simultaneously delicious and unexpected move. The already-gorgeous Rapide gains a new grille and splitter up front, a diffuser out back, and 21-inch wheels in between. Carbon fiber trim and lime green highlights line the interior. Packing a 591 horsepower version of Aston’s 6.0-liter V12, the four-door bruiser will be good for a reported 210 miles per hour. Aston plans to cap production at — take a guess — 210 units.
The Vantage AMR Pro, heavily influenced by Aston Martin Racing’s WEC winning V8 Vantage GTE, will be destined for the track with a 500 hp version of the V8 found in Aston’s GT4 racing car. Center-lock wheels and an adjustable suspension will be familiar to those spending time at any racetrack. Splitters and diffusers abound. Total production? Seven. Palmer also said that, eventually, every Aston will be #blessed with an AMR version.
Meanwhile, the hypercar developed in conjunction with the folks at Red Bull has been officially named the Valkyrie. This is a fantastically appropriate name, aggressive and dramatic enough to get noticed without resorting to hackneyed marketing. It also follows Aston’s tradition of V-ing all the things since 1951.
No other new details – exact power, pricing, or production numbers – for the Valkyrie were discussed but we do know it will pack a mid-mounted V12 and a power-to-weight ratio of 1 hp per kilogram. For fun, we’ll place the over/under at 1222 hp and 1222 kg for what will doubtless be a multi-million-dollar car. Production will be under 150 units. The Valkyrie goes on sale sometime next year.
[Images: Aston Martin]
B-B-But what happened to “The Relentless War on Speed”?!
Not a snowball’s chance in hell of ever standing next to one in the showroom, much less buying one. But damn, they are sure pretty to look at. The Rapide especially.
Aston Martin does know how to build a sexy car.
@Lou_BC
True.
The Valkyrie loves the road so much that it has taken on the appearance of a road.
Hopefully one day soon we will read a comparo between the AMR Valkyrie and the Honda Valkyrie.
(If you know what a Valkyrie is, you’d know that you’re taking your life in your hands when you drive one of these, because legend holds that a Valkyrie decides if you will live or die…)
Isn’t the Valkyrie the bubble-top one without the dayglo stripe?
They still look pretty good to me, but I can’t unsee the old Mazda smiley face in those new grills.
Darn it why did you have to go and ruin it.
Maybe Mazda can use the Valkyrie as the inspiration for the RX-10.
Looks like Another Brand Bites The Dust to me.