Silverstone witnessed the first dynamic running of the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Piloted by Aston Martin high performance test driver Chris Goodwin, the 1,160 bhp hybrid hypercar, liveried with a stunning Red Bull-inspired design, wowed spectators who, until now, have only officially glimpsed the car on static display.
The run on the world-famous Silverstone circuit represents a design collaboration between Adrian Newey, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer, and Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer, and is the result of a technical partnership between Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin.
The initial development phase was completed behind closed doors at Red Bull Advanced Technologies’ Milton Keynes facility, co-located with the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Formula One Team, and at Aston Martin Lagonda’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire. On completion of the lap, the Aston Martin Valkyrie leaves Silverstone to begin an extensive physical testing programme before the first of the 150 road-going cars are delivered to customers from Q4 2019.
Chris Goodwin said after the drive, “I’ve driven this car around Silverstone for countless hours on the simulator at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s HQ, so to finally drive the Aston Martin Valkyrie here today feels exceptionally special. We still have a lot of development work to do but we can now begin to really push the physical testing process and realise the true capabilities of the car.”
The car is a two-seater mid-engine hypercar, powered by a 6.5 litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine. The 150 road-going Aston Martin Valkyries are already sold out, with the first deliveries commencing in Q4 2019.
Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, said, “To see the Aston Martin Valkyrie running today, five years from the first moment I started sketching what it might look like, is very emotional. With the changing visual angles as it drives past and the noise, it is now doing what it is supposed to do, which is to move and be dynamic. It has been an enormous push from the Team to get it running here today so this is also a special moment for them.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, said, “This first view is the result of a collaboration of design and development between Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin. The initial vision was to build a hypercar that would deliver the best in technological advancement and high performance and together, we have achieved this. This public running is just the beginning of a remarkable story for this car.”
Aston Martin Lagonda President & Group CEO Andy Palmer added, “Today is a milestone in Aston Martin’s history and for our industry as a whole. Aston Martin Valkyrie continues to redefine what you and I recognise as a hypercar, possessing unrivalled levels of performance in a package that is technologically beyond anything else. While Chris’ demonstration today was not delivered at full speed, I’m sure the Valkyrie will return to deliver its full potential around this magnificent circuit in the near future.”
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, said, “We have created a truly unique, beautiful rear mid-engined hypercar in Aston Martin Valkyrie that represents the ultimate fusion of art and technology. I am incredibly proud of everybody at Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies to have the Aston Martin Valkyrie run for the first time in public at the British GP.”
As the World Endurance Championship is set to begin a new hypercar era in 2020, with new regulations designed to allow race-prepared derivatives of the world’s fastest road cars, the forthcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie race car will draw on all the radical design elements of the road car.
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