Valkyrie [Official] Aston Martin - From AM-RB 001 to Valkyrie

[Bridster]

002 was the code for the Valkyrie AMR, so it seems like this is the final version of that. Quite different from the normal Valkyrie as well, with an extended wheelbase.

 

[Bridster]

Interestingly, I just found an article that already seems to have all the details (official unveil should be tomorrow): The Valkyrie AMR Pro is back from the future to decimate your lap time

In short: Yes, this is the Valkyrie AMR Pro, it has "twice the downforce of the regular Valkyrie", it loses the hybrid assistance to achieve the lowest possible weight, and 40 of these will be made. According to Aston, it can achieve "over 3G of lateral acceleration" and lap the Le Mans circuit in 3m20s.

For comparison, the fastest qualifying Le Mans lap is 3:14.7 by the 2017 Toyota TS050 LMP1 car. I seem to remember that Aston were at one point claiming that the AMR Pro is gonna be 105% the speed of an F1 car, but the reality seems to be that it's not even gonna be as fast as an LMP1 car. What's more, LMP1 cars have similar power, very likely weigh less and can corner at 4.8G - so I am not sure how realistic even the 3:20 number is considering they are only claiming "over 3G". That doesn't seem to be nearly enough to get close to LMP1 pace. It seems more that this is the same kind of "simulation" that told them that the regular Valkyrie will be "faster than LMP2 on street tires" (LMP2 do 3:24 around Le Mans btw, so almost as fast as the claimed time for the AMR Pro )...

 

[Centurion]

I hope that the rear wing is easily detachable so that the car is easy to transport.

 

[Wunderkind]

I'd just buy a restored Porsche 956 ex-Le Mans racer and go ape shit on a track. There are still plenty of them around and much more economical to own and run.

 

[StartYourEngines]

Apparently, numbers talk about 8000 lbs of peak downforce (nothing official for now, but quick calcs should put us there).
Considering its technical architecture (Cosworth NA V12, no turbos, no hybrid) and its aerodynamic configuration this car really appears to be like a spiritual successor of the mighty NA Group C cars of the early 90s (Jaguar XJR-14, Peugeot 905..).
I can also see why AM pulled out of the LMH competition: this set of rules just favors efficiency over peak performance, hence a castrated PFI NA V12 could never compete in terms of thermal efficiency with GDI turbocharged engines and/or hybrid systems.
Much better to let it running free as an extreme track toy at its peak power of 1000+ bhp all the time, following the spirit of a (at least to me) true Motorsport heritage which, by the current times, is almost completely dead.

This thing is for sure the fastest (by quite a margin) track car one could buy at the moment, with full prototype levels of performance.
Sure, one could (in his dreams) knock at Ferrari's doors for the F1 Clienti programme, or he could buy (and mantain by himself) an LMP, Hill-Climb or "old" Group C prototype, or even again wait for the FZero.
But for sure this thing is fascinating and "up there" in the performance peak order.

 

[Bucketslash11]

This thing is for sure the fastest (by quite a margin) track car one could buy at the moment, with full prototype levels of performance.

how fast are any of the other track only hypercars? i'm guessing we have lap times to compare

 

[KiwiRob]

I'd just buy a restored Porsche 956 ex-Le Mans racer and go ape shit on a track. There are still plenty of them around and much more economical to own and run.

You could take it to Dauer, get it converted to a road car, then you could drive to the track and home again.

 

[Bucketslash11]

is the rear roof scoop to reduce drag? or is it cooling?

 

[StartYourEngines]

how fast are any of the other track only hypercars? i'm guessing we have lap times to compare

You can understand how track focused a track-only hypercar is by looking at the following aspects:

- Weight: the lower, the better
- Aero, lift-to-drag coefficient: the more the downforce for unit of drag, the better
- Chassis: bespoke and not road-derived is of course better
- Suspensions setup: bespoke architecture >>> road-derived one in terms of track performance
- Tyres: 18 inch slicks = true race cars materials. Track cars which have this setup usually mean serious business
- Brakes: carbon-carbon (ala F1 or LMP prototypes) are the best
- Gearbox: bespoke race unit is clearly much better on track than road-derived dual-clutch units

Given this list an searching around the internet for qualified sources makes more or less easy to predict how the different track-only hypercars would behave.
In general:

- Ferrari FXX: low weight, low aero, no 18 inch Michelins, Enzo-derived chassis and suspensions: track toy slower than current BoP GT3 race cars
- Ferrari FXXK: high weight, low aero, no 18 inch Michelins, LaF-derived chassis and suspensions: track toy slower than current BoP GT3 race cars (bar power circuits like Monza)
- McLaren P1 GTR: exactly like the FXXK
- Ferrari FXXK Evo: slightly better, aero now closer (but still less) to that of GT3 cars. Still heavy-weight and with previous limitations: still slower than GT3 cars in general
- McLaren Senna GT3: quite light, good aero, GT3-source suspensions, road-derived gearbox (major weakness): generally slightly faster than current BoP GT3 cars
- Lamborghini SCV12: bespoke chassis, prototype-like suspensions, race-derived gearbox, specifically developed by Lamborghini Squadra Corse, more downforce than current GT3 cars, quite powerful, quite heavy (as far as race cars are concerned of course): definitely faster than current Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo on any circuit
- Ferrari 488 GT Modificata: basically a hybrid 488 GT3/GTE race car without BoP limitations: way faster than current GT3 race cars
- McLaren 720 S GT3X: same concept of the Ferrari 488 GT Modificata
- Brabham BT62: bespoke chassis, lot of downforce, lightweight, powerful, race-derived gearbox, full race-like suspensions, carbon-carbon brakes, 18 inch slicks: way faster than even unrestircted GT3 machines. The BT62 is a serious track machine, a true race car basically
- GMA T50S: clever aero, the lightest one, bespoke race-like chassis, gearbox and suspensions, lot of power, 18 inch slicks: this thing should be at least on par with the Brabham in terms of performance, surely a fast beast

Considering all is said and done and everything we know about the AMR Pro, it should honestly top this list (and quite easily I would add) for it not to be a major disappointment.

 

[KiwiRob]

You can understand how track focused a track-only hypercar is by looking at the following aspects:

- Weight: the lower, the better
- Aero, lift-to-drag coefficient: the more the downforce for unit of drag, the better
- Chassis: bespoke and not road-derived is of course better
- Suspensions setup: bespoke architecture >>> road-derived one in terms of track performance
- Tyres: 18 inch slicks = true race cars materials. Track cars which have this setup usually mean serious business
- Brakes: carbon-carbon (ala F1 or LMP prototypes) are the best
- Gearbox: bespoke race unit is clearly much better on track than road-derived dual-clutch units

Given this list an searching around the internet for qualified sources makes more or less easy to predict how the different track-only hypercars would behave.
In general:

- Ferrari FXX: low weight, low aero, no 18 inch Michelins, Enzo-derived chassis and suspensions: track toy slower than current BoP GT3 race cars
- Ferrari FXXK: high weight, low aero, no 18 inch Michelins, LaF-derived chassis and suspensions: track toy slower than current BoP GT3 race cars (bar power circuits like Monza)
- McLaren P1 GTR: exactly like the FXXK
- Ferrari FXXK Evo: slightly better, aero now closer (but still less) to that of GT3 cars. Still heavy-weight and with previous limitations: still slower than GT3 cars in general
- McLaren Senna GT3: quite light, good aero, GT3-source suspensions, road-derived gearbox (major weakness): generally slightly faster than current BoP GT3 cars
- Lamborghini SCV12: bespoke chassis, prototype-like suspensions, race-derived gearbox, specifically developed by Lamborghini Squadra Corse, more downforce than current GT3 cars, quite powerful, quite heavy (as far as race cars are concerned of course): definitely faster than current Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo on any circuit
- Ferrari 488 GT Modificata: basically a hybrid 488 GT3/GTE race car without BoP limitations: way faster than current GT3 race cars
- McLaren 720 S GT3X: same concept of the Ferrari 488 GT Modificata
- Brabham BT62: bespoke chassis, lot of downforce, lightweight, powerful, race-derived gearbox, full race-like suspensions, carbon-carbon brakes, 18 inch slicks: way faster than even unrestircted GT3 machines. The BT62 is a serious track machine, a true race car basically
- GMA T50S: clever aero, the lightest one, bespoke race-like chassis, gearbox and suspensions, lot of power, 18 inch slicks: this thing should be at least on par with the Brabham in terms of performance, surely a fast beast

Considering all is said and done and everything we know about the AMR Pro, it should honestly top this list (and quite easily I would add) for it not to be a major disappointment.

You missed one, the Aston Martin Vulcan.

 

[Bucketslash11]

production vs concept, road car: (several posts because non-supporter)

 

[Bucketslash11]

 

[Bucketslash11]

 

[Bucketslash11]

concept vs production: track car

 

[Bucketslash11]

 

[Bucketslash11]

 

[Jo_Sta7]

Catching Up with Aston Martin, Ferrari & McLaren | karenable

A look at the current situation with Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren and the major developments in the last year.

karenable.com

 

[Bridster]

If the rumors he mentions about the Valkyrie are true, then that basically rules out the car coming out any time soon. Can't make the car run for more than 45 minutes? Haven't passed crash tests yet? What the hell are Aston Martin doing... I thought that after the apparent first drive event in August and also the instagram post from April where the lead engineer said he was finished with the car, there was a good chance we could be getting the car in Fall, perhaps as early as September. Now, if his sources are correct, it looks like it might only come after the AMR Pro track version which is slated for Q4 2021 - so in 2022 at the earliest.

 

[Jo_Sta7]

I've been calling the Valkyrie a joke for almost 2 years. It's internet fodder for the young'ins. Even if it comes out it won't get used because there will be constant issues. You think this car will start up no issue after not running for a month? Not happening.

All I read from so many was "I believe in Adrian Newey" blah blah. First off, Adrian is great. But F1 cars aint road cars. Having success in one means nothing for success in the other. Top Gear used to joke that when Ferrari sucked in F1 they made good road cars and visa versa. And now, Adrian isn't even involved and hasn't been for years!

There are GREAT performance cars being made right now. The 765 is the single greatest car I've ever driven by some margin. The SF90 is the first Ferrari in years that actually is hyper car quick (other than LAF) and bests the competition. The new Tesla, while devoid of any desire from me, is INSANELY quick for and only costs $150k.

Get excited about what we have and forget this silly machine.

 

[Bucketslash11]

this is the sort of project that you have to spend a lot of effort/money on (like the original Veyron), yet it seems Stroll is reluctant to spend money on it, possibly hoping to cash in on it when it goes on sale

either they need to understand that a halo car is never immediate profits or they might as well hand it back to the deep pockets of Red Bull