- Fernando Alonso commissioned a one-off car from the Q by Aston Martin personalization program
- The Aston Martin Valiant is a lighter, more extreme version of the Valour
- Only 38 Aston Martin Valiants will be built
Aston Martin late on Tuesday revealed the Valiant as a more hardcore follow up to its Valour sports car launched last year as part of its 110th anniversary celebrations.
The idea behind the car came from Aston Martin's star F1 driver, Fernando Alonso, who commissioned the Q by Aston Martin personalization department to craft a lighter, more extreme version of the Valour to use on the racetrack, but remain legal on the street.
Aston Martin has since decided to build a small run of Valiants. A total of 38 will be built for worldwide sale, and all build slots are already accounted for, the automaker said. The production run makes the Valiant rarer than the Valour, which was built in a run of 110 cars. Both cars feature retro styling inspired by the DBS V8-based RHAM/1 race car nicknamed the Muncher that ran in multiple 24 Hours of Le Mans races during the 1970s.
Like the Valour, the Valiant is powered by Aston Martin's twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12, tuned here to deliver 734 hp, or 29 hp more than in the Valour. The front-mounted engine is hooked to a 6-speed manual transaxle whose shifter features an exposed gear linkage, and sends its drive to the rear wheels only.
The shifter's design helps to reduce weight, which was a key focus of the Valiant's design. Other measures included a 3D-printed rear subframe that saved about 6.6 pounds, a magnesium torque tube that saved some 19 pounds, a lightweight battery that saved 25 pounds, and 21-inch magnesium wheels that saved almost 31 pounds. The Valiant also uses lightweight carbon-ceramic brake rotors.
The Valour's chassis was also given an upgrade. This included the installation of a set of Multimatic's Adaptive Spool Valve dampers, which is capable of simultaneously adjusting each damper to one of 32 damper profiles in less than six milliseconds.
Multiple new aerodynamic elements have also been fitted to generate downforce for track driving, like the new splitter, rear wing, and rear diffuser. The diffuser now also houses four exhaust tips instead of three on the Valour. The exhaust is a lightweight titanium system.
Aston Martin Valiant
The body is crafted almost entirely from carbon fiber, including for the new full-width grille. The carbon fiber is exposed in many areas, including in the cabin where it can be found on the doors and center console. The cabin is fitted with Recaro Podium seats and a steel half-cage with anchor points for four-point harnesses.
Though Aston Martin has phased out the manual transmission from its core lineup, special editions like the Valour and new Valiant will enable the automaker to continue offering cars with three pedals for years to come. Aston Martin has previously indicated that it will keep offering such cars as long as demand justifies it.
