Designers still have time to improve the hybrid track-only hypercar.
We were truly stunned when Aston Martin provided figures for the outrageous Valkyrie AMR Pro last year. Aston Martin claimed that the track-only hypercar would be comparable to F1 cars due to its aggressive aero package, which would pin the Valkyrie to ground with fervor. Aston Martin claims it can sustain more than 3gs in hard cornering and 3.5gs when hard braking. If the occupant isn’t subject to such forces, the hybrid engine – which has a huge 6.5-liter V12 at its core – should propel the Valkyrie AMR Pro up to 250 mph (402 km/h), provided that the straightaway is sufficiently long.
Since the covers were removed from the prototype’s prototype earlier this year we haven’t heard much about this mental machine. However, Autocar recently had the opportunity to talk with Adrian Newey of Red Bull Racing about the Valkyrie AMR Pro. Newey played a major role in the development of the hypercar, and, if we understand him correctly, Aston Martin could have made initial claims about the hypercar’s performance on the low side.
According to Autocar, Newey stated that “the downforce we are quoting” is clearly early days. Marek’s team has been given the model to interpret. This model will change a lot over time.
Dewey also spoke briefly about why he chose the V12 over smaller mills. Although weight is a concern with the Valkyrie AMR Pro, Dewey noted that the addition of turbos and intercoolers to boost the power of smaller engines results in similar mass. Dewey concluded that the big V12 was “marginally better” and made the final cut. This could also be interpreted as Dewey suggesting that the Valkyrie AMR Pro might produce more horsepower (820 kilowatts), than what is currently listed by Aston Martin.
However, it is possible to interpret downforce and horsepower in a different way. We suspect this is not true based on our past experiences with Aston Martin’s hardcore offerings. Although the car will not be available until 2020, we believe it could be on the track in time to challenge for the Nurburgring record.