The new Aston Martin Valhalla is finally here and Henry Catchpole has driven it on the incredible roads of Rioja in Northern Spain and round the track at Navarra. The Valhalla costs 2,850,000 or about $1 million, which makes it either expensive for a traditional supercar (like the Ferrari 849 Testarossa or Lamborghini Revuelto) or something of a hypercar bargain when compared to the price of a Ferrari F80 or McLaren W1. So where does it sit?
Well, where the driver sits is a bit special because the carbon bucket seat in the Valhalla is slung low and reclined with the pedals high and the view out framed by a windscreen reminiscent of the Valkyrie. It is very cool. The performance is pretty spectacular too, with 1064bhp and 811lb ft from the mid-mounted, 4.0-litre, Twin turbo V8 and a trio of electric motors. It might not be a match for the mighty Corvette ZR1X, but 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds is still pretty quick and the real benefit of the Aston's electric motors is felt in the corners….
With a carbon fibre tub, the latest Bilstein DTX dampers, an E-diff at the rear and the ability to torque vector across the front axle, the Valhalla is brilliant to drive on the road. The ride quality is astonishing and there is a lovely sense of feedback. Having a dual clutch gearbox - a first in an Aston Martin - also makes a huge difference. Just maybe don't plan any long, couples road trips because there isn't a boot in the Valhalla.
On track, you really feel the benefits of the aero. The deployment of the rear wing that rises 255mm when you select Race mode and combines with another, unseen wing at the front is arguably what makes the Valhalla more hypercar than supercar. It has over 600kg of downforce at 149mph, but actually prevents itself from generating more than that as speed increases all the way to 217mph. Why? Because Aston wanted to keep the spring rates lower for the road, which seems to have been a compromise worth making.
