Aston and Red Bull will build road-legal and track-only versions of the Valkyrie, and this is the latter. It’s the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, and its creators believe it will rival the performance of recent F1 cars on the track. Wearing the name of Aston’s new AMR Pro performance sub-brand, this apex predator of supercars was designed without any of the usual restrictions that apply to road-legal vehicles. The focus was purely on speed.
The Valkyrie project is led by Red Bull Racing’s Adrian Newey, who is legendary in F1 for his aerodynamic wizardry. So it’s not surprising that this area got a lot of emphasis during the creation of the AMR Pro. The car sports much larger front and rear spoilers than its road-going counterpart, and has sprouted a shark fin like the ones seen on many current race cars.
Like the road-going Valkyrie, the AMR Pro uses a 6.5-liter V12 developed by racing engine specialist Cosworth, and an energy recovery system from Croatian firm Rimac. The AMR Pro will make more power than the “standard” Valkyrie, but Aston won’t say how much. Figures for both versions will be released at a later date. The AMR Pro will also ride on the same tires as LMP1 race cars, with carbon-carbon brakes similar to the type used in F1.
To save weight, designers ditched the infotainment system and the heater, and replaced other components with new, lighter versions. The windshield and side windows are polycarbonate, the bodywork is made from a lighter type of carbon fiber than the road car, and components of the suspension and exhaust systems were replaced with lighter versions as well. Racing seats replace the road car’s buckets.
Aston is making some impressive performance claims to go with that impressive hardware. The AMR Pro will have a top speed of “close to 250 mph,” along with the ability to corner at 3.3g, and pummel its driver with 3.5g of braking force. Lap times should be similar to current F1 or LMP1 race cars, the company claims. Owners will go through a training course that includes using the same simulators and other facilities as Red Bull Racing’s F1 drivers.
Just 25 Valkyrie AMR Pros will be built, but if you’re thinking about robbing a bank to finance one, you’re too late. The entire production run is already sold out. Deliveries begin in 2020.
