Aston Martin teams up with Spanish motorsport star to unveil new sports car

Aston Martin has revealed its new Valiant sports car, designed in partnership with Spanish racing driver and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

The cars, of which there are only 38 worldwide, would cost around £2 million each (€2.37 million), excluding taxes in the UK.

Aston Martin has confirmed that all cars have already been pre-sold and deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

This will follow the car’s public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​in July.

Fernando Alonso, who currently races for Aston Martin in Formula 1, said his experience with Aston Martin’s previous Valor model inspired him to create “a more extreme, race-car inspired, track-focused version, while still offering thrilling on-road driving”.

Valour, Valiant’s predecessor, was a limited edition vehicle launched last year to celebrate Aston Martin’s 110th anniversary. The 110 cars, with an estimated value of more than 1.4 million euros, were sold in two weeks.

When creating Valiant, Alonso worked closely with the “Q by Aston Martin” team, a division that pays homage to the infamous James Bond novels.

“I think we have created a masterpiece,” Alonso added.

In a bid to boost profit growth, Aston Martin is focusing its energy on making more new cars, which means it has stopped production of older models.

Nonetheless, the company describes Valiant as a vehicle that “goes back and screams forward” – in the sense that it takes notes from the Aston Martin DBS V8.

The DBS V8 entered motor racing legend when it competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1970s, although its nickname, “the Muncher”, stuck due to the car’s tendency to eat away at its brake discs.

The modern Valiant model features a full carbon fiber body and is powered by a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 engine.

It’s the latest member of Aston Martin’s collectible specials, joining cars like the Valkyrie, Vantage and Valhalla models.

“Valiant continues a strong Aston Martin lineage that delivers true driving intensity on road and track with the ultimate hypercar,” Aston Martin said.

“While both Valor and Valiant draw inspiration from the brand’s iconic heritage in their design, they are firmly part of Aston Martin’s modern performance future, delivering superior power, driving dynamics and cutting-edge, best-in-class technology, ensuring Aston Martin’s appeal to true driving connoisseurs. »

The automaker hopes new models will help it turn around after disappointing results.

In the first quarter of 2024, the adjusted loss before tax was £110.5 million (€130.9 million), compared to £57.3 million (€67.85 million) l ‘last year.

Annual wholesale volumes fell 35% in the Americas, 30% in the UK and 17% in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Volumes in the Asia-Pacific region were down 14%.