Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro makes world debut at Geneva Show
- World debut of track-only Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro hypercar
- Unveiled by Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner and Adrian Newey
- Hybrid V12 powertrain to develop in excess of 1100bhp
- All-new aerodynamics generate more than 1000kg of downforce
- Displayed alongside Aston Martin Red Bull Racing F1TM show car
6 March 2018, Geneva: Aston Martin has played the ultimate Top Trumps card at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show with the world debut of the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro – the sensational track-only evolution of the marque’s spectacular hypercar.
Taking the world’s most extreme road car as its basis, the AMR Pro version distills the combined knowledge, expertise and aspirations of Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, and Aston Martin’s most talented design and engineering teams, led by Marek Reichman – Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer – and David King – Chief Special Operations Officer – to create a car with the performance capabilities of a current Le Mans LMP1 prototype or Formula One car.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro completed a magnificent trio of track thoroughbreds displayed on Aston Martin’s new Geneva Show area at stand #2229, located in Hall 2 of the Palexpo Exhibition Centre. Flanked by the 2018 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing F1TM show car and Aston Martin Racing’s new Vantage GTE World Endurance Championship challenger, the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro was unveiled by Newey and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Team Principal, Christian Horner. Joining them were Reichman and Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer – the official watch partner of Aston Martin and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
Full technical details of the Valkyrie AMR Pro will be revealed in due course, but those headline figures that can be disclosed provide a remarkable statement of intent. Key to the car’s unprecedented track performance are its lightweight construction and high-downforce aerodynamics – a combination that will result in a car that weighs 1000kg, yet is capable of generating more than its own weight in downforce.
To achieve this remarkable figure all the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro’s aerodynamic surfaces have been revised in the pursuit of significantly increased downforce. Most obvious changes are wider bodywork and much larger front and rear wing elements, which together with revised active aerodynamic control strategies tailored for the demands of track driving. In order to save weight this bodywork uses a lighter construction of carbon fibre. Likewise the removal of items such as the heater/de-mister blower and infotainment screens fitted to the road car, and through the fitment of new ultra-lightweight track-specific components such as a polycarbonate windscreen (with heater elements) and side windows, carbon fibre suspension wishbones, moulded race seats and a lighter exhaust system ensure the AMR Pro hits its 1000kg weight target.
Calibration changes to the 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine’s emission control systems and re-programming of the Energy Recovery System control software will result in a combined power output of more than 1100bhp – more than the Valkyrie road car and a figure than comfortably exceeds the magic 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. That’s to say more than 1bhp to propel every kilogram of mass.
The single-minded pursuit of top speed has never been part of the Valkyrie ethos, yet even in high-downforce track configuration the AMR Pro is still capable of hitting 225mph. Of far greater benefit to lap time is the track-only Valkyrie’s ability to achieve lateral acceleration in excess of 3G – a figure far beyond that of any other car derived from a fully homologated road car.
Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey said: “Seeing the Valkyrie AMR Pro and this year’s Aston Martin Red Bull Racing F1TM show car together at Geneva is a special moment for me. The Aston Martin Valkyrie road car draws extensively from the knowledge I have gained during my career in Formula One, but the AMR Pro version has allowed me to work beyond the constraints of road legality, or indeed practicality! We’ve told a few of its secrets, but by no means all. I will leave it to the public to ponder the lap time predictions. Suffice to say they’re quite impressive.”
Commenting from the Geneva Show stand, Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer, Andy Palmer, said of the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro: “Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a true racer at heart, so to see the track-only Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro together with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Formula One and Aston Martin’s World Endurance Championship cars here at Geneva is fabulous. I’m starting to get used to some of the extraordinary things Adrian (Newey), Red Bull Racing, Aston Martin and all our exceptional technical partners – now including Mobil 1 and Esso as Valkyrie’s official oil and fuel partners – are capable of, but the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro is something truly mind-bending.”
Speaking at the debut event, Christian Horner, Team Principal of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing said: “It is hugely rewarding to see the Valkyrie AMR Pro unveiled here in Geneva, another evolutionary step in the relationship between Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin. We set out together with an ambitious and pioneering road map to create something extraordinary in partnership, and the Valkyrie AMR Pro is yet another turn of that wheel.”
Just 25 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pros will be built. Deliveries are expected to commence in 2020. All cars are sold.
The 88th Geneva Motor Show opens to media and VIPs on March 6th. Public days are March 8th to 18th.
The ultimate no rules hypercar
- New Valkyrie AMR Pro takes the ultimate hypercar genre to new extremes
- Radical design is extreme evolution of Valkyrie Le Mans racer concept
- Designed to be capable of lapping 24H Le Mans circuit in 3mins 20seconds
- Features new longer wheelbase/wide track chassis and unique aerodynamic package
- V12 powertrain power output of 1000bhp
- Deliveries scheduled to begin in Q4 2021
28 June 2021, Gaydon, UK: First came the revolutionary Aston Martin Valkyrie road car. Now comes the radical evolution, in the sensational form of the new Valkyrie AMR Pro: a machine which takes a car designed to win the Le Mans 24 Hours as its starting point, then pushes further to explore extremes of performance unconstrained by racing regulations or registration for road use. In 2019, Aston Martin, Adrian Newey, Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) and engineering partner Multimatic worked intensively on an Aston Martin Valkyrie race car design, aimed at winning the 24H Le Mans race in the new Hypercar class. That well advanced design has now formed the basis of the radical new Valkyrie AMR Pro.
Where the original concept proposal – first seen at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show – was very much an exercise in squeezing as much performance from the road legal Valkyrie platform, the new Valkyrie AMR Pro benefits from the Le Mans project’s pure, race optimised chassis, aerodynamic and powertrain developments. Moreover, with its design and performance freed from race rule constraints, the AMR Pro’s capabilities now exceed those of the machine designed to challenge for outright victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Continuing the technology partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT), the Valkyrie AMR Pro is a car of unprecedented potency and mind-blowing capabilities. It uses a unique version of the Valkyrie chassis which is 380mm longer in wheelbase and 96mm wider in track at the front; 115mm at the rear. Valkyrie AMR Pro also features an aggressive aerodynamic package which adds an additional 266mm in length, and thanks to mastery of underbody and overwing airflow, generates extraordinary levels of downforce. Comfortably delivering twice the amount of downforce than the Valkyrie road car, the Valkyrie AMR Pro will achieve lateral acceleration of more than 3G.
In the pursuit of the lightest weight and fastest lap times, Valkyrie AMR Pro relies solely on a modified version of the sensational Cosworth-built 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine. Revving to 11,000rpm, this masterpiece of internal combustion is on-target to develop 1000bhp. Weight savings will come from deletion of the battery-electric hybrid system, plus a host of other weight saving measures, including ultra-lightweight carbon fibre bodywork, carbon suspension wishbones and Perspex windscreen and side windows. Together with an aerodynamic efficiency that exceeds Le Mans Hypercar regulations, the Valkyrie AMR Pro promises track performance approaching that of a Formula 1® car.
More details of the Valkyrie AMR Pro’s specification and performance will be released later this year, but with a target lap time around the 8.5-mile 24H Le Mans circuit of 3 minutes 20 seconds – blistering performance that would see Valkyrie AMR Pro battling with the front running LMP1 cars for the outright win in the world’s greatest endurance race.
Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Tobias Moers said: “The entire Aston Martin Valkyrie programme has been an extraordinary adventure in engineering. As an expression of the passion and expertise that can be found within Aston Martin and its closest technical partners, Valkyrie AMR Pro is a project beyond compare, a true ‘no rules’ track-only version. The Valkyrie AMR Pro is testament to Aston Martin’s commitment to pure performance and this performance DNA will be evident in our future product portfolio. Nothing else looks like it, nothing else sounds like it, and I am absolutely certain nothing else will drive like it!”
To complement the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro, customers will receive the opportunity to attend a bespoke track day experience, hosted by Aston Martin at a selection of International FIA Circuits around the world. The experience will include track and pit lane access, support from the Aston Martin Valkyrie Instructor team, as well as FIA exclusive racewear and a VIP hosted dinner. Track days will be open to all Aston Martin Valkyrie customers, along with a selection of Art of Living experiences, driving some of the most challenging and dynamic roads across the UK and Europe, The Americas and beyond. Additional information on these exclusive experiences will be released later this year but they promise to showcase the Valkyrie in the most exhilarating way.
With extensive development work completed using powerful simulation tools, physical testing of the Valkyrie AMR Pro is due to commence imminently and to ensure that Valkyrie AMR Pro gives the ultimate driving experience, the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One® Team drivers will be involved from the start to develop the dynamic set-up of the car.
All cars will be left-hand drive, with a production run of 40 cars plus two prototypes. First deliveries are scheduled to commence in Q4 2021.
REDEFINING THE LIMITS OF PERFORMANCE
- Fully-optimised, track-only version of world’s most extreme hypercar
- Increased power and torque combined with further weight reductions
- Significantly increased downforce from all-new aerodynamic package
- Capable of achieving lap performance to rival recent Formula One cars
- Delivery scheduled for 2020
16 November 2017, Gaydon: Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro is an extraordinary track-only evolution of the most extreme Aston Martin in history. Developed in parallel with the road car, but freed from the constraints and considerations of road use, the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro is the ultimate expression of performance.
The brainchild of Adrian Newey – the most successful Formula One designer of all-time – and the product of the unique collaboration between Aston Martin, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and project partner AF Racing, just 25 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pros will be built. Deliveries are expected in 2020. All cars are sold.
The most obvious changes have been made to the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro’s exterior. All the aerodynamic surfaces have been revised in the pursuit of significantly increased downforce, including the addition of much larger front and rear wing elements, together with revised active aerodynamic control strategies tailored for the demands of track driving.
The hypercar’s naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre Cosworth-built V12 engine develops more power and torque – exact figures will be released in due course – thanks to a significant engine recalibration and the modification of the road car’s emission control systems. The output of the Rimac Energy Recovery System remains unchanged, but its control systems will be re-programmed.
The AMR Pro runs on wheels of a smaller diameter than the road car (18in front and rear) in order to facilitate the fitment of Michelin racing tyres, which are made to the same specification as those used by LMP1 cars in the World Endurance Championship. The AMR Pro also features F1TM inspired race-spec carbon-carbon brakes as their performance characteristics are perfectly suited to the extremes of track use.
The opportunity has also been taken to make further weight savings, both through the removal of extraneous items such as the heater/de-mister blower and infotainment screens fitted to the road car, and through the fitment of new ultra-lightweight track-specific components. These include polycarbonate windscreen (with heater elements) and side windows, a lighter construction of carbon fibre bodywork, new suspension uprights and carbon fibre wishbones, plus moulded race seats in place of the adjustable road car items. The AMR Pro’s exhaust system will also be lighter than that fitted to the road car due to the minimal silencing requirements.
The result of this unprecedented pursuit of performance is a genuinely mind-blowing car. One with a higher top speed (predicted to be close to 250mph), coupled to the ability to sustain cornering forces in excess of 3.3g and braking deceleration of more than 3.5g. According to Red Bull Technology’s extensive simulation work the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro will be capable of achieving lap times to rival those of a contemporary F1 or LMP1 car – pace previously unthinkable in a car derived from a fully homologated road car.
Given the car’s extraordinary capabilities Valkyrie AMR Pro customers will be taken through an intensive and comprehensive driver development programme. Tailored to their individual experience and skill levels, owners will have access to the same facilities as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s F1TM drivers. This includes time in the simulator and professional on-track tuition, plus programmes to improve their physical fitness. They will then be ready to enjoy their cars to the full with a series of dedicated track events held at some of the world’s most prestigious race tracks.
Red Bull Technology’s Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey, said: “While it is endowed with extraordinary performance, it has always been vitally important to me that the Valkyrie functions well as a true road car, and that naturally comes with some constraints. However, with the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro we have the freedom to create an extreme evolution that makes no such concessions. While the core elements of the road and track versions are shared, every aspect of the AMR Pro – aerodynamics, chassis, powertrain and weight – has been optimised to significantly extend the performance envelope. It offers a level of track performance significantly beyond any previous two seat closed roof car.”
Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer, adds: “Valkyrie has always been about pushing the limits and redefining the possible. The road car will set new benchmarks for performance, engineering and technology – a hypercar in the truest sense – and with the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro those limits will be pushed further still. It’s a remarkable project. One that’s propelling Aston Martin and 25 of our most passionate customers into a new and extraordinary realm”.
