Aston’s old-school charmer
The limited-edition Aston Martin Valour recalls the wonderful racers of a bygone era
The new limited-edition Aston Martin Valour is an “awesome” car that only 110 people will be able to buy and, at £1.5m plus, “few can afford”, says Alex Goy on Motor1.com. Aston, like other high-end car makers, is “[leaning] harder into these limited-run specials… This gravy train is only gaining momentum”. The Valour certainly looks “pretty special”. Its curves derive from the one-off Victor of a few years ago, inspired by old V8 Vantages and a racing car “wonderfully called ‘The Muncher’”. It features a “huge” integrated spoiler at the rear and “its grille surround not only doubles as a bumper for low-speed ‘oops’ moments, but also channels air to Valour’s truly massive engine”.
Yet that big V12 doesn’t dominate, says Piers Ward for Car magazine. “Of course there’s enough power to make it skip about under full throttle, but the guttural roar of the 12 cylinders doesn’t become allenveloping… The turbos come on song from 2,000rpm and get interesting from
“Combine its slick action with the gentle howls of the V12 and nirvana awaits”
3,000rpm, so it’s easy to slot it into sixth and let the torque do the work.” Granted, 705bhp is “a lot of push in old money, [but] these days it feels almost normal”. It’s the “sum of the parts” that makes the Valour so appealing. “What I really enjoyed was that it reminded me of historic racers, with a lovely roll around the hips as you turn in, giving a sense of movement without being alarming. It’s balanced, with every system complementing the next.” It’s an old-school car and all the better for it.
“Indeed, the chassis has been brilliantly judged,” says Andrew Frankel in Autocar. “You can feel the mass in the nose… the steering is so accurate… and [you can] rely on uncommon traction for a front-engined, rear-driven car to spear you out of the corner.” The gearbox is likewise “superb” and the shift “silky”. “In most respects, it is precisely what I’d hoped for… and when you combine its slick action with the gentle howls of the V12 on a road good enough to do justice to the chassis, then one form of automotive nirvana awaits.” This really is “a fabulous and rare kind of modern frontengined supercar”.