Aston Martin is one of the most iconic car companies to ever come from the United Kingdom. They have produced some extraordinary cars over the years, from the legendary Aston Martin DB5 and the DB9 to icons such as the Lagonda, a car that probably doesn’t get enough attention. In the modern era though, Aston Martin has come up with an amazing piece of engineering in collaboration with Red Bull and their F1 design genius Adrian Newey. Enter, the Valkyrie, a hypercar unlike any other ever created in Britain, and across the world.

The whole aim of the Valkyrie is to create F1 levels of performance from a car that is road legal, not forgetting the newly announced AMR Pro version for the track-only. But there have been a few hypercars to come from Britain recently, such as the McLaren P1, a car that is absolutely incredible in its own right. And then we have the Murray Automotive T.50 from the design house of former F1 design maestro Gordon Murray. But somehow, the Valkyrie seems to have this aura around it that makes it stand out above all others, as the ultimate British hypercar.

Under The Hood

Aston Martin Valkyrie On The Road
via Auto Express

The power delivery in the Valkyrie is quite simply staggering. Cosworth was chosen to provide the engine for the car, and they created a unique power unit only ever designed for the Valkyrie. It is a hybrid-V12 system, with a V12 engine that produces 1,000 hp with the hybrid system producing around 160 hp, bringing a total of 1,160 hp to the table with the Valkyrie. A twin-turbo V6 was also mooted as a potential engine over the V12, but the latter was chosen as it had cooling advantages and of course, it was always going to produce a much better soundtrack.

That horsepower level puts it instantly on a par with contemporary Formula 1 machinery, which themselves feature a turbocharged V6 engine and a hybrid element. In a world where hybrid and electric power was starting to become more and more mainstream, the introduction of a V12 hypercar was somewhat refreshing, and yes it has a hybrid element, but the fact it is combined with an insane gasoline V12 engine meant everyone pretty much forgot about the hybrid power. And don’t forget, the AMR Pro version also comes without that hybrid power.

RELATED: Aston Martin Just Revealed Its Radical New Valkyrie Hypercar Dubbed AMR Pro

A Final Fling For ICE’s

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Rendering
via Aston Martin

Speaking of that AMR Pro version, we should probably briefly touch upon the car, although you can read elsewhere on our site about the full details of this incredible machine. The eye-catching statistics of the Valkyrie AMR Pro are that it again has a 1,000 hp V12 engine under the hood. Unlike the original, road-going version, however, there is no hybrid power. The Cosworth V12 has been slightly modified, and to maximize the performance of the car, the new AMR Pro Valkyrie is much lighter than its road-going sibling thanks to weight-saving measures and carbon fiber parts, plus the omission of that hybrid equipment.

What perhaps makes this version stand out in the Valkyrie range is the fact it could potentially set a rather extreme lap time of the Le Mans circuit. When they announced the new edition, Aston Martin claimed that the car could lap the 8.5-mile Le Mans 24 Hours circuit in 3 minutes 30 seconds. That is an insanely fast time, and remember that the Valkyrie was originally set to be a car that competed in the hypercar category in the World Endurance Championship. Clearly, Aston Martin wants to prove what it could have done.

Aston Martin Valkyrie Red Bull Edition 2020
via Formula Spy

The fact that the car has links with Red Bull is another incredibly enticing feature of this mesmerizing car. The car has been developed in conjunction with Red Bull Racing in Formula 1 and design legend Adrian Newey was the man tasked with designing the shape of this monster. Newey has helped Red Bull win four world titles in Formula 1 whilst also helping other teams such as McLaren and Williams go on to great success. Having that sort of pedigree onboard always meant that the Valkyrie was going to be an incredibly fast car, and applying F1 knowledge to it was key to making it as fast as a Formula 1 car around a racetrack.

RELATED: A Look Back At The Aston Martin One-77

A Cut Above The Rest

Aston Martin Valkyrie Goodwood 2021
via AutoCar

We have already mentioned the likes of the Gordon Murray T.50 and the McLaren P1. The former is expected in 2022 with a 650 hp naturally aspirated V12 engine of 4.0-liter, whilst the combination of the twin-turbocharged V8 and the electric motor meant that the McLaren P1 could achieve 903 hp all in. Both of these cars are spectacular, but the Valkyrie shows just how far hypercars have come when compared to the McLaren, and it remains to be seen just how good the T.50 will be, but it will surely be good given Gordon Murray designed it. But the Valkyrie has the Aston Martin name and Red Bulls knowledge in its DNA, which is probably half the battle. The Valkyrie may never be a race car as originally intended, but it has surely become the ultimate British hypercar.

Sources: Aston Martin, Formula Spy, AutoCar, CAR Magazine, Auto Express