A gift to Aston Martin for its 110th anniversary, and the solution to a vexing problem of Aston’s own making. The Valour’s existence owes much to an earlier, unique Aston that relit the manual fuse: the magnificent Victor.
Bespoke to a mystery Belgian buyer in 2021, the Victor features bodywork inspired by the 1970s Vantage, over the all-carbon fibre skeleton and Cosworth-machined vital organs of the One-77 supercar.
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That hottie was always hampered by its criminally slow automated manual transmission, so for the Victor, Aston mercifully ditched the actuators and paddles and supplied a six-speed manual as the centerpiece. We drove it. We loved it and were hungry for more. And we weren’t the only ones, which gave Aston Martin a first-world problem.
What do you do when there’s an unruly queue of black card-waving customers outside the factory gates, but you’ve solemnly promised the owner of Victor that their car will remain unique? And besides, One-77 chassis hardly grow on trees. And neither do Cos-ified 836bhp V12s.
What is the solution?
To re-body the limited edition Aston Martin V12 Vantage from a few years ago – 333 examples, all sold – in a Victor-esque suit, and crucially to fit an equally dramatic manual gearbox.
The Valour has a 5.2-litre biturbo V12 tuned to produce 705bhp and 555lb ft – more than a Vantage or Speedster, less than a DBS. Aston isn’t making any claims about 0-62mph or top speed, because this isn’t a numbers car. There’s no downforce ‘this’ or Nürburgring ‘that’ attached to it. It’s an ode to a rare recipe: big engine, manual gearbox.
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It certainly looks spicy…
You can see the Valour’s resemblance to Victor from any, er, vantage point. The hooded, leering headlights framing a giant whalefish grille. The upswept ducktail adorned with intricate multi-fin taillights. The spider-web wheels.
This is not a classically elegant Aston Martin. It’s a brutally strange shape to cast your eyes over, with clumsy side skirts and a bizarrely high ground clearance. We love the clash of the smooth roof with the unashamedly tough details like the blistered extractor vent behind the front wheel. It’s the kind of thing David Attenborough would warn you not to get into the Outback for. “Beware the wrath of the red-lipped ridgeback white-spotted poison-frog of death.”
How much is it?
Over £1 million, we’re told. And of course, each of the 110 will have a different specification, so that price is only set to rise. You’re unlikely to get change from £1.5 million for an example like the one in our gallery, with its flashy lipstick, door roundels, lots of shiny carbon fibre and tweed seats.
That’s a lot for a Vantage with a new body.
It hasn’t deterred anyone. Aston Martin says it bought up every example within two weeks of the car’s unveiling, and that it’s now working on 38 examples of an even lighter, more powerful, aerodynamically-sharp version called the Valiant, apparently commissioned by professional meme enthusiast and part-time F1 ace Fernando Alonso.
As always, if you try to rationalize the price asked for a limited edition… it’s not aimed at you. This is expensive because it’s rare. Because it’s the first time a twin-turbo V12 Aston has three pedals and a stick.
What is the verdict?
“It feels like a worthy successor to the Vantage V600 from the 1990s: another heavyweight fighter with more punch than was strictly necessary“
Impossible to make a sensible argument for, but laudable nonetheless for existing, the Valour is a very ‘Aston’-y Aston. The DBX is, after all, vital to the bottom line and the Valkyrie is an engineering marvel, but if you asked most people on the street what an ‘Aston’ is, chances are they’d say something with a massive front-engined Spitfire, a rakish coupe roofline, two seats, wide hips and rakish GT credentials.
The Valour is in that league. In fact, it feels like a worthy successor to the Vantage V600 of the 1990s: another heavyweight, dual-charged powerhouse with more punch than was strictly necessary, made in small numbers for collectors who appreciated its scarcity and the feeling that they were buying the last one.
Hopefully, after the Valour and Valiant, Aston will continue to find room in its line-up for a car like this. Because even as technology advances and tastes change, it will never go out of style.