This is Fernando Alonso’s ‘extreme’ Aston Martin: the V12, manual only Valiant

Fernando is faster than you. Evidence of that immortal lineage is evident not only in his two Formula 1 world championships, an unlimited talent for speed and lightning-fast cockpit humor, but also in this big, bronze supercar.

Because this big, bronze supercar is called the Aston Martin Valiant, and it exists mainly because Alonso wanted something punchier, harder and racier than last year’s gloriously unhinged, already lightning-fast V12 Valour. Yes, exactly what we thought.

But while they broke the mold when they made Alonso, Aston clearly didn’t when it built this Valiant. Looks exactly like the Valor. And the Victor before it. And none of these cars are what you would call “embarrassing, very embarrassing.”

That means the boxy, you’re-looking-at-me aesthetic carries over almost entirely from the Valor, save for a few major updates. Of course, the inspiration for this entire series of cars comes from an Aston far and away: the V8 Vantage-based RHAM/1 ‘Muncher’ Le Mans car that raced in the late 1970s.

Would have liked to have heard ‘Nando’s on board’ if he had driven the V8 in those days: the car was nicknamed ‘Muncher’ because it washed through the brake discs at a terrifying pace.

So, scary nickname, scary looks. The Valiant’s entire body is constructed from carbon fiber, with a magnificently angry, almost shark-like nose that forms a low, wide and unapologetically muscular silhouette. Aston tells us that “every inch of the Valiant’s impeccably sculpted shape performs an aesthetic and aerodynamic function.” We think they went to town on the former and beat a wing to calm the latter down.

Did you miss it? It’s one of the biggest changes from the Valor. It was a fixed wing and obviously designed to work in conjunction with the new front splitter, trying to shape the air around it into shapes that would improve performance. But mostly we think they just made it look super angry and hoped for the best.

Further concessions to aerodynamic performance come via front-end surfaces, aero discs on the 21-inch magnesium wheels with special intakes to cool the carbon-ceramic brakes (so technically it’s not more of a ‘Muncher’) and a new diffuser at the rear.

A nice touch is the one-piece clamshell back with a hinged screen panel that creates a small space where you can store your helmets and fire-resistant clothing. Or maybe a nice lounge chair if you’ve applied the brakes too hard and want to catch your breath and play some more F1 memes.

Speaking of fire, that engine. Yes. It certainly won’t be done by a ‘GP2 engine’, mainly because GP2 no longer exists and also because it is a bona fide heavyweight. Underneath the Valiant’s carbon fiber skin lies a version of Aston’s 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 producing 735 hp and 555 Nm of torque. That’s 30 horses more than the Valor before it, but 100 horses less than the One 77-engined Victor, which, remember, was a naturally aspirated V12.

Yet that grunt is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox – that’s right, a real manual gearbox – and harnessed via monstrous carbon-ceramic discs (410mm front, 360mm rear) and special Multimatic ‘ASV’ dampers (Adaptive Control Valve). Apparently these shiny new items can adjust any damper to “any of thirty-two discrete damper curves in less than six milliseconds.” Clearly Alonso has already tried the damper adjustment; better for the dampers to ‘try it yourself’.

So, massively customizable motorsport-level suspension for one of the most adaptable drivers in motorsports. These ASV dampers have allowed Aston to recalibrate the Valiant’s driving modes, which range from Sport, Sport+ to Track. You’ll notice that there is no “normal” because there is nothing normal about this thing.

Yes, it’s derived from Aston’s ‘bonded aluminum sportscar platform’ (read: what the Vantage uses), but of course hugely modified, with bespoke details. Such as a 3D printed rear subframe that saves 3 kg. And a magnesium torque tube that reduces the mass in the center of the car by another 8.6 kg. The wheels save 14 kg of unsprung mass. Even the Alonso specification of the battery: a motorsport unit that alone saves 11.5 kg.

So you’ll be wary of what you eat for breakfast before a track romp. Not least because Aston has used all sorts of lightweight materials inside too: carbon fibre finished in satin, Recaros, heck, even ‘lightweight upholstery’. You have to admire Aston’s ‘sense of humour’.

There’s a new, slimmer steering wheel and visible shifter for the six-speed gearbox. Oh, there’s also a roll cage with anchor points for four-point seatbelts, and there are bespoke door panels that again reduce weight over its predecessor.

“Valiant was born out of my passion for driving at the limit,” said Alonso, “and I believe we have created a masterpiece.” There will be 38 of these ‘masterpieces’ built, and as you might expect, they’ve all already been committed at a price of around £2 million each. Don’t worry if you’re not as fast as ‘Nando in one of them, though; perhaps a career in camera operation beckons.