The Aston Martin Valkyrie Roadster debuts at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, California USA, on August 12th 2021. This will be a milestone for the manufacture. Its new, open top, no-compromise hypercar will mark 70 years since it entered the American market. This expansion was a good business decision. To date, one in four of the brand’s cars found homes in North America.
Teaser picture
The Valkyrie Roadster is currently shrouded in mystery. The manufacturer has not confirmed how quick it is. It has not suggested a price. It has only published a single, badly lit, unclear picture to excite drivers before more information is revealed at the debut. The image does provide some insight, though.
The Valkyrie Roadster is very much the open top version of its sibling, the Valkyrie Coupe. Both vehicles look similar but the picture shows key differences. The Coupe has gullwing doors connected to a fixed roof that open upward. The Roadster has scissor doors that open forward. What is unclear from the picture is whether there is an optional roof that can be added on wet days.
Likely specification
The Coupe’s specification suggests what to expect from its sibling once it is revealed. The Coupe has a 6.5 litre V12 engine boosted by an electric motor. Performance is ‘otherworldly’, Aston Martin claimed. The hypercar also has fibreglass bodywork, race car styling, and aerodynamics that generate a vast amount of downforce.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie ‘is as close as possible to a Formula One car without being restricted to a track’, the manufacturer claimed.
Aston Martin’s first car in America
In 1951, Aston Martin entered the North American market with its DB2 Saloon. The manufacturer wanted to capitalise on the region’s ‘new found taste’ for European sports cars following World War 2.
Road and Track magazine was among the first publications to evaluate the DB2 Saloon. Future Formula One Champion, Phil Hill, was behind the wheel and liked what he saw. He was so impressed that he bought the actual test car. The magazine concluded the DB2 Saloon was ‘one of the best handling and fastest cars ever tested’.
Aston praises motorists
Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer, Tobias Moers, looked forward to the launch of the Valkyrie Roadster. He said:
‘For seven decades, enthusiast drivers in the United States and Canada have had the chance to enjoy some of the greatest cars we have yet made. I am very happy to see us celebrate not only this important anniversary, but also the enduring link between our brand and the knowledgeable and enthusiastic owners’, Mr Moers concluded.
