► Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro
► Dynamic debut just before Bahrain GP
► No-rules hypercar
Remember the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro? It’s the most extreme version of the already extreme Valkyrie hypercar, and we had our first look at it in action over the weekend.
The track-only hypercar was revealed to crowds ahead of the F1 season-opener in Bahrain, and did two laps of the circuit with development driver Dirk Muller at the wheel. As expected, its 1000bhp 6.5-litre, naturally-aspirated V12 meant the no-rules hypercar was unlike anything Muller had driven.
‘I know everyone says that about cars all the time but seriously, this car is something else,’ he reported. ‘It’s closer to an F1 car in terms of performance than anything else I have ever driven. The power, the handling, the grip, everything is perfect.’
For more on the AMR Valkyrie Pro, keep reading.
Valkyrie AMR Pro: specs and performance please
No official outputs or performance figures are available yet (although the top speed is ‘predicted to be close to 250mph). We do know that power and torque from the Cosworth-built 6.5-litre V12 will be increased and ‘significantly increased downforce from an all-new aerodynamic package’ is promised.
Originally designed to fit in between the road-going hypercar and a now cancelled WEC-competitor, the AMR Pro has taken parts from the latter – and is now even faster than originally intended. While there aren’t any specs to go on, expect it to be even faster than the already silly Valkyrie.
Read the full story on the regular Aston Martin Valkyrie
Note the larger front and rear wings and Aston promises tweaked active elements which shape-shift depending on speed of entry and position on a track. This Valkyrie will not be road-legal and wears smaller, 18-inch wheels to allow for Michelin racing tyres borrowed from LMP1 endurance racing.
An Aston Martin kind of diet
The Valkyrie AMR Pro is lighter than the roadgoing version too – through a ruthless option delete process. Heater and infotainment systems? Pah… Glass windows? Ditched for polycarbonate items. A virtually unsilenced exhaust, thinner carbonfibre body panels and composite wishbones all help reduce the mass.
Result? Cornering forces of 3.3g are claimed and those uprated ceramic brakes are claimed to generate in excess of 3.5g of deceleration. No wonder prospective owners will be given the simulator training that Red Bull’s F1 racers receive.
Red Bull Technology’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey said: ‘While the core elements of the road and track versions are shared, every aspect of the AMR Pro – aerodynamics, chassis, powertrain and weight – has been optimised to significantly extend the performance envelope. It offers a level of track performance significantly beyond any previous two seat closed roof car.’
Just 30 AMR Pro spec cars will be built and all of them have been sold already.
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