The Aston Martin Valhalla has changed so much since its announcement that it’s almost a different car. Originally imagined to be powered by a proprietary V6, it’s now powered by a bought-in AMG V8, which tuning improvements have brought to a total output of over 1,000 horsepower. Better yet, there may still be more power on the way.
The Valhalla’s overhaul was detailed by its development director Carlo Della Casa in an interview with Motor Trend, where he admitted the supercar was postponed to the second half of 2024. These delays however will allow Aston to significantly boost the Valhalla’s performance across the board, from its chassis to the drivetrain. Some upgrades will even leave the door open for further enhancement, though whether they’ll come to the base or only higher-performing special models is currently unclear.
Most significant among them are improvements to the Valhalla’s carbon tub, which Della Casa says is a whole third lighter than it used to be—it was 331 pounds, now it’s reportedly under 220. That’s crucial for Aston to hit its target curb weight of 3,640 pounds, which would make the Valhalla 200 pounds lighter than the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. Weight reduction will be complemented by enhanced aerodynamic downforce, which has increased from 1,322 pounds at 150 mph to at least 1,433, with Della Casa emphasizing more may be found yet.
The Valhalla will get there quicker than initially promised too, as more power has been extracted from its 4.0-liter, flat-plane-crank AMG V8 (it’s related to the one in the AMG GT Black Series). It used to make 740 horsepower on its own that, when combined with the Valhalla’s 400-volt hybrid system, made up to 937 hp and 738 pound-feet of torque. Now though, the V8 makes 812 hp on its own, the total output is close to 1,012 hp.
As those only travel to the rear wheels (through an Aston-first eight-speed dual-clutch), the Valhalla could be a handful if the front axle isn’t powered too. And it may just be, as Della Casa reportedly acknowledged the chassis redesign left room for two front motors that open the door for torque vectoring. Whether this arrives on included on the regular Valhalla, or the possible AMR and AMR Pro track specials down the road, Aston Martin’s spokesman Nathan Hoyt couldn’t say.
“It’d be premature to comment on this definitively,” Hoyt told The Drive. “We’re in the process of investigating all options as the offering is refined closer to production.”
Aston Martin plans to build only 999 regular Valhallas, each of which it expects to sell for at least $800,000. How many will come to the U.S. hasn’t been finalized according to Hoyt, though he hinted it’ll be a good number given the U.S. is one of Aston’s biggest markets. Sounds like the odds aren’t against you seeing one at Cars and Coffee one day, though you may need to audibly rattle your martini shaker just to be sure.
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