15km on electricity, 699kW V8 PHEV for Aston Martin Valhalla
Aston Martin has unleashed its first mainstream plug-in hybrid car in the form of the Valhalla, which should arrive in Australia in 2023.
The track-focused 699kW mid-engined two-seat supercar is a clear statement of intent from the British brand that it wants to take the performance fight to Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini.
Developed under the guidance of former Mercedes-AMG boss and still-fresh Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers, the new Aston Martin Valhalla PHEV has had one big change compared with the concept car shown in 2019: it’s switched from a V6 to a V8.
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While the McLaren Artura and Ferrari 296 GTB have downsized to a V6 hybrid system, Aston Martin has gone the other way. The company had initially planned to develop a new V6 engine – much of the work had already been done – but dropped those plans to instead divert development attention to the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 already used in various Aston Martins.
The Ferrari SF90 Stradale – which also uses a V8 – is likely to be its most direct rival.
AMG heart with Aston Martin smarts
In the Valhalla the V8 (Aston Martin makes no mention of it being sourced from Mercedes-AMG, but overseas reports confirm it is) drives the rear wheels through a new eight-speed automatic.
But there are two electric motors to boost performance.
On its own the V8 makes a whopping 551kW – more than it does in any AMG application. That in itself shows the influence Moers is having on the brand known for keeping superspy James Bond on wheels.
Aston Martin claims to have done significant engineering work to the V8.
“We have created our own bespoke air-to-air charge-cooled, flat-plane crank V8 engine and have combined it with a powerful hybrid system,” said head of powertrain engineering Ralph Illenberger, describing it as a truly world-class drivetrain.
“And, of course, we also have our own bespoke Dual Clutch Transmission – a first for Aston Martin and an essential component both for Valhalla and future Aston Martin models.”
Two e-motors, temporary FWD
Between them the two electric motors add 150kW to the equation, taking the combined peak power output to 699kW.
There’s also a hefty 1000Nm of torque, something aided by those e-motors and a tricky transmission that allows the V8 engine and electric motor to use a different gear ratio at the same time.
One of the electric motors drive the front wheels while the other assists in driving the rear wheels.
Acceleration to 100km/h is said to take 2.5 seconds and the top speed is 350km/h.
Aston Martin says the target is to have the Valhalla lap the Nurburgring – the unofficial benchmark for performance cars – in less than 6 minutes, 30 seconds.
If achieved, it would make it one of the fastest production cars on the road, eclipsing some seriously impressive supercars; that would make it faster than any current Porsche or Lamborghini production car.
‘Transformational moment’ for Aston Martin
Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll – a Canadian billionaire who is the father of F1 driver Lance Stroll and has poured significant funds into Aston Martin – describes the Valhalla as “a truly transformational moment for this ultra-luxury brand”
“The launch of Valhalla demonstrates Aston Martin’s commitment to building a range of exceptional mid-engined driver focused cars, a crucial next stage in the expansion of our product line-up.”
Of course, it’s the EV side that also makes the Valhalla interesting from a tech perspective.
The car has been designed to run as an EV around town and at lower speeds.
Things are much tamer in EV mode, at which point the Valhalla’s top speed is limited to 130km/h and acceleration will be a lot more leisurely.
When running only on electricity the Valhalla only uses the front electric motor, temporarily making it a front-wheel drive.
The electric range is just 15km, suggesting the battery pack will be relatively compact.
It also suggests the Valhalla is more about meeting strict European emissions standards – and going very fast – than seriously trying to save fuel.
F1 inspiration for Valhalla
The Valhalla is built on a new carbon fibre tub that is the first hint of Formula 1 inspiration.
The pushrod suspension is said to have been influenced from F1 as have the active aerodynamics that can provide up to 600kg of downforce at 242km/h.
Even the roof-mounted air intake is very F1-like, while the dual top-mounted exhausts are a work of art that contributes to the intricate but detailed beauty of a car clearly built for pace.
Aston Martin suggests the Valhalla will even get development assistance from its F1 drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll as well as reserve driver Nico Hulkenburg.
Indeed the Valhalla is a very different beast from those traditionally unleashed from Aston Martin.
The brand has previously said it doesn’t need to have the fastest cars on the road, but they do need to be beautiful.
Some of that clean beauty appears to have given way to the pursuit of speed, Aston Martin clearly trying to take the fight to Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini.
