Photo: Aston Martin
Project Nebula or AM-RB 001 turned out to be the Valkyrie, which is the most extreme road-going car in the history of Aston Martin. Competing with the Mercedes-AMG Project One, the V12-engined hybrid hypercar will also serve as inspiration for the British automaker’s ambitions in the World Endurance Championship.
Come 2020, the “son of Valkyrie” will take on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The end game is outright victory, with Aston Martin waiting on further information on the “revolutionary regulations” of the top class that will be launched at the beginning of the next decade.
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile advocates for racing cars based on production models for the top-tier class, and this is where the son of Valkyrie fits in like a hand in glove. In the words of the governing body, “aerodynamics cannot take precedence over aesthetics.”
Speaking to Autocar, chief executive officer Andy Palmer didn’t want to confirm nor deny the possibility of winning the 24-hour race in 2020. “Our experiences in Formula 1 have thought us that in motorsport ideas that begin optimistically can ebb away,” he said, “but we have a great deal of interest in the new regulations at Le Mans.”
Derived from the racing version of the Valkyrie (which bears the suffix AMR Pro), the son of Valkyrie is developed by a team of talented engineers headed by Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey. You know, the guy who designed championship-winning cars for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull. As if that wasn’t enough for his resume, Newey made the rounds in CART, with his designs winning the 1985 and 1986 titles of the open-wheel racing series.
“The underlying fact is that son of Valkyrie will drop at exactly the right time, and if that means it would be able to go into the event and race LaFerraris, Porsche 918s and Sennas, then I cannot think of anything better,” concluded Palmer.
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile advocates for racing cars based on production models for the top-tier class, and this is where the son of Valkyrie fits in like a hand in glove. In the words of the governing body, “aerodynamics cannot take precedence over aesthetics.”
Speaking to Autocar, chief executive officer Andy Palmer didn’t want to confirm nor deny the possibility of winning the 24-hour race in 2020. “Our experiences in Formula 1 have thought us that in motorsport ideas that begin optimistically can ebb away,” he said, “but we have a great deal of interest in the new regulations at Le Mans.”
Derived from the racing version of the Valkyrie (which bears the suffix AMR Pro), the son of Valkyrie is developed by a team of talented engineers headed by Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey. You know, the guy who designed championship-winning cars for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull. As if that wasn’t enough for his resume, Newey made the rounds in CART, with his designs winning the 1985 and 1986 titles of the open-wheel racing series.
“The underlying fact is that son of Valkyrie will drop at exactly the right time, and if that means it would be able to go into the event and race LaFerraris, Porsche 918s and Sennas, then I cannot think of anything better,” concluded Palmer.
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