Supercar vlogger Tim Burton can get a little obnoxious from time to time, but some of his videos offer an insight into the lives of people who compete in the highest echelon of motor racing. Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo is the unsung hero of Schmee150’s latest video, with the Australian sportsman confirming he has put a deposit down on the Valkyrie.
Considering Ricciardo earns $6.5 million a years plus bonuses, it’s not hard to get one’s head around why the 28-year-old driver decided to drop $3.2 million on the most extreme road-going Aston Martin of them all. Red Bull’s partnership with the British sports car and grand tourer manufacturer may also mean Dan the Man was offered a discount on his car.
Ricciardo drives Aston Martin models such as the Rapide S in this video thanks to his role within the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, but his personal garage is a little bit more interesting. The most interesting automobile Daniel owns is a blue-painted McLaren 675LT. In other words, it’s a huge update from his first-ever car, a 2006 Toyota Hilux pickup truck.
The Valkyrie, however, is on a wholly different level from the 675LT and Hilux. Only 150 examples will ever be made, with all of them already sold. Not only does the V12-powered hypercar develop a staggering 1,130 horsepower, but the Valkyrie surpasses the magical 1:1 power-to-weight ratio thanks to a curb weight of 1,030 kilograms (2,271 pounds).
This combination of high power and low weight is further complemented by aerodynamic trickery. Thanks to Adrian Newey’s involvement in the designing of the Valkyrie, the long-anticipated model is capable of generation 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms) of downforce.
If these figures make the Valkyrie sound like a handful on the public roads, you can bet the KERS-equipped hypercar isn’t easy to drive. Unless your name is Daniel Ricciardo and you finished the 2017 Formula 1 season ahead of teammate Max Verstappen.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News