Founded six decades ago in London by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, the automotive engineering company known as Cosworth stepped into the limelight in 1966 thanks to Colin Chapman and the Ford Motor Company. To make a long story short, the DFV V8 helped the garagisti take home twelve drivers’ titles and ten constructors’ championships.
Add to that no fewer than two Le Mans 24 Hours titles, six in Formula 3000, ten in the Indy 500, three in the USAC, and nine in CART. Needless to say, Cosworth and the DFV V8 are legends among motorsport enthusiasts. With these accolades under its belt, care to guess what Cosworth is capable of in the world of production cars with twelve cylinders?
According to Aston Martin, the V12 in the Valkyrie “turns the hypercar engine up to 11,100 rpm.” The 65-degree engine was developed with “proved F1 knowledge, materials, and methods,” and there’s nothing quite like it when it comes to aural quality.
Henry Catchpole of Carfection is one of the lucky few who experienced the sound on full song at the Cosworth development center in the United Kingdom, praising the 6.5-liter mechanical marvel. The V12 is good for 1,000 bhp (1,014 PS) at 10,500 rpm and 546 pound-feet (740 Nm) at 7,000 rpm, figures that are astounding for an engine that relies on natural aspiration.
The output confirmed by Cosworth is just the engine without any help from the hybrid part of the powertrain. Details regarding total system output “will be revealed later in the development program” according to Aston Martin.
Tipping the scale at 206 kilograms (454 pounds), the engine features a billet machined crankshaft that’s 50 percent lighter than the one in the One-77. Impressive stuff, alright!
“To anyone with a drop of petrol in their blood, a high-revving naturally aspirated V12 is the absolute pinnacle. Nothing sounds better or encapsulates the emotion and excitement of the internal combustion engine more completely,” said Andy Palmer, chief executive officer of Aston Martin.
On sound alone, what would you choose between the V12-engined Valkyrie and the Formula 1-derived V6 hybrid power unit in the Mercedes-AMG One?
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
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