Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider revealed – 1160bhp hypercar goes topless
The 11,000rpm Valkyrie hypercar has lost its top, with a Spider variant joining the coupe and track-only AMR
Aston Martin has unveiled the open-top Valkyrie Spider at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a third variant of its V12-powered hypercar and the most extreme convertible the marque has produced yet. The reveal comes just ahead of first deliveries of its coupe counterpart, with the Spider set to hit the road in the second half of 2022. Pricing is yet to be announced and just 85 examples will be produced.
Its design remains near-identical to the coupe, with a narrow LMP1-inspired cockpit shared almost wholesale with the coupe. The dramatic teardrop cockpit design and full-length Venturi tunnels either side are also present, ensuring it retains its monumental downforce figures. Aston claims peak downforce of over 1400kg at 149mph with track mode engaged.
> Aston Martin Valkyrie makes dynamic debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed
To accommodate its new removable roof panel Aston Martin had to make minor adjustments to the Valkyrie’s carbonfibre tub, while also making tweaks to the active aerodynamic and chassis systems to maintain a comparable aero performance to the coupe. The firm claims its tub required no additional reinforcement, but attachment points for the roof panel were required, with the most notable change being those new doors.
In ditching the dramatic gullwing units on the coupe, the Spider has opted for forward-opening dihedral doors, hinging at the windscreen as opposed to the roof. With the roof attached, this change could make ingress and egress more of a task, but Aston Martin has included additional hinged panels in the hardtop itself to help with ingress and egress.
Performance is identical to the coupe, with Cosworth’s 11,000rpm 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 producing 1000bhp and 10,500rpm alone – this makes it the most powerful naturally-aspirated road car unit produced. Paired with the Rimac-developed KERS-style hybrid system, it brings an additional 160bhp and 207lb ft of torque to the total output, resulting in a combined 1160bhp and 664lb ft. Aston Martin claims it will exceed 217mph with the roof attached, and still reach over 205mph with it stowed.
Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey said: ‘What you see is a simple removable roof panel, but the challenge of remaining true to the Valkyrie concept was anything but. Maintaining aerodynamic performance with the roof removed was of paramount importance, likewise keeping any unavoidable weight gains to an absolute minimum whilst maximising enjoyment for the driver.’
Development of the Spider is already well underway, with the first of the 85 examples to be delivered from the second half of 2022. As with the coupe, allocations are expected to be hard to come by, with Aston Martin already confirming that the derivative is already over-subscribed.
