Aston Martin will sell you its Valkyrie Le Mans racer… sort of
Aston Martin will build ten examples of the Valkyrie LM, a lightly fettled, unhomologated version of its Le Mans endurance racer
This week Aston Martin returns to Le Mans, not only in the top-flight class, but with the first road-based car to be in contention for outright victory since the days of GT1. To celebrate, the marque is introducing no less than a fifth member of the Valkyrie family, to join the road-going coupe, the Spider, the track-only AMR Pro and the race-spec LMH. Meet the Aston Martin Valkyrie LM, a Le Mans racer that you can buy for yourself.
What is it? Broadly speaking, this is Aston Martin’s take on what Ferrari did with the 499P Le Mans racer, offering a customer-spec track-only toy in the form of the 499 Modificata. That’s to say, a fundamental design very similar or identical to that of the racer, minus homologation status for the chassis, for entry into actual competition.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s head of endurance motorsport, clarifies: ‘The Valkyrie LM is close to identical to the race car that is currently competing in WEC and IMSA, with only a few minor deviations to ensure it is a non-homologated variant and is accessible for customers to experience and enjoy.
In effect it also bridges the gap between the totally unlimited, restriction free Valkyrie AMR Pro and the Valkyrie LMH, which was extensively modified to comply with the FIA’s Hypercar aerodynamics, safety and power output regulations. The LM features all of those race-spec changes, including its 6.5-litre V12 being limited by comparison to the AMR Pro, to 697bhp.
Of great value too should be what the buyers of the Valkyrie LM will get in addition to the car. Unlike with the Ferrari, Valkyrie LM buyers will be able to take full possession of their car if they wish, and there’s also a ‘fly in and drive’ driver development programme.
Designed to help owners get the most out of it, owners can simply arrive at their chosen track to a car that’s fully prepared for use, to a standard and with track setup of a level the racer would receive on a WEC weekend. They’ll also be able to use simulators, call on the guidance of professional driver coaches and be able to reference telemetry and data to improve their driving. If optioned, those cars would be kept and maintained by Aston Martin, the car and an engineering team being shipped out to the track in question.
Just ten Valkyrie LMs are set to be built by Aston Martin, with deliveries set to take place in time for first drives in the second quarter of 2026. This will be followed by two fully supported track days at F1-standard circuits in the UK, included as a part of Aston Martin’s ‘Unleashed’ experience in the second half of next year.
