Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro makes debut

Taking the world's most extreme road car as its basis, the AMR Pro version distills the combined knowledge, expertise and aspirations of Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, and Aston Martin's most talented design and engineering teams, led by Marek Reichman - Aston Martin's Chief Creative Officer - and David King - Chief Special Operations Officer - to create a car with the performance capabilities of a current Le Mans LMP1 prototype or Formula One car.

Full technical details of the Valkyrie AMR Pro will be revealed in due course, but those headline figures that can be disclosed provide a remarkable statement of intent. Key to the car's unprecedented track performance are its lightweight construction and high-downforce aerodynamics - a combination that will result in a car that weighs 1,000kg, yet is capable of generating more than its own weight in downforce.

To achieve this remarkable figure all the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro's aerodynamic surfaces have been revised in the pursuit of significantly increased downforce.

In order to save weight this bodywork uses a lighter construction of carbon fibre. Likewise the removal of items such as the heater/de-mister blower and infotainment screens fitted to the road car, and through the fitment of new ultra-lightweight track-specific components such as a polycarbonate windscreen (with heater elements) and side windows, carbon fibre suspension wishbones, moulded race seats and a lighter exhaust system ensure the AMR Pro hits its 1,000kg weight target.

Calibration changes to the 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine's emission control systems and reprogramming of the Energy Recovery System control software will result in a combined power output of more than 1,100bhp - more than the Valkyrie road car and a figure than comfortably exceeds the magic 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. That's to say more than 1bhp to propel every kilogram of mass.

The single-minded pursuit of top speed has never been part of the Valkyrie ethos, yet even in high-downforce track configuration the AMR Pro is still capable of hitting 362km/h. Of far greater benefit to lap time is the track-only Valkyrie's ability to achieve lateral acceleration in excess of 3G - a figure far beyond that of any other car derived from a fully homologated road car.