A manual choice

Ferraris and Lamborghinis are all flash and bang, but if you are a gentleman of class, we would say that Aston Martin is your supercar icon. With a chequered history of winning some of the world’s most competitive races and touring car championships, Aston has gone ahead and done something totally bonkers again – launched the Valiant, an ultra-exclusive hypercar by in-house bespoke division, Q. Powered by a 735 bhp twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the Valiant has put the R in the word rarity. Imagine, a 6-speed gated and exposed shifter – you can orgasm just by shifting the lever! Production is strictly limited to just 110 cars globally.

Valiant was originally conceived from a personal commission from Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team driver, Fernando Alonso for a lightweight, more extreme, race car inspired version of the spectacular Aston Martin Valour.  Combining the brutal style and blistering performance of a bygone evocative era of brutal V12 performance with state-of-the-art contemporary engineering, lightweight materials and spectacular design, Valiant pushes the boundaries of performance and engagement to evolve, intensify and reimagine the ultimate Aston Martin driver’s car.

As the new pinnacle of ferocious front-engined cars, Valiant has been developed to deliver its best on-track, while remaining fully homologated for road use. It boasts an exotic specification to delight the purist and excite the most demanding driver. Crowned by the combination of Aston Martin’s incredible twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 engine – which now develops 735 bhp and 753 Nm of torque - and a six-speed manual transmission, Valiant also features standard-fit Carbon Ceramic brakes for immense fade-free stopping power. The adoption of a 3D-printed rear subframe saves 3kg with no reduction in stiffness, while a magnesium torque tube reduces mass at the centre point of the car by 8.6 kgs. Lightweight 21” magnesium wheels – with 275/35 front and 325/30 rear tyres - improve steering response and wheel control, reducing unsprung mass by 14 kgs. A motorsport-spec lithium-ion battery has been fitted to save a further 11.5 kgs.

To highlight the mechanical nature of the manual gearbox, a cutaway in the transmission tunnel exposes the gear linkage running rearward to the six-speed transaxle. Development has focused on perfecting the weight and feel of the gearshift, with a new bespoke spherical gear knob and H-pattern shifting maximising gearshift effort and precision. With Valiant being designed with focused track-use in mind, driver comfort and safety are paramount. To this end Valiant features a built-in half-cage as-standard together with bespoke trimmed Recaro Podium seats, which provide exceptional lateral and shoulder support with innovative pads featuring passive thorax ventilation for increased comfort during extreme driving.

Pricing expected at INR 9 crores, ex-showroom.