The Aston Martin Valkyrie does written by Formula 1 designer Adrian Neweyuses technology derived from top-level racing and creates enough downforce to theoretically drive upside down on the roof of a tunnel. Because of all that, he is incredibly fast on a race track the multi-million dollar hypercar has now set a new lap record around the Silverstone F1 circuit.
Aston Martin built just 150 Valkyries, with the F1-inspired road car finding its way into the hands of super collectors and car fans, such as Gordon Ramsay. Most Valkyries out there will limit themselves to driving around the city streets at low speeds or living their lives in incredible car collections.
However, this car wasn’t designed to live its life on a pedestal, so Aston brought along a Valkyrie Silverstone to see what it was capable of. In doing so, it set a new lap record for production cars on the British circuit. Now the automaker has taken the on-board computer out of the womb, and it’s quite a watch.
Three-time Le Mans class winner Darren Turner was at the wheel of the Valkyrie during the run, in which he going to a Silverstone circuit that wasn’t at its best. Aston Martin reports that rain earlier in the day left the track quite green, while a motorcycle event had disrupted the usual rubber on the racing line. Nice to see that all the driver’s excuses come in early.
Those challenges turned out to be just that no trouble for the Valkyriebreaking the previous production car’s lap record by more than ten seconds, completing the 6.7 kilometer circuit in one minute and 56.42 seconds.
From the onboards released by the brand, the round looks fast. On the straights the car drives comfortably above 300 km/h, which is more than 300 km/h. By the end of the first sector this has meant that the car has already shaved almost two seconds off the previous record.
The high speed continues through and after navigating the iconic corners of Maggots and Becketts the Valkyrie caught up another five seconds. On the Hangar straight, the Valkyrie reaches a top speed of over 330 km/h, which here in the land of the free is 330 km/h and only a fraction away from the top speed of 330 km/h.
By the time the Valkyrie crosses the line, it will be faster than an LMP3 car on the Grand Prix circuit. Certainly, it is still a long way from that one minute 27 Max Verstappen in F1but for a car with air conditioning and a windshield, that’s mighty impressive.
“The acceleration and top speed are far better than anything I have driven at Le Mans,” Turner said in a statement shared by Aston Martin. “Thanks to the active aerodynamics and the car’s ability to optimize downforce as you accelerate, the speed continues to increase.”
Of an aggressive AMR Pro version of the Valkyrie already in the works and a Le Mans-ready hypercar based on the car preparing to race next year, how fast can the Valkyrie drive around the world’s race tracks?
