Before we consider the Valkyrie, I came across this 2010 mock up of a road car (see above) designed by Adrian Newey and on display in the Red Bull Hanger-7 near Salzburg Airport. It’s not a real road car and only exists in the virtual word of the Play Station 3 game, Gran Turismo. It came about following this question from the Japanese games designer Kazunori Yamauchi,“If you built the fastest racing car on land, one that throws aside all rules and regulations, what would that car look like, how would it perform, and how would it feel to drive?” As the Valkyrie matches that description, is it a precursor to the most extreme Aston Martin in history? I don’t really know but its a possibility I suppose.

Combining the strongest elements of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Advanced Technologies, Aston Martin and project partner Switzerland based AF Racing AG,  the new partnership unites the world’s best aerodynamicists, composite experts and manufacturing masters. Rather than trying to out-drag the Bugatti Chiron, the focus is on aerodynamics and building a car that will be quick around a circuit. AML CEO, Andy Palmer has stated that the new road car is intended to lap the Silverstone GP circuit in a time equal or less than either an F1 or LMP1 race car – this is about 1 minute, 37 seconds. All this from a two seater road car. 

The concept was unveiled at the Gaydon factory in July 2016 in front of workers and members of the press. Not too many details were given but what we did find out was the price (between £2 and £3 million), numbers (at least 99 but no more than 150) and that the performance will be comparable to that of an LMP1 sports car. By the time of the unveiling, 370 people had requested to be on the list to own one of the cars. 

Aston Martin have never built a production mid-engined car before although they came close back in 1980 with the unique, 200 mph, gull-winged two seat concept known as the Bulldog. Also another mid engined Aston Martin that never saw the light of day was the AM305M, the forerunner to the massively successful V8 Vantage.

Below is a selection of press images showing the full sized concept model

The photographs below show what I believe to be the same model but repainted in signature AMR colours, probably in advance of the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, to coincide with the launch of the AMR sub-brand. It was displayed during 2017 at both the opening event of the St Athan factory and the Gaydon factory family day. 

Again at Gaydon but this time in the Atrium. A more developed full sized concept with a representation of the interior taken during 2018 and 2019.

Another prototype DBX made a surprise visit to No.10 Downing Street to celebrate St David’s Day in 2019. At the same time, other cars were shown being tested at Pirelli’s official test facility, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden.

All the photos of disguised prototypes were taken at an event at the Gaydon facility during the autumn of 2019. The yellow car is a much earlier development example whereas the red one is probably a later pre-production prototype and one of the first cars to be built at the new St Athan facility in Wales.

The production of the DBX was slightly affected by the Covid Pandemic but the first true production car came off the line during July 2020.

The Gen4 VH architecture features significant changes to the underbody structure which includes lowering the engine by 19mm. This has principally been done for compliance with the latest European Pedestrian Protection regulation without the need for complex deployable systems. That said, lowering of the engine has contributed to lowering the centre of gravity of the DB9 as a whole improving handling and driver response. The ‘new’ DB9 has a 20% increase in stiffness over the original model, it is also 15 kg lighter too.

The AM11 spec engine in the ‘new’ DB9 is exactly the same as fitted to the range topping Vanquish, but has been tuned to suit the character of the DB9. With peak power of 510 bhp, it is 40 bhp more powerful than the 2009MY DB9, 20 bhp more powerful than the previous Virage is therefore equal to the previous range topping GT, the DBS. As with the later original DB9 and Virage, the Gen4 DB9 is only available with six speed Touchtronic transmission with no manual option.

The ‘new’ DB9 braking system uses drilled Brembo Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) discs and monoblock calipers. The brakes are around 12.5kg lighter than a conventional system and on a GT in the price range of the DB9, CCM braking technology is rarely fitted as standard.

The 2013MY DB9 features Aston Martin’s ‘Gen4’ VH architecture version of the Adaptive Damping System (ADS). This next generation of ADS has been enhanced to include three modes; Normal, to deliver the greatest ride comfort, Sport, focused at delivering sharper handling and Track mode, where the damping operates within the range of the stiffest settings.

As with the previous Virage, the same 20 inch wheels come as standard, either 5 spoke as standard or a 10 spoke wheel as a cost option. In addition a new 10 spoke sport wheel, previously available on the DBS is available each of which is a kilo lighter than the standard wheel. Pirelli P Zero tyres are standard fit on the DB9 although Pirelli P Zero Corsa performance tyres are a cost option.

Two small but useful additions to the 2013MY DB9 are automatic rain sensing wipers and also headlights which automatically turn on and off according to the light levels in the surrounding environment. The ‘new’ DB9 can be specified as a 2+2 or as a 2+0 with lightweight seats use a carbon fibre and Kevlar composite structure, manufactured by Belco Avia,  who also supply the motorsports and aerospace industries. By specifying the lightweight seats, their is a significant weight saving of 17 kg per car.

Identifying the ‘new’ DB9 from the outgoing Virage is really quite difficult. All of the special features of the Virage such as the aerosol section front grille, revised side strake design, bi-xenon headlights, glass switches and the welt feature in the interior. One way is that the DB9 has a pronounced flip-up on the boot lid. Also as an option, the DB9 can be specified with an exterior carbon pack comprising carbon fibre front splitter, rear diffuser, exterior mirror heads and mirror arms as well as a graphitic finish tail pipe trim.

Production of the revised DB9 ended in the Summer of 2015 and the car was replaced by the more powerful DB9 GT.

On show at the Geneva Salon in March 2010 was a single, right hand drive silver car with a bright red leather interior which received much attention. I was fortunate to sit in and have a look around the luxuriously appointed cabin – it looked and smelt like an Aston yet had the feel of a Smart, very unusual to say the least.

Of course the Cygnet progressed from the concept stage to reach full production with only a small number of changes. The DB9 style door handles were dropped, the interior door handles were changed and the boot latch was relocated to beneath the lip.

The Frazer Tickford Metro is perhaps the spiritual grandfather of the Aston Martin Cygnet. It was introduced in 1981 at a price of £11,700 and was constructed by Aston Martin’s special engineering department, Tickford. Unlke the Cygnet, it was never badged as an Aston Martin though. It is believed that 26 were built and sold.

Top speed is probably only academic in a high-downforce track car, but AML stated 225mph with others suggesting 250. 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. 

The inspiration behind the Valkyrie AMR Pro is Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing together with 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.

Already by 2018, the then planned production run of 25 cars was already sold out by the time the concept was first shown, even at a suggested price in excess of £3,000,000. Delivery was anticipated to be during 2020 but this has was massively affected by the global pandemic and the difficulties of bringing such a complex car to market. 

Valkyrie AMR Pro Concept, Geneva Salon 2018

The regular DBX was discontinued in mid 2024 leaving the DBX 707 as the only model available.

The Centennial DB9 was to be  limited, as fitting for the occasion to just 100 cars; a mixture of  both coupe and Volante models each finished to an exacting specification. One of the most striking feature of the Centennial Edition DB9 is the use of unique ‘gradiated’ 2-tone paint scheme of Skyfall Silver with inner Meteorite Silver contrast on the bonnet of the car. The unique gradiated paint scheme is achieved by a meticulous process that adds an additional 18 man hours to the painting of the car. The darker inner colour is applied to the panels with a special “mini–jet” spray gun and once applied, the panel is then sanded using a very fine abrasive pad and a fresh coat of lacquer is applied. The panel is then finally sanded and polished to ensure that the line between the light and dark colours is totally smooth to even the lightest touch.

All the Centennial editions receive bespoke sterling silver AM wings badges, to a new design featuring additional rays within the wings visible through the transparent enamel. Numbered sill plaques, individually numbered with an Aston Martin hallmark and also of sterling silver are fitted.

The interior is finished in Deep-soft Obsidian Black Leather, previously only available of the One-77. It is similar to semi-aniline hide but goes through a more labour-intensive and exclusive process and dried naturally compared to normal semi-aniline that is forced dried. This makes the leather much softer and richer in its feel.

Detailed specification of the DB9 Centenary Edition is as follows:-

• ‘Gradiated’ 2-tone paint scheme of Skyfall Silver with Meteorite Silver contrast along the  bonnet and roof
• ‘Gradiated’ 2-tone paint scheme of Dana Point White with Lightning Silver contrast along the  bonnet and roof (China only)
• Also available as single tone Skyfall Silver, single tone Meteorite Silver or single tone Dana Point White (China only)
• Rear diffuser in contrast Meteorite Silver
• 10-spoke Silver Diamond turned Wheels
• Silver Brake Calipers
• Deep-soft Obsidian Black Leather and welt with silver stitching
• Silver thread embroidery of Aston Martin wings in the headrests
• Grey Blend Alcantara Headlining
• Obsidian Black Carpet and Binding
• Piano Black facia
• 1000W B&O sound system
• Customer Presentation Box with gifts

A total of only 35 DB9 Coupe Centenary editions were built and sold around the world making these a rare and highly desirable special edition Aston Martin. 

Images kindly provided by Aston Martin Lagonda

The Cygnet was powered by a 4 cylinder 1.33 litre front mounted engine with peak power of 97 bhp. Incredible that the tiny car actually had usable rear seats although it is described as a 3+1 whereby only one of the rear seats actually has any legroom. Carrying additional rear seat passengers limits greatly the luggage that can be carried and the extra weight of passengers does blunt performance somewhat. Actually relative performance (relative to other city cars) was quite impressive. The Cygnet could reach 106mph and 0-62 mph in 11.8 and 11.6 seconds (manual and CVT respectively). But supercar performance matters little in the city where the ability to nip through small gaps in the traffic and park in spaces that bigger cars drive past is paramount. The Cygnet is the smallest AM ever at just 3078mm long and 1680mm wide. The other performance parameter where the Cygnet excelled was emissions. When fitted with with optional CVT auto transmission, the car emitted only 120g/km of CO2, the six speed manual only 116. Every Cygnet sold helped to significantly lower the fleet vehicle CO2 emissions for AML and thus counter the European legislation foisting almost draconian cuts from each and every significant manufacturer. The other high end automotive brands are part of huge corporations with wide model ranges to share the burden of overall target reduction. Independent Aston Martin could not do this and this was another reason for the existence of the Cygnet. At one point, it was intended that the Cygnet would only be offered only to existing AM owners although this restriction was dropped long before the car reached the marketplace.

Following two years of production, it became apparent that demand for the manual Cygnet was somewhat behind the CVT version. Thus from February 2013, right hand drive cars with manual transmission were discontinued. Left hand drive cars with the manual box were also discontinued shortly after. Sadly, the Cygnet did not appeal to sufficient customers and by September 2013, the car was quietly dropped from the range with no plans for a replacement. Although Dr Bez, Aston Martin CEO would have liked to have seen electric Cygnets running around London during the Olympics in 2012, and also would have liked a supercharged version, neither plans came to fruition.

All but one production Cygent was built to ‘High Line’ specification. One single ‘Low Line’ was built to a lower specification and intended to be sold at a lower price point. For reasons unknown to me, this less expensive Cygnet was never brought to market.

All this makes the Cygnet quite a rare car………..a certain future classic… …collectable………..a cult car even. Without a doubt I would have to agree.