New Aston Martin Valen is an 850hp V12 supercar

That’s because Monterey Car Week is in full swing in California, effectively the largest collection of car-loving, high-net-worth individuals on the planet. And lots of shiny, expensive cars vying for a spot in their affections and collections.

In among the nearly priceless classics and historic racers is a sprinkling of brand-new models, though as a sign of just how rarefied the atmosphere is around Monterey this month, the ones grabbing the headlines aren’t your common-or-garden sports cars or supercars; oh no, they’ve got to be highly exclusive too.

Are you going to get to the point any time soon?

Ok, ok, Aston Martin has used the week that’s in it to unveil its latest limited edition directly to the people that might actually buy it. Say hello to the spectacular new Aston Martin Valen, a front-engined supercar that is claimed to be the most powerful of its kind.

That’s one super looking supercar...

Agreed. Let’s start with that ankle-threatening front end. Slim, deeply recessed headlights sit beneath the sharp leading edge of a plunging bonnet, while it’s impossible to see where the angular radiator cooling intake stops and the gaping aerodynamic splitter begins. It puts the grrrrr into aggressive, that’s for sure.

There’s a single large vent in the long bonnet, giving the Valen a GT racer vibe, while the traditional Aston Martin side strake has been elongated, though it’s functional, drawing air out of the front wheelarches.

The rake of the windscreen and the door profile may be familiar, but there’s a hell of a lot more going on at the side of the Valen, notably along the dramatically rising side sills, visually cut into by saw-tooth vortex generators finished in a contrasting silver colour.

Again, these are functional, said to “pull highspeed airflow from beneath the car to reduce lift and generate downforce.” Their colour is repeated in the upswept Gurney flap, giving the rear of the Valen a highly technical appearance.

Beneath that is a slender, full-width LED light strip that comes from the same school of design as that of the Aston Martin Vantage. The whole rear bumper appears to be part of the aerodynamic package, with an obvious diffusor shape and intricate sculpting.

Through it poke four exhaust outlets, though in an unusual layout, with two set high up and two much lower down and positioned closer to the middle of the car. Oh yeah, and there’s no rear window.

So the engine is in the back?

The exhaust layout and lack of a window might suggest as much, but no, the Valen is a front-engined vehicle. Well, front-mid if we’re being technical, as the powerplant is mounted really far back in the chassis to better distribute its weight.

Aston - thankfully - is persevering with its glorious V12 engine and the Valen gets its most powerful one yet, squeezing 850hp and 1,000Nm of torque from the twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre unit.

That means 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds and a top speed - ostensibly “limited” - of 345km/h. The V12 is connected to the rear-mounted, eight-speed automatic transmission via a carbon-fibre shaft and there’s an electronically controlled limited-slip differential for the rear wheels.

Purists may wonder why there’s no manual gearbox, but Aston does say that the gearbox calibration is unique to the Valen and inspired by that of the Vantage GT4 race programme.

Notably, there doesn’t appear to be the usual everyday ‘GT’ driving mode on hand in this car, just Sport, Sport+ and Track. Interestingly, Simon Newton - Aston Martin Director of Vehicle Performance - tells us that the throttle map means less pedal movement for more response in the road-biased Sport settings, but a ‘longer’ pedal in Track mode allows for more precision on the limit.

Ah, so it’s still a car for those that love to drive?

It would appear so. Development work has been carried out to ensure the Valen feels even more intense than the existing V12-engined Astons such as the Vanquish, extending to direct steering and the geometry of the suspension, along with changes to the stability control, braking and the dampers themselves.

The latter are Bilstein DTX ‘semi-active’ items, while the Valen gets its own springs and even a solid-mounted rear subframe as part of a suite of measures targeting structural stiffness and immediacy of response.

There are massive carbon-ceramic brake discs front and rear, which you can see through the 21-inch magnesium wheels, which wear Pirelli P-Zero R AML tyres, incidentally.

Aston talks about a 110kg overall weight reduction over its “core V12 platform”, which we believe includes the optional lightweight pack featuring machined-from-solid aluminium suspension arms, knuckles and titanium chassis bolts.

The Valen’s bodywork is made of carbon fibre as well and, while the car pictured here is finished in an eye-catching ‘Satin Andromeda Red’ from the Q Ultra range, buyers can customise their Valen to their heart’s desire. There’s a fully exposed carbon-fibre exterior option, for example.

Presumably the interior is a bit special, too?

Aston Martin says “visual lightness” was one of the main themes inside, mirroring the engineering effort to remove mass elsewhere in the Valen.

The most obvious change in comparison to most other current Astons is a much slimmer centre console. Its construction makes use of 3D-printed components and incorporates the performance-focused switchgear first introduced on the Valhalla.

It looks great, though we would miss the fabulously tactile physical switchgear for the climate control etc. that means you don’t have to use the touchscreen too much in other Astons.

There are two seat choices. Newly developed Sports Plus seats are intended to combine lateral support with comfort over longer journeys, while lightweight carbon-fibre performance seats cater for owners that might actually use the Velan on track.

Buyers initially choose either Semi-Aniline Leather with Alcantara or full Semi-Aniline Leather, followed by Monotone, Duotone, Light Duotone, Tritone or Driver Focused material layouts.

The amount of the ‘quilting’ increases through those trim levels, progressing from areas such as the door panels through to seats and, at the upper end, the headlining.

The Driver Focused treatment can visually distinguish the driver’s seat, while a separate accent pack introduces contrasting colour details. There are more 3D-printed pieces around the cabin, too. Their perforated appearance references the cooling apertures on the exterior, while items such as the air vents have been simplified to reduce visual clutter.

Naturally for something created through Q, there’s considerable scope for personalisation as well, including a newly developed range of anodised finishes. This car is a strict two-seater, incidentally, and there’s a small 170-litre space in the back for luggage.

What does Valen mean?

It can be traced back to the Latin word ‘valens’, vaguely meaning strong or powerful, while Aston Martin has a long history of using nameplates beginning with ‘V’. Actually, its first front-engined, V12 supercar was the One-77 of 2009. That was followed up in 2015 by the track-only Vulcan. Then came the one-off Aston Martin Victor, which influenced both the Valour and Valiant specials. These, and the limited-edition V12 Vantage, all used the same core 5.2-litre V12 as the Valen.

Ok, the big question: how much?

Ha, that is probably quite literally a million-dollar question. We don’t have the answer, and really, the old ‘if you have to ask’ line applies. Not that you’d be guaranteed a build slot even if you had infinite funds, as just 150 examples of the Aston Martin Valen will be made and, knowing how the company engages with its collectors and buyers, odds are that it’s more or less sold out already. If you fancy a little daydreaming, however, pop along to configurator.astonmartin.com and build your own perfect version. It’s about as close as most of us will get to the real thing without hopping on a plane to California this week.

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