Aston Valhalla completes testing ahead of launch

While it’s always exciting for a new car to be revealed online, there’s nothing to match the thrill of something never before seen on the public road. That time is getting nearer and nearer for the Aston Martin Valhalla. And for a few drivers near Silverstone, they’ve already had the privilege, as the plug-in Aston hypercar completes final validation testing. 

You’re not going to miss it, that’s for certain. If (pleasingly) more compact on an A-road than expected, the Valhalla packs a punch in terms of visual drama: those exhausts shooting for the skies and the rear diffuser really do look incredible alongside a conventional numberplate. Ditto the gaping front grille. 

The road car seen here is a Satin Scintilla Silver Valhalla with a Lime Green livery, on UK tarmac for final damper calibration. And if you’re thinking it looks spectacular enough, but wondering what a brighter colour might do for it, you’re in luck, as there are track cars as well.

At the IDIADA facility in Spain, a pair of prototypes – Podium Green with Lime Green livery and Verdant Jade with a Valkyrie Gold livery – are being pushed to their limit by Darren Turner. The job on the wet and dry handling circuits there is to finalise steering and active aero, plus thermal braking system performance. No small task, given the performance potential of 1,079hp plus the regen abilities of the hybrid system.

However, the end is in sight, with production of 999 Valhallas set to begin in the second quarter of this year. Which we’re almost in now, so hopefully a matter of weeks away. Simon Newton, Aston’s Director of Vehicle Performance and Attributes said, “For the engineering and dynamics teams, the unprecedented dynamic bandwidth that distinguishes Valhalla from its rivals has presented many new opportunities during development… To harness and refine the power to deliver an exceptional supercar experience on both road and track has meant tireless work has gone into the integration of active aerodynamics and integrated control systems.”

Not long until those lucky few begin to discover just what that effort has created. For the rest of us, the configurator remains live – Ultra Yellow looks pretty smart…