Photo Credit: Aston Martin
We still don’t know what it will cost perspective owners to put a 2025 Corvette ZR1 in their respective garages, but no matter what the final sum is, the European supercar establishment continues to guarantee its status as a bargain dream machine!
The latest firm to provide such peace of mind to would-be ZR1 buyers is Aston Martin. After a five-and-a-half-year gestation period that involved several major changes, the brand most famous for its ties to the James Bond franchise finally took the cover off of the finished version of its midengine Valhalla hypercar.
The Valhalla is set to hit the market as a 2026 model. Under its back glass resides a twin-turbo, flat-plane, dry-sump AMG-based 4.0L V8 that sends its 817 horsepower to the rear axle. Like the workaday Corvette E-Ray, its front wheels are motivated by electricity. As what the Brits call a “petrol head,” it always feels outlandish to detail the electric bit of modern powertrains, but here it goes: a pair of radial flux (yes, that’s their real name!) e-motors send their power to the front corners, while a third is integrated into the rear transaxle. The plug-in part of the system is served by a liquid-cooled 6.0-kWh battery pack.
Ironically, all of this complexity yields exactly 1,064 horsepower, just like Detroit’s new all-internal combustion Bad Boy! Beyond the hybrid powerplant that also makes 811 lb-ft, the Valhalla features a new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that interestingly doesn’t have a reverse gear. Instead, it relies on the front e-motors to motivate the car when backing. Electric motor number three also takes care of starting the V8, helps with gear synchronization, and minimizes turbo lag by filling in torque gaps. The ‘Halla also features a Tumbler-style “silent mode” where it is able to run on pure electric power in traffic or during steady driving to save fuel.
Carbon ceramic brakes, race car-inspired aerodynamics good for a claimed max of 1,323 lbs. of downforce, adaptive Bilstein dampers, Michelin Cup 2 (no R) rubber, and optional lightweight magnesium wheels round out the technical highlights. In spite of space-age carbon fiber and aluminum construction, the four combined powerplants and 560 individual battery cells conspire to punish the scales. Aston is claiming a 3,649-pound dry weight (mass before the typical 150+ lbs. of fluid – oil, fuel, coolant, various lubricants – is added to the mix).
Just 999 of these English ZR1s will be built at an estimated base price of $1,000,000 a pop, again reminding us American commoners how fortunate we are that General Motors still makes the Corvette and has continued using it to punch ever-higher into the performance stratosphere to give us a glimmer of hope that we too could gain entry into the once unimaginable showroom 1,000 horsepower club!
Source:
Photos by Aston Martin
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