Aston Martin’s new hypercar is an 1,100 horsepower asphalt rocket

Aston Martin recently returned to Formula One (with Red Bull Racing) after more than half a century away, a moment it celebrated by making the Valkyrie: an outrageous hypercar with 1,000 horsepower that weighs just 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds). That, apparently, was not enough, because today the famous British automaker revealed a track-only version of the Valkyrie at the Geneva Motor Show that pairs some wild new bodywork with a hybrid V12 powertrain that stretches the car to more than 1,100 horsepower.

The new Valkyrie adopts Aston Martin’s “AMR Pro” designation that the company typically uses for its track-focused special edition cars. We’ve actually known it was coming for a while, as the first sketches of the car were released late last year. But this is the first time Aston Martin has pulled the cover off the real thing, and also the first we’ve heard some — but nowhere near all — of the car’s final specs.

That 1,100-plus horsepower will be pushing a car that is still just 1,000 kilograms, which Aston Martin has maintained by ditching basically all the creature comforts of the road Valkyrie. The infotainment screen and the heating / ventilation system have been chucked out the window, which by the way is also now made of polycarbonate instead of glass. The Valkyrie AMR Pro is also riddled with lightweight carbon fiber, whether it’s in the suspension work or the body itself.

Only 25 will be made and, yes, they’re already sold

What was already a radically aerodynamic shape on the original Valkyrie has now been taken to extremes, with big changes to the car’s front and rear wings. It also has active aerodynamics that respond to the way the car moves through the air, adapting in real time to let as much air pass over (or through) the car as possible in order to reduce friction. The result of all this is that the Valkyrie AMR Pro generates more than its own weight in aerodynamic downforce, which helps it scream up to its 225 mile per hour top speed.

That sounds fun to drive in a way that almost makes the original Valkyrie seem boring. But, as is the case with most hypercars like this, an ice cube has a better chance of surviving a trip through the sun than you or I do in driving this thing. Aston Martin is making just 25 of these asphalt rocketships, and all of them have been sold. No price was given, but they’ll be delivered starting in 2020. So in the meantime, I’m, uh, going to go try to make some fancy new friends.