Aston Martin has released the first audio and images of the V12 engine that will power the Adrian Newey-designed Valkyrie hypercar.
Newey, who has designed some of the most successful Formula One cars of recent decades, started work on the Valkyrie project after becoming frustrated with F1's increasingly restrictive rule book. It has been designed as part of a collaboration with the Red Bull Racing F1 team, which Newey still works for, and promises to be one of the fastest road-legal cars in the world .
At the heart of the Valkyrie is a Cosworth-built V12 engine that is capable of producing an F1-matching 1000bhp. However, the concept of the engine is about as far removed from a modern F1 power unit as possible, with twice as many cylinders, no turbocharger and a displacement of 6.5 litres (F1 engines are limited to 1.6 litres). The combination of those factors -- and a red-line of 11,100rpm -- means the V12 has a spine-tingling exhaust note reminiscent of an F1 engine from the 1990s.
According to Aston Martin, the V12 features F1-spec titanium pistons and is just twice the weight of the 3.0-litre Cosworth V10 F1 engines of the mid-2000s. Considering it is a stressed element of the car, its 206kg mass is incredibly light for a road-going engine and lighter than the F1 V10 would have been if it had been scaled up to 6.5 litres.
When installed in the Valkyrie, it will be paired with a hybrid element to further boost power output, although details of the battery-based system will not be released until a later date.
"To anyone with a drop of petrol in their blood, a high-revving naturally aspirated V12 is the absolute pinnacle," Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda President, said. "Nothing sounds better or encapsulates the emotion and excitement of the internal combustion engine more completely. Despite the apparently insurmountable challenges it presented, there was never any question that the Aston Martin Valkyrie would make do with anything less.
"From the outset the team at Cosworth were unflinching in their commitment to achieving benchmarks which pushed the boundaries of the possible. The result is a quite extraordinary engine. One which I doubt will ever be surpassed."
Only 150 road-going Valkyries will be produced, with the first scheduled to hit the roads in 2019. The entire production run -- plus 25 track-only AMR Pro versions -- have already been sold for a prices in excess of £2.5 million.