Aston Martin Valhalla
With a rich racing heritage
A simple and functional cockpit like that of a racing car.
There is no doubt that the overwhelming success story of the supercar industry is the Maranello business model. Lamborghini, which could be called a rival (cow?), is also a brand that has grown significantly thanks to this business success story, but its sales volume is still less than half of Maranello’s.
Ferrari is strong, and that’s why many brands are following in its footsteps, especially those that have the opportunity to build a brand business with F1 at its apex. For example, British brand McLaren continues to try.
There is another long-established brand that has joined the ranks: Aston Martin. Of course, they too are a brand with a rich racing heritage. In the early days, they competed in F1 and won at Le Mans. However, unlike Ferrari and McLaren, they have not continued to compete in F1, the pinnacle of motorsports. They have also had their dark days. Compared to Ferrari and McLaren, there are still far fewer car enthusiasts who can associate Aston Martin with F1.
Lawrence Stroll became a major shareholder
Aston Martin has its own test track at Silverstone Circuit in the UK.
After all, their return to the F1 circus (2021) after a 61-year absence was in some ways abrupt. It all began when Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who had bought Force India, renamed it Racing Point, and had his son Lance racing, became a major shareholder in Aston Martin, and changed the name of their F1 team to Aston Martin. Since then, they have been building and competing in cars at Silverstone, modifying the facilities they used during their time with Jordan.
In 2023, the 110th anniversary of the company’s founding, they completely revamped their F1 factory. This was a sign that Lawrence had finally decided to seriously aim for the top of F1. After all, it is equipped with the world’s most advanced simulator and wind tunnel testing tunnel (60%), as well as a variety of large and small CFRP molding autoclaves, making it the largest in the F1 world.
Of the three buildings, even the smallest one, which houses the simulator, is twice the size of the previous factory. Furthermore, it has been decided that Honda’s works PU will be used from the 2026 season. Winning designer Adrian Newey has also joined the team. Now, if only the driver pieces were in place, the team would be guaranteed a win.
As the final piece
Aston Martin’s latest model, the Valhalla, delivers aggressive performance.
In short, Lawrence wants to reach the top of F1 at all costs, and once he does, he believes that his current road car business (plus official merchandising) will also see a virtuous cycle similar to that of Maranello.
As proof of this, the road car lineup is now being expanded and further upgraded, and it can be said that the lineup is now almost the same as that of Maranello.
The two-seater sports car “Vantage” is equivalent to the “296” series, despite being a FR, “DB12” is equivalent to the “Roma” or “Amalfi”, “Vanquish” is equivalent to the “12 Chilindori”, “DBX” is equivalent to the “Purosangue”, and “Valkyrie” is equivalent to the “SP3 Daytona” or “F80”. In addition, they are also planning to sell track-specific models for ultra-VIP customers and enhance activities.
Aston Martin’s product lineup has now become as comprehensive as ever, but compared to Maranello’s, there is one category that is lacking: mid-engine supercars. The Valhalla is the final piece in this category.
The signal for the pursuit of Maranello
At a test drive event held at Silverstone.
The Valhalla is a plug-in hybrid model equipped with two electric motors in the front and one in the rear, which are combined with a V8 twin-turbo and an 8-speed DCT to achieve over 1000 PS. This perfectly matches up with Maranello’s SF90 XX Stradale. It’s also in roughly the same price range. Yet, it boasts a number of features that surpass the Prancing Horse, such as a carbon monocoque body and beautiful sports prototype design. It’s safe to say that this is one of the most unmissable cars for supercar fans right now.
With a winning system in the F1 circus, an expanded road car lineup, and a wide range of activities for VIP customers, Aston Martin is now in a position where it has all but finished chasing Maranello, even before fellow British carmaker McLaren.
Will Lawrence’s ambitions come to fruition? I’ll be keeping an eye on next season’s F1, which will see major changes to the regulations. As a Japanese, I’ll be watching and hoping for Honda’s success…
PHOTO／Aston Martin Lagonda
