The Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider has been revealed, bringing a convertible driving experience to the firm’s Formula 1-inspired hypercar.
A few revisions differentiate the Spider from the coupe version to account for the lack of a roof, such as a tweaked carbon-fibre structure and a recalibration of both the active aerodynamics and active chassis systems.
The Valkyrie project has come from a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the technology arm of the Red Bull Racing F1 team.
As such, it has technology derived from F1, including the aerodynamics system and the low down driving position.
The high downforce setup comes from the Venturi tunnels that run either side of the cockpit floor, which draw huge amounts of air to feed the rear diffuser. By doing this, the Valkyrie doesn’t need large wings that create drag on the upper bodywork.
To make this a convertible, the Valkyrie gets a bespoke removable roof made from a carbon-fibre panel paired with polycarbonate roof windows. It can be removed by opening the doors and lifting it out of place.
Aston Martin has made modifications to the carbon-fibre tub to accommodate the roof, while the doors have been redesigned to tilt forwards.
The engine remains unchanged from the coupe, with the hybrid V12 making 1,138bhp. It’s capable of more than 205mph with the roof off or over 217mph with it in place.
Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer, said: “Right from the very beginning of the Aston Martin Valkyrie project we were driven by exacting targets that went way beyond any previous road car and the Valkyrie Spider brings that same ethos to the open cockpit hypercar category.
“What you see is a simple removable roof panel, but the challenge of remaining true to the Valkyrie concept was anything but. Maintaining aerodynamic performance with the roof removed was of paramount importance, likewise keeping any unavoidable weight gains to an absolute minimum whilst maximising enjoyment for the driver.”
Just 85 examples of the Valkyrie Spider will be made, with Aston Martin saying registrations are already oversubscribed. It will begin allocations soon with first deliveries expected in the second half of 2022.
