It takes a Stroll through troubled Aston Martin to realise Valhalla
Ever since Canadian billionaire, Lawrence Stroll (actual name: Lawrence Sheldon Strulovitch) headed-up a consortium of investors to buy the Force India F1 team and also Aston Martin, highlights Iain Robertson, the firms’ fortunes appear to have taken an upturn.
Ever the dutiful son, Lawrence took over from his father’s Canadian interests in fashion clothing brands, Pierre Cardin and Ralph Lauren, expanding his Sportswear Holdings company with Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Asprey & Garrard. A keen Ferrari owner, possessing a fascination for motorsport, the 62-year-old actually sold his stakes in a truly mixed bag of renowned brands by 2014. He still owns Quebec’s Circuit Mont-Tremblant. With his son, Lance, seeking a Formula One drive, his consortium of investors acquired the Silverstone-based Force India in 2018, his lad obtaining a seat in 2019. At around the same time, he also started the ball rolling to acquire a 16.7% (£182m) rescue stake in Aston Martin and, renaming the race team, the famous brand has now returned to F1 for the first time in more than 60 years.
Lawrence has earned evidently a gilt-edged reputation, which is helping to strengthen Aston Martin. However, he is not the first multimillionaire to pursue his passions and rue the day, as any delving into Aston Martin’s financial past will reveal. Yet, he also brokered a 5% shareholding deal with Daimler-Benz, which has led to the German carmaker’s former boss of Mercedes-AMG, Tobias Moers, joining Aston as Chief Executive. It could be termed as a very smart move.
While the company remains headquartered at Gaydon, Warwickshire, alongside Jaguar Land Rover, plans are already afoot to consolidate its standing, to cut waste and concentrate on the company’s strengths, part of which involves a rebirth for the super-luxury Lagonda brand. While replacements for the current model range of Astons are set to arrive in coming months, a wholly new plug-in hybrid supercar, which has already been named as Valhalla, has been revealed, with first customer cars set for delivery in autumn 2023.
Naturally, as a hybrid, should the production plans for around 500 examples annually be realised, Valhalla and subsequent developments can continue in production until 2035 in the current electrification calendar. Apart from wearing a stylised Aston Martin grille and depending on racing-derived suspension and aerodynamics, it is suggested that the 1.55-tonne 937bhp supercar will be sold for a more realistic £600-700,000, which contrasts starkly with the £1m+ price tags of several of its potential rivals.
There is no surprise that, with Merc-AMG as a primary supplier to Aston, Valhalla’s power unit is a bespoke, mid-mounted, biturbo, 4.0-litre V8 that features a flat-plane crankshaft supplied by the German carmaker, driving the rear wheels through an 8-speed twin-clutch automated-manual transmission (paddle shifters), with an electric reverse gear that saves gearbox weight. Its high power output is augmented by a pair of electric motors (around 204bhp; 150kW of battery power), one for each axle, and like the Ferrari SF90, it is the front one only that provides up to 10mls and up to 80mph of pure EV use, the second unit aiding high-speed stability, when digging into the power curve. Early test figures suggest that the 0-60mph sprint will be possible in around 2.3s, with a projected top speed of 217mph. Although I wish that it had not, Aston Martin has already targeted a lap of the Nürburgring Circuit in Germany in a record-breaking 6m 30s.
The power unit sits in a carbon-fibre tub that is designed for maximum rigidity but a low weight penalty. Although not as radical as the race-based concept Valkyrie model that was also revealed recently at the annual Goodwood event, its aero-package channels flow beneath the car, with an active front splitter and rear wing that are already said to provide a remarkable 600kgs of downforce at 150mph. Pushrod style front suspension and a multi-link rear set-up, with the dampers and springs mounted inboard to reduce the unsprung weight, can be adjusted electronically in the lowest setting for superior tarmac performance, while the car’s nose can be raised realistically to provide clearance for speed humps and severe camber changes.
While the interior detailing is being withheld at present, Valhalla’s digital dashboard will be driver focused and friendly and rely on a large touchscreen to access most major functions. The strictly two-seat and climate-controlled cockpit is accessed through a pair of dihedral flip-up doors and, while carbon-fibre will be visible, comfort levels will be leather and Alcantara enhanced. Fixing the seats to the tub means that both foot pedals and steering column adjustments are necessary to match different driver statures. As a road car, Valhalla features a full complement of ADAS allied to high levels of connectivity and adaptive LED Matrix headlamps are designed to maximise nocturnal visibility.
A distinctive roof scoop feeds air directly into the V8 engine’s intakes, with additional side and rear inlets and vents integrated smoothly into the overall body design. High performance Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes (complete with brake-by-wire technology) guarantee exceptional stopping power and bespoke Michelin tyres (20-inch diameter front, 21-inch rear) developed specifically for Valhalla’s forged and lightweight spoked alloy wheels provide a final and vital layer of engineered excellence.
Instantly recognisable, from the frontal aspect at least, as an Aston Martin, the resultant appearance is strikingly bold. The building of ‘prototypes’ is very costly, especially to smaller, specialist carmakers. The Valkyrie, as a working concept, may be considered as wasteful but Valhalla has actually been on Aston’s drawing boards since 2018. That it is now being lined up for full production, as suggested above, is a brave gesture but the company does need a flagship model that provides a convenient link between its F1 racing programme and its road cars.
Possessing over a century of history, some of which has been truly shaky, does warrant the most recent rescue exercise of Aston Martin. Whether it will work (or not) depends on the ongoing confidence of Lawrence Stroll and his various investors. Personally, I reckon it might.
