Joining the Valiant, Valour, Valhalla and Valkyrie is the Valen, billed as the most powerful front-engined Aston Martin in the marque’s 113-year history. And as such, production is “strictly limited” to 150 units worldwide, with each reportedly commanding a base price of £1.5 million before taxes. The name is derived from the Latin term ‘valens’, meaning “strong” or “powerful”.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at what’s all the hoopla. The body has lots of sharp angles going on, making the styling look rather busy. Those sharp saw-tooth vortex generators on the trailing edge of the sill, for example, may look dangerous, but they’re functional, reducing lift and generating downforce. I’m not a fan of this color combo, but I think with a proper spec, the Valen will look vicious. Also, there’s no rear window, but there’s a tailgate that opens up a 170-litre trunk. Buyers can opt for an optional bespoke luggage set. While we are at the rear, notice the two upper and two lower exhaust tips.
Aston Martin claims that the Valen saves up to 110 kg (242.5 lbs)—most likely compared with the Vanquish—upon which it is based. This is achieved through employing materials such as carbon fibre, aluminium, titanium and magnesium. An optional lightweight pack featuring machined-from-solid aluminium suspension arms, knuckles and titanium chassis bolts makes up to 16.9 kg (37 lbs) of weight savings.
The 21-inch wheels, for example, are lightweight magnesium, minimising unsprung mass to further improve steering response. They’re shod with Pirelli P Zero R tyres, co-developed for an optimal balance between everyday usability and dynamic track capability. There’s also Pirelli’s latest Cyber Tyre technology, claimed to be the only hardware and software technology able to share real-time tyre data with the vehicle’s dynamic control systems.
The wheels hide carbon ceramic rotors, measuring 410 mm at the front and 360 mm at the rear. Other highlights include a solid-mounted rear subframe with model-specific springs, helper springs, and Bilstein DTX semi-active dampers.
Moving on to the business end of the story, the Valen packs a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, pumping out 625 kW (850 metric hp) and 1,000 Nm (737.5 lb-ft), enabling a 0-96.5 km/h (60 mph) sprint time of 3.0 seconds and a limited top speed of 344 km/h (214 mph). The engine is paired with a ZF 8-speed transmission, tuned for faster shifts. The icing on the cake is the lightweight titanium exhaust system with quad exhaust tips.
Inside, there are lots of 3D-printed elements, echoing the approach with previous limited-edition specials, such as Valkyrie and DBS Zagato. As for seats, there are options such as newly developed Sports Plus seats or lightweight carbon fibre performance seats.
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