When you think of a hybrid car, usually something efficient and sensible such as a Toyota Prius springs to mind, but in the case of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, the electrified component is all about performance. Following the road-going coupe and the track-only AMR Pro, the mid-engined hypercar is losing its fixed roof for a new street-legal Spider derivative debuting this week at Pebble Beach.
Co-developed with Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) to benefit from its vast Formula 1 expertise, the new Valkyrie Spider features a removable roof panel and swaps out the coupe’s gullwing doors for dihedral doors. It retains the hybrid powertrain of the regular model, based around a Cosworth-developed naturally aspirated V12. The 6.5-liter combustion engine and electric motor work harmoniously to develop a massive combined output of 1,140 horsepower.
The gasoline engine revs to over 11,000 rpm while the electric motor has been developed by Rimac to provide an extra boost and complement the V12. The hybrid system helps the Valkyrie Spider reach a top speed of 350 km/h (218 mph) with the roof in place, while removing the top lowers the maximum velocity to 330 km/h (205 mph).
Aston Martin has engineered the droptop version with a pair of polycarbonate roof windows that can be easily removed after opening the doors, which lift forwards and were purpose-built for the Valkyrie Spider. The electrified hypercar is marginally heavier and nearly as sleek as the coupe as two main focuses during development were to keep the weight and aerodynamic penalties down to a minimum.
Only 85 units are planned for production and Aston Martin says its fastest and most powerful road-going convertible will be sold in both left- and right-hand-drive configurations. Customer deliveries are going to begin in the second half of 2022, and interested parties will be able to place their orders in the near future.
The British high-end brand claims the Valkyrie Spider is already a commercial hit as the company has more early adopters than the entire production run, with allocations to begin shortly. On display at Pebble Beach in Monterey, California until Sunday, the ultra-fast convertible will be shown only based on invitation.
Source: Aston Martin
