WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COMBOAT LIFEDECEMBER 2017
Aston Martin’s
Valkyrie blends
the marque’s
signature design
with an F1 car’s
aerodynamicsThis new class of road-
legal racer combines
outrageous power
with astounding gripMERCEDES-AMG PROJECT ONE ASTON MARTIN VALKYRIEPrice:$2.5 million
Powertrain:1,130hp (1,000hp V12,
130hp electric motor)
Worldwide production: 150Price: $2.8 million
Powertrain: 1,022hp (700hp V6-Turbo,
two 161hp electric motors)
Worldwide production: 275
he quest for superlatives is ingrained in the
American spirit. So it follows that a term for
a vehicle that raises the bar on the supercar
needed to be invented. This new class of
road-legal racer combines outrageous power with
astounding grip, plus state of the art technology and
aerodynamic aides. It also comes with extremely limited
weight and production numbers, and extortionate price
tags. Welcome to the world of the hypercar.
Million dollar vehicles like the Ferrari LaFerrari,
Porsche 918 Spyder, and McLaren P1 helped to
formalize this category some years back. Now two new
entrants have joined the ranks. They both achieve
similar aims – quadruple digit horsepower; mind
bending acceleration – but in very different ways.T
The Aston Martin Valkyrie is intended to dominate
the road. Built with Adrian Newey, chief engineer for
Formula One championship winning team Red Bull
Racing, the two-seater combines the elegant and
restrained design for which the British brand is known
with the extruded aerodynamic sculpting associated
with F1 race cars. But instead of a small screaming
engine, the Aston relies on a honking 6.5 liter V12 (and
a boosting electric motor) to produce its 1,130hp and
250mph-plus top speed.
Mercedes’ F1 team capped Red Bull’s winning streak
a few years ago and has dominated the sport ever since.
Capitalizing on this, its Project One, developed with
AMG, is closely related to its current F1 racer, featuring
a similar tiny, extremely high-revving 1.6 liter turbo-
charged V6 and battery-powered hybrid propulsion
system. The styling reflects the team’s technical
triumphs in a compelling and contemporary idiom.
What can possibly follow the hypercar? We’ll have to
wait and see. Though their production runs are already
sold out, these vehicles will not be available to their
patient, well heeled owners until 2019.Project One, a
Mercedes AMG
collaboration, is a
race car for the road
Two new seven-figure entries have blasted their
way into the elite hypercar category, says Brett BerkHyper active
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