A closer look at the Aston Martin Valkyrie

The highly-promising Aston Martin Valkyrie has today been revealed in near-production form.

The British firm has released details and images of the car’s cockpit along with extensive weight-saving and aerodynamic systems that promise to make the Valkyrie a true game-changer for the Aston Martin brand.

Just 150 of the road-going hypercars – all of which are said to catered for – will be produced along with an additional 25 strictly track units. First deliveries will commence in 2019.

Beyond the car’s gullwing-style doors, the Adrian Newey-inspired Valkyrie features two low-set seats canvassed in a pod-like structure devoid of a rear window. The seats are moulded directly to the car’s carbon-fibre tub and are fashioned for a racecar-like feet-up driving position. A four-point harness is standard.

Minimalist ergonomics transcend the interior space, with most controls concentrated on the Valkyrie’s rectangular steering wheel. Traditional exterior mirrors are replaced by left- and right-hand facing cameras projected onto a centrally-mounted screen.

The cockpit sits between two large, full-length venturi tunnels that draw air from underneath the car to feed a the rear diffuser.

The Valkyrie's aero structure will be crucial in fulfilling the promise of Aston boss Andy Palmer that it will “lap Silverstone as fast as an F1 car”.

Miles Nurnberger, creative director of exterior design at Aston, described the pictured body as about “95 per cent of the way there”.

“Much of what you see is actually the structure of the car, so this had to be signed-off relatively early in the project,” he said.

“The remaining areas of non-structural bodywork are still subject to evolution and change as Adrian [Newey] continues to explore way of finding more downforce. The new outlets in the body are a case in point.”

Little is known about the car’ suspension at this point, but Aston has performed its fair share of chest-beating over the Valkyrie’s mechanical package: a naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre Cosworth V12 linked with F1-style regenerative hybrid powertrain. Combined, the package is set to boast about 850kW.

With a kerb weight of about 1000kg, the Valkyrie will go close to delivering a phenomenal 1-to-1 horsepower to kilogram ratio. And it promises to look a treat whilst doing so.