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Aston Martin spars with WEC over Valkyrie's exit from racing

Confirming an earlier rumor, Aston Martin announced it has stopped developing the track-going version of the Valkyrie it planned to enter in the World Endurance Championship's (WEC) new Hypercar category. It blamed its decision on a recent change in the regulations, but the sanctioning body responded that's not the full story. The British company explained it's unhappy with the WEC's decision to harmonize the Hypercar class with the LMDh category and the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship during the early 2020s. Without providing additional details, it declared the Valkyrie will not make its racing debut at the Silverstone track in August 2020 and it will not challenge Glickenhaus, Toyota, Peugeot and others in the 2021 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It added it's considering canceling the program altogether, meaning the Valkyrie would never race. Aston Martin isn't quitting racing; far from it. It will continue to enter the Vantage GTE in WEC events around the world, and the Racing Point Formula One team will be rebranded Aston Martin after the 2020 season. The sudden and unexpected entry into Formula One led by investor Lawrence Stroll may have played a role in convincing executives to cancel the Hypercar program. Racing is expensive, and Aston isn't doing well. The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that regulates the WEC doused cold water on Aston's explanation. It opined the harmonization doesn't impact the category, and it pledged to prove this claim when it releases additional technical specifications in March 2020. It instead blamed the decision to withdraw the Valkyrie from racing on the highly-publicized financial issues that have plagued Aston since 2019. "The decision announced by Aston Martin is very regrettable but perhaps not unexpected in light of the persistent rumors over the last six months concerning the fragility of the brand's exposure in the rapidly-evolving automotive market," it wrote. As of writing, executives haven't responded to these allegations. Aston Martin and the FIA both noted they're open to working with each other to find a solution, but the carmaker's statement is highly ambiguous. It affirms Aston's future presence in the racing world will be "defined by its activities at the highest level of both single-seater competition and endurance GT racing" and glaringly leaves the Hypercar category behind. To us, it sounds like the program has already been consigned to the attic.

Here's what Top Gear thinks of the Aston Martin Vulcan

With a limited run of just 24 units, the Aston Martin Vulcan isn't an easy vehicle to get your hands on. Even if you find one, the next challenge is locating a suitable track to drive it because these rare beasts aren't street legal. Top Gear (the website, not the TV show) arranged both and reported on the amazing experience of driving this rare hypercar in must-read story. Top Gear lapped the Vulcan around the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit and came away thoroughly impressed. The author admits that the McLaren P1 GTR has a greater output, but driving the Aston Martin is still an incredibly visceral experience. Downshifts judder through the chassis, flames shoot from the side pipes, and the 820-horsepower V12 screams. "Five laps and I'm spent – I start to get a headache, I need to drink, sweat gathers, ears ring," the writer says. The Vulcan trains its handful of wealthy owners to be racers, but the interior still cossets them in Aston Martin's traditional luxury. As they learn the car, drivers can turn the power up from 550 hp, 675 hp, and to the full 820 hp when they feel ready. The suspension is also fully adjustable. So there's a touch of understeer out of the box, but a person can mitigate that as they gain experience. Plus, the writer claims the cabin fit and finish is marvelous. Head over to Top Gear to get the full story, it's well worth a read. Related Video:

James Bond 1965 Aston Martin DB5 movie car up for auction

Aston Martin made headlines and sparked strong emotions when it announced it would be building fully-functional continuation versions of the famous gadget-laden 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from the James Bond film Goldfinger. But if a modern replica doesn't cut it, you'll have the opportunity to buy an original Goldfinger-specification Aston Martin DB5 this summer. It will go to auction at RM Sotheby's event in Monterey during Pebble Beach week, and it also features functional gadgets. This particular car is one of two 1965 Aston Martin DB5 ordered up by Eon Productions, the company behind Goldfinger and the next film Thunderball. Both cars were purchased and used as promotional cars in the U.S. for Thunderball. While they weren't used on screen, they did get all the gadgets from the film, and according to RM Sotheby's, the functioning gadgets were installed by Aston Martin and built to be used repeatedly and reliably, unlike the film cars. The auction house notes that the car has only had three private owners. It's also went through a complete restoration that was finished in 2012. That restoration also included the gadgets, so you should be able to raise the bullet-proof shield, extend the bumper overriders, activate the smoke screen, front guns and oil slick. Presumably the ejector seat doesn't actually work, but the panel above is removable. The various toggle switches along with the weapon drawer and tracking screen are all accounted for, too. When the car goes across the block in August, the price will certainly be in the seven figure range. The car was previously sold by RM Sotheby's in 2006, and it went for $2,090,000. The car had not been fully restored at that point, either, so it should go for even more this year. We'll be curious to see if it matches the $3.6 million price of the continuation cars.