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Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro production car revealed

Three years ago, Aston Martin showed what it had in mind for an extra-serious AMR Pro version of the Valkyrie hypercar. It was part of a splashy Geneva display with other supercars, and it was leading into Aston's plans to take the Valkyrie to Le Mans. Then there were financial issues, a postponement of Le Mans competition, and that whole pandemic thing. But now, the regular Valkyrie is going to reach customers soon, and Aston Martin has revealed the production version of the Valkyrie AMR Pro. Aston notes that this AMR Pro Valkyrie was developed using a lot of what the company learned from the race car program, and even going a bit beyond since the AMR Pro doesn't have to meet the rules for Le Mans. The company also brings up an expected lap time of 3 minutes 20 seconds at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the track used for 24 Hours of Le Mans. For reference, Toyota's LMP race cars with no production car roots have lapped between 3 minutes 14 seconds and 3 minutes 17 seconds. Besides being an impressive theoretical time, the racing reference has us hoping the company will one day enter the Valkyrie in the recently created hypercar class. Setting aside the Le Mans connections, the Valkyrie AMR Pro really does have some major modifications compared to the standard car. The chassis is made lighter with additional carbon fiber, such as for the suspension control arms, as well as Perspex windows. The whole car is 10.5 inches longer overall due to more aggressive aerodynamic aids that double the amount of downforce the Valkyrie produces. With it, Aston claims the Valkyrie AMR Pro can produce cornering forces as great as 3G. The wheelbase is 15 inches longer, the front track is 3.8 inches wider, and the rear track is 4.5 inches wider. As for the powertrain, the Valkyrie AMR Pro will still use a version of the 6.5-liter Cosworth V12, but unlike the standard version, the AMR Pro will ditch the electric motor and its related components. This is a move to further reduce weight. Power will also be down slightly to 1,000 horsepower. Of course, that's still a lot of power, and the 11,000-rpm redline will remain. When Aston initially showed the AMR Pro, it said it would only build 25 examples. That seems to have increased, as now Aston says it will build 40 examples, plus two prototypes. A price hasn't been given, nor has availability, but apparently deliveries will start at the end of this year, not long after the regular cars reach owners. Related Video:

Aston Martin reveals Vanquish Zagato Speedster, confirms Shooting Brake

Today is a big day for fans of Zagato-bodied Aston Martins. The company has revealed the production version of the Vanquish Zagato Volante (the gray car above), a soft-top version of the beautiful Vanquish Zagato Coupe. It has the same 580-horsepower V12 as every Vanquish Zagato has, as well as a customized interior covered in so many "Z"s you'd think it was actually an Aston Martin Zoro. It's in production now, but every example has already sold out. It isn't the only open air Zagato to be shown today, though. Aston announced it is expanding its line of limited production Vanquish Zagatos with a Speedster and an upcoming Shooting Brake. View 7 Photos The Speedster (the red car shown here) makes its full debut this week, and unsurprisingly it looks both gorgeous and very similar to the Zagato coupe, and especially the Zagato Volante convertible. The key difference is that this open-top Zagato has dual cowls finished in exposed carbon fiber that flow back from the seats. Zagato says these are reminiscent of the "double-bubble" roof the company is known for, but seeing as this is also a traditional speedster cue, it seems more like marketing serendipity. That doesn't make it less beautiful, of course. It's also the rarest example of the Vanquish Zagato, as only 28 examples will be built, while the Coupe, Volante, and Shooting Brake will each be made in batches of 99. Like the Volante, all Speedsters have been sold. There's yet one more Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato that hasn't entered production, and presumably hasn't sold out yet: the Shooting Brake. As one would expect from a car with the Shooting Brake moniker, it will be a sporty wagon. It will still be a two-seater, which means it should have an impressive amount of cargo space. That storage can be accessed via a powered hatch, and it can be filled with custom made luggage from Aston Martin. The long swooping roof also features the double-bubble design, and consists of plenty of glass to let in light. Though the car hasn't had a real-life reveal yet, Aston Martin has provided a rendering shown above to illustrate what it will look like. We're rather smitten with the look. We also expect to see the production car revealed next year when production begins. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante View 14 Photos Image Credit: Aston Martin Aston Martin Convertible Hatchback Wagon Luxury Supercars zagato aston martin vanquish aston martin vanquish zagato

Aston Martin DBX Luggage Test | Is there actually U in Aston's SUV?

Does it really matter how much stuff can fit in the cargo area of an Aston Martin? Yes! The brand has forever been known as the purveyor of GT cars, those intended specifically for grand touring over some significant distance where bringing along some stuff is likely. Two suitcases at the minimum, I'd say, with a decent amount of space inside for odds, ends, purses and/or little dogs. Good luck doing that in an Audi R8.  The Aston Martin DBX is an extension of that concept, admittedly to an extreme degree. Your tour is going to be so grand that you'll need even more stuff or have a bigger dog or need to bring the kids along or need to travel some distance over a rugged road. I like to think of it as a family GT car.  So, how family friendly is it? Well, the vast wheelbase provides a stunning amount of back seat space. I could easily fit my son's enormous Britax Boulevard rear-facing car seat and still have more than enough room for all 6-foot-3 of me to sit comfortably in the front passenger seat. I didn't even need to put it that far forward. That's rare. I've had to move up minivan front seats. Does the Aston Martin DBX have space for a rear-facing car seat? pic.twitter.com/RRYNN4O0li — Autoblog (@therealautoblog) February 13, 2022 But I'm here to talk cargo capacity, which is officially listed at 22.3 cubic-feet behind the back seat. I can tell you right now that's deceptive — there's far more than that would imply. Aston Martin, much like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and perhaps Land Rover, must be using a different measurement than most in the industry. A capacity of 22.3 cubic-feet would be in the midcompact SUV range, in between a Mazda CX-30 and Kia Seltos. I can definitively say it has more space than those. In fact, it has more space than compact luxury SUVs like the Genesis GV70, which is listed at 28.9. I would not be surprised if it would be in the low 30s if Aston Martin used a different measurement. You're not going to find may cargo areas with nicer carpet than this thing. Having a rubberized floor covering to keep in the garage would be a good idea. Now, like most SUVs, the DBX includes a cargo cover. It certainly isn't normal, though. It's a rigid piece, which is common among hatchbacks and crossover-coupes that have low rooflines that don't really afford much usable space between the cargo cover line and roof. That's not quite the case here.