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Aston Martin celebrates its 110th with manual-only V12 Valour
Befitting of its birthday age, only 110 examples will be made.
Valour has been styled similarly to the one-off Victor. Image: Aston Martin
Its most recent new model launch being that of the DB12 just under two months ago, Aston Martin has showcased a new limited run supercar in celebration of its 110th anniversary this year.
Look familiar?
Revealed ahead of its official public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this coming weekend, the Valour not only pays tribute to Aston’s founding, but also its lineage of front-engine V12 coupes equipped with manual transmissions.
As such, the newcomer will also be one of the last models to offer a three-pedal layout following Gaydon’s announcement two years ago that it will be phasing manual transmissions out from 2022.
Based on the architecture of the Vantage V12, the Valour sports a retro-design derived from not only the one-off Victor, but according to Aston Martin, also from the original Vantage that debuted in 1972.
ALSO READ: One-off Aston Martin Victor revealed as the marque’s most powerful manual car ever made
Compared to the former, Aston has smoothened out the side skirts and fitted a smaller carbon fibre splitter underneath the front bumper.
The so-called horseshoe vent on the bonnet and air ducts are all carried over, though the grille has been slightly altered with the same chrome horizontal slats as the Vantage.
Riding on the same honeycomb pattern forged lightweight 21-inch alloy wheels wrapped in model specific Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres, the Valour’s rear follows the same approach as the front by featuring subtle differences from the Victor.
This includes a new bumper and “split” diffuser on either side, a triple exhaust system made from lightweight stainless, redesigned LED light clusters and relocation of the Aston Martin script from between the lights to underneath the corporate badge.
Special inside
Inside, the Valour’s cabin is again based on the Vantage, but resplendent with a new centre console in order to accommodate to the gear lever for the manual ‘box.
Designed around an “exposed” method whereby no gaiter surrounds the bottom section, thereby exposing the transmission’s mechanism, the lever’s surround is made out of aluminium with the option of titanium or carbon fibre. A walnut knob takes pride of place on top.
Elsewhere, Aston has trimmed the lightweight seats in tweed said to take inspirated from the DBR1 that won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, while the shells themselves are made from carbon fibre.
Unlike the Victor, the Valour boasts a conventional steering wheel while benefitting from carbon fibre on the doors and around the air vents.
New underneath with more power
Underneath, Aston Martin has not kept the Valour standard from the Vantage, as it has fitted it with a mechanical limited-slip differential, three driving modes; Sport, Sport+ and Track, a completely bespoke suspension layout and brand-new steering.
In addition, the dampers, anti-roll bars and springs are all brand-new, with the final addition being the carbon ceramic brakes consisting of a six-piston caliper setup at the front and four-piston at the rear, with respective disc sizes of 410 mm and 360 mm.
As mentioned, the long serving Mercedes-AMG-made 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 features underneath the Valour’s bonnet, uprated slightly from the Vantage to produce 526kW/753Nm. No further figures relating to performance were disclosed.
Case of the 110
Confirmed for production from the third quarter of this year with deliveries starting from the fourth, only 110 Valour’s will be made at a price not made public.
NOW READ: Aston Martin V12 Vantage revealed as nameplate’s bent-twelve farewell
