Aston Martin is turning the power on its new Valkyrie up to 11. Not exactly … it’s turning the RPM in its new naturally-aspirated V-12 up to 11 (11,100) but the horsepower tops out at 10 (1,000).
Cosworth helped tune the new 6.5-litre engine, with proven F1 knowhow, to a simple, but not humble, vision — “create the ultimate expression of the internal combustion engine.” From the start, the two decided against turbocharging in favour of the “uncompromising purity of natural aspiration,” again for a far-from-modest reason — because “the greatest driver’s car of the modern era demands an internal combustion engine that sits at the absolute pinnacle for performance, excitement and emotion.”
“To anyone with a drop of petrol in their blood, a high-revving naturally aspirated V12 is the absolute pinnacle. Nothing sounds better or encapsulates the emotion and excitement of the internal combustion engine more completely,” said Dr. Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group Chief Executive Officer. “Despite the apparently insurmountable challenges it presented, there was never any question that the Aston Martin Valkyrie would make do with anything less. From the outset the team at Cosworth were unflinching in their commitment to achieving benchmarks which pushed the boundaries of the possible. The result is a quite extraordinary engine. One which I doubt will ever be surpassed.”
The high-revving 65-degree V-12 makes its peak horsepower of 1,000 at 10,500, on its way to an unprecedented (for a naturally-aspirated, emissions compliant passenger-car engine) 11,100-rpm redline. Torque of 546 lb-ft peaks at 7,000 rpm.
That’s pretty impressive, but it’s not the end … the engine will be boosted by a battery-electric system, which means even higher net outputs, which will be revealed at a later time.
Another impressive feature of the engine is its 206-kg weight, which is attributed to Cosworth’s Formula-1 experience — before FIA imposed weight limits on the race series, the Cosworth 3.0-litre racing V-10 weighed 97 kg (which would make a 6.5-litre equivalent tip the scales at 210 kg). As an example, the crankshaft machined from a solid steel bar, sheds 80% of its metal to weight in 50% lighter than that used in the One-77’s V-12 (at the time, the most powerful naturally-aspirated road engine).
“Decades in F1 taught us to expect a pretty demanding specification from someone with Adrian Newey’s unsurpassed track record, but when we started talking about specifics of power, weight, emissions compliance and durability combined with ever harder and sometimes conflicting targets, we knew this would be a challenge like no other,” said Bruce Wood, Cosworth Managing Director. “It’s been a fantastic partnership between Aston Martin, Red Bull and Cosworth with each party bringing a distinct clarity of vision that has proved essential in delivering an internal combustion engine way beyond anything previously seen in a road car application.”