The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro is a recycled Le Mans car

By topgear, 28 June 2021

You’ll know the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar by now. You might also know that Aston planned to race it at the Le Mans 24 Hours – and win, naturally – before pulling the plug as the sport’s new hypercar class evolved beyond its expectation.

Well, meet the one type of recycling Greenpeace doesn’t endorse. The shelved Valkyrie racecar has morphed into something us mere mortals can buy with money. Quite a lot of money, mind you.

We saw a Valkyrie AMR Pro concept back in 2018, but this much more extreme version is what’s actually made it to market. The 25 orders Aston took three years ago will be usurped by this AMR Pro’s 40-car order book. What you see now is not only a Valkyrie freed of road registration rules, but a Valkyrie racecar freed of motorsport rules. It’s unencumbered by dull old regulation of any kind, and as such it ought to be quite simply berserk.

“The AMR Pro’s capabilities now exceed those of the machine designed to challenge for outright victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours,” we’re rather excitingly promised. Aston’s targeting a 3m 20s lap time around La Sarthe, which would put it right at the pointy end of LM24 qualifying.

Changes over the regular, not-slow-or-undramatic Valkyrie are notable. It’s longer and broader everywhere; new aero takes its overall length up by 26cm, while there’s another 38cm in the wheelbase and the track widths are up around 10cm. All told it delivers twice the roadgoing Valkyrie’s downforce.

amr valkyrie pro
amr valkyrie pro

You’re actually looking at a less powerful car, though. Aston Martin has stripped the Valkyrie’s hybrid boost out “In the pursuit of the lightest weight and fastest lap times”. So you’ve now a nice round 1,000bhp and 11,000rpm peaks from its 6.5-litre nat-asp V12.

As well as ditching the batteries, the AMR Pro also shaves vital grammes with lighter carbon bodywork and Perspex windows – yep, even the windscreen. That’s the kind of weight saving you get when you aren’t screwing in number plates.

So what purpose will it serve its 40 owners? The ultimate track toy, that’s what. While it’s unlikely to pass the noise limits at your local circuit, Aston has you covered, and AMR Pro owners will get access to trackdays on properly serious International FIA Circuits with instruction and proper FIA racewear to go with it.

“The entire Aston Martin Valkyrie programme has been an extraordinary adventure in engineering,” says Aston’s newish CEO, Tobias Moers. “Valkyrie AMR Pro is a project beyond compare, a true ‘no rules’ track-only version. Nothing else looks like it, nothing else sounds like it, and I am absolutely certain nothing else will drive like it!”

Performance is “approaching” that of a Formula One car, we’re told, and fittingly Aston Martin’s F1 drivers – Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll – are on the development team. The first AMR Pros will be delivered at the end of 2021. The price is unconfirmed but is undoubtedly more than the already-£2.5m (RM14m) stock Valkyrie.