New Aston Martin Valen is a jaw-dropping V12 supercar showing the brand back to its best

Aston Martin has revealed its most powerful front-engined car yet: the limited-edition Aston Martin Valen. Only 150 examples of the V12-powered supercar will ever be built, each specified exclusively for their owners – or in more likelihood collectors. Aston Martin has not disclosed a price, but thanks to an extensive collection of changes over the newcomer’s Vanquish cousin, it’ll be an awful lot. 

The engine is a 5.2-litre V12 petrol with two turbochargers and an output of 838bhp, 14bhp more than the Vanquish. This is backed up by 1,000Nm of torque available at just 2,500rpm, which helps rocket the Valen from 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds. This figure is even more impressive when you consider it’s rear-wheel drive, although it does come with some especially sticky Pirelli tyres. The top speed is electronically limited to 214mph.

The Aston Martin Valen shares its core with Aston’s existing sports car range, sharing its aluminium structure, but clothing it in unique carbon-fibre panels. In fact, not a single exterior piece is shared with a series-production model, giving the Valen a completely different look and attitude. This explains its blocky and aggressive scowl, with unique LED headlights and a new, more structured interpretation of the firm’s iconic grille. 

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Aston’s classic coke-bottle silhouette is still central to the car’s general shape, but the surfaces are flatter, sharper and more aggressive than the softer Vanquish, finishing in a dramatic rear end with a new lightbar that references the lights on the Vantage and DBX. Most aggressive at the rear, though, is the four-exit exhaust system, which uses 3D-printed titanium to create a curated sound from the car’s extravagant powertrain. 

Aston Martin says the Valen is 110kg lighter than its other series V12-powered models, but buyers can also specify an optional Lightweight Package. This swaps out the front suspension arms and the wheel knuckles for lighter machined and forged replacements, plus switches to extortionately expensive titanium chassis bolts; together, these measures save a further 16.9kg. To complete the package, the Valen has a new set of 21-inch magnesium wheels, and the brakes are carbon-ceramic units as standard. 

Inside, Aston has redesigned the dashboard and centre console without fundamentally changing their layout. The screen, which now sits in a 3D-printed housing, is angled towards the driver and there’s also an intricate new centre console with significantly fewer physical controls than regular Astons. 

The interior’s colour and trim will both be specified to the owner’s taste, although the show car in Monterey features a tri-tone black, white and orange combination with bespoke embroidery and an intricate roof pattern. Like the Valour, the Valen has no rear windscreen, but a mirror-mounted screen will still allow a good level of rearwards visibility.

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