Aston Martin Valkyrie V12 turns it up to 11 (thousand)

Friday, 14 December 2018

Who says large capacity naturally aspirated V12 engines are dead? Certainly not Aston Martin which has just revealed some closely guarded secrets of it's Valkyrie hypercar's extraordinary powerplant.

While most other manufacturers are heading down the forced induction path to extreme power, Aston Martin have developed the new V12 in conjunction with longtime technical partner Cosworth, to satisfy a 'simple, yet extraordinary brief: to create the ultimate expression of the internal combustion engine.'

According to Aston the programme called for a naturally aspirated engine from the very beginning, 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. This means the uncompromising purity of natural aspiration.'

Whatever the reason, the resulting engine is an true masterpiece of N/A fury.

**READ MORE:

* Aston Martin lines up the Vs

* Aston Martin confirms Valkyrie supercar name

* Aston Martin brings in big guns for AM-RB 001 hypercar

* Aston Martin reveals hypercar plans with Red Bull**

The 6.5-litres 65° V12 boasts a certified peak power output of 746kW at a truly thrilling 10,500rpm, before continuing on to a maximum rpm figure of 11,100: figures that Aston say are unprecedented for in a naturally-aspirated, emissions-compliant road car application. The V12 also churns out 740Nm at 7,000rpm.

While these numbers are impressive enough, the company says the Valkyrie's performance figures will be made even more extreme with the addition of a battery hybrid system, details of which will be revealed 'later in the development programme.'

Thanks to Cosworth's F1 expertise the V12's weight also set new standards. With the engine being a fully stressed element of the car, keeping weight down was a huge challenge for the legendary British engineering firm.

Cosworth says that aside from the major castings - block, cylinder heads, sump and structural cam covers - the majority of the engine's internal components are machined from solid material, including the Titanium conrods and F1-spec pistons.

The result is an engine that weighs just 206kg. For comparison, Cosworth's last 3.0 litre V10 F1 engine before weight limits were imposed by the FIA weighed 97Kg. If this was scaled-up to 6.5 litres, it would weigh 210kg.

'Being asked to create a naturally aspirated V12 engine fit for what will surely be one of the most iconic cars of all time is an immense source of pride for Cosworth,' said Bruce Wood, managing director of Cosworth.

'Decades in Formula 1 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.

'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.'

Dr. Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group CEO, said of the Aston Martin Valkyrie's V12 engine: '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.'

'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.'

We don't know about that, but it sure does sound good!