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Written by Chris Harris
We now know enough about the Valkyrie to be certain that it will be the fastest, most extreme road car ever built. Others might have a higher top speed, or more power, but for the only true measurement of overall performance lap time this Aston Martin will be in a class of one. We know what it will look like, what it will sound like, and we can even tell you how much it understeers through Spa"s treacherous Pouhon corner (answer: hardly at all). But Aston has only just shown Valkyrie prototype #1, with an engine plumbed in, at the Geneva show. Until recently, the car only existed in the virtual world. This is effectively an extreme motorsport project with a numberplate and, as such, Adrian Newey and his team have deployed the same methodology that brought Red Bull multiple Formula One World Championships. And that extends to driving. Aston Martin high performance test driver Chris Goodwin has been driving the fastest Aston ever for months now, refining suspension components and aerodynamic performance without the thing actually existing. They"ve invited us to come and see how they"re getting on. This will be my first-ever virtual car review. A Formula One team appears to employ lots and lots of people. The car park at Red Bull"s Milton Keynes HQ spills out onto the surrounding roads, and the place bustles with activity. The reception area is a shrine to the team"s racing success and, just to the right of the security desk, is a door that leads to every teenage gamer"s dream: a fully functioning simulator. It"s dark, lacking air and has a small antechamber containing the racing boots and gloves of those who work there, and a massive fridge full of the energy drink that pays for the place.
Date written: 8 Jun 2019
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 15963
We now know enough about the Valkyrie to be certain that it will be the fastest, most extreme road car ever built. Others might have a higher top speed, or more power, but for the only true measurement of overall performance lap time this Aston Martin will be in a class of one. We know what it will look like, what it will sound like, and we can even tell you how much it understeers through Spa"s treacherous Pouhon corner (answer: hardly at all). But Aston has only just shown Valkyrie prototype #1, with an engine plumbed in, at the Geneva show. Until recently, the car only existed in the virtual world. This is effectively an extreme motorsport project with a numberplate and, as such, Adrian Newey and his team have deployed the same methodology that brought Red Bull multiple Formula One World Championships. And that extends to driving. Aston Martin high performance test driver Chris Goodwin has been driving the fastest Aston ever for months now, refining suspension components and aerodynamic performance without the thing actually existing. They"ve invited us to come and see how they"re getting on. This will be my first-ever virtual car review. A Formula One team appears to employ lots and lots of people. The car park at Red Bull"s Milton Keynes HQ spills out onto the surrounding roads, and the place bustles with activity. The reception area is a shrine to the team"s racing success and, just to the right of the security desk, is a door that leads to every teenage gamer"s dream: a fully functioning simulator. It"s dark, lacking air and has a small antechamber containing the racing boots and gloves of those who work there, and a massive fridge full of the energy drink that pays for the place.
Date written: 8 Jun 2019
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 15963