FIRST DRIVE: 1064 HP Aston Martin Valhalla Prototype | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat

Henry Catchpole has been waiting a long time to drive the Aston Martin Valhalla. When he first saw a prototype it was still called the AM-RB 003 and it was slated to have a V6. Now it has a 4-litre twin turbo V8 as part of a 1064bhp PHEV drivetrain that has three electric motors. Costing £850,000 (or about $1.1million) it both competes with and sits somewhere between a Lamborghini Revuelto or Ferrari SF90 and a McLaren W1 or Ferrari F80. Is it a supercar or is it a hypercar? Probably a bit of both. But it’s definitely a step forward for Aston Martin. Today Catchpole is driving the prototype around the Stowe Circuit at Silverstone, on the doorstep of the Aston Martin Formula One Team’s HQ. And that’s appropriate because much of the Valhalla’s development has been carried out with the help of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, the engineering arm of the F1 team. In particular the carbon fibre elements, which include the monocoque and the bodywork, and the active aerodynamics, which can generate up to 600kg of downforce, have the hand of AMPT on them. The Valhalla’s top speed is 217mph and it has a claimed 0-62mph time of 2.5sec. Testing out both those figures is off the table this time, but we do get to try the Drag Reduction System (DRS) and the air brake as well as both Sport and Race modes. Turning off the traction control it is also possible to see how the Valhalla’s torque vectoring allows it to behave on the limit and over it - with such massive performance, can it also be fun? As well as getting behind the rounded-rectangular wheel of the Valhalla, we talk to Andrew Kay, the Chief Engineer on Valhalla, Miles Nurnberger, Director of Design at Aston Martin and Product Manager Tom Barker, who takes us through the myriad ways you can spec your Valhalla. We try everything from an absolutely base car with no options, to traditional 007 DB5 Silver Birch, to some really wild colour combos. We hope you enjoy this latest film in The Driver’s Seat series. If you’d like to leave a thumbs up, a comment or subscribe to the Hagerty channel then it would be hugely appreciated. If you’d like to know more about Hagerty Marketplace, then just click on this link: https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace #henrycatchpole #thedriversseat #neverstopdriving Presented by Mobil 1 Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications! http://bit.ly/HagertyYouTube Visit our website for an insurance quote, to join Hagerty Drivers Club, and for daily automotive news, cars stories, reviews, and opinion: https://www.hagerty.com Stay up to date by signing up for our email newsletters here: https://www.hagerty.com/media/newslet... Follow us on social media: Facebook |   / hagerty   Instagram |   / hagerty   Twitter |   / hagerty   If you love cars, you belong with us. Hagerty Drivers Club is the world’s largest community for automotive enthusiasts. Members enjoy valuable automotive discounts, exclusive events and experiences, roadside service created specifically for collector vehicles, and a subscription to the bimonthly Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join Hagerty Drivers Club here: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club Like what you see? Watch our other series including: Redline Rebuilds | Time-lapse engine rebuilds from start to finish http://bit.ly/RedlineRebuild Barn Find Hunter | Tom Cotter searches the country for abandoned cars http://bit.ly/BarnFIndHunter Jason Cammisa on the Icons | The definitive car review https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaICONS Revelations | Untold Stories About Automotive Legends with Jason Cammisa https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaRevelations The Driver's Seat with Henry Catchpole https://bit.ly/HenryCatchpole Contact us: Suggestions and feedback - [email protected] Press inquiries - [email protected] Partnership requests - [email protected]