Aston Martin debuts open-top Valkyrie Spider

ASTON Martin has taken a tin opener to its flagship Valkyrie hypercar and created the Valkyrie Spider, perhaps the most extreme and dramatic-looking vehicle the brand has produced to date.

Powered by the same 850kW 6.5-litre V12 hybrid as the hard-top, the Spider has lost none of the coupe’s potency in still being capable of a 350km/h-plus top speed, at least when the roof is in place – ditch the roof and V-max falls to around 330km/h.

Lots of work has gone into maintaining the coupe’s stiffness, comprising revisions made to the Spider’s carbon-fibre structure as well as bespoke tunes for the active chassis systems and aerodynamics.

The changes result in a claimed 1400kg of downforce generated at 240km/h when in track mode.

Contributing to the body’s stiffness are the redesigned dihedral doors, which now open forwards as opposed to the coupe’s gullwings. After all, the lack of a fixed roof negates any possibility of the upwards-opening units being retained.

The roof itself is a carbon unit fitted with a pair of polycarbonate roof windows, manually removed or installed – targa style – by the driver or passenger as desired.

“What you see is a simple removable roof panel, but the challenge of remaining true to the Valkyrie concept was anything but,” said Red Bull Racing chief technical officer Adrian Newey.

“Maintaining aerodynamic performance with the roof removed was of paramount importance, likewise keeping any unavoidable weight gains to an absolute minimum whilst maximising enjoyment for the driver.”

As usual for a convertible derivative, the exterior styling and interior design of the Valkyrie Spider follow those of the hardtop, including the gaping rear diffuser, teardrop shaped cabin and “near-central seat positioning”.

Six-point harnesses are included as standard, as are a centre rearview camera system and parking sensors at both ends.

According to Aston Martin chief executive officer Tobias Moers, the Valkyrie “is the product of incredible innovation and technology, but above all it has always been about emotion”. 

“With the Valkyrie Spider we are taking that passion and emotion to the next level. The driving experience promises to be truly sensational,” he said.

“The sound of that 6.5-litre V12 engine revving to over 11,000rpm with the roof removed is something I cannot wait to hear.”

Just 85 examples of the Valkyrie Spider will be made, with first deliveries slated to begin in the second half of next year.

It remains to be seen if any examples of either the Valkyrie or Valkyrie Spider make it to Australia, where Aston Martin has sold 75 vehicles so far this year ending July 31 – a 56.3 per cent improvement on the 48 it shifted over the same period last year.