Earlier this year, Aston Martin unveiled the Valkyrie, an insane hybrid hypercar rocking four-digit output figures and the combined go-faster know-how of Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, among several others. Designed to take on the best of the best in the world of superlative road-going performance, the Valkyrie hasn’t even hit production yet and Aston is already gearing up for a newer, faster version. Dubbed the Valkyrie AMR Pro, it’s a track-only variant of the Valkyrie that eliminates any remaining conciliations for street duty, pumping up the speed potential to ever-greater heights. Created as a collaborative effort between Aston and Red Bull, the Valkyrie AMR Pro once again takes direction from English Formula 1 mastermind Adrian Newey, offering more extreme aero, an all-business interior, more power, and less weight. The result is one serious speed machine, with Aston bragging it’ll have what it takes to challenge modern F1 and LMP1 racers in terms of lap times.

That’s a mighty impressive boast, especially for a platform that traces its roots to something you can drive on the road. Indeed, this is Aston’s idea of “ultimate,” the top of the mountain in the land of fast. This is what you get when you give Aston Martin and Red Bull an extreme performance car plus a blank check for track use. We know you wanna know more about it, so read on for the details.

Updated 03/14/2018: We updated our review with the official details and images released at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro.

2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Exterior

Compared to what we’ve seen of the road-going Valkyrie, the track-only variant doesn’t appear to be a huge departure in terms of aesthetics. You still get the ultra-wide, ultra-low stance of a hardcore performance machine, plus big aero, a teardrop-shaped greenhouse, and plumped-up fenders stuffed by large-diameter wheels with flat exterior covers. A scoop on the roof once again leads to a rear fin that matches up to the rear wing.

However, while the same general shape is still there, the AMR Pro manages to turn the whole thing up to 11. Aston says it tweaked the aero to create more downforce, starting with larger wings in the front and in the rear. We also notice new wing blades behind the front wheels, which presumably help to vent the hot air around the brakes without impacting the front-end downforce dynamics. Just ahead of the windshield is an additional vent for the nose. The headlights consist of extremely thin vertical slits placed towards the outward edges of the front fenders, while the taillights include a quartet or horizontal slits in the tail.

Finally, Aston says the active aero systems were tweaked and tuned for more hardcore track duty, while the wheels were downsized to 18 inches in diameter to mount the uber-sticky Michelin rubber (more on that in a bit).

2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Interior

Note: Road-going Aston Martin Valkyrie pictured here.

Unfortunately, Aston has yet to give us even a rendering of what to expect inside the AMR Pro’s cabin, but based on what we’ve seen from the road-going variant, there are a few assumptions to be made.

First off, let’s look at the “standard” Valkyrie. Climb into this thing, and you’ll find yourself wrapped in a cocoon of carbon. It’s a tight fit, but then again, it needs to be considering this machine’s ludicrous performance potential. A square steering wheel provides inputs for the various onboard systems, with vital info relayed through a small screen mounted in the center of the “wheel.” A complementary info screen is mounted on the dash, while two side screens project rear video feeds in place of the traditional side-view mirrors (aero is king, after all).

In addition to all the carbon, the road-going Valkyrie gets Alcantara and metal trim pieces painted in gold. A six-point harness is offered for track duty, and should comes as standard equipment in the AMR Pro.

Finally, the seating position is in the sort of reclined, feet-up posture you’d expect from a modern race car, and Aston says it’ll equip molded racing bucket seats in place of the road car’s adjustable units.

2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Drivetrain

Mounted in the middle of the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro is a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 power plant from the legendary British motorsport engineering company Cosworth. Like the road-going Valkyrie, the AMR Pro’s ’12 is electrically boosted thanks to a hybrid system inspired by the world of Formula 1. However, the racing car trumps its steerable sibling with even more power and torque. We have yet to get all the specifics, but Aston does say it’ll come with more than 1,100 ponies, besting the highly coveted 1:1 power-to-weight ratio.

That’s pretty nuts if you ask us, but it gets better. With the extra output, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the AMR Pro can hit 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds. Aston also says that “the single-minded pursuit of top speed has never been part of the Valkyrie ethos, yet even in high-downforce track configuration the AMR Pro is still capable of hitting 225 mph.”

Accomplishing this incredible feat is a new engine tune and high-flow emission control system. Finally, the Rimac Energy Recovery System is identical, but gets an update with reprogrammed control systems.

2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Chassis And Handling

As you might expect, the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro manages to sacrifice a few extraneous pounds in the name of more speed. First on the chopping block are those superfluous features designed for basic street comfort, like the heater and infotainment system. Next, the glass windshield was tossed in favor of a polycarbonate sheet, which gains a lightweight heater element in place of the standard de-mister. Polycarbonate was also used for the side windows.

Additionally, Aston managed to cut a few pounds thanks to even lighter carbon fiber construction for the bodywork, even though the road car’s composite body is already pretty damned light. There’s also a lightweight exhaust system (which is also louder, by the way) and lightweight carbon racing bucket seats. The suspension was also updated with new uprights and carbon fiber wishbones.

The result of this diet? A curb weight of just 1,000 kg (2,205 pounds).

Hauling it down are brakes inspired by Formula 1, with race-spec carbon-carbon construction. Michelin tires are used for stick, and run the same specification as the LMP1 cars that compete in the World Endurance Championship.

Amazingly, Aston claims the Valkyrie will be able to pull as much as 3.3 G’s in the corners and stop with 3.5 G’s of force. And that is a mighty claim indeed! What’s more, Red Bull ran the numbers in its simulators, and apparently the car will manage lap times equivalent to those of an F1 or LMP1 car.

Holy crap.

2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Prices

Aston says only 25 of these mad machines will be built, with deliveries commencing in 2020. All 25 are already spoken for. How much each customer paid is still under wraps, but if we were to guess, $3 million to $4 million is probably about right.

Those folks lucky enough to snag one will get to participate in “an intensive and comprehensive driver development program” that’s customized to their skill level and racing experience. The program includes access to the same resources as Aston Martin Red Bull’s pro drivers, such as time in the simulator, on-track training, and even a physical fitness regimen.

And since the AMR Pro doesn’t appear to be eligible for any specific racing series, customers will be offered a chance to, uh, actually drive their car in a series of track events all over the world.

2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro Competition

Ferrari FXX K

Like the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, the Ferrari FXX K is a track-only variant of a simply insane road-going hybrid hypercar, and like the AMR Pro, the FXX K has what it takes to melt your face into a puddle. The exterior is pure spaceship, with lots of active wings and seemingly endless downforce, while an engineering degree is required to operate the cockpit controls. And that’s important, because actually driving this thing is not an activity for the careless. Mounted behind the carbon seats is a 6.3-liter V-12 and electric motor combo that produces as much as 1,036 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque.

Read our full review on the 2015 Ferrari FXX K.

Mercedes-AMG Project One

If it’s a true Formula 1 experience that you’re after, minus the politics of course, then Mercedes-AMG has a solution. The Project One was designed with the specific goal of bringing F1-style performance to the street, coming equipped with a turbocharged and hybrid 1.6-liter V-6 that’ll spin to 11,000 rpm. Output is rated at more than 1,000 horsepower. The engine is even constructed in the same factory as Merc’s F1 powerplants. The rest of the spec was built to complement that insane ‘six, with big wing, AWD grip, multi-stage ESP, carbon ceramic brakes, and multi-link pushrod suspension.

Read our full review on the Mercedes-AMG Project One.

Conclusion

All told, the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro looks to be one helluva toy. The performance promises it makes are borderline unbelievable, so much so we’re tempted to start calling BS. However, this is Aston Martin and Adrian Newey we’re talking about, and if this thing can run with a modern F1 car, then dammit, they’ll know it.

At the end of the day, we’re just very happy something like this exists. It shows just how far you can take go-fast technology, pushing an extreme into uncharted territory. Adrian Newey’s take is spot on –

“While it is endowed with extraordinary performance, it has always been vitally important to me that the Valkyrie functions well as a true road car, and that naturally comes with some constraints,” Newey says. “However, with the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro we have the freedom to create an extreme evolution that makes no such concessions. While the core elements of the road and track versions are shared, every aspect of the AMR Pro – aerodynamics, chassis, powertrain and weight – has been optimized to significantly extend the performance envelope. It offers a level of track performance significantly beyond any previous two seat closed roof car.”

We can’t wait to see what it can do in real life.

References

Aston Martin Valkyrie

Read our full review on the 2018 Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Read more Aston Martin news.