Aston Martin Valour – two of 110 units now in Malaysia, anniversary special combines 715 PS V12 with 6MT

We were expecting our jaws to drop when we stepped towards Aston Martin Kuala Lumpur last month for the launch of the new Vanquish, but not to the floor! As if the sight of Gaydon’s latest V12 beast wasn’t spectacular enough, the showroom was housing two units of the Aston Martin Valour.

Announced in July 2023 as a limited-run model for the marque’s 110th anniversary, only 110 units of the Valour will ever be produced, and yet we got to see both of them in one room. The two units – one in Tayos Turquoise and another in Buckinghamshire Green – have just arrived from the UK and will soon be delivered to their VVIP owners in Malaysia.

The non-cultured among us, such as this writer, might see a hint of fifth-gen Mustang in the looks, but inspiration for the Valour was drawn from celebrated Astons of the past, namely the original V8 Vantage and the Vantage-based RHAM/1 ‘Muncher’ Le Mans race car from 1980. Seen something like this from them lately? That has to be the Victor from 2020, created to mark the 70th anniversary of the Vantage name.

The Valour’s clamshell bonnet features a large horseshoe-shaped vent and a pair of NACA ducts to feed air to the V12 engine; its grille wears aluminium strakes in its central section, while flanked by carbon-fibre intakes on each side. LED headlamps of a circular shape evoke the styling of the original Vantage, but are unique to the Valour.

At the back, the tail lamp graphic with six LED blades on each side recall the insane Valkyrie, while a full-width aluminium structure made from a solid billet separates the upper and lower sections of the rear. The triple outlet exhaust system is made from lightweight stainless steel with a wall thickness of less than 1mm – this saves 7kg compared to a traditional setup.

Under the hood is a 5.2-litre V12 engine with 715 PS and 753 Nm of torque, offering the same peak power as the DBS Superleggera but with a 147 Nm reduction in max torque compared to that series production car. Compared to the new Vanquish, which replaces the Superleggera in Aston’s catalogue, the Valour is down by a significant 120 PS and 247 Nm.

However, the biturbo twelve-pot engine can be had with a six-speed manual gearbox in place of an eight-speed ZF automatic rear-mounted transaxle. Yup, twelve cylinders and a manual – that’s simply unbelievable in 2024.

The Valour gets a mechanical limited-slip differential to offer ‘a sense of direct analogue connection between car and driver.’ Also bespoke to this LE is its suspension with adaptive dampers, springs and anti-roll bars, all of which have been tuned specifically. The customised body structure has front and rear shear panels, a rear suspension tower brace and fuel tank bracing to increase torsional and lateral stiffness.

You can stare at these 21-inch forged alloy honeycomb wheels for hours, and they probably take that long to clean as well. This style was also seen on the Victor and DBS 770 Ultimate, and they’re wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres specific to Aston Martin – 275/35 front, 325/30 rear.

The main highlight of the Valour’s interior, at least for me, is that massive manual gear knob. Look closely and you’ll see the exposed shift linkage. The knob can be had in machined aluminium, titanium, carbon-fibre or walnut – the owner of the green car you see here went for the wood option, which goes well with the classic-style green exterior.

Speaking of that, both cars here wear paintjobs by Q, Aston Martin’s bespoke service. Like the character that supplies James Bond with all forms of gadgetry, Gaydon’s own Q has options you probably have not imagined before. How much? Don’t embarrass yourself. Even if you had the dough, you’re not on the list.

GALLERY: Aston Martin Valour in Malaysia

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