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The English lads at Aston Martin have been paying attention. Vikings, those pillagers and plunderers from Scandinavia who wreaked havoc on Europe (particularly England) in the middle ages, have proven a pop culture staple, especially recently with hits like The History Channel’s “Viking” and “Vikings: Valhalla” and Robert Eggers’ brutal movie “The Northman.” Despite how the Norsemen have treated the English, the makers of James Bond’s iconic getaway car wanted to honor them.
In 2016, Aston Martin showed world its first entry into the hypercar wars. There wasn’t even a production car yet, just an idea without a name. It was merely referred to as the AM-RB 001. The following year, the company revealed it would call it “Valkyrie” a nod to the idea that only a few who were “chosen by the Gods” would be able to drive it (via TopGear).
For those that may not know Norse mythology, Valkyries are a group of female warriors sent by the god Odin to retrieve and escort those slain in battle back to Valhalla, a place where dead soldiers ate, drank, and fought until Ragnarök. The name also neatly ties into Marvel’s wildly popular “Thor” movies. Clever marketing indeed.
This hypercar will take your breath away and leave a dent in your wallet
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There have been limited sightings of the Valkyrie either at car shows, on the Silverstone race track (home of the British Grand Prix), or on the open roads in Northamptonshire. But according to Top Gear, Aston Martin didn’t complete the first “actual” customer version of this car until November 2021. The Valkyrie is now available in three models, and you probably can’t afford any of them.
Only 150 of the standard Coupes will be made available for purchase. It will be equipped with a seven-speed automatic transmission, backed by a 6.5-liter V-12 and an electric motor that provides 1160 total horsepower (1000 from the V-12 and an additional 160 from the electric) — all for the sticker price of a reasonable $3 million. The Spider model is a Coupe made so you can remove the roof, and Aston Martin will build only 85 of them.
In conjunction with Red Bull Racing, the AMR Pro is a competition version of the Coupe solely built for racing. It has the same powertrain as the Coupe but has a considerably boosted V-12 output. It’s lighter than the Coupe and can reach speeds up to 211 miles per hour, according to The Drive. Only 40 AMR Pros will be built with a starting price of about $4.25 million each. That, of course, doesn’t include any personalization or spare parts.
