First Drive: The V-12 Aston Martin Valour Is a Sleek Road Beast That Rewards Old-School Driving Skills

In the current automotive landscape of homogenous-looking models laden with driver assists and haptic displays, the Aston Martin Valour is an approximately $2 million oasis for motoring’s faithful. Built to celebrate Aston Martin ’s 110th anniversary, and limited to 110 examples, the proudly unfiltered manual-transmission sports car presents a muscular aesthetic that recalls the brawny DBS V-8 Vantage and the Vantage-based RHAM/1 “Muncher” Le Mans racer from 1980—Aston calls the approach “retro futurism at its finest.”

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There’s also considerable DNA from the one-off 2020 Aston Martin Victor track car, at least in terms of exterior design. But unlike the Victor, which rolls on a modified Aston Martin One-77 carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, the Valour shares much of its bonded-aluminum underbody and suspension hardware with last year’s limited-edition V-12 Vantage .

Ensconced by woolen tweed inspired by the seat coverings found in the marque’s 1959 Le Mans–winning DBR1, we sit low in the Valour. Eyes immediately go to the manual shifter’s exposed linkage jutting out of the center console, a reminder that edgy refinement defines this car.

The 5.2-liter twin-turbo V-12 reacts like a race-car engine when you brush the throttle. It doesn’t take many miles to realize how much of a digital veil an electronically controlled automatic transmission draws over the nuances of the V-12’s character. This engine produces 705 hp and 555 ft lbs of torque, which is 7 percent less horsepower and 16 percent less torque than the same mill makes in the DBS 770 Ultimate . Why the reduction? The custom Graziano six-speed manual transaxle transmission, mounted in the rear, can’t handle higher torque loads while still retaining a pleasing shift feel. It’s a concession to personality and bygone-era road manners at the expense of outright output.

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Yet while the model comports itself with the same calm authority shared by the rest of the current Aston Martin lineup, the Valour requires the ability to understand what it’s telling you through your fingers and toes and the seat of your pants. By design, this is not effortless performance; getting the most out of this machine requires both work and skill.

Any mistakes will at least be accompanied by an invigorating soundtrack. There’s a hint of turbo lag that’s not evident in automatic-transmission Astons with this engine, but the power plant truly comes alive when the tach swings past 2,800 rpm. By 4,000 rpm, it’s storming to the redline on a seemingly endless surge of thrust amidst muted howls from the triple exhaust, and suddenly all your senses are heightened rather than sedated by an overly insulating cockpit and a procession of electronic nannies. The Valour is a motoring experience against the grain, a contemporary master class in the art of old-school driving.

Click below for more photos of the Aston Martin Valour.

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