Lamborghini Considers New Hypercar To Fight The Aston Martin Valkyrie

If it gets the green light, it will be “in the same vein” of the Centenario and Veneno.

Last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Lamborghini’s Chief Technical Officer Maurizio Reggiani announced plans to launch a new limited-run model showcasing new technology. No more details were revealed at the time, but company boss Stefano Domenicali has confirmed to Autocar a new exclusive model is still being considered with “extreme aero” to compete with other limited-run hypercars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Mercedes-AMG Project One and McLaren Senna. Domenicali described the model as being “in the same vein” of the Centenario and Veneno.

Presumably, this means the car will be based on the V12-powered Aventador since both the Centenario and Veneno were based on Lamborghini’s flagship supercar. It’s probably also safe to assume the ultra-exclusive Lambo will command a seven-figure price tag and be produced in extremely limited numbers. The Centenario, for example, was limited to just 40 examples and had an asking price of $1.9 million, while only five examples of the Veneno were built to celebrate Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary. Only three of them were sold, each costing a whopping $4.5 million.

Don’t expect Lamborghini’s Aston Martin Valkyrie fighter to arrive any time soon, though, as Domenicali admitted the Huracan, Aventador and Urus series production cars are “the main priority [for Lamborghini] right now."

For now, the recently unveiled SVJ represents the lightest and most powerful Aventador Lamborghini has ever produced. The car’s 6.5-liter V12 has been tuned to produce 770 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque, while a dry weight of 3,362 pounds gives it a weight-to-power ratio of 1.98 kg/hp. Combine these specs with the car’s incredibly advanced active aerodynamics, and it’s no wonder the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is the new king of the Nurburgring.

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Aston Martin Valkyrie To Be Defining Hypercar Of Its Generation

Aston Martin reveals new technology partner for upcoming hypercar.

Aston Martin has been putting all its technical know-how into developing the ground-breaking Valkyrie hypercar. Having established strong ties with Cosworth and Redbull on this project, the British carmaker has now announced that Tencate Advanced Composites will be a technical partner on the project.

Aston Martin say that Tencate will be supplying advanced composite materials for a broad range of end-use applications throughout the car, including structural, cosmetic and high-temperature components. This technical partnership is the first advanced composite material partnership for the sports car manufacturer.

The Valkyrie has an all-carbon fiber bodyshell that develops massive downforce to enable the electrically assisted 6.5-liter V12 powerplant to do give the hypercar serious cornering abilities. Tencate has worked very closely with Aston Martin’s team to make certain that the very best composite material solutions are available for the program.

Scott Unger, Chief Technology Officer at TenCate says that they are very excited to have been selected as technology partner for Aston Martin and he says that their companies strong technical position in Formula 1 combined with their technical support and expertise makes this the ideal partnership.

David King, Vice President and Chief Special Operations Officer, at Aston Martin said, “The extraordinary targets we have set ourselves for the Aston Martin Valkyrie require us to select partners with exceptional technical capabilities and products. In TenCate Advanced Composites we have found a partner with the skillset and the mindset to join us in meeting the challenges of developing and producing what will undoubtedly be the defining hypercar of its generation.”

With a mere 150 road-legal Valkyries planned for production, this will be a very rare and special vehicle indeed, no doubt made even more cutting-edge with the input from Tencate. A further 25 track-only AMR Pro variants will be built for a few wealthy customers who want to dominate every track day they attend. Skill levels permitting of course.

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Audi R8 Set To Become EV Hypercar Fighter By 2022

An all-electric powertrain is perhaps the only way to save the R8.

As the transition from internal combustion to electrification in various forms continues, the ultra-exclusive hypercar segment is also undergoing similar changes, perhaps at an event faster pace. After all, it’s halo cars whose technologies typically trickle down to an automaker’s more mainstream lineup. Audi is certainly no exception.

According to Autocar, the next-generation Audi R8, due in 2022, will become an electric supercar aimed directly at dethroning the performance capabilities of some of today’s hypercars. While the V10 engine has long been the R8’s gold standard, Audi sees the reality of the segment and market and will thus develop an electric drivetrain for the third-generation R8.

Later this month, the e-tron SUV, Audi’s first all-electric model, will debut and the electric drivetrain technologies developed for it will continue to evolve. This also isn’t the first time Audi considered fully electrifying the R8. Back in 2015, the limited edition R8 e-Tron debuted, but it was not a replacement for the V8 and V10-powered R8s. Instead, it was simply a showcase of what was technically possible at the time. But times change.

The 2022 R8 will only be available as an EV. In fact, Audi just offered the world a pretty good glimpse of what it has in mind for the third-gen R8 last month at Pebble Beach with the debut of the PB10 e-tron electric supercar concept.

To prove its EV tech will still fully enable a thrilling driving experience, that concept did not feature any self-driving technologies. Whether the next R8 will be devoid of that tech is still unknown, but the message was clear: Audi has no intention of letting driving enthusiasts down. The PB10 e-tron is powered by three electric motors, a 201-hp unit up front and two more at the rear wheels offering another 604 hp. Combined output comes to 671 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque, however peak power of 764 hp is totally doable albeit in short bursts (for now). Zero to 62 mph takes just over two seconds.

Not long ago, there was a rumor claiming the current R8 would be the last R8 due to a drop in sales. As of now, that discontinuation won’t be happening; the R8 simply needs to be rethought. Electrifying the entire powertrain is the solution to keeping the R8 alive.

Aston Martin Steals McLaren's Chief Test Driver To Create Ultimate Hypercar

McLaren's former chief test driver has been appointed by Aston Martin to help develop its radical Valkyrie hypercar.

Aston Martin is enlisting the help of several companies to help develop the Valkyrie into the ultimate hypercar. Red Bull Racing will supply F1 technology to make the Valkyrie a race car for the road. Cosworth is building its 6.5-liter V12 engine, while Rimac is developing its lightweight hybrid battery system. Alcon and Surface Transforms will be supplying lightweight high-performance brake calipers and carbon discs to give the 1130-hp hypercarcar colossal stopping power.

And now the company has gained a potentially vital asset, as McLaren’s former chief test driver Chris Goodwin has now joined Aston Martin to help develop the Valkyrie. Goodwin has worked for McLaren for 21 years as the company’s chief test driver. During his time, he helped develop the P1 hybrid and has also been testing the BP23 and Senna. He also has racing experience including at Le Mans. Appointed as Aston Martin’s Expert High Performance Test Driver, Goodwin’s expertise will no doubt help the British automaker stay ahead of the competition. As well as the Valkyrie, Goodwin will also help develop Aston Martin’s first SUV, the DBX crossover, and RapidE electric car.

He joins Aston's new chief engineer for vehicle dynamics Simone Rizzuto, who was previously responsible for vehicle performance testing and integration at Maserati and Alfa Romeo. “I’m thrilled to have people of Chris and Simone’s calibre join Aston Martin’s already stellar engineering and dynamics team,” said Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. “Their decision is a great endorsement of our future plans, while the skills and experience they bring is second to none. As we enter the next crucial phase in the development of our growing product and powertrain portfolios, they will make an invaluable contribution in shaping an exceptional new family of Aston Martin models."

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Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar Will Feature Tech Beyond F1

The Valkyrie will have higher performing components than those found in current F1 cars.

Aston Martin’s Valkyrie hypercar, developed with Red Bull Racing, promises to feature some cutting-edge technologies even beyond what is used in F1 when it launches later this year. While the Valkyrie needs to meet certain safety requirements and road laws, it does not have to abide by the sometimes-stifling rules and regulations that apply to Formula 1 race cars. Autocar learned that because of this, certain materials and components used in the Valkyrie are actually of a higher performance than you would find in F1 cars.

That should go some way in helping this approximately $3-million hypercar meet Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer’s promise that it would lap Silverstone as quickly as a modern Formula 1 car. The Valkyrie is not the only F1-tech inspired car though. Mercedes-AMG’s Project One will also feature cutting-edge systems designed to extract the very best lap times possible. While both will feature 1000-bhp+ power outputs, the Valkyrie’s projected downforce should be more than double the estimated 1,400 lbs the Project One is rumored to have which could give it the edge on high-speed circuits.

These advances in aerodynamics and chassis design are thanks to the expertise of many talented designers and engineers such as Adrian Newey, CTO at Red Bull and Aston design boss Marek Reichman. Adrian’s goals were to produce a simple, light and pure car and he says that there will be distinct race and road versions of the Valkyrie. Both should be powered by a naturally aspirated 900-bhp 6.5-liter Cosworth V12 with electric motors helping boost peak power to over 1100-bhp. The planned production run of 150 cars should begin later this year with customers taking delivery during the course of 2019.

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