Aston Martin has finally given us a look inside their Valkyrie hypercar. That's right, the F1-style cockpit has been revealed. And they're talking in depth about more of the car's special tricks to save weight and skim through the air too.
The exterior is elegant, but it's taut against a small frame. It's designed to be as efficient as possible, which means there is little space for unimportant things like the driver. That means that the design of the cockpit has to be efficient too. And Aston Martin has delivered.
It's designed to fit two 98 percentile adults. That means a driver and passenger up to about six-foot-three. To help with the fit the seats are mounted directly to the chassis. There are no brackets or sliders using up valuable centimetres of headroom. The driver and passenger sit reclined as well, which Aston Martin compares to the seating position of a Le Mans Prototype racer. Four-point harnesses are standard, with six-point belts available for track use.
All of the switchgear is mounted to the steering wheel, and all the gauges are on a single display screen. Like a racecar, the wheel is removable to aid getting in and out. Aston also calls it "an additional security device." Like a removable '90s stereo, we suppose.
The whole thing is shockingly minimalist and looks the part of a high-end racer. It's better finished and tidier than most race cars for sure.
Some of the other newly revealed styling, weight, and aero tricks include rear-view mirrors that are replaced by cameras. The better views from the cameras combined with the roof-mounted air intake mean no rear window and no inside mirror. That further improves interior space and visibility. The smooth and small headlights cut through the wind, but are also largely exposed to reduce weight. They save 30 to 40 percent compared with a standard Aston headlight.
The rear center brake light is just 5.5 mm wide and 9.5 mm high. It's mounted to the shark fin near the top of the roof to reduce aero impact. Aston Martin said it's the world's smallest third brake light. Even the aluminium winged Aston Martin badge can't escape the attention of the scale. The special badge is just 70 microns thick. The regular badge was "too heavy" and a sticker looked too cheap, so the solution is a chemically etched badge that's thinner than a human hair. It's 99.4 percent lighter than one from the parts bin and is enclosed under the car's lacquer finish.
Even at this late stage, the Valkyrie's design is subject to change. Miles Nurnberger, exterior design director for Aston Martin said that "I would say we’re around 95 percent of the way there with the exterior design. The remaining areas of non-structural bodywork are still subject to evolution and change as Adrian [Newey] continues to explore ways of finding more downforce." That includes recently added details like vents in the front fenders that add downforce and just happen to let you admire the front suspension wishbones.
Aston hasn't yet announced when the Valkyrie will take flight.
