Aston Martin Valen First Look: The Most Powerful V12 in a Sharp Suit

• What's new: The Valen is the latest limited-production special from the Q by Aston Martin bespoke division.
• Why it maters: At 838 horsepower, its V12 is the most powerful Aston has put in a road car, and just 150 copies will be produced. 
• What Edmunds says: Aston pushes several envelopes with its latest limited V model and shows not all of its cars have to be curvaceous.

The most powerful V12 Aston's ever made

Instead of a manual transmission or track-focused tuning, the center of the Valen story is its twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 engine. It produces 838 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, available from 2,500 rpm, making it the most powerful Aston road car and the strongest front-engine supercar extant. The previous record-holder, AM's own Vanquish, makes 824 hp with a version of the same engine. The name is derived from the Latin "valens," which appropriately means "strong" or "powerful."

The eight-speed ZF automatic transmission found elsewhere in the company's lineup has been reworked to produce snappier shifts and helps the Valens reach 60 mph from rest in a quoted 3.0 seconds (versus 3.3 seconds for the Vanquish). Top speed is electronically limited to the same 214 mph as that lesser V12 car.

Added lightness

A full carbon-fiber body and other material swaps (aluminum, titanium, magnesium) save a reported 110 kg (243 pounds) compared to a "standard" V12 Aston Vanquish. The Valen even skips a rear window for maximum carbon-fiber coverage. There will be an optional lightweight pack that includes suspension arms and knuckles machined from solid aluminum and pinned together with titanium bolts, good for a reduction of 16.9 kg (37 pounds).

Magnesium wheels can be wrapped in a choice of Pirelli P Zero R rubber or P Zero Winter 2 tires in the same size and engineered specifically for this vehicle. (Hats off to Aston for making the effort to develop a snow-friendly tire option, and may I preemptively salute any owner driving this one-of-150 special on winters.) In select markets, the tires will also employ Pirelli's Cyber Tire embedded sensors, allowing the rubber to talk to various computer systems in the vehicle for even more precise threshold control.

Pretty much every system has been retuned or recalibrated compared to the Vanquish, including the traction control, Bilstein DTX dampers, steering and braking, and the suspension's alignment is unique as well. The Valen also gains a Track drive mode that's not found on the Vanquish. Other changes to stiffness and roll and pitch tendencies are supposed to make control of the Valen feel more direct than the series-production Vanquish on which it's based.

That super-powerful engine exhales through a new lightweight titanium exhaust with bilevel rear exits. It employs what Aston calls micro mufflers; the upper pair of outlets is always open, while the lower two are valved to allow the full force to be unleashed, presumably in Track mode. And check out the exhaust tips themselves; their intricate detailing is a result of titanium 3D printing, making them look more like a Star Wars prop than a functional automotive component.

Straight edge

Doubling down on themes explored with the Valiant, the Valen makes more liberal use of sharp lines and creases than run-of-the-mill Aston road cars or even the Valkyrie. The show car's paint is called Andromeda Red and features a color shift from top to bottom as well as a satin finish that's supposed to highlight the body's lines.

Alternatively, Aston will finish the entirety of the exterior in exposed carbon fiber — a great option if you simply have too much money and don't want to be bothered to pick a paint chip — with or without a tint and in either satin or gloss finish. The carbon weave, by the way, uses a herringbone pattern originating at the center of the car, which is simply class.

The use of 3D printing extends to the interior, with unique center-console trim surrounding a version of the transmission controls first seen on the Valhalla. A new upholstery quilting design is applied to more or fewer components depending on which level of trim the buyer selects. And of course, Aston will do pretty much whatever the specifier wants if they're willing to pay to go off-script.

The 170-liter (6-cubic-foot) cargo area can be filled with an optional luggage set. There's even a soft cover that you can roll out over the body to prevent paint scuffs when loading or unloading. They thought of everything.

The first of 150 Valen coupes will be delivered in the second quarter of 2027. Pricing hasn't been disclosed, but we have a feeling they'll all be spoken for by the end of the Car Week festivities.