Aston Martin reveals limited edition Valkyrie LM

Shockingly, it’s been a little while since we’ve seen another track-only version of a racing car that’s built from a road car which can’t be raced nor used on the street. But now owners of the Ferrari 499P Modificata, Lamborghini Essenza SC V12, Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport (and 935), McLaren 720S GT3X, Ford GT MkIV, Pagani Huayra R Evo and Mercedes-AMG GT2 Pro – plus whatever else we’ve forgotten – now have another option, lest the well run dry. Say hello to the new Aston Martin Valkyrie LM.  

It follows the lucrative template laid out by the rest, unshackling a race car to exploit the full potential of the platform on super exclusive, super luxe track days. And Aston is presumably confident that there are 10 folk out there for whom the standard Valkyrie just isn’t extreme enough, and crave ‘a driving experience directly comparable to the elite performance levels of sportscar racing’s pinnacle Hypercar class.’ While all 10 LMs will be privately owned, Aston can keep and maintain the cars if you wish, taking them to and from ‘Valkyrie LM Performance Club’ venues to run on a ‘fly-in-and-drive’ basis. So maybe don’t feel too bad about your decat exhaust pipe. 

Indeed the LM Performance Club is much more than just venue hire. It will lay on a ‘dedicated driver development programme’ to ensure that the customers get the very best from themselves and the cars on some of the world’s greatest tracks. So there’ll be sim sessions, track walks, classroom lessons, one-on-one tuition, video analysis – the world. Plus some snazzy kit, of course, including boots and suit, HANS, helmet and gloves. 

Aston pitches it thusly: ‘Removing the stress of running track sessions independently and ensuring the car is set up and prepared with the same expertise as it was intended to be for the race track, the programme is sculpted to assist drivers as they build their confidence and explore the limits of a machine designed to operate in excess of 200mph on the fast, flat-out kinks of the most famous racetrack in the world.’ Which, all cynicism aside, does sound pretty flipping awesome.

As you might expect, the 6.5 Cosworth V12 is retained for the LM, here with 707hp just like the competition car – or quite a lot less than the 1,160kg of the homologated street machine, because everything is a bit silly right now. The seven-speed sequential is standard fit and the significant changes seem to be a recalibration to accept the fuel that’s going to be on offer at tracks away from race weekends, plus something called ‘open-loop torque control’, instead of the closed-loop setup used in competition cars. Aston says the change is ‘user-friendly’, ‘optimising the driving experience for customers.’ So making the race car a little bit easier to drive, hopefully.  

Otherwise, though, it’s pretty much Le Mans Hypercar spec, complete with the adjustable racing suspension, custom carbon seat, six-point harness and fire suppression system. Tyres are from Pirelli, said to be ‘bespoke performance’ rubber, so probably a step or two down from full slicks. The Valkyrie LM promises an Aston Martin track car experience truly like no other. And unlike a few (but not all) of the alternatives, in fact, with the incredible V12. 

Adam Carter, Aston’s Head of Endurance Motorsport said: “It is important to emphasise that the Valkyrie LM is close to identical to the race car that is currently competing in WEC and IMSA, with only a few minor deviations to ensure it is a non-homologated variant and is accessible for customers to experience and enjoy. Valkyrie LM represents the most authentic Hypercar track experience that is now available.”

Easy to imagine 10 billionaires buying into that promise. The LM programme will launch in the second quarter of next year, with the first track events coming at ‘F1 standard race circuits’. Should make for quite the sight. And sound…