World’s Most Powerful Uncharged ICE From Aston Martin
Some may see the new Aston Martin Valkyrie engine as the last roar of a dying dinosaur but you won’t find that curbing the lust of most petrol-heads for the latest V12.
This beautiful creation, more a work of art than simply engineering, has been developed between the iconic carmaker and the equally iconic engine tuner Cosworth. Drawing heavily from the tuner’s rich and extensive Formula One race experience, the 6.5-liter naturally-aspirated 65° V12 gasoline powerplant produces 1,000bhp at 10,500rpm on the way to a staggeringly high 11,100rpm redline. Peak torque is 740Nm at 7,000rpm. It will be a fully-stressed member of the Valkyrie’s chassis and yet weighs just 206kgs (453lbs).
In a statement, Aston Martin said its simple brief was to create the ultimate expression of the internal combustion engine. The choice not to use turbo-charging was, according to the carmaker, led by a desire to build the ultimate drivers’ engine that can create an emotional bond free from any lag or interference from forced aspiration.
That said, the ICE’s performance is also due to be boosted still further with the addition of a battery hybrid system, details of which will be revealed later in the development program. Cosworth’s F1 expertise extends to the Valkyrie engine as a fully stressed element of the car where, without it, there is nothing joining the front wheels to the back.
Technical highlights are that, apart from major castings, such as block, cylinder heads, sump and structural cam covers, the majority of the engine’s internal components are machined from solid material. These include titanium conrods and F1 specification pistons. There is also a billet machined crankshaft that, starting life as a solid steel bar 170 mm diameter and 775 mm long, it is first roughed out, then heat treated, finish machined, heat treated again, gear ground, final ground and super-finished. Upon completion 80% of the original bar has been machined away in a process that takes some six months but the end product is a crankshaft that’s 50% lighter than that used in the Aston Martin One-77’s V12, itself a Cosworth-developed evolution of Aston Martin’s series production V12.
By way of comparison, Cosworth’s 3.0-liter V10 F1TM engines (the last before weight limits were imposed by the FIA) weighed 97kgs and, if scaled-up to 6.5-liters, this race engine would weigh more than the Valkyrie’s at 210kgs.
Bruce Wood, Cosworth managing director, said of the project: “Being asked to create a naturally aspirated V12 engine fit for what will surely be one of the most iconic cars of all time is an immense source of pride for Cosworth. Decades in F1 taught us to expect a pretty demanding specification from someone with Adrian Newey’s unsurpassed track recor, but when we started talking about specifics of power, weight, emissions compliance and durability combined with ever harder and sometimes conflicting targets, we knew this would be a challenge like no other. It’s been a fantastic partnership between Aston Martin, Red Bull and Cosworth with each party bringing a distinct clarity of vision that has proved essential in delivering an internal combustion engine way beyond anything previously seen in a road car application.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
