Aston Martin has transformed the Vanquish into a V12-engined hyper-GT called the Valen that has more power than any other front-engined road car on sale.
The radical new Valen is the latest ultra-exclusive model from Aston Martin's Special Vehicles Operations division, which created the Vulcan track car, DBR22 speedster and the one-off Victor hypercar.
The new hyper-GT packs the 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 from the Vanquish but ramps the power output to 838bhp, making it more powerful than any Aston apart from the mid-engined Valhalla and Valkyrie.
Torque stands at 738lb ft and the Valen can dispatch 0-62mph in 3.1sec, the same time as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
The Valen's Vanquish origins are clear from its silhouette but it has been extensively overhauled inside and out in line with its heightened performance and exclusivity. High levels of personalisation will mean no two of the 150 customer cars will look the same.
Although the Valen's striking appearance nods to the original DBS and its successor, the Vantage, Aston Martin creative chief Marek Reichman said it is a significant departure from past models.
"Valen gave us the opportunity to explore and express more extreme emotions through a new form language and surface treatment," he said.
Defining features include the brutish new snout—which takes the signature Aston Martin grille motif and expands it across the entire front end—as well as the chunky ducktail spoiler, the aggressive slimline LED lights and, most obviously, the GT3-style carbonfibre aerodynamic addenda, including a huge rear diffuser and downforce-boosting side skirts.
