It’s little surprise that at least a few current and former F1 drivers managed to get their hands on an Aston Martin Valkyrie, given it’s designed to be as close to a roadgoing F1 car as it’s really possible to be. Fernando Alonso has one (unsurprisingly), and so did David Coulthard, but he sold his.
It turns out that Daniel Ricciardo has one, but he’s now getting ready to part ways with it as it comes up for sale at an auction in Belgium next month.
Daniel Ricciardo’s Aston Martin Valkyrie – doors up
In case you’d somehow forgotten about the Valkyrie’s ridiculous vital statistics, here they are. It’s powered by a 6.5-litre, naturally aspirated V12 developed by Cosworth that produces 1000bhp and revs out to a scintillating 11,100rpm. Paired with a KERS hybrid system, peak output is 1160bhp, making for a 2.6-second 0-62mph dash and a top speed north of 215mph. Oh yeah, and it’s got F1-style ground effect too.
Ricciardo’s is chassis number 089 of 150 coupes, commissioned by him in Dichroic Dawn, a £30,000 option which has also taught us a new word (apparently it means something that can display two different colours at once through light reflection). It’s also known as Badger Blue – nothing to do with Ricciardo’s nickname, apparently.
Daniel Ricciardo’s Aston Martin Valkyrie – front
Elsewhere, the car’s skirts and suspension shrouds are finished in exposed twill carbon fibre, and Ricciardo specced the ultra-light magnesium wheels too. Inside, it’s a mixture of black Alcantara and more exposed carbon. Sporty.
Evidently, the honey badger didn’t get much seat time in his Valkyrie, because it’s displaying just 160km on the clock – a little under 100 miles. Despite that, he had this to say about the car: “It feels like a race car and it looks like a race car. I’m not used to having a roof over my head, but that’s the only thing that really feels different, otherwise, it’s a pretty straight-up race car.”
Daniel Ricciardo’s Aston Martin Valkyrie – interior
Should you have the desire and the means to find out what he’s talking about, his Valkyrie’s coming up for sale on 10 October, at Broad Arrow’s Zoute Concours sale on the Belgian coast. Naturally, it won’t come cheap – it’s estimated at between €2.4 and €2.8 million, or around £2.1 to £2.4 million.
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