Aston Martin’s 1064-HP Valhalla Hypercar Goes Roofless

• The Valhalla was already hugely desirable; an open-top version is even more so.
• Clever reworking of the aerodynamics keeps the full top speed of 217 mph.
• There’s a choice of a stowable soft top or a carbon-fiber hard top.

Fancy the feel of the wind in your horned helmet? Well, right this way, Herre or Fru Viking, because Aston Martin has a new convertible that’s ready to Ragnarök your world. Just released earlier this year, the million-dollar Valhalla hybrid supercar is now available in a new 2028 Spider edition, with a selection of removable roofs that let you hear every barbaric yawp of that turbocharged and hybridized 4.0-liter V-8.

Sometimes, cutting the roof off a supercar or hypercar dilutes the performance a little, with compromised aerodynamics. You know what other type of car comes in roofless form? F1 racing machines. The Valhalla Spider leverages the expertise of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 racing team to rework the aerodynamics to allow for a full-fat 217-mph top speed when roofless, same as the coupe.

A stowable fabric roof is fitted as standard, should you run into a few raindrops when out for a cruise in your mid-engine hybrid hypercar. However, putting this up limits top speed to a still relatively bananas 124 mph, for the same reason you can’t wear a hat while skydiving. So long, fedora. Aston Martin also offers a removable carbon-fiber hard top that’s again good for up to 217 mph.

Maximum topless performance required Aston to design a wind deflector that channels air around passengers but still down to the rear air intake snorkel. This deflector can be stowed inside the cockpit, same as the folding fabric roof, thanks to 15-liter (0.5 cubic foot) pockets built into the side sills of the car.

Further, the Valhalla Spider required a recalibration of its active aerodynamics and stability control systems to work with the revised airflow created by the roofless silhouette. Under the skin, the Valhalla Spider gets the same three-motor hybrid system, with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 providing a wallop of combustion power and a thoroughly excellent soundtrack. Total power is identical to the fixed-roof Valhalla, at 1064 horsepower.

Cost? Dying honorably in battle. Okay, not really, but Aston Martin has yet to put a price on the Valhalla Spider. Figure it will cost a premium over the fixed-roof version’s eye-watering $1,051,700. Still, if you’re in the market for a mid-engine hybrid hypercar, perhaps best to opt for the version that’s like front-row seats at a Wagnerian opera.

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Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.

Source: www.caranddriver.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.