New Aston Martin Valour: Retro V12 manual celebrates brand’s 110th birthday

In a final encore to the purist supercars of yesteryear, the ultra-exclusive Valour is a beautiful, modernised rendition of the classic Vantage. Could this be the last manual Aston ever?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of Valour is to show great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. Quite an apt title then for a car which carries one of the final torches for internal combustion, before Aston's EV revolution extinguishes petrol-power entirely by 2030.

Following in the footsteps of equally jaw-dropping limited-run special editions, including the One-77 and Victor, just 110 Valours will be produced globally — one for each year the company has been in business.

Drawing heavily from the design language of that one-of-one Victor, the Valour’s taut, muscle car-esque exterior echoes the timeless lines of the 1977 Vantage. However, while it shares the essence and style of historic models, every crease, bulge, vent, and fin has been carefully considered to optimise cooling and airflow — function and form are equally crucial here.

Looking like a heritage supercar is one thing, but true purists will be most interested to find out if the internals are similarly old-school. The good news on that front is by teaming a glorious, DBS-derived 705bhp V12 engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox, Aston Martin has produced the only (and probably last ever) front-engined V12 manual car on sale.

Although no concrete performance data has been released yet, the Valour won’t be quite as rapid as the older Victor due to a 100-horsepower deficit between the models. But, after stirring a few cogs with the elegant walnut gearstick and hearing that lightweight triple-exit exhaust howl like a banshee, you probably won’t care that you are hurtling towards the horizon a few miles per hour slower.

Driving enthusiasts will also rejoice at the finely honed chassis, featuring adaptive dampers and special strut bracing for maximum stiffness. Aston has even gone to great lengths to ensure that the steering set-up is as feelsome and devoid of unwanted slack as possible.

Thankfully, enormous carbon-ceramic stoppers (410mm front, 360mm rear) are also on hand to rein things in should you get a bit too carried away. Although, the Valour should be a more confidence inspiring steer than forebears like the lairy One-77 — which enjoyed lighting up its rear tyres at even a suggestion of throttle application — thanks to Michelin's latest Pilot Sport S 5 tyres providing sublime response and traction.

Despite the extremely low production numbers, for some of Aston’s particularly well-heeled clientele, an off-the-peg Valour still won’t be exclusive enough.

As such, the Gaydon-based brand is offering customers the chance to create a unique specification as part of their Q services line. Some particularly exquisite options include interior detailing from Johnsons of Elgin Tweed, cashmere seat fabrics, and exposed carbon body panels with a choice of different hues.

So how much will it set me back? Well, this is probably one of those times where, if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. Regardless, prices began (past tense as all 110 examples are now already spoken for) at around £1 million, rising to £1.5 million after you’d played with that decadent options list.

Given the Valour’s end-of-an-era spec, we posit that many of these examples will have gone to collectors looking for a return on their investment. But surely a few examples will make it into the hands of genuine petrol-heads who intend to use and display their cars so that ICE exotics aren’t forever consigned to the history books.

If you had seven digits of disposable cash to drop on an exclusive supercar, would you choose a bespoke combustion machine like the Valour, or would you embrace the EV revolution and pick up a Rimac?