Aston Martin Valour: A 6-Speed, V12 Monster with Tweed Seats

Making it to your 110th birthday is seriously impressive, either for a person or a car company. Aston Martin achieved this milestone in 2023, and it’s decided to make itself a special car as a birthday present. 

Called the Valour, it strongly resembles the one-off Aston Martin Victor concept car, both of which are inspired by the Aston Martin V8 Vantage from the 1970s and 80s. Yet despite its retro styling, the Valour was designed with modern aerodynamics in mind, with a front splitter, rear diffuser and fender vents designed to increase airflow.

The Valour is powered by Aston Martin’s familiar 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12, making 715 PS and 753 Newton-meters of torque– approximately 705 horsepower and 555 lb-ft. The most unique part of the powertrain, however, is the transmission—not a torque-convertor automatic, or even a dual-clutch, but an actual, honest-to-H-pattern six-speed manual transmission. It’s the first time a manual has been offered with this engine, and the first manual-transmission, V12 Aston Martin since the V12 Vantage S from 2016.

The interior is fairly similar to that of the DBS Superleggera, but with more personalization options and bespoke touches. Aston Martin offers a choice of aluminum (or rather, al-u-min-i-um), titanium, carbon fiber, and walnut shift knobs for the manual transmission; and the entire gearshift mechanism is exposed, rather than hidden beneath a shifter boot. The seats are carbon fiber, and have tweed upholstery—inspired by Aston Martin’s Le Mans-winning DBR1 race car. The exterior can be easily personalized as well, with Aston Martin offering “an extensive array of hand-painted stripes and graphics designs.” And if you want to go all-out in customizing your Valour, Aston Martin’s Q division will go even further.

Production of the Valour will be limited to just 110 units. Deliveries will start in late 2023.