Aston Martin was born on the racetrack—a fact mentioned early when discussing the manufacturer’s history and its latest and greatest supercar, the Valhalla, which debuted at Car Week this year.
Developed in conjunction with their F1 team, the Valhalla is a car of many firsts for Aston Martin and was celebrated with its own exclusive event in Pebble Beach on Saturday night, Aug. 16. It’s the brand’s first mid-engine vehicle, first hybrid, and will be limited to just 999 vehicles made. Each is hand-built in the U.K. at Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, England with a starting price point of $1 million and a top speed of 217 miles per hour. The entire body is made of carbon fiber—designed for the track, but also pitched as an "everyday" car compared to the more track-focused, but wildly popular, Valkyrie. With configurations made to order, customers are encouraged to indulge.
At Car Week that’s just what they did at the House of Aston Martin. The Valhalla was displayed on a platform at the center of the venue in Pebble Beach, where Marek Reichman, executive vice president at Aston Martin Lagonda, and Struan Grant Ralph, a brand ambassador with Glenfiddich, opened the evening with a toast—using a 48-year-old 1976 Glenfiddich whiskey, one of only 50 bottles in the world. It was the first official tasting globally, kicking off a night of luxury.
While the event was meant to celebrate the Valhalla’s launch, Aston Martin wasn’t looking for buyers—all 999 units have already been allocated. Only two have been made so far, both of which were shown at Car Week.
An accessory dwelling unit on the property quietly served as a configuration room, where clients who had purchased the supercar could select colors, materials for the seats, leather types and even leather patterns. According to a spokesperson from Aston Martin, there are “a million and one” ways to configure the car, even down to creating a custom paint color to match a personal item, like a watch strap or a piece of luggage.
While Aston Martin has attended Car Week before—typically offering test drives or hosting smaller events, often setting up at the Concours on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach—this marked the first year they’ve done an activation of this grandeur. A live saxophonist played as attendees sipped Glenfiddich cocktails crafted by bartenders from "Double Chicken Please," a popular Manhattan bar, and opened the butterfly door to take a seat in the racecar bucket seats.
“In race mode, it’s just bonkers,” says Tom Barker, product manager at Aston Martin. He explains that while the car accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds, it’s still meant to be more restrained than the Valkyrie. “It delivers electric performance, that instant acceleration, but it’s designed to be an enjoyable car across the spectrum.”