Page 50 - The Book For Men Fall/Winter 2023

The Better Part of Valour
Aston Martin’s most recent retro-styled limited edition takes its cues from the original V8 Vantage
ASTON MARTIN HAS A KNACK FOR RELEASING COVETABLE, LIMITED
-run cars that are a struggle to get a hold of. And, for the brand’s 110th an- niversary this year, it has rolled out yet another of these elusive motors. The handsome Valour exudes a rich, vintage-inspired energy, and is powered by an engine — a 5.2 litre, twin-turbocharged V12 — that we’d love to see go into mass production. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, it’s the same mill found in the outgoing DBS Superleggera.
In terms of looks, those familiar with Aston’s history will instantly recognize the car’s distinctive profile, which is a clear nod to “Britain’s first supercar,” the original V8 Vantage launched by the brand in 1977. The nostalgic references are
everywhere, from the iconic shape of the grille and headlights (now LED units, naturally) to what, initially, looks to be a set of louvers over the rear windscreen. In fact, there is no glass underneath those blades — and any visibility out of the car’s rear is handled solely by an array of cameras.
According to Aston Martin, the customer demand for the Valour has been unprecedented and not something that was planned for when the original pro- duction run of 110 examples was announced. Since then, the model has been added to the brand’s online car configurator, raising the question of whether additional Valours — or even a similar, separate offshoot model — may be in the pipeline.
50 BFM / FW23 PORTFOLIO
THE BETTER PART OF VALOUR: TEXT BY JUSTIN MASTINE-FROST