Valhalla Spider debuts as the fastest open-top Aston ever
Without sounding controversial, allow me to say that car roofs are sensible, as they keep the rain out, the wind down and the hair in order. They also muffle a twin-turbo V8 sitting right behind your shoulders, which is an absolute waste when it makes 794kW.
Aston Martin has taken the roof off the Valhalla, and the result is the fastest open-cockpit car the brand has ever built. The Valhalla Spider is Aston Martin’s first mid-engined open-cockpit production supercar, and if you thought the coupe, introduced earlier this year, was badass, this is maniac.
It’s mechanically everything the coupe is, but with a removable roof. Aston says the Valhalla Spider can reach its electronically limited top speed of 350km/h with the roof off. That’s mad if we’re to weigh in… especially with a V8 that should be heard loud and clear at the back of your head. The standard black fabric roof is removable and stowable, but it caps the car at 200km/h while it’s fitted. If you want to go flat out with the roof on, an optional carbon fibre hard top unlocks the full 350km/h. A rain cover is also supplied for when it’s parked.
Speaking of the powertrain, the Valhalla Spider is a plug-in hybrid and packs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 paired with three e-motors. The total power output is an astonishing 794kW and 1,100Nm sent to all four wheels. The V8 and one e-motor drive the rear axle through an 8-speed DCT gearbox, while the other two e-motors power the front axle.
Aston Martin’s engineers tweaked the Spider’s aerodynamics to suit its character. That said, the Spider has a maximum downforce which exceeds 600kg with the roof fitted, as well as revised aerodynamics and stability control calibration for when the roof is fitted or taken off.
And for those days when you decide to take the roof off, it comes with a wind deflector which controls airflow over the cockpit to improve occupant comfort at speed. The carbon-fibre Touring Seats are new and enhance comfort and ease of entry and exit. If you want, the original carbon-fibre seats in the coupe can be retained at no extra charge. Lastly, the dihedral doors have been reworked and now feature frameless glass and refined opening mechanisms.
The Valhalla Spider is scheduled to make its global debut at this year’s Concours at Wynn Las Vegas. It still brings with it a V8, and we’re glad Aston Martin didn’t go all-in on electrification here. With the introduction of the Spider, there’s now a Valhalla for every kind of driver, rain or not. Whichever you pick, the V8 soundtrack stays the same.
