Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider is the most extreme convertible ever
The Valkyrie Spider gets removable roof panels and a top speed of over 217 mph.
Aston Martin's Valkyrie hypercar is one of the most absurd road-going vehicles ever created: A screaming V12 paired with an advanced hybrid system, insane aerodynamics developed with Red Bull's Advanced Technologies team and extreme performance figures. Now Aston has turned the absurdity dial well past 11 with the Valkyrie Spider, which debuted Thursday during Monterey Car Week.
The Spider's roof is extremely simple. There's a removable central carbon-fiber bar and a polycarbonate "roof window" on either side, hinged for easy access into the cabin and removable to boot. Aston says the roof can be "simply lifted off" when the doors are open, though the exact process isn't detailed. You'll have to leave the roof panels behind if you go anywhere, as the Valkyrie has no cargo space in its super tight cabin.
The Spider (on the right) has different doors.
Aside from the roof, the only real design difference is the doors. While the Valkyrie coupe has top-hinged gullwing doors, the Spider gets front-hinged dihedral doors. They look rad, especially with the roof panels installed and opened. The greenhouse retains its bubbled teardrop shape, and even with the panels removed the design looks exactly the same as the coupe. Aston also made changes to the carbon-fiber tub and active aerodynamics systems to compensate for the roof, and the weight difference compared to the coupe is marginal.
The wonderful roofline is unaffected by the removable roof.
Mechanically, the Valkyrie Spider is also pretty much identical to the coupe. It retains the V12 hybrid setup that produces 1,139 horsepower and revs to 11,000rpm, which sounds absolutely insane and should prove to be mind-blowing with the roof removed. Aston says the Valkyrie Spider has a top speed of more than 205 mph with the roof removed, but it'll hit speeds of over 217 mph with it in place. It'll have the same level of on-track performance as the coupe, meaning capabilities approaching or surpassing that of an LMP1 race car. The interior is the same as the standard Valkyrie's too, with a Formula 1-like seating position, six-point racing harnesses and a rearview camera system.
Aston is building 85 Valkyrie Spiders in total, making it twice as rare as the coupe; it will be available in both left- and right-hand drive. While Aston isn't saying anything about cost, the brand says the car is "over-subscribed" after "unprecedented demand," so allocations will begin soon with first deliveries commencing in the second half of 2022. The Valkyrie Spider will be on display in Pebble Beach during Monterey Car Week, but by invitation only -- sorry, car spotters.
