The Valiant carries an emotional charge that goes beyond its numbers. Yes, it is fast, rare, and theatrically engineered, but plenty of modern supercars can claim that. What makes it land differently is timing. It arrives at the point where the industry is moving decisively toward electrification and digital mediation, and it feels like Aston Martin deliberately preserving the old disciplines of noise, weight transfer, and driver responsibility for one last magnificent outburst.
The Valiant is built around a 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 tuned to 715 horsepower. In this application, however, the turbos exist to enhance rather than sanitise — the response is immediate, the delivery linear, the experience as close to naturally aspirated as forced induction can achieve. This is partly because the Valiant weighs just 1,550kg — remarkable for a car of this specification.
We drove it in Scotland, which turns out to be the perfect setting. The roads are empty enough to use the performance, the scenery is too beautiful to ignore, and the weather — capricious as ever — provides exactly the unpredictability that reveals a great chassis. The Valiant's chassis is exceptional.
At the limit, it oversteer rather than understeers — which is to say it is fundamentally honest. When you push harder than you should, it tells you so through the steering, which weights progressively and communicates the tyre's condition with remarkable fidelity. You learn quickly, and the car rewards your education.
Should you buy one? If you have £950,000, the question is whether you can afford not to.
