There’s much more to purchasing a Valhalla than the mere tick of a box. When it comes to ordering and specifying Aston Martin’s first series-production mid-engined supercar, only a visit to one of the company’s bespoke configuration pods at Gaydon will do.
Here, surrounded by samples of paint, leather, carbon, brake callipers and switchgearall neatly assembled like the fabric swatches of a Savile Row tailor, Aston Martin customers are encouraged to indulge themselves. With guidance from a brand specialist, this is where Valhalla owners begin the journey of specifying and personalising their dream car.
To the uninitiated, it can feel intimidating. Which livery style works best with each of the 74 paint options? Should the exterior carbon be crushed matte or woven gloss? Perhaps the carbon should be tinted?
Your day might not have begun by wrestling with the dilemma of matching brake callipers with the golden details of your Valhalla’s headlights. But now you’re here; samples laid out on a desk in front of you, behind which your car is coming to life on a huge, 7.5-metre digital display. It’s a moment many Valhalla customers will surely bathe in; a three-hour appointment where every detail of their new supercar is scrutinised, every colour considered, every thread sample inspected until the perfect specification is teased into reality.
Options are applied in real-time to a practically life-sized rendering on a vast SK screen. Customers can change the virtual location of their car, switching from a summer’s day on the Amalfi Coast, to the overcast Scottish Highlands or nighttime on the Las Vegas Strip, to see how paint hues differ both around the clock and around the globe.
Two types of wheel finish are available for Valhalla, plus a magnesium set that saves 12kg. Deciding how these work with the brake callipers, painted bodywork, exposed carbon, livery and optional titanium exhaust is a chapter all of its own.
Next come the badges. Titanium for the rear to match your tailpipe seems obvious, but what about the front? A regular raised badge is available to match the rear. Or, just as with the Aston Martin Valkyrie, an impossibly thin, etched aluminium alternative sits seamlessly beneath the lacquer.
Then there’s Q, Aston Martin’s personalisation division that takes bespoke builds to the next level. Now, the body can be painted any colour you like – or finished entirely in exposed, perfectly symmetrical carbon weave – and the liveries can be mixed and matched to suit your preference. Two-tone or blended paintwork with matching wheels is possible for the bolder Valhalla customer, along with liveries inspired by Aston Martin’s successes on track. Q will even create liveries made from 24ct gold.
The mid-engined Valhalla opens up new possibilities for custom specifications and, unsurprisingly, more than 80 per cent of Valhalla buyers have turned to Q. One key area where owners are making their mark is in the car’s exterior design. per cent
Sam Holgate, Chief Exterior Designer at Aston Martin, said: “The car is designed predominantly with two graphical zones. You’ve got the Fl-inspired technical areas on the lower carbon. That is then counter-balanced by the organic exterior in body colour. People can choose to have those zones in contrast, or they can have a fully carbon car, and even fade between the two. You could have the front of the car in exposed carbon fibre and the back painted, with fading through the door.”
Exterior finished, it’s time to step inside. A choice between leather and Alcantara is your starting point, followed by a monotone or duotone palette, then up to 35 colour options to consider. The carbon of Valhalla’s seats, doors, dashboard, steering wheel and centre console can be woven or crushed, gloss or matte.
Once again, Q can be called upon to make your Valhalla unique. Headrests adorned with a nickname or family crest, tweed seat fabrics, drive mode selector anodised in the colour of your choice. Q is also ready to explore bespoke requests like titanium shift paddles, air vents and switchgear.
“We’re seeing a lot of metal foil under the lacquers on some of the carbon, some bespoke embroidery, and use of the tweed palette too,” says Adam MacKerron, Manager of Advanced Interior Design. “We often have customers coming in with an item of clothing or a piece of luggage, a coloured swatch, and we can really work with that and begin the journey of creating something bespoke with them.”
Today’s luxury car buyers want more than just the latest vehicle. They want the opportunity to embark on a journey, alongside the manufacturer, to make something truly their own. MacKerron added: “I think Valhalla customers are looking for much more than just the end product. It’s all about the experience. Coming into Gaydon, or one of our other facilities around the world, meeting the team who have worked on the car, and going on a journey. It’s really exciting.”
