Aston Martin Valen revealed as the world's most powerful front-engined supercar

Q by Aston Martin – the British marque's bespoke division – has taken the wraps off an incredibly exclusive front-engined V12 special at Monterey Car Week in California.

The 2027 Aston Martin Valen is not only the most powerful front-engined supercar in the company's 113-year history, but also the world's most powerful front-engined production car, period.

Thanks to a tweaked version of Aston Martin's 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 that has been massaged to deliver a whopping 850ps (625kW) of power and 1000Nm of torque, it's good for a 0-100km/h dash in a preliminary figure of 3.1 seconds on its way to a limited top speed of 345km/h.

A retuned eight-speed ZF automatic transmission – which derives its shift strategies from the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 race car – is claimed to offer "crisper and more engaging shifts" via an electronic limited-slip rear differential.

For reference, the Vanquish makes 614kW/1000Nm from the same base engine, and quotes a 0-100km/h time of 3.3 seconds along with the same 345km/h top speed.

"Strictly limited" to just 150 units, the Aston Martin Valen's bespoke lines are fashioned from a full carbon-fibre body, which together with extensive use of other lightweight motorsport-inspired materials helps to shave 110kg from Aston's "core V12 platform".

Buyers can also option a "lightweight pack" which swaps suspension arms and knuckles machined from solid aluminium, as well as titanium chassis bolts, to bring a further 16.9kg weight-saving.

New lightweight magnesium wheels measure 21 inches in diameter, and are shod in 275/35 front and 325/30 Pirelli P Zero R rubber specifically developed for the Valen. The bespoke V12 supercar also adopts Pirelli's new Cyber Tyre technology, which shares real-time tyre data with the vehicle's dynamic control systems.

Stopping power comes from carbon-ceramic brakes as standard, comprising 410mm discs up front and 360mm rotors at the rear.

The Valen also features "targeted software calibration adjustments" to a number of systems including the stability control, dampers, steering, and brakes to deliver a "marked character shift".

In particular, the retuned steering is said to prioritise feel and response, helping the 4830mm-long and 2044mm-wide Valen to behave like a "shorter and lighter car".

Apart from the wild performance specs and driver-focused chassis upgrades, the Valen brings exclusive design details.

Unlike its very sleek and rather elegant stablemates, such as the Vantage, DB12 and Vanquish, the Valen's exterior design is more angular and purposeful, featuring more vents, wings and flics than almost any other Aston.

Most distinctive is the rear-end, which has a solid tailgate with an integrated rear wing, accented by an intricate rear diffuser design and full-width LED light bar.

Aston Martin says the upswept tail "acts as a Gurney flap to generate downforce while incurring minimal drag and avoiding the need for motorsport-style wings".

Perhaps the biggest talking point, however, is the lightweight titanium exhaust with four 3D-printed titanium tailpipe finishers split into upper and lower regions of the rear-end.

According to Aston Martin, the upper exhaust exits are always open, while the lower units are valved and open depending on drive mode to deliver "the ultimate emotive soundtrack".

The British marque says the acoustics of the exhaust have been tuned to reduce lower-frequency tones while amplifying higher ones.

"The upper exhaust outlets are tuned akin to organ pipes to generate resonance at higher engine speeds, resulting in a significant increase in character and presence," says the brand.

The Valen's coach-built carbon-fibre body can be had in pretty much any colour and finish you like, including the fully exposed carbon-fibre which can be tinted in a variety of colours as well as finished in satin or gloss.

For the show car, the Valen is finished in a special Q Ultra-developed paint, named Satin Andromeda Red. It blends deep red with copper and golden highlights which "shift dynamically to undertones of blue", says Aston Martin.

The cabin is arguably less radical, with stronger design links to Aston's latest lineup.

The company notes the "newly developed" Sports Plus seats, which are designed for better support and long-distance comfort, while racier carbon-fibre lightweight performance seats are available as an option.

You can configure your Valen now on the Aston Martin website, with first deliveries from the 150-unit production run to commence during the second quarter of 2027.

It's unclear if any examples will come to Australia, and what customers will have to spend, but given the exclusive and bespoke nature of the Valen, we'd wager it'll be a minimum of seven figures.

The Valen is the latest in an illustrious line of limited-production V12 special models from the British marque, including the 559kW One-77, which was the world's most powerful naturally aspirated supercar when it was launched.

In 2015, the track-only Vulcan was born, with a Formula 1-style carbon-fibre tub and a 611kW 7.0-litre V12. Then came the Victor in 2020, a one-off customer commission which drew design inspiration from the 1970s V8 Vantage.

The Victor directly influenced the '23 Valour and '24 Valiant that followed, both of which shared a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 and six-speed manual transmission.

Most recently, the V12 Vantage was resurrected in 2022 as "the most focused and dynamically capable Vantage chassis ever produced", powered by a 515kW version of the 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 and fitted with advanced aerodynamics generating 204kg of downforce.

2027 Aston Martin Valen

Tech specs

*Preliminary figure

Dimensions

Click the images for the full gallery

MORE: Explore the Aston Martin showroom