Speccing any car is a joyous thing, but the experience enters an altogether higher plane when it’s an Aston Martin hypercar.
Or so you’d think. But what’s the reality? How does that process pan out in practice for a buyer in the rarefied world of exclusive Aston Martins?
To find out, today I’m speccing a Valhalla – the 1000bhp mid-engined plug-in hybrid hypercar that will be launched later this year. Production is limited to 999 examples and personalisation is an integral part of the package.
You can go to your nearest dealer and spec away there, if you want. Or you can travel to Q New York, Japan’s House of Aoyama or, as I have, Aston’s Gaydon HQ to spend time with a dedicated design team to perfect your car.
“When clients join us at Gaydon, they’ll be met by one of our brand specialists, get a tour of the factory, see the production line, and then come in here and spec their car,” says Tom Barker, Aston product manager.
As I walk through to the Gaydon HQ’s courtyard, two mirror-clad speccing rooms sit glinting in the sun. Inside is a screen that cinephiles and gamers would die for: a 7.5m-by-2.5m 5K-resolution LED display, which takes up an entire wall.
Hidden out of sight is a computer with enough grunt to show the Valhalla’s every line, curve and reflection with near-realistic clarity. You can move the car around to see different angles, instantly change colours, materials and details, and even hop inside in milliseconds.
It’s an impressive production, but who’s it there to impress? “Around 50% of the specs we’ve done are conquest customers,” says Barker, who’ll guide me through the speccing process today. Ferrari and Lamborghini types are curious about Aston’s mid-engined V8 effort.
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Wow, designing your ultimate Valhalla at Aston Martin HQ sounds like a dream! The detail about the color samples and how Storm Purple looks even better in natural light is fascinating. It's cool to see how personalized the experience is for buyers. Thanks for sharing this unique insight!