When you build a street-legal race car, you have to test it properly. Aston Martin engineers clearly agree; police in Utah just cited a development driver for ‘reckless driving’ while testing one of the company’s new Valhalla prototypes.
Testing a vehicle in Utah means long stretches of wide-open road. That’s probably why Aston Martin engineers are out there putting a Valhalla prototype through its paces. Still, the Sheriff’s Department in Emery County, Utah, likely wasn’t expecting to find a seven-figure hypercar boasting north of 1,000 horsepower.
“It’s not every day you pull over a prototype Aston Martin burning up the road through Emery County,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post. “This $1.5 million car was called in for reckless driving and stopped by ECSO Deputy Dylan Keele and UHP Trooper Dakota Adams on I-70 near Green River, Utah.”
Aston Martin has been developing the Valhalla for what feels like ages. Clearly, it still needs some polishing. It’s also possible, however, that a potential customer is getting a look at their future investment. Aston Martin likely has very few development mules, so seat time is a premium—even a prototype can step in when a potential sale is on the line.
Aston Martin plans to build just 999 examples of the Valhalla. This super machine is a collaboration between the automaker and Red Bull Racing. Aston Martin will build the chassis, and Red Bull supplies the bodywork.
This marks Aston Martin’s first go at a plug-in hybrid model. The Valhalla combines a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine with a trio of electric motors. You have a pair of motors up front and a third motor integrated into the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. There’s no actual reverse gear, either, as the front motors handle that work when needed.
According to the automaker, the total combined output is said to be 1,064 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque. Aston Martin claims the Valhalla will accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.5 seconds, but I could see that time dropping even lower once the car officially enters production.
Just don’t test my theory in Utah. The police are clearly watching. But if you can afford a Valhalla, you can also afford the ticket or a lawyer to contest it. Or just put the car in pure EV mode, and tell the cop it couldn’t have been you since the car only goes 80 mph when running on just the electric motors.
Just remember you’ve only got about 8.5 miles of EV driving range on a full charge.
Source:
Emery County Sheriff’s Office via KUTV
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