Geneva Motor Show - Aston Martin’s new lightweight performance supercar, codenamed AM-RB 001, which it has been developing in collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies and AF Racing, now has a name.
Valkyrie.
Aston Martin has a history of car names starting with V that goes back to the 1951 Vantage, a high-performance version of the DB2; from then on the Vantage was always the hottest derivative of the current Aston Martin flagship - until 2005, when it became a model line in its own right - the most successful one in the company’s 104-year history.
Likewise, Volante was, and is, the name given to convertible derivatives, starting with the DB5 Short Chassis Volante of 1965. More recently, we’ve seen the Virage, Vanquish and, most recently, the Vulcan track-only supercar, named for the Norse god of fire.
'Chooser of the slain'
Continuing the Norse mythology theme, the Valkyrie - ‘choosers of the slain’ - were female figures who flew over the battlefield deciding who should live and who should die.
Aston Martin designer Marek Reichman explained: “This is a very special car that deserves a remarkable name; the connotations of power and honour, of being chosen by the gods are so evocative, and so appropriate to this car, that only a fortunate few will ever experience.”