Where Does Aston Martin Get Off Calling This Thing Street Legal?

1,130: That's a lot of horses for putting around town.

June 30, 2017 9:00 am

When info began to trickle out about the 2019 Aston Martin Valkyrie earlier this year, all the reports pointed to this machine being a proper maniac — as in, the type of maniac that you can only drive on a track, because frankly, that’s where a car like this belongs.

Put it on the street, and the driver might be tempted to, you know, break a few rules.

But while there will be a track-only version, Aston Martin is now confident that some version of the beast will be street-legal everywhere it is sold — including these United States. 

What does that mean, exactly?

It means that it meets the specs for NHTSA requirements, even if it has to do away with the wing mirrors and add a camera system to achieve an acceptable weight. Much of the regulation surrounding legality has to do with lights and weight and, ya know, safety — Aston Martin learned with the release of the Vulcan. And apparently, the Valk is above board. 

Under the hood, the Valkyrie will carry a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine. Since the car will tip the scales at a mere 2,270 pounds, that means drivers will have four figures of horsepower (1,130, to be exact) at their disposal for a leisurely Sunday afternoon cruise. What could go wrong?

We’ll find out soon enough: a prototype of the glorious ride is expected to make a track lap at the next Le Mans.

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