You’ll Never Drive an F1 Car, But How About a Car Built for an F1 Driver?

The Aston Martin Valiant was originally commissioned by Fernando Alonso, and now one of the 38 models is up for sale

A 2025 Aston Martin Valiant V12, commissioned by Fernando Alonso, is up for sale at U.K. marketplace PistonHeads
If the Valiant name doesn't ring a bell, it might be time to get acquainted.
Kaaimans International via PistonHeads

When talking about luxury cars, there’s rare — and then there’s “only 38 of these were ever made” rare. The Aston Martin Valiant falls into the latter category. As Brett Berk reported at Car and Driver in 2024, the Valiant was commissioned by veteran Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso, who drives for Aston Martin. Take the Aston Martin Valour and reimagine it in a more competitive, racing-centric manner and you’ll have a general idea of what to expect.

The Valiant was made in very limited quantities, even compared with the limited-edition nature of the Valour. (As Autoblog’s Pablo Salapantan pointed out, only 110 of the latter were made.) In other words, any of the 38 Valiants coming to market is a newsworthy event in and of itself. Wouldn’t you know it, one of them is currently for sale via U.K. marketplace PistonHeads. Thus far, just 500 miles are on the odometer for this particular model.

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What else does this Valiant have going for it? Well, it’s very red. Crimson Red Metallic is the color of the exterior, to be specific, with a red leather interior. The engine is a twin turbocharged V12, paired to a six-speed manual transmission. Add ceramic brakes, a motorsport-derived titanium exhaust system and carbon fiber bodywork and you have an impressively sleek high-performance vehicle.

In a 2024 interview with Motor1, Alonso detailed the evolution of the Valiant, and spoke with pride about the final version. “The Valiant has more power and less weight, so everything that a racing driver loves to have,” he said. “I think the final product is a piece of moving art.”

Great art doesn’t come cheap, especially for this particular example of engineering and vision. This Valiant is currently priced at £2,595,000, or around $3.5 million at the current exchange rates.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…
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