Aston Martin Valhalla emerges with new rear wing

The latest pictures show the same razor-edged nose and sharply sculpted flanks that we have seen before, but at the rear, the original design's elegant Flex Foil rear wing has been replaced with an active spoiler held aloft by parts from a Meccano set. The original top-exit exhausts are also MIA, although it's hard to tell from the supplied pictures. 

Before we start sharpening the pitchforks, it's worth remembering this is an early-development car, and things will likely change. The Valhalla's original F1-derived V6 motor has already been replaced with a somewhat less-ambitious Mercedes 4.0-litre V8.

Admittedly, its V8 is the same flat-plane crank motor fitted to the Mercedes AMG GT Black Series, so hardly a pauper in the engine world, and it will be good enough for 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds and a 217mph top speed. Aston also targets a Nürburgring lap speed record of 6 minutes 30 seconds.

The plug-in hybrid's max power comes from two electric motors, one on the front axle and another on the rear, that give the Aston an eight-mile electric range and the ability to travel at speeds of up to 80mph without switching on the V8.

F1 connections come in the form of a carbon fibre tub (Aston's targeting a weight of 1,550kg), a push-rod-suspension package and a configurable electronically controlled limited-slip differential at the rear. Carbon-ceramic brakes will also feature. 

The fingerprints of Red Bull aero ace Adrian Newey are all over the Valhalla – which features venturi tunnels capable of producing 600kg of downforce at 150mph – which makes that inelegant rear wing a harder pill to swallow.

You can expect the Valhalla to be priced from around £700,000 when it goes on sale in 2024.