Aston Martin wants hyper-car to be faster than F1 cars

[Big Tea]

I dont know how long a set of tyres that can use more than half the performance available would last on the road though.

[Just_a_fan]

The fronts will be ok - the rears will be gone in a few thousand miles, I'd bet.

It won't be the "pure" car that the McLaren F1 was - it's going to have stability control and traction control, ABS etc. All of which should help tyre (and underwear!) life.

[Tim.Wright]

Seems the engine is a stressed member. Is that a first for a road car?

[Just_a_fan]

Seems the engine is a stressed member. Is that a first for a road car?

I think the Ferrari F50 had a stressed member engine. The Cosworth guy seemed to suggest it was a first, however.

[djos]

The sound of that V12 reminds me of the old 3.5 litre F1 V12's and I love it!

[humble sabot]

I had to go look it up to be sure, but yes, the F50 uses the engine almost exclusively as the structure, but it does have two side braces. I think you're effectively right though that he was implying a slightly exaggerated version of the truth. But then again the F50 is like the exception that proves the rule.

[Morteza]

[humble sabot]

The people who bought a car like this are at least Tim's size. And no, that demo car IS made of structural carbon. But who would want to stand on the seat of a 2 million dollar car...

When I first responded to you I decided to let this go but these comments have been stuck at the back of my head ever since you posted them.

The first one is speculation based on nothing.
The second one is supported by nothing. Every single image of these models show them to be very clearly wrapped with some sort of decorative pattern.
The third one can be answered quite simply: anyone not so precious about their toys that they're unwilling to use them.

Sorry, this is not carbon:


This is not either:


That's vinyl and plasti-dip
And besides how the subject of the video in question can be heard saying that it is a model he was instructed to be careful about - in selfsame video.

sigh, glad i got that off my chest, now i never have to think about that ever again.

[SectorOne]

More details about the Valkyrie. Newey arguing about a 400 gram badge lol, gotta love it.

[bill shoe]

Video has info (at 10:00) about custom-designed fasteners. Implication is that this is standard practice in F1, at least for the top teams. I didn't know that F1 used custom fasteners. I figured they used high-end fasteners but apparently I'm a bit naïve- they use custom fasteners! Specific quote-

The screws are bespoke to the car, so the fixings--nuts, bolts, screws--are all bespoke. The thread size, thread depths, torque capability of those threads, and where they sit and how they fix, are all uniquely designed for Valkyrie. Individual screws, nuts, and bolts.

[bill shoe]

If you ever want to get a message out to the world, become a racing seatbelt manufacturer. I'm amazed at the ultra high-end F1 teams that have to use seatbelts with the marketing logo of the belt manufacturer prominently on the belt.

The Valkeyrie is the same (15:20)-- Aston Martin, Adrian Newey, "greatest-car-ever", custom & exclusive interior appointments be damned! You will be saddled with a seatbelt that loudly displays: SCHROTH RACING. Deal with it.

[Just_a_fan]

Custom screws and fixings is silly. Having standard stuff works because, well, they're standard so you can get them anywhere, when ever you need them.

"Sorry to hear a screw dropped out of your Valkyrie, sir. We'll get one made up and shipped out as soon as we can. Should be with you in a week. Hopefully. Yes, it means your multi-million pound car won't be driveable for some time. Never mind, at least you've got pub bragging rights about your screws."

[schwepes]

Custom screws and fixings is silly. Having standard stuff works because, well, they're standard so you can get them anywhere, when ever you need them.

You do not put "any bolt" from "anywhere" to 3 milion $ car as a replacement . Of course is some cases they could use standard bolts, but it is advertised as a car with almost no compromises, so it makes (some ) sense to let buyers pay for this kind of extravagance.

[Just_a_fan]

Of course you can use a standard bolt in a $3m car. It's marketing pish to use individually-designed fasteners everywhere. Sure, if you have a situation where a standard bolt isn't physically up to the job, then go bespoke. But if you're just holding a piece of trim in place, an industry standard fixing makes sense. It means your customer can go to their local Aston Martin dealer and know they're going be helped straight away.

Anything else is just self-justification.

[e36jon]

There's precedent for 'bespoke' fasteners in the aircraft world. An article I read a long time ago quoted someone in the maintenance biz for private jets as saying "aircraft inevitably gain weight as they age.". He went on to explain some of the reasons for that and specialized fasteners being replaced by standard was one of the causes he mentioned, specifically aluminum and titanium fasteners being replaced by their readily available steel counterparts.


I feel like this car is a unicorn already so I am not offended by seemingly bonkers stuff like this. 'Ultimate' may have different definitions for others, but for me it means leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of the solution.