Fernando Alonso is all set to receive his brand new Aston Martin Valkyrie, which will soon make its way onto the roads, albeit in a very limited quantity. The 1000bhp hypercar costs over $3,676,000 and stands as one of the most expensive cars ever made by the British manufacturer. With such a high price tag, the 42-year-old hoped he would get special treatment in the form of an employee discount, but the reality couldn’t be more different for him.
In the last quarter, 10 units of the Valkyrie were delivered to the buyers, as the rest of the cars underwent production. Per the company’s plans, they will only produce 150 units of the car, while the ‘pro’ version of the car will be limited to 25 units. With certain legal issues still circling the car, the company has not been able to deem the car fully road-legal.
Hot on the heels of the electrifying job he did in Brazil, Fernando Alonso has spoken to me for @BritishGQ about his first season with @AstonMartinF1, how he’s spec’d his Valkyrie, and why he looks up to Lewis Hamilton. https://t.co/k6RJilnZsc #F1 #LasVegasGP @astonmartin #Alonso
— Adam Hay-Nicholls (@AdamHayNicholls) November 7, 2023
Amidst all this, Alonso told GQ magazine that he went to buy the car in hopes of getting an employee discount but could not get one.
“I’d hoped for an employee discount! That was my wish, and I took it for granted probably. I went through the specification with them – green with a touch of lime, to look like my F1 car – and then looked to see what the discount was. There was no discount!”
Adding a companion for his DBX 707, Alonso opted for a racing green color for his car while adding a hint of lime to it. Alonso explained he wanted the hypercar to resemble his team’s colors. However, he added that the customization will make it harder for him to fly under the radar when taking his car out for a spin.
As Fernando Alonso awaits the arrival of his car, Christian Horner recently got his delivered
With deliveries underway since the final quarter of 2021, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner stands as the latest recipient of the Valkyrie. Having received the car, Horner would be hoping to avoid the same fate as Max Verstappen while driving it. A few days before the Dutch GP, the three-time world champion found himself on the wrong side of the law while enjoying a ride in the Valkyrie.
With Christian Horner and Adrian Newey in front of the new @astonmartin Valkyrie in Geneva today at the @GimsSwiss #GIMS2019 pic.twitter.com/lzoFwFc2oP
— Jean Todt (@JeanTodt) March 5, 2019
Driving on the French A8 Motorway, the police caught Verstappen driving at 74 miles an hour in a 55 miles an hour zone. However, the authorities never released an official statement about the incident. Apart from this, another controversy enveloped the Valkyrie as a couple of ex-dealers filed a $170 million lawsuit against the company on grounds of the British team owing them money for partly funding the development of the car.
Another legal issue encompasses the car and stands as the primary reason behind it not yet being a completely road-legal car. Lawrence Stroll deemed Nebula Project (partners of Aston Martin in the development of Valkyrie) bankrupt so he wouldn’t have to give them $190 million in damages. While the judges dismissed the original claims by Nebula Project, Stroll is busy trying to wipe the company off “from the face of the earth.”
