Our jaws dropped to the floor when Aston Martin revealed the AM-RB001 early last year — a true embodiment of 'race car for the road' silliness with LMP-style aerodynamics, a Cosworth 6.5-litre V12 engine, and the engineering know-how of the Red Bull Advanced Technologies team. You know, the one from Formula 1.
The AM-RB001 (later named the Valkyrie) commenced a new hypercar age. McLaren and Mercedes-AMG announced their entrants to the fight not long after, in the form of the Senna and the Project One.
It's all well and good seeing pictures and videos of these incredible beasts on the internet of course, but a question that's long been bouncing around the Driven office has been whether we would get to see any of them in New Zealand.
While AMG confirmed pretty early on that the Project One is slated to come here, the fate of the Senna and Valkyrie have remained rumour and speculation at best. Until last night that is, when it was confirmed that Hampton Downs Motorsport Park and Highlands Motorsport Park circuit owner Tony Quinn has "put down a deposit" on a Valkyrie of his own.
Appearing briefly in a 7 Sharp slot devoted to the British manufacturer's annual Aston Martin on Ice event, Quinn's plan to bring a Valkyrie down under was outlined.
On top of his motorsport presence, Quinn is also a certified Aston Martin nut. He's purchased and raced some of the brand's best GT3-spec race cars, and perhaps most notably is one of the only owners of an Aston Martin Vulcan in the sourthern hemisphere. Owning both the Vulcan and the road-legal Valkyrie — arguably Aston's two most savage creations ever — puts Quinn in extremely exclusive company.
"He’s an important customer," said Aston Martin boss Dr Andrew Palmer, when asked by Driven about Quinn in March last year.
"Actually we’re quite enthusiastic about the New Zealand market. It’s a good market for us. I think we have an advantage as far maybe it’s your roots, but New Zealand seems to understand Aston Martin.
"Let’s say better than if I go to China or Japan where I have to explain the brand. There’s a history and greater enthusiasm for the brand in New Zealand and we do quite well here."
Just 150 Valkyries are going to be produced, and sadly the majority are likely to spend their lives stored away for safe keeping. However, if Quinn's Vulcan and the many miles its done around New Zealand's race tracks are anything to go by, we can probably assume that his Valkyrie will get plenty of use.