Aston Martin breathes life into new V6 era
Aston Martin has revealed further details of its new in-house designed V6 engine, which has been created initially for deployment in a new range of mid-engined sports cars, starting with the Valhalla from 2022.
Aston Martin uses Mercedes AMG turbo V8 engines in some of its cars in a technical partnership that dates back to 2013. Code-named TM01 — celebrating Aston Martin’s engineer of the 1950s and 1960s, Tadek Marek — the petrol-electric hybrid unit has undergone a series of extensive testing on the dyno, as the team makes progress towards creating the luxury British brand’s first inhouse designed engine since 1968.
Confirmed this week as a 3.0l turbocharged V6, the full power train will be electrified — an aspect that has been key to the engine’s development from day one.
POWERFUL ENGINE
It will become the most powerful engine in the Aston Martin range when on sale. The final power and torque figures for each application of this power train will be determined by the desired characteristics of each product it serves and confirmed at the time of launch.
Higher engine speeds, in combination with the benefits of electrification, will offer the extreme performance characteristics of a mid-engined sports car. The mid-mounted engine will be positioned directly behind the driver’s cabin and equipped with a dry sump system to guarantee the lowest possible centre of gravity.
The upcoming Valhalla, a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, is set to be positioned below the flagship
Valkyrie track-focused sports car and is intended to be more usable as an everyday car.
The car is due to enter production in late 2021 and only 500 units will be built.
PROMISING
Aston Martin president and group CEO Andy Palmer said about this engine: “Investing in your own power trains is a tall order, but our team have risen to the challenge. Moving forward, this power unit will be integral to a lot of what we do and the first signs of what this engine will achieve are incredibly promising.”