Valour 2023, 110 examples and manual gearbox: decoding the V12, the hybrid Vantage/DBS chassis, the claimed lineages and the Valiant.
Valour 2023 is more than retro attire: Valour employs a six-speed Graziano manual gearbox, a 5.2‑litre twin‑turbo V12 and a hybrid chassis between the 2018 Vantage and DBS to deliver a singular recipe. On the menu: why 110 examples, what the mechanical architecture changes on the road, the claimed lineage with the 1977 V8 Vantage (and its limits), the Valiant’s radical purity, and finally what the lightning “sold out” says about the market for manual gearboxes.
Why 110 examples: the anniversary as a production constraint
The format is no whim. According to the dedicated page on Wikipedia, the series is limited to 110 examples in echo of 110 years of Aston Martin, celebrated in July 2023, the month the model was unveiled. The arithmetic of homage becomes the brief here: quantity fixed, rapid tempo, and allocation locked before most testers had even touched the lever.
This production constraint also fixes the positioning: a commemorative series, conceived to frame a decade of in‑house V12 and the last manual gearbox experience on an engine of this scale. In number, it’s small; in message, it’s precise. And for collectors, the alignment between model year and anniversary has the clarity one likes to frame in a garage.
Within the Aston ecosystem, these milestone editions fit into a continuity running from the AMV8 lineage to special projects. To recontextualise the brand’s model culture, see our panorama on the AMV8 lineage and its variants.
The 5.2‑litre twin‑turbo V12 and the 6‑speed Graziano gearbox: what the combination changes on the road
The heart of the matter is mechanical. According to the official Valour brochure and Wikipedia, the 5.2‑litre twin‑turbo V12 delivers 705 hp (715 PS) and 753 N·m, coupled to a six‑speed Graziano manual gearbox. The spec sheet mentions “flat” torque from 1,800 rpm to 7,000 rpm: a promise of continuous pull, unusual on a twin‑turbo V12 married to an H‑pattern.
On the road, the combination changes the grammar versus the contemporary DBS, which relied on an automatic. Mechanical guidance imposes a rhythm you choose rather than endure, useful for modulating thrust available very early. Managing torque with the right hand becomes an art, rather than a simple ECU parameter. This is precisely what distinguishes this Aston from a mere facelift: the kinematics of effort are different.
The chassis draws on an aluminium structure derived from both the 2018 Vantage and the DBS, as Wikipedia notes. This blend of genes explains the squat Vantage‑like stance and the muscular stature of a grand tourer. Pointed into a bend, the objective is clear: a sports car with quick steering but long breath, able to play at precision without forgoing breadth.
Valour, Victor and 1977 V8 Vantage: the claimed lineage and its real technical limits
Valour claims a nod to the 1977 V8 Vantage in its lines: sculpted bonnet, compact nose, and that taste for muscle under tension. The evocation is no accident. At Aston, the imagery of the late‑Seventies V8 speaks to connoisseurs. Our feature on the genesis of that model sheds light on the styling references and driving philosophy: four decisions that shaped the 1977 V8 Vantage.
Even so, the family tree has its branches. Wikipedia specifies that Valour does not share its platform with Victor, an extreme barchetta developed on the One‑77 base. Where Victor is a technical manifesto in close formation with the hypercar, Valour remains on the Vantage/DBS‑derived aluminium platform. Visual kinship embraced, technical kinship contained.
In short: the aesthetics summon the past, the base remains contemporary. The interest here is in having encapsulated the spirit of the 1977 V8 Vantage without aping its technology. It’s less spectacular than a One‑77 graft, but more coherent with the intent of a road‑going manual series, produced in 110 units.
The Valiant born from a Fernando Alonso commission: 38 examples, full carbon and 735 hp
The trajectory doesn’t end with Valour. According to Wikipedia, Valiant was born from a personal commission by Fernando Alonso and pushes the track slider: 38 examples, full carbon bodywork, and power raised to 735 hp. The stylistic vein remains, but the intent is clear: radicalise the equation.
This variant acts as a potential revealer. Where Valour sought balance between grand touring and analogue engagement, Valiant declares the circuit tool. Same conceptual base, different vocation. It’s an interesting reading of the modularity of the Vantage/DBS platform when filtered through a very tight brief.
Sold out in two weeks: what the secondary market reveals about demand for manual series
According to Autocar (cited by Wikipedia), Valour was “sold out” in two weeks after the July 2023 announcement. The signal is clear: the combination of a manual gearbox, a V12 and a contingent capped at 110 ticks every box for contemporary collectors, especially when automatics reign elsewhere.
On the secondary market, this sort of profile creates a value floor that rarely wobbles: distinctive mechanics, short storytelling, and calendar alignment. Without extrapolating unpublished figures, the initial appetite is enough to indicate a pro‑analogue bias among clients ready to maintain the memory of the gesture — and pay for it.
This leaning isn’t isolated in the range. It also illuminates how Aston orchestrates its themed series, in parallel with production models and future grand tourers. To gauge how GT positioning will evolve over the coming decade, follow our coverage of the forthcoming Vanquish Mk3 and its strategy.
Conclusion: what Valour says about Aston’s “analogue” strategy
Beyond the vintage nod, Valour sums up a position: a manual gearbox on a twin‑turbo V12, a Vantage/DBS hybrid chassis, and a series capped at 110 to mark 110 years. This isn’t a restyled DBS; it’s another movement from the same orchestra, with a different lead: the lever.
For the collector, the equation is legible: constrained production, expressive mechanics and iconic heritage, without confusion with Victor. The Valiant parenthesis confirms the escalation potential. In short, if one sought a compass, Valour points north to intentional rarity, assumed and perfectly understood by the market.
Useful sources: the overview page on Aston Martin Valour on Wikipedia and the official brochure for specifications and the torque curve.
