Aston Martin has detected numerous problems with the latest track-ready Valkyrie prototype. The naturally aspirated hybrid hypercar proved to be unreliable, difficult to steer and very noisy. The discovered issues may push the launch date back from late 2020.
Rumor has it that the company might even opt for shutting down the whole project at this time, however, due to all 175 production cars already sold out via pre-orders, this would be a major reputation hit.
This is not to say that such challenges are uncommon in the supercar R&D world. On the contrary, trying to mate a 1,014-PS (1,000-hp or 745-kW) non-turbo gasoline engine with a 162-PS (160-hp, 120-kW) electric motor in a road-legal vehicle with Formula One aerodynamics and handling can be extremely daunting.
Aston Martin had originally planned to release the Valkyrie in 2018, pushing the timeframe back another year after that. The way things stand now, no one can vouchsafe the superhybrid would be out before 2021.