So you’ve read about the Aston Martin Valhalla. Perhaps you want one. Perhaps the thought of owning one is already going to obsessional levels, the way that it does with truly special cars. Perhaps, maybe, you’ll order one.
Imagine, then, that you actually do order a Valhalla. Then what? How do you turn the dream into reality? How do you ensure that the reality is as good as the dream? Which of the 60 core shades of paint available to you as a Valhalla customer will you choose? Or will you ask for a special Q commission paint that can be matched to anything? Will you go two-tone? Will the wheels subtly match the bodywork or shout out in stark contrast? How about the calipers? And don’t get us started on the interior options… You don’t want to regret your choices when you take delivery, do you?
We can’t tell you what to do, but we can show you how you’d go about speccing your own Valhalla, because we’ve done it ourselves – and even without there being an actual Valhalla at the end of it, we can tell you that it felt daunting, then fascinating and then highly enjoyable.
Join us, then, in one of Aston Martin’s two new bespoking rooms just off the revamped reception at the Gaydon factory. There will be more of these, around the globe. Close the door and you’ve entered a weird world of ultra luxury and high tech, cut off from reality; behind you is a wall of paint and material samples, in front of you a laptop and a huge screen. No, make that a HUGE screen, 7.5m x 2.8m, of the most remarkable resolution. It’s on this screen that your Valhalla will come to life, with the help of the Aston Martin in-house designer accompanying you – in my case, Tom.
So the first question you’re asked: where do you plan to use your Valhalla the most? In the Alps? The desert? The US West Coast? I decide that Cambridgeshire doesn’t cut it, and opt for California. Well, I’m living the dream aren’t I?
The reason for the question is to portray the colours in the appropriate light. A dark green might pop in the desert but look dreary in the UK. A tinted carbon weave will look different in harsh light than soft light. And so on.
From there, though, ‘my’ Valhalla moves into a virtual studio, neutrally lit in order to assess the colours without distraction – but we can return any time to California to see how it fares in the warm West Coast sunshine.
And then the big question: what colour do I want to choose? I opt for orange, then think ‘McLaren!’, panic and relent. How about red? Not a bright red but something classy, darker, metallic. We run through a selection of the ‘standard’ colours and there it is, Supernova Red, which sparkles in the LA sunlight. This brief paragraph belies the laboured decision, but I’m happy with the result. I could have had a colour matched to, say, the rubies in my dog’s favourite collar, but there’s no time for that today (and I promise you that my dog never actually had a bejewelled collar).
And then Tom steps it up. I could have it two-tone if I like. The roof could be carbon composite. Or the side sculptures, designed for aero and to slim the car visually, could be a different colour or finish. And if I do choose a carbon composite finish, there is a choice of visible weaves and tints to pick through. This isn’t easy.
Once again, Tom guides me. I’m not a fan of highly contrasting two tones; I prefer to live a more understated life (which might make you question why I’m speccing ‘my’ Valhalla) but when we hit on a gloss black roof and natural
matt-finish carbonfibre for the sides and rear spoiler, I know we’re heading in the right direction.
There’s only one way we can go now for the wheels, and that’s black. But which of the two designs available, forged aluminium or magnesium? We flit back and forth virtually instantaneously between the options on the screen before I decide that I prefer the look of the aluminium option, which I could have with the spokes polished or the full wheel in a ‘Liquid Titanium’ finish – but no, it’s matt black for me.
Mirror caps? Body colour please rather than carbon, black or contrasting. Do I want to pick out the outline of the grille and other areas in a different colour? I try but it takes away from the class of the Supernova Red. I could have a stripe the length of the car (no, not this time) and countless other options but I keep this one simple. My last decision is on caliper colour: we try several, nearly keep them black, then make a last-minute decision to go gold. Again, the speed with which these changes are made and the way they’re represented on screen is mindblowing.
Done? Oh no, there’s the interior to sort. Leather or Alcantara? I’m not a great fan of leather so I choose the latter, with matching rather than contrasting stitching. I keep the ‘jewellery’ options (metalwork around the vents, etc) similarly subtle and opt for the satin twill-weave carbonfibre seats rather than the glossy option or the standard weave.
Are we done? Well, seeing as I’m such a special customer, I get another go. This time, with apologies, I choose orange but very much not McLaren Papaya. Tom persuades me to be more adventurous with the colour contrasts, so the sides are left in satin black with a gloss black roof and I add (I’m rather proud of this) a blue pinstripe along the lower edges of the sills.
Inside, I go for California Poppy as the main colour, with a blue contrasting stitching and a matching blue line around the cockpit and on the steering wheel. It shouldn’t work but I love the effect.
Honestly, I’ve skipped through so many of the steps because I’d have bored you senseless, but it’s a fascinating process when you’re there. Try the configurator on the Aston Martin website – or for the full effect, simply order a Valhalla and nip over to Gaydon to do it properly…
