Fernando Alonso is taking part in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and he has a special mission: yesterday saw the premiere of the latest Aston Martin Valiant sports car, which was created taking into account his wishes and his participation.
A total of 38 units will be produced, but the two-time world champion received one such car and pre-orders have already been placed for the remaining 37.
Today Fernando drove this car around the hill climb circuit and then talked about his impressions.
Fernando Alonso: “I think I was at Goodwood in 2005 when I was in Formula 1 for Renault, and now, almost twenty years later, I see that everything is still the same at the Festival of Speed. It brings together a big group of passionate fans of fast cars, it brings us all together, and I like it here very much.
I remember that first experience, and to be honest, it seemed to me that the climbing route was a bit wider – although it is possible that I just drove it faster today! In addition, it is clear that in a sports car the seating position is higher than in a Formula 1 car and everything is experienced differently.
If we talk about the Aston Martin Valiant, I actually wanted the company to provide me with a sports car of the Valor model, but somewhat modernized. I especially like it when road cars have some elements of an aerodynamic body kit.
I asked if it was possible to install a rear wing on the car? I was told that it was not possible because it was not homologated. It also turned out that the weight of the car is also not possible to reduce. So we started to make a list of my wishes, and when it became too long, it became clear that this was no longer Valor. And then it was decided to create a new model that would be released in limited edition.
The result was a beautiful car, very light, with some aerodynamic elements, a very powerful V12 engine and a manual gearbox. It has everything a driver needs.
It was only here, at Goodwood, that I first drove a Valiant – on the one hand, this car can be driven on normal roads, on the other hand, it was made with the racetrack in mind. I think collectors will be after it! And I am incredibly proud that car number 1 from a series of only 38 examples has become mine!
“I hope I’ll still have time to see all sorts of automotive rarities, many of which will be on display at Goodwood, before heading home. We’ve got double legs in Hungary and Belgium, so the schedule is very tight. But I still want to see more of everything.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
