Recent insights suggest that Cosworth, a prominent British supplier in automotive powertrains and electronics, inadvertently revealed some exciting news on social media regarding the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s V12 engine. They claimed it would be the most powerful naturally aspirated engine fitted to a production car, before quickly retracting the announcement.
At 2 PM Eastern Daylight Time, the official Cosworth Twitter account shared an image of the new Valkyrie hypercar, accompanied by a post stating: “We’re famous for breaking records and our latest engine, the Aston Martin Valkyrie 6.5-litre V12, will be the world’s most powerful naturally aspirated road engine with 1,130bhp. #Cosworth #AstonMartinValkyrie.”
About an hour and a half later, an additional check of the company’s Twitter revealed that the tweet was gone. A direct link to the message now leads to a cheerful blue screen that states, “Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!”
While it may seem surprising, generating 1,130 horsepower is not entirely unheard of for hypercars today. The real feat lies in achieving this power without the use of superchargers or turbochargers, which typically enhance an engine’s air intake. It remains uncertain whether this power output includes the contributions from the Valkyrie’s hybrid electric system or if it exclusively pertains to the 6.5-liter V12 engine on its own. Regardless, this power level could set a new benchmark for naturally aspirated road car engines. For context, the Ferrari LaFerrari—with its 6.3-liter V12 and mild hybrid system—produces a total of 950 horsepower. Additionally, with a weight around 2,300 pounds, the Valkyrie is likely to outperform any competing naturally aspirated production car.
When contacted by The Drive, Aston Martin declined to comment. We also reached out to Cosworth’s public relations team for further clarification and will provide updates should we receive more information.
Update, 8/22/18: Cosworth’s PR department responded to The Drive this morning, explaining that the tweet “contained inaccurate information, hence its subsequent deletion. The Aston Martin Valkyrie engine is currently being tested at Cosworth’s UK facilities and is still in the calibration process. As a result, no definitive numbers regarding the engine have been established yet.”
We hope this indicates that the car’s power output might exceed 1,130 horsepower.
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