Aston Martin Valkyrie V12: The Engine That Never Was

Aston Martin's Valkyrie is a hypercar that has been making waves in the automotive world with its incredible performance and design. But what makes this car truly special is the engine that powers it, which was created by Cosworth, a renowned engineering company. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the Aston Martin Valkyrie V12 and how it came to be.

Cosworth's Challenge

When Cosworth was tasked with creating a powerful V12 engine for the Aston Martin Valkyrie, they knew that they had a unique challenge ahead of them. The company's engineers were determined to create an engine that would meet the car's performance requirements while also meeting emissions regulations. To achieve this, they decided to build a small three-cylinder engine as a test mule.

A Three-Cylinder Engine for Testing

The three-cylinder engine was built by Cosworth to test combustion and ensure that fuel and air were being combusted at exactly the right moment. This allowed the engineers to fine-tune the engine's performance without having to build a large and expensive V12. The results of this testing process were impressive, with the three-cylinder engine producing incredible power and efficiency.

The Engine That Never Was

Despite its success in testing, Cosworth has no plans to sell the three-cylinder engine as a standalone product. Instead, it was designed specifically for use in the Valkyrie's V12 engine. However, this raises an interesting question: what if Cosworth had decided to market this engine as its own? Would it have been successful?

The Answer Lies in Hot Hatches

Hot hatches are a dying breed in the US market, but they remain popular in other parts of the world. Imagine taking a hot hatch like the Ford Fiesta and slapping a Cosworth-built three-cylinder engine into it. The result would be a high-revving, performance-oriented car that would be a blast to drive.

Cosworth's Innovation

While Cosworth has been involved in numerous engineering projects over the years, one of its most notable achievements is the development of highly efficient F1 engines. The company's engineers have a reputation for taking risks and pushing boundaries, which has led to some truly innovative designs. From the Ford RS200 to the Honda Civic Type R, Cosworth's engines have become synonymous with performance and efficiency.

The T50: A New Beast on the Horizon

Just as the Valkyrie is making waves in the automotive world, another project is taking shape in the shadows of Cosworth. Gordon Murray, a former Formula One design guide, has been working on a new car called the T50. This hypercar boasts an incredible 3.9-liter V12 engine that can produce over 12,000 RPM. Like the Valkyrie's engine, the T50's engine was built as a test mule to ensure its performance and efficiency.

A Mule Engine for Insane Performance

The T50's three-cylinder mule engine was used to fine-tune the V12's performance without having to build an even larger and more expensive engine. This allowed Murray and his team to focus on perfecting the car's aerodynamics, suspension, and chassis design. The results are promising, with the T50 set to become one of the most extreme hypercars on the market.

Cosworth's Legacy

As we look back on Cosworth's achievements in engineering and performance, it becomes clear that this company has left an indelible mark on the automotive world. From F1 engines to hot hatches, Cosworth's innovations have shaped engine design for generations of car enthusiasts. Whether you're a fan of the Valkyrie or the T50, one thing is certain: Cosworth's legacy will continue to inspire and thrill performance seekers for years to come.

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In conclusion, our content has taken a journey through the fascinating world of Aston Martin Valkyrie V12 and Cosworth engineering. From the three-cylinder engine test mule to the T50 hypercar, this article has explored the latest developments in high-performance engineering. Don't forget to check out our stickers, featuring some of the most iconic cars in history.

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WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(engine revving)- Cosworth, the companybehind many kick-ass carslike the Ford Sierra Cosworth,the Audi RS4and too many Formula One wins to count.They're engine builders that have a knackfor taking fun cars and turning theminto insane performance beasts.They have a brand that thrives offof making unusual engines workand have been playingthe game for many years.The name of that game,innovation.A while back, Aston Martinannounced a new hypercar,the Valkyrie,this ultra car uses a 6.5liter 12 cylinder enginebuilt by Cosworth.The naturally aspiratedV12 has 1000 horsepowerand hits a maximum of 11,000 RPM,making it the most powerfulnaturally aspirated engine ever.The car has some absurd numbers for surebut the craziest part, whiledesigning the Valkyrie's V12,Cosworth accidentally made the bestthree cylinder engine ever,using ideas that came from the 60s.(engine revving)How was Cosworth able tobuild such a crazy engine?How do they use old schoolideas on new technology?How do they accidentally buildthe most reliable three-cylinder ever?Well, I'll tell you.(upbeat music)Big thanks to Manscaped forsponsoring this episode.April is national testicularcancer awareness monthand I know this is a differenttone from our usual adsbut I think it'simportant for you to hear.One man every day, every houris diagnosed with testicular cancer.And this month Manscaped,in addition to providingthe right tools for safeand easy manscaping,has partnered withtesticular cancer societyto spread awareness for men's healthand early cancer detection.Now, most of you already know thisbut I honestly love Manscapedand their performance package kit.It's an all-in-one groomingcollection for the modern man.And while you're enjoying their productslike the Crop Preserver ball deodorant,Crop Mop wipes and theskin safe Lawnmower 3.0,you can perform simple self checks at homefor any early signs of cancer.So visit manscaped.com/tcs tolearn how to check yourselffor early signsor share their funny educational'Check Yourself' videoto help save lives.As always, you can use mylink manscaped.com/donutfor 20% off plus freeshipping at manscaped.com.Join the Manscaped movement todayand help take care of your pair.Now let's get back to 'Wheelhouse'.Cosworth is fascinating to mebecause of their unique methodologywhen it comes to engine building.And to get a clear picture of what I mean,we need to look at Cosworth'smost important invention.Their double four valve or DFV engine.We did a whole up to speed on Cosworthwhich explained howthe company was startedand touched on this engine.But here's the short version.Back in the late 1950swhen everything wasstill in black and whiteKeith Duckworth was a young guywho got a job working forrace car builder, Lotus.At the time, Lotus was building carsspecifically to enter into Formula One.With Duckworth as the newest employee,he was assigned to the hardest job,fixing one of Lotus's notoriouslyunreliable transmissions.The issue was that like every jobthat requires you tothink outside the box,every single solutionDuckworth offered to his bosswas deemed either too expensiveor not worth the resourcesbut Duckworth still tried his best.Duckworth became buddieswith one Mike Costin,a coworker at Lotus,and the two eventually leftto form their own enginebuilding company Cosworth.Get it? Costin, Duckworth, Cosworth.It's a bit better than Worthcos,that would've been weird.It was a match made in race car heaven.And lucky for them, Lotusactually hired Cosworthto tune their engines almost instantly.It's like if you dropped out of schoolbecause you're a failing mathand then your school hiredyou to teach math for them.The Cosworth-Lotus relationshipeventually culminated in thegreatest Formula One engineof all time, the DFV.Lotus convinced Ford to give them £100,000to fund the Cosworth-Lotus productionof a four cylinder engine for Formula Twoand a V8 for Formula One.Cosworth devoted all of its resourcesover an 18 month periodto build these engines.Early on, Cosworth realizedthey could kill two birdswith one stone.When you think about it,a V8 is basically two inline four engineswith a common crank.So instead of buildingtwo separate engines,they first built areally solid inline fourand then turned it into a bigger V8.Keep in mind, engine productioninvolves a lot of tweakingand working to make surethe block combusts the fuelperfectly.By using the same base for both enginesthey could test the larger V8using the smaller inline four.(upbeat music)Cosworth engines became thegold standard in Formula One,Formula Two, Indycar and manyother types of motor sportand made Cosworth a well-known company.This company started in a freaking barnand a few years later theywere dominating racing.Talk about an underdog story.They were competing againstcompanies like Ferrari,Maserati and Honda.The way they were able to come out on topof their competition wastheir focus on high revving,efficient engine design.(engine revving)The DFV and subsequent engineshad set a high watermark for Cosworth.They knew this kind of design processwas the key to success.Instead of designing enginesentirely from the ground upit is usually easier and cheaperto take existing modulartechnology and modify it.Cosworth's expedited workflowmeant they can produce performance enginesfor large OEMs with ease.For example, in the early 1970s,Chevrolet had a car called the Vega.The Vega is like the peakboring Malaise era compact car.The decision to give theVega a performance modelcame from a man by thename of John DeLorean.Long before he wasproducing stainless steelGoldwing dreamboats in Ireland,DeLorean was GeneralMotors' general managerand vice president.DeLorean sent engine designers to Englandto find new and exciting waysto improve the Vegas performancein light of the 1973 gas crisis.New and exciting is Cosworth thing,so it seemed naturalto the team in Englandwould help Chevy do something cool.The Cosi Vega was designed at the twilightof the muscle car craze.While everyone else wastrying in vain to find speedand hamstrung big block V8,Cosworth gave the Chevy a European touchand filled out the enginebay with a four cylinder.This car had double overheadcams and fuel injectionwhich made it stand way outwhen compared to some ofthe barges of the smog era.This was one of the ways Cosworthcompletely innovatedperformance car culture.(upbeat music)A few years ago, Nissanapproached Cosworthand asked them to build them a V6 enginefor their GTR LM Nismo racecar.Nissan wanted to do something newwith this Le Mans competitor.And when you want to trysomething new, where do you go?You go to Cosworth.Well, most of Le Mans prototype carshave engines mounted behind the driver,Nissan wanted to try a front engine designto drastically improve aerodynamics.Cosworth didn't have time tobuild several different V6sto test combustion ratiosand emissions and all that.So the idea they came up withwas to start with enginesdesigned to be tested, or mules,to study combustioncharacteristics on a smaller scalebefore going through thetrouble to make a large V6.The engineers started by takingone of their four cylinder engines,cutting off one of the cylindersand creating a three cylinder engine.With a small three cylinder to study,they could refine what they needed tobefore they built thereal engine for Nissan.This three cylinder took just five monthsto go from idea to testing on the dynoto soon after its design wasadapted into a powerful V6for the rather ugly looking Nismo.I love ugly cars, so I can say that.It's a lot like theoriginal DFV and FBA enginesof the 1960s,the same engineering properties apply.Now, let's talk about supercars.The same mule idea used on a Nissan V6would be used to create theAston Martin Valkyrie V12.Aston Martin asked Cosworthto build them a powerful V12and Cosworth knew two things,one, they weren't goingto put turbos on it.And two, before they went aheadand built the gigantic 12 cylinder engine,they were going to build asmall three cylinder engineto test out how it would perform.It's especially importantto do this sort of developmentwork for road cars.To meet emissions regulations,you need to be precise aboutwhen the engine combusts.With a three cylinder,Cosworth can ensure thatfuel and air is combustingexactly when it should.They can mess with things and hit targetswithout going to thetrouble of building a largeand expensive V12.Once the three cylinderachieves the desired numbersyou can make a V12and have a very good ideaof how it'll perform.Now, the Valkyrie'sengine is just amazing.I mean really, but the engineCosworth made to test it outis coincidentally maybeone of the best ever built.And I mean ever.I mean, think about it,there's a reason Hondas areso reliable and high revvingwith their four cylinder engines.A three cylinder made to testthe power going into a V12is a recipe for performance heaven.But here's the sad part of the episode.Cosworth has no plans tosell this three cylinder muleas its own engine.It was designed to test combustionfor large supercar enginesbut think about it,if Cosworth was goingto pull a 90s Cosworthand take a hot hatch,like the Ford Fiesta,slapped their accidentalthree cylinder into it,it would be amazing.It'd be like the FiestaST already is super fun,but with this ripper in thereit'd be high revving and a blast to drive.Hot hatches especially in theUS are kind of a dying breed.Cosworth already has this engine made.All they need to do ismarket this as Cosworth builtand mentioned the engineas part of Aston Martinand they'll sell like hotcakesor other things that sell very well.While Cosworth has innovatedand created a lot ofengines in their time.It's interesting to think what would comeif this mule engine set out on its own.Also, what other engines can you think ofthat were created to be thrown awayjust for testing purposes?Very strange, but cool.Strangely enough, theAston Martin Valkyrieis not the only insane V12 powered carCosworth has been working on lately.Former Formula One designguide, Gordon Murray,has been putting togetherhis own beast of a vehiclecalled the T50.Murray, seeing the workCosworth did for Aston Martinand along with the years of sweet engines,said I'll have what they're having mate.While the Valkyrie is a six liter V12his T50 uses a 3.9 literV12, a smaller displacement,that means higher revs.The engine is capableof doing over 12,000 RPMand just like last time,a mule was used to perfect this engine.I can't wait to see this thing on track.Murray recently posted ateaser of them testing the T50,just kind of like putting aroundon the old top of your test track,that thing, going to be a ripper for sure.Once again, Cosworthhad to build somethingcapable of insane numbersthat was only madeso they can make an even biggerand more insane version of it.That's like a nesting doll of HRSPRS.Most people talk aboutCosworth as a joint venturebetween two successful Lotus alum,but it's actually a lot more than that.It was the inception ofa new way of thinking.It was the origin of one ofthe most efficient F1 enginesever built.The engineers at Cosworthare some pretty cool peoplewho take chances that usually pay offand their ideas are stillshaping engine designto this very day.♪ Pop up, up and down ♪♪ Stickers ♪♪ Pop up, up and down ♪♪ Stickers ♪♪ Stickers ♪Now available.It took forever to design these things,but the results are amazing.♪ Pop up, up and down ♪♪ Stickers. ♪We're printing them right now.So go get them while you still can,donutmedia.com.Tell them James sent you.There's actually no waythat you can do thatbut maybe tell yourself under your breathwhen you, hit the cart.♪ Pop up, up and down the headlights ♪♪ Pop up, up and down the headlights ♪♪ Stickers ♪Thank you very much forwatching "Wheelhouse".If you liked this episodeplease consider hitting that like button,that subscribe button,if you haven't already,we put out cool stuffnearly every single day.Let me know in the commentswhat your favorite Cosworth car is.Dude, those VegaCosworths are pretty sick.Just because an engine makes more powerdoesn't make it more reliablefor those about to talk aboutanother three cylinder enginethat makes a lot more power.Checkmate, already got you.Follow Donut on social media.@donutmedia.Follow me @nolanjsykes.Be kind, take care of each other.See you next time.