Ricciardo cashes in his hyper Valkyrie

by Bill Buys A HYPERCAR, personally commissioned and owned by former Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, goes under the hammer at Knokke-...

by Bill Buys

A HYPERCAR, personally commissioned and owned by former Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, goes under the hammer at Knokke-Heist in Belgium on October 10.

The 2023 Aston Martin Valkyrie is from Ricciardo’s collection and will be sold by Broad Arrow Auctions at its inaugural Zoute Concours auction, where it is expected to fetch about 2.5 million Euro (about $4.45m Aussie dollars).

Ricciardo’s Valkyrie will be one of the highlights of the inaugural Broad Arrow Zoute Concours Auction to be held in collaboration with Zoute Grand Prix Car Week. 

The auction will take place at the Approach Golf course in Knokke-Heist, Belgium’s most luxurious  seaside resort adjacent to The Netherlands.

The event will feature a diverse selection of some 70 highly collectable cars.

“This Valkyrie is in pristine condition with genuine motorsport ownership provenance,” Broad Arrow spokesman Joe Twyman said.

“We are thrilled to be presenting an incredibly rare car at our first Zoute Concours Auction.

“The Valkyrie is the ultimate example of converting race car technology into a road car and the fact that this one was personally specified and owned by Daniel Ricciardo makes it truly unique and extremely desirable.”

Production of Aston Martin’s Valkyrie ended in December 2024 and the chance to acquire one today is rare.

Developed jointly by Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, the Valkyrie is as close as you can get to a Formula 1 car for the road, with dramatic aerodynamic design that shows the involvement of former design boss of Red Bull Racing, Adrian Newey. 

Race engine manufacturer Cosworth helped to create the phenomenal 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine that uses a hybrid KERS system to further enhance its track-dominating performance, with 1000 hp (745kW) and a redline of 11,000 rpm.

First codenamed ‘Nebula’, a combination of Newey, Red Bull and Aston Martin Lagonda, the first prototype appeared as AM-RB 001 in 2016. 

It was at that time that Ricciardo was exposed to the project while racing for the Red Bull F1 team, and he was instantly captivated by the V12 engine in a road car that was as close as he could get to his own race car.

“It feels like a race car and it looks like a race car,” Ricciardo said. 

“I'm not used to having a roof over my head, but that's the only thing that really feels different, otherwise, it's a pretty straight-up race car.”

Chassis number 089 was commissioned by him and features extensive personalisation by Aston Martin’s ‘Q’ bespoke division. 

Its Dichroic Dawn paintwork is also known as ‘Badger Blue’, a colour Ricciardo once saw on another Aston Martin and didn’t hesitate to choose for his Valkyrie. 

His choice fits with his own nickname of ‘The Honey Badger’, although he claims he chose it more for its ability to truly show the contours and aerodynamics of the car.

Other specification highlights include the ‘clam veins’ and upper suspension shrouds rendered in exposed 2x2 twill satin carbon, ultra-lightweight magnesium performance wheels finished in matte black with Badger Blue wheel centres. 

Pure Black Debossed Alcantara features throughout the interior as does 2x2 twill satin carbon fibre.

The removable steering wheel boasts silver-anodised toggle switches while the carbon fibre bucket seats are finished in Pure Black Alcantara with contrasting silver stitching.

The car, one of 150 made, has travelled only 160km and spent its life in Ricciardo’s private collection.

 

 

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