Feature
Aston Martin to Compete in WEC and IMSA with V12 Valkyrie LMH
Aston Martin set to return to endurance racing with wild racing version of the V12-powered Valkyrie.
February 6, 2025
Decisions decisions between two rare and special Italian V12 drop-tops.
There’s only one thing better than having a V12, and that is having a V12 in a car with no roof. 12 howling cylinders deserve to be heard, and whether you’re echoing through a town centre or through the switchbacks of the Alps, that combination will send shivers down your spine.
We’re pretty short on such offerings these days though. The only car with such a combination on the new market is the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, and it seems that’s not going to change, as Lamborghini CEO Stephen Winkelmann reportedly said a Revuelto Roadster will not be on the cards due to the way the batteries are packaged on the cars.
So, as is frequently the case as a soul-searching petrolhead these days, the answer is to look to the past, and our friends at Mechatronik have two cars in their ever-eclectic stock that fit the bill perfectly.
We recently featured an original Murcielago Roadster as part of a different feature, and the LP640 turned that already wild machine up to 11 with an extra 60bhp from a larger 6.5-litre V12 and more aggressive styling. It is supposed to be a more nimble car to drive as well.
This car, finished in Verde Ithaca, was personalised through Lamborghini’s Ad Personam program and has just 4,450km on the clock. It looks exactly how a Lambo should to me, and sounds exactly how a Lambo should too, with a howl you can hear coming from far away, even if it’s just idling in Knightsbridge traffic. The roof is akin to pitching a tent on top of your car, but let’s be honest, these cars come out on the nicest of nice days and their roofs likely never get used. It would be sacrilege to dampen the noise of that V12, after all!
2006’s version of the only V12 convertible on sale today wasn’t a series production car, but a very rare thing limited to just 600 units worldwide. This car is a whole lot rarer than that though, being one of just 43 that left Maranello with a six-speed manual gearbox — sign me up!
Whilst the 550 Barchetta that preceded it had a more fiddly fabric roof, the Superamerica is defined by a huge piece of electrochromic glass which rotates by 180 degrees to either keep you dry or lay flat on the rear deck, allowing you to soak up some fresh air and V12 goodness. Power was up from the standard 575 to 540hp and Ferrari marketed the Superamerica as the world’s fastest convertible with a top speed of 199mph. Perhaps they ignored that the LP640 Roadster could do 205mph because it was advised not to go over 100mph with the roof on, whereas the Superamerica was good for a top-speed run whatever the weather.
