World Premiere V12 Aston Martin Valen

At Pebble Beach, I got a first look at the Aston Martin Valen, the most track-focused, front-engined road car Aston Martin has ever built.

Road-legal, but everything about it comes from the track: a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 paired with a manual transmission, exposed gear linkages, magnesium wheels, carbon-fiber aero covers, a quad titanium exhaust, a half-cage, race-bred dampers, and motorsport-grade lightweighting throughout.

It blends the raw, stripped-back feel of 1970s race cars with modern pit-lane technology and materials. The project began as a personal commission from Fernando Alonso, who wanted a car built purely around the thrill of driving with no compromise.