Aston Martin’s mystery track car resurfaces at Paul Ricard

An unidentified Aston Martin track car has resurfaced at Paul Ricard: footage shared on Reddit shows it lapping the circuit in southern France. It first appeared online in April and has since been seen at a private airfield and at Portimão.

The front end carries Formula 1 cues: a narrow nose, exposed suspension arms and what appears to be a halo. Farther back, bodywork covers the wheels and the tail has a Le Mans-prototype profile, drawing on Aston Martin’s Valkyrie.

A German magazine, Auto Motor und Sport, reported in April that Ken Griffin, founder of the Citadel hedge fund, commissioned the one-off and wanted Aston Martin to build the world’s fastest track car. The project is understood to have started as a concept shown to a small group of clients at Silverstone. Aston Martin Performance Technologies, the engineering consultancy linked to the F1 team, is said to be overseeing development; reports that Adrian Newey could be involved remain unconfirmed.

The powertrain has not been confirmed. Outlets that have heard the footage say its sound resembles the Valkyrie’s Cosworth-built 6.5-litre V12. Reports differ on whether the track car retains hybrid assistance or uses the V12 alone, and rumours put total output at roughly 1,200 hp.

Auto Motor und Sport has also claimed the car could be much faster than an F1 car. Aston Martin has not said when—or whether—it will show the finished machine.