On Friday, a TikTok video claiming to show an unusual track-focused single-seat Aston Martin made the rounds across the internet. The clip raised plenty of questions and offered very little in the way of answers, but a few things could be determined from a quick glance and listen. Most notably, the car seemed to be a chimera of a Formula 1 car and one of the track-only versions of the Valkyrie road and race car. Now, thanks to reporting from Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, we may know a little more than that.
According to the report, the car is a one-off commissioned by American billionaire and Citadel hedge fund manager Ken Griffin. Citing rumors and “information obtained” by the outlet, the AMuS story claims that Griffin approached Aston Martin with a request to make the fastest track car on Earth. The story also claims that the car is 10 seconds faster than a current F1 car, although it is unclear if that is at a generic grand prix-length circuit or a specific benchmark track.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the piece suggests that Griffin’s car is going to be used for a barnstorming campaign. The target would be overall track records, potentially chasing down the set of records currently held by Porsche’s 919 Evo. That car ran the Nürburgring Nordschleife in an absurd 5:19.55, well over a minute faster than the all-time record for a road-legal car.
Audio in the clip seems to suggest that the car in question is powered by the same V-12 as the Valkyrie. Specific details on its powertrain, as well as its design, name, and even existence, are still unknown—and are likely to be until Aston Martin finally unveils whatever this is.
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Fred Smith’s love of cars comes from his fascination with auto racing. Unfortunately, that passion led him to daily drive a high-mileage, first-year Porsche Panamera. He is still thinking about the last lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.