This past few years we have witnessed a sharp increase in the number and variety of hypercars released by car manufacturers. Pretty much all the big names have at least one player in this highly exclusive market, which of course makes for great rivalry and banter among the fans. So here’s a conversation starter: we reckon that of all the new hypercar the Aston Martin Valkyrie is by far and away the best and the coolest. Let us tell you why.

I know that after reading the line above you are automatically switching to your default defense mode trying to reject that argument. But hear us out. Of course, we grant you that the LaFerrari has more pizzazz, McLaren P1 or the AMG One are more of a technological feat, and that the Porsche 918 is the finest all-around hypercar. But what are hypercars for? They are the ultimate object of desire for car people. They have to stun, amaze and disrupt. They should be outlandish, illogical, downright obtrusive even. Those qualities are what makes owning them and driving them an occasion. Yes, the 918 is an excellent car. But we put it to you, a hypercar you can drive everyday is not a hypercar.

And that brings us to Mr. Valkyrie. When you examine this beast up close, you start to notice the differences that, in our book, make this the king of modern hypercar. Let’s start with the design. As insane as something like the AMG One or the Koenigsegg Agera look, they are pretty tame in comparison with the Aston Martin Valkyrie. The name is apt. This creature, boasting Norse DNA boosted with Anglo-Saxon grit, is unbelievably shocking to behold. And that is exactly what a proper hypercar should be – an assault on your sense. But it’s more than that. One could argue that the Mercedes AMG One is also shocking, and it is. But whereas the AMG looks like it was designed engineers who have a very nerdy approach to art and beauty, the Aston is penned by people who would have become excellent cubists or expressionists had they stayed in art school a bit longer. Just imagine this car on the road next to, say, a Ford Focus. It’ll look like an alien spaceship.

Another extremely important aspect of a hypercar is the ownership experience. With Ferrari you are lucky if they let you choose the color, and Porsche offers you only one package with which to customize your 918. With the Aston Martin Valkyrie, things are a bit different. For starters, you have the choice between the regular and AMR Pro model, depending on where you want to use the car. Then there is something in between which allows you to utilize the car for both and track, and it’s called the AMR Track Performance Pack. These are a number of add-ons you can bolt on the car in place of the standard parts and turn it from a road-going stunner into a track-focused monster. Some of the main highlights of the pack include a second set of all other exterior body panels, lightweight titanium brakes, track-focused suspension and a matte black magnesium performance wheel and carbon-fibre aero-disk set.

But that is not all. After you are done speccing up the Valkyrie with those bits, they give you the ‘Q’ catalog which includes three exclusive specifications. We could wax lyrical about each one in detail, but in the interest of brevity we just list the items for you here:

ULTIMATE – ‘Q by Aston Martin’ Designer Specification

• Fully exposed satin carbon fibre body – Q by Aston Martin
• Red tinted carbon fibre roof and engine cover – Q by Aston Martin
• Carbon fibre aero discs with bespoke graphic detailing – Q by Aston Martin
• Satin Mokume carbon fibre exterior and interior detailing including headlamp bezels, steering wheel face plate, central vent and side pod vents
• Red woven leather in central armrest and door insert
• Red seat harnesses

MANTIS – ‘Q by Aston Martin’ Designer Specification

• ‘Iridescent Emerald’ Q by Aston Martin Collection Paint
• Gold Pack – Q by Aston Martin commissioned exterior and interior detailing
  • 24–Carat Gold Leaf exterior livery applied to side swage line and front bonnet
  • Gold Plated Stainless Steel Ultrafine Wings Badge
  • Gold Anodised Oil Filler Cap
  • Gold Anodised Interior Jewellery
  • Honeycomb aluminium gold anodised detailing on wheel
• Green tinted carbon fibre roof and engine cover
• Gloss Mokume carbon fibre exterior and interior detailing including headlamp bezels, steering wheel face plate, central vent and side pod vents

SPIRIT – Designer Specification

• ‘Ethanol Silver’ paint finish
• ‘Caycous Orange’ exterior graphics
• Matte black diamond turned aluminium honeycomb wheels with black calipers
• Exposed gloss lacquered carbon fibre roof and engine cover
• Black textured tail pipes
• ‘Grey Blend’ alcantara interior trim
• Black anodised interior jewellery