Aston Martin may straight-pipe the Valkyrie race car

Aston Martin’s Valkyrie AMR-LMH race car may swap out its mufflers for a straight-pipe setup for competition in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, Racer has learned.

The Valkyrie AMR-LMH is being developed in time for the 2025 motorsports season and is set to be fielded by Aston Martin in partnership with Heart of Racing in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship, under the new team Aston Martin Thor.

Racer reported on Dec. 26 that an IMSA official, during a November test session at Daytona International Speedway, suggested to Heart of Racing’s team principal, Ian James, that he should explore running the Valkyrie AMR-LMH in IMSA competition without the mufflers required for racing in other regions.

The move would give the car a much louder and more intense sound, creating a more exciting experience on the racetrack. The car is powered by a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 built by Cosworth.

When asked by Racer whether he plans to follow through on the official’s idea, James said only, “I think our fans will be pleased.”

As the name suggests, the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is being developed to meet LMH rules, making it—along with cars built to LMDh rules—eligible for the top classes of the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship, the Hypercar and GTP classes, respectively.

The Valkyrie AMR-LMH is a very different beast from the Valkyrie road car, production of which has come to an end. It features a unique chassis, thought to be both longer and wider than the chassis of the road car. It retains the road car’s 6.5-liter V-12 but includes modifications to meet Balance of Performance rules and ensure durability for 24-hour races. The mild-hybrid system from the road car was also removed for the race car.