10 hours ago
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When it comes to top speeds in reverse, less is definitely more. Sometimes we need saving from ourselves.
The Aston Martin Valhalla is remarkable for a number of reasons. It sets a number of firsts for the company. It’s also a car that presented the company with a bizarre problem. It was too fast in reverse.
On the face of it, that doesn’t sound too great an issue in the greater scheme of things. In reality, it could easily be a bit frightening.
These can run at speeds of up to 140km/h while driving forwards, but it was soon realised that they’d do exactly the same in reverse. Frankly terrifying, especially given the amount of power they have at their disposal.
It’s easy to imagine an enthusiastic reverse turning into trying to control the world’s most powerful forklift. Rear-steer can be a bit of a handful after all.
With that in mind, Aston Martin did the right thing. It electronically limited the speed in reverse to 30km/h.
Sometimes we need saving from ourselves.
The same motors that propel the Nevera to its 412km/h forward maximum speed are capable of providing exactly the same level of grunt in reverse.
"It occurred to us during development that Nevera would probably be the world's fastest car in reverse, but we kind of laughed it off," said chief engineer Matija Renić. "The aerodynamics, cooling, and stability hadn’t been engineered for traveling backwards at speed, after all."
Thankfully, Aston Martin Valhalla owners won’t have to discover this fact first-hand.
Andy brings almost 30 years automotive writing experience to his role at Drive. When he wasn’t showing people which way the Nürburgring went, he freelanced for outlets such as Car, Autocar, and The Times. After contributing to Top Gear Australia, Andy subsequently moved Down Under, serving as editor at MOTOR and Wheels. As Drive’s Road Test Editor, he’s at the heart of our vehicle testing, but also loves to spin a long-form yarn.
