Alonso demonstrated his Aston Martin Valiant.

      Almost all cars from the famous British maker Aston Martin can be considered special in their own way, but among them there are even more exclusive and rare versions that were produced in very limited runs. Undoubtedly, the Aston Martin Valiant falls into this category — essentially a racing variant of the Valour model, although it can also be driven on ordinary roads. Fernando Alonso was involved in the creation and development of the Valiant, and it would be strange if one of the 38 examples of such a car were not in his personal garage.

      Yesterday the two‑time world champion shared several photos taken around Monaco, captioned: "Perfect Sunday drive! The Valiant has everything for that!"

      Interestingly, since the late 1950s the Chrysler Corporation produced a full‑size family sedan called the Valiant, a name that later changed to Plymouth Valiant, after which assembly of these cars began in Australia, where they were sold as the Chrysler Valiant. They say that at that time this model was known for its durability and reliability, but the Aston Martin with the same name is a beast of a completely different kind.

      It is a two‑door monster built on a lightweight aluminium chassis and equipped with a 5.2‑litre V12 engine developing 735 hp. Moreover, the power of this whole "stable" is sent to the rear driving wheels through a six‑speed manual gearbox, which is rare these days. Since the car is primarily intended for racing circuits, it features an impressive aerodynamic body kit.

      Recently Alonso was spotted on the streets of Monaco behind the wheel of a unique Mercedes CLK GTR, and now he decided to show another rarity from his collection. Naturally, only very wealthy people can afford to drive an Aston Martin Valiant, since prices for such a car start at just over two million euros. But if Alonso ever decides to sell his car, there is no doubt it will be worth even more — because of its special history.

      By the way, pay attention to the combination of digits on the license plate.