► Aston Martin’s flagship Vulcan track car…
► …meets the bomber that inspired its name
► Last remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan to retire soon
It’s publicity photo gold. Aston Martin’s limited-run Vulcan track car, buzzed by the last remaining airworthy Vulcan bomber in an ultra-low fly-past.
Vulcan XH558, operated by charitable trust Vulcan To The Sky, will retire from the skies by the end of October 2015 before going on permanent display at Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster. Before its retirement party it found time for a photo call with Aston’s £1.8m-a-pop track car – appropriate, since the Aston was named after the iconic Avro bomber.
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said: ‘Clearly the Avro Vulcan provided the inspiration for the naming of our most extreme sports car, and I’m delighted that we have been able to unite the “two Vulcans” and deliver our own tribute to this world-renowned aeronautical phenomenon.’
Aston Martin Vulcan – a recap
Powered by an 800bhp 7.0-litre V12, only 24 Aston Martin Vulcans will be built. First deliveries of the track-only, non-road-legal machine begin before the end of 2015.
CAR’s Ben Oliver rode shotgun in the first Aston Martin Vulcan with Aston factory Le Mans driver Darren Turner up Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed this year. It feels ‘genuinely, frighteningly quick,’ he says, ‘similar to the Bugatti Veyron in that you worry it might be more than your constitution can handle. You feel the blood being forced from your feet back up into your torso, leaving your thighs oddly tingly as they empty.’ You can read Ben’s full account of his experience in the Vulcan, and revealing interview with Aston chief Andy Palmer, in CAR magazine’s October 2015 issue.