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What is the Aston Martin Vulcan? We don’t know yet. But we will soon. It’s coming to the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
What we do know about the Vulcan is that it sounds good. Very good, in fact.
And it doesn’t really sound like a V-12.
Could this be the first of the AMG-powered Astons? It’s possible. If so, it’s almost certainly a V-8 engine, and it may well be the replacement for the current Vantage.
On the other hand, Aston has been rumored to plan a few more uses of their 6.0-liter V-12 engine alongside the new V-8s from AMG. It's also possible that the Vulcan will be a new hypercar, aimed at track-only or track-focused performance for the multi-billionaires among us.
What is the Aston Martin Vulcan? It’s a track-only supercar packing motorsport-derived technology and a powerful 7.0-liter V-12 engine, and it’s racing to Switzerland for a debut at next week’s 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The Vulcan is designed to up against other track specials such as Ferrari’s XX cars and the McLaren P1 GTR, and like its rivals it also comes with a driver development program to ensure any potential owners will be able to get the most out of their purchase.
Virtually every element on the Vulcan is bespoke, with Aston Martin also offering power and dynamic performance adjustments for owners depending on their level of skill behind the wheel. At its heart is a naturally-aspirated 7.0-liter V-12 engine that’s tuned to develop more than 800 horsepower. The engine was developed together with Aston Martin Racing and sits in a front mid-ship position.
Utilizing the techniques of world-class motorsport engineering, the Vulcan sees its power-to-weight ratio exceed those of Aston’s own GTE cars which compete in the FIA’s World Endurance Championship. Almost everything is carbon fiber, with the monocoque and body sourced from Canada’s Multimatic, the same company that helped Aston Martin build the previous One-77 supercar.
Drive is channeled to the rear wheels via an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox and limited-slip differential. Other components of the drivetrain include a magnesium torque tube with carbon fiber propeller shaft. The wheels measure 19 inches across and within these sit massive Brembo calipers and carbon ceramic discs (15-inch at the front and 14.1-inch at the rear).
To aid the handling, the engineers added track-derived pushrod suspension with anti-dive geometry. This is complemented by Multimatic’s Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars front and rear, in addition to driver-adjustable anti-lock braking and traction control systems.
While the Vulcan does comply with all relevant FIA race safety requirements, the car doesn’t meet the overall requirements for any sanctioned sport so don’t expect to see it go racing. Instead, the cars, of which just 24 examples are planned, will form the basis of a driver development program where owners will get training from professional racing drivers including the likes of Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner, a Le Mans winner.
Using a number of exciting high performance Aston Martins including the V12 Vantage S and One-77 road cars and the Vantage GT4 race car, owners will gradually build experience and develop their track technique before being put behind the wheel of the Vulcan, Aston Martin’s most extreme car to date. The program will consist of a series of practical and theoretical driver training events starting in 2016 and taking place at some of the world’s top race tracks.
Of more interest to buyers of road-going Astons, the new Vulcan features a design language that hints at the next generation of Aston Martins. It was penned under the guidance of chief designer Marek Reichman and features a look inspired by the previous Design Prototype 100 (DP-100) developed for the Gran Turismo Vision challenge.
Aston DB11 not quite quick or mad enough? Not content with tearing up the outside lane of the motorway in a measly V12 Vantage? Fear not. Track day aficionados, your time has come. Someone is selling their track-only hypercar, the Aston Martin Vulcan.
Yep. Chassis number 14 out of just 24 models created, in stunning Special Verde Ithaca green with less than 200 miles on the clock. And you can buy it. We don’t necessarily know when you’d use it, but you can. For the bargain price of £2.7million.
Not sold? Don’t forget, the Vulcan gets Aston’s naturally aspirated 7.0-litre V12 engine with over 800 horses of power and is made entirely from carbon fibre. The side-exhausts shoot flames, too.
Inside is really very little, except an F1-style steering wheel, a TFT driver display and some Alcantara finish. The indicators are in the usual place, though – not that you need indicators on a track-only hypercar.
Original buyers were entitled to warm-up training in a V12 Vantage S, One-77 and even a Vantage GT4 race car, although it’s unconfirmed if a second owner gets such expertise. Maybe it’s best left to ogle at instead.
It even took on the Cold War-era long-range bomber the Avro Vulcan plane earlier in the year, which makes for some pretty sexy bedroom posters if you can’t survive the night without the feel of Alcantara on your bare hands.
There’s something funny to me about seeing a car as rare as an Aston Martin Vulcan for sale on any old car dealer website. Sure, Cleveland Motorsports is a luxury shop that sells Rolls-Royces, Astons and more, but it is still a car dealership, so the listing has a banner that says “Special Offer,” a window to see factory incentives, and a finance calculator. We can assume none of that applies here.
After all, why would it? The Vulcan is an 811 horsepower superfiend with a 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V12, aero like a race car, carbon fiber everything, and also it’s not even road legal. (There was one owner who made it so, but this ain’t that car.)
This particular Flamma Red Vulcan is chassis no. 007 of just 24 made and is apparently the first Vulcan for sale in the U.S. As Motor Authority noted, that dealer has sold a few other Vulcans before, but consider this your reminder that the orange one remains for sale there too.
The next-most expensive car for sale at the dealership, if you’re curious, is a $438,150 Rolls-Royce Dawn. You could buy eight of those for about the price of this one Vulcan.
Just remember the fine print here:
**With approved credit. Terms may vary. Monthly payments are only estimates derived from the vehicle price with a 72 month term, 4.9% interest and 20% downpayment.
02-13-2015, 02:09 PM
