More than a few days late on this news, but it is too good to skip!

Aston Martin’s ultra-high-performance flagship just had a meet and greet with its namesake, the Avro Vulcan nuclear bomber!  The Vulcan of the RAF has kept Britain and the world safe from the threat of nuclear weapons for the last 50 years, but will retire this month to the annals of history.

And in doing so, this nuclear deterrent will enter the hall of fame for long-range strategic bombers. The beauty of the aircraft and its innovative, ahead-of-its-time delta wing design are icons for all industrial design. Just think that the UK went from making Lancaster propeller bombers to making a near-supersonic jet in just ten short years.  The fact that the Vulcan never had to complete its grim mission is a testament to its powerful deterrent effect on hostile powers. We all owe this plane a debt of gratitude.

Aston hopes to push the Fast-Forward button in its own hypercar development with the track-only Vulcan, an 800HP monster that is part future-tech aero, lightness and rigidity. But part retro — saving the front-engine, rear-drive purity in layout of the ultimate GT racers. Skipping hybridization altogether for the Vulcan will make this a primal scream for the marque — a glorious hoorah to the march of progress. While celebrating the great and good that paves the way into the future.

Check out the photo shoot of the Aston Vulcan enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime flyby with its aerial hero.  Aston promises the first Vulcans to buyers by the end of 2015 — so get ready for max-attack passes of your local track’s conning tower very soon!

 

 

2016 Aston Martin VULCAN

02 October 2015, Gaydon: As the last remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan prepares for its final flight later this month, the iconic 1950s British V bomber has been united with its modern namesake: the Aston Martin Vulcan.

Vulcan XH558 – currently being operated by the charitable trust Vulcan To The Sky – is due to retire from ‘active service’ in October, going on to form the centrepiece of the educational Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Centre at her home base,  Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster.

Ahead of that final flight, the famous Cold War-era long range bomber was paired with the Aston Martin Vulcan – the new track-only supercar – via a special fly-past at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire.

The British luxury car maker’s most intense and exhilarating creation to date the Aston Martin Vulcan is born out of extensive motorsport experience. Using the brand’s acknowledged flair for design and engineering ingenuity, the 800-plus bhp, all-carbon fibre Aston Martin Vulcan delivers truly extreme performance.

Uniquely for Aston Martin the new supercar – limited to just 24 examples worldwide – allows owners the opportunity to precisely tailor their track day experience through a graduating scale of detailed power and dynamic performance adjustments.

CEO, Dr 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.”

Vulcan XH558 is flown by Martin Withers DFC, Chief Pilot and Operations Director. He said: “Being at the controls for this unique fly-past was a memorable occasion.

“Personally, it is great to know that the Vulcan name will live on not only in the history books, and at the new educational centre in Yorkshire, but via Aston Martin’s incredible new sports car.”

More details of Vulcan XH558 and its final month of operation are available via the Trust’s website at http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

First deliveries of the track-only Aston Martin Vulcan to customers worldwide will take place before the end of 2015.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE on next page