To build its 800-horsepower Vulcan hypercar, Aston Martin has selected a secret location in England that only a handful of people know. The skunkworks is shrouded with mystery, with only a small, hand-picked team of engineers gaining clearance to work on the track-only monster.
Ok, so that may be a bit of an embellishment. The facility is actually in Wellesbourne, in the county of Warwickshire. That’s in the West Midlands. But something about Aston Martin and covert behavior just feels right.
In all seriousness, the British automaker is keeping the Vulcan’s production facility relatively hush-hush. Autocar reports that the small team of artisans will assemble the vehicle from parts either brought in by specialists or forged by Aston itself, which includes the car’s 7.0-liter V12. The carbon fiber tub, derived from the one used in the One-77, is also 50-percent new.
“We will focus all the set-up of the Vulcan on the track,” said the brand’s Special Project and Motorsport Director David King.
To help drivers acclimate to the Vulcan’s fiery and unyielding demeanor, Aston Martin will implement a driver education program that includes supervised track days, technical lessons, and various forms of instruction.
The rear-wheel drive Vulcan is named after the Avro Vulcan strategic bomber, the same aircraft that once used Aston’s Gaydon HQ as an RAF base. Vulcan also means god of fire in Roman mythology, and given that car will equip a titanium side-exit exhaust system, that’s probably not far off.
“This is clearly a very powerful car,” said Aston Martin Chief Creative officer Marek Reichman. “The beauty is there to see. This is a track car but one done with perfect proportions and surfacing in mind, all natural and created from form and shape in our typical way.”
“This will be a huge influence for our future sports cars,” he continued. “The face of the cars in particular, although we have time to develop that.
Only 24 examples of the $2.3 million Vulcan will be made in total, with deliveries commencing toward the end of 2015.
