In 2015, Aston Martin brought out a real shocker of a car at that year’s Geneva Motor Show: the Vulcan. An ultra-exclusive, futuristic looking, track-only machine that was conceived and engineered to be as close as one could get to owning a true race car, expense be damned.
Only 24 units would be destined for production, sealing its price to continually be upwards of astronomical. Shame, then, that this laser-like focus on performance meant that the Vulcan - arguably the ultimate Aston Martin of its time - could never be driven on the road, where the bulk of the company’s customers would like to show off their new treasure with pride.
RML Group understands that very very niche plight, leading the UK-based company to create this sole (for now) example of a road-legal Vulcan. As you can see, they’ve gone to some lengths to ensure that nearly none of the car’s original look be diminished, and laboured to make their modifications as invisible as possible, but still deep enough to have the car deemed eligible for on-road use.
The task was surely a challenge that was undertaken with the utmost care and planning. After all, most of the car’s 1 of 24 body is carbon fibre and therefore very difficult and unspeakably expensive to replace should they get it wrong. Some of the more obvious additions were the custom-fitted headlights and tail lamps, as well as turn indicators located on the ends of the fixed rear wing, requiring a new carbon spoiler be made to incorporate the illuminators perfectly within the mould.
Larger side mirrors from the DB11 were also added and the thin glass that surrounds the cabin were replaced. Mechanically, the 7.0-litre naturally aspirated V12 had to undergo a remap to make it sufficiently tame for slow-speed use, and while final numbers aren’t at hand, it should understandably be reduced from the standard Vulcan’s 611kW and 800Nm if not for the sheer fact that it now has to contend with a catalytic converter and a new exhaust system that won’t make pedestrians go deaf.
This particular Vulcan’s tweaked motor is mated to the same Xtrac 6-speed sequential gearbox, but now houses revised and less aggressive gear ratios and new clutches for a more forgiving drive. Speaking of which, in addition to riding higher, the car’s motorsport-derived pushrod suspension has been softened along with new spring and damper rates for improved road compliance. Presumably, the traction control calibrations have been adjusted as well and a stability control system added into the mix.
Apart from all this, the RML Group have also put the street converted Vulcan through virtual crash tests and installed all the necessary structural reinforcements and other accoutrements to enhance drivability. The FIA-approved roll-cage, for example, is a notable feature that has remained.
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