A truly brutal hypercar that can only be used on a racetrack, the Aston Martin Vulcan shocked the car world on its release. One of the most incredible cars to come out of modern-day Britain, the Vulcan is an exotic and high-tech beast with speed and power that no mere mortal could handle at full tilt – not a new concept, but one it was meant to compete with, pitched against similar offerings like the Ferrari FXXK.
Selling for around $2.3 million, the Vulcan's extreme price was for a good reason, as the amount of performance and tech features included inside are downright insane, and still hold up as such 4 years after its production ended. With just 24 Vulcans built, developed off of the previous Aston Martin One-77 hypercar, the hardcore performance and price aren't the only things that make the Vulcan a dream-worthy object of desire, as showing up with a Vulcan is sure to rob attention from any car meet or track day.
At the end of the day, the Vulcan is an uncompromising and brutal speed machine that remains unattainable for nearly every single car enthusiast. But, we can still dream, and making those dreams more fun are the incredible features it comes with. So, read on to see 10 of the coolest features found inside the Aston Martin Vulcan.
10 2,866LBS Of Downforce
All the suspension engineering and chassis optimization in the world can only do so much to give a car insane handling, the rest is left up to aerodynamic principles like downforce, relying on air movement to keep the car firmly planted to the ground.
While it's easy to scoff at big wings on otherwise normal cars, track-focused beasts such as the Vulcan have them for a purpose. Designed with advanced techniques, the Aston Martin Vulcan uses splitters, diffusers, and of course that massive rear wing to hold it down to the track for downright insane turning speeds. But, as cool as the aero work looks, the coolest part of the Vulcan is just how much downforce it makes - a ridiculous 1,300kg (2,866 lbs) at around 200 mph. Tipping the scales at 1,350kg, the Aston Martin Vulcan could, in theory, drive upside down on a tunnel's roof at above 200 mph.
9 "Warp Speed" Taillights
While not necessarily a functional feature, the taillights on the Aston Martin Vulcan are some of the most stunningly unique ever designed, and take the car to another level of cool that's hard to beat.
Meant to mimic the sci-fi "warp speed" effect, the taillights cap off the flowing speed-focused design of the Vulcan in the best way possible. Built from an array of individual LEDs, the oblong red strips light up to achieve that warp speed effect beautifully, giving people behind you a taste of just how fast the car is, even when driving it slowly.
8 820hp V12 Engine
Insane downforce and aesthetic touches are definitely some of the cooler points on the Vulcan, but the engine itself is one of the stars of the show here, and it contributes its fair share in making the Vulcan the jaw-dropping beast that it is.
While V12 powered cars are some of Aston Martin's most iconic models, the one found in the Vulcan is truly special. Derived from the powerplant of a Vantage GT3 racecar, the Vulcan took that motor and turned it up to 11, adding modifications like an extra liter of displacement to bring it to a viciously powerful level. Making 820 hp, the Vulcan's V12 shrieks like a banshee, and propels the car with unbelievable performance.
7 Sequential Transmission
Listen to an on-board video of the Aston Martin Vulcan driving, as incredible and loud sounding as the exhaust is, one noise seems to penetrate through the exhaust sounds when accelerating at lower speeds, a sort of whining, grinding noise.
No, that isn't a supercharger, nor is it anything going wrong with the car. Instead, what you're hearing is a 6-speed sequential gearbox, made by Xtrac with straight-cut gears and Le Mans racing provenance. That straight-cut in action are the whine you here, but aside from the symphony they produce, they also allow for blindingly fast shift times, controlled by two small but forceful paddle shifters.
6 Carbon Fiber Monocoque Chassis
820 hp may not seem like an otherworldly amount of power today. With muscle cars like the Dodge Demon offering over 800 hp, and hypercars like the Bugatti Chiron cracking 1,500 hp, the Vulcan's power is immense when considered with all the lightweight technology the car packs.
Part of that lightness comes to form the car being made almost entirely out of carbon fiber, and that's not really an exaggeration. Based on the awesome One-77 hypercar from years past, Aston Martin took the mold used to make the One-77 and re-created the monocoque chassis entirely out of carbon fiber. Thanks to this, the Vulcan is both strong and light, adding to the monstrously good handling.
5 Carbon Fiber Body
No, the carbon fiber weight-saving mastery doesn't just apply to the chassis, because as mentioned, the Vulcan is made almost entirely out of the stuff.
Stunningly sleek, and intimidatingly aggressive, the Vulcan's body is incredible, and absolutely out of this world. Aerodynamically optimized as well, the body of the Vulcan also helps to make it such a fast car, making it all the cooler. Even cooler though, the entirety of that body is made from carbon fiber, helping to give the car its impressively low weight.
4 Cosworth Omega Dash
With all the power, and all that performance, the Vulcan needs a precise and intelligent way to communicate with its driver, and the dashboard display the Vulcan comes with can do exactly that.
While not an in-house developed part, the Vulcan's dashboard display is still very impressive. Designed and made by Cosworth - yes, the legendary racecar engineers themselves. Created with track use in mind, the Cosworth Omega packs plenty of useful features, including shift lights, data logging, and many highly advanced features to make the most out of a track day with the Vulcan.
3 On-Board Air Jacks
A feature found on very few cars, most of which are dedicated track use vehicles (much like the Vulcan), integrated air jacks are an incredibly useful feature for pit stops, making a track day with the Vulcan far easier to manage.
Typically, when changing tires, or doing any work on the underside of the car during a pit stop requires a pit crew member to lift up the car with a jack. While not exactly a serious problem, this requires time and separate tools. On the Vulcan though, at the push of a button 4 individual air-powered jacks come down, lifting the car up in an instant for easy tire changes.
2 Recaro Carbon Fiber Racing Seats
So, as is blindingly evident, the Vulcan is a wickedly fast car with handling like few others out there. While that would make it a blast to drive at full tilt, it also creates enough G forces to throw you around like a ragdoll.
Compensating for that, the Aston Martin Vulcan comes equipped with Recaro racing seats. Not just any off-the-shelf racing seats though, as the Vulcan's are specially made for it by Recaro. Made from carbon fiber, the Vulcan's seats are incredibly snug, locking you into place while the car unleashes its extreme performance. Even better, the seats come padded with shock-absorbing foam and flame retardant upholstery.
1 Inconel & Titanium Side-Exit Exhaust
Watching the Aston Martin Vulcan in action inspires many emotions. As the sleek car drives at speed, one thing stands out the most - the glorious scream of the car's exhaust.
Thanks to its racecar derived V12, the Vulcan makes one hell of a sound. Not stopping with just a great sounding engine, Aston Martin engineered special side-exit exhaust pipes to enhance the symphony of power. Made from Inconel (a special "superalloy" of nickel and chrome) and titanium, the Vulcan's exhaust is not just great sounding but adheres to the focus on lightness carried through the rest of the car.