To qualify for the much coveted title of ‘Best British Muscle Car’, we think that any candidate car should have all of the following characteristics:-

• A V8 or larger engine
• Very cool, 2-door Coupe body styling
• A well-balanced, supremely fun to drive, rear-wheel drive system
• Road-legal, not just for track use
• A great sound (loud V8-type roar)
• Strong acceleration with a competitive 0-60 mph timing
• Originates from the UK
• An aggressive-looking appearance which fits the Muscle Car mould

On the last point, we do have to delve a little bit deeper into what the 'Muscle Car mould' actually is, and if such a thing exists?

Well, firstly, the simple answer is, yes, there is a mould. And it does exist through a number of undisputed examples, which are out there. Examples of true muscle Cars, that everone clearly agrees, best fit the 'mould'.

Three iconic American cars immediately spring to mind. The 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 (pictured below), the 1964 Pontiac GTO, and the 1968 Dodge Charger.

These legendary cars are prime specimens of Muscle Car, and they provide a clear picture of what a British version has to live up to. And, as you can see, they really are a tough act to follow.

So its time to cross the Atlantic, and take a closer look at a pretty awesome British car called the Aston Martin Victor, a car that we think could very well be a strong contender for this hallowed title.

The Awesome Aston Martin Victor

The Aston Martin Victor is a car that look likes it’s been lifted straight out of the pages of a Marvel Comic. It’s definitely not been designed for the squeaky clean superhero savior, however, this one’s much better suited to the villainous evil nemesis character. It’s a real beast, the sheer size and bulk of the car’s overtly muscular shell gives it a real aggressive stage presence, and in its dark green fighting suit, it just looks fearsome.

You can just imagine Stan Lee putting together a cartoon storyboard, drawing some mad scientists huddled in a hidden bunker (Aston Martin’s Q division), busy building a vehicle that’s fit for an evil criminal mastermind, who has delusions of taking over the world. A worthy foe that needs a car which can face off against the likes of the Bat-mobile. A car that looks like it means serious business.

With its retro eighties styling, huge rear duck tail spoiler, sculptured hood scoop, round headlights, massive side skirts and flared haunches, it really does look like it would be at home in the next Batman movie. You can just see it emerging from a dark, smoky street in Gotham City, waiting for the vigilante in a bat’s costume to appear.

The Victor is also a tribute to many of Aston Martin’s best rides. It’s a hybrid mix of the lineage. It has a carefully crafted shoulder line and hefty rear diffuser which are influenced by the Vantage. Its side exhausts, suspension and brakes have been lifted from the Vulcan. The Victor’s huge rear spoiler is very similar to one that proudly sits on the V8 Volante. The 20” wheels and extremely cool, rear tail lights, are straight from the Valkyrie. And it’s chassis, glass layout, and many of its base components, originate from the One-77.

The interior isn’t as rough around the edges as an early muscle car, but the mix of classy leather, sporty carbon fibre, Vulcan dials and anodised aluminium, topped off with a stunning wooden top gear stick, give the Victor’s spacious cabin a real race-ready, masculine feel.

All of this blending is to be expected for a one-off production request that came from an anonymous Belgian buyer, who reportedly shelled out in the region of $5 million for it.

So, the question is then, is it cool-looking? And does it fit the muscle car mould? Well, we think it definitely does. It has all the right design features and coupled with the car’s retro appearance it would definitely look right at home amongst anyones muscle car collection.

The Aston Martin Provides Muscle Car Performance And Sound

With a thumping 7.3 liter, 836 bhp, V12, Cosworth-tuned engine, the Victor is not short of power. It would be a worthy competitor on the drag strip, it can hit sixty mph in 2.5 seconds and it can provide any self-respecting criminal evil-doer with a top (escape) speed of 200mph.

There is only one word to describe how this car drives and that is ‘Savage’. It’s an absolute beast, and when its on the open road it's about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Under your right foot, the power is constant and it just keeps on coming.

The hydraulic steering is surprisingly light, accurate and precise. And with all that power bearing down on the rear-wheels, it’s an absolute riot to drive. It does roll a little in tight bends, as many old muscle cars do, but this is easily forgiven because it comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. Yes, this car has a gear shift, no flappy paddles or electronic gear changes, a good old-fashioned stick shifter that truly befits a bona fide muscle car.

So it doesn’t just look like a muscle car, it drives like one too!

And when it comes to noise this car is off the chart. It actually sounds like someone has recorded a bunch of V8s passing under a long concrete tunnel, and turned the volume up to 11. The Victor's thunderous bark and throaty, burbly growls blare out of the side exhausts, and simply get louder and louder the more you push it. There’s only one word to describe the sound that eminates from this car, and that is - epic.

So, shall we quickly recap. The questions that we have to answer are, is the Victor supremely fun to drive? Does it offer strong acceleration? And does it sound like a muscle car? Absolutely it does, on all counts. And there is no doubt that its manual transmission brings real authentic muscle car fun factor, which Steve McQueen and Vin Diesel would be proud of!

So, for these reasons we are very happy to give the Aston Martin Victor the coveted award of ‘Britain’s Best Muscle Car of 2021'.

But there is just one thing that we would like to see changed. And that has to be its name. We do recognise that Aston were keen to pay homage to a guy (Victor Gauntlett) that helped the company get through a rough patch in the 80’s. But come on Aston, a car like this needs something a bit more fitting, a cooler name tag that matches its awesome marvel comic villain looks. We know that it will have to start with the letter ‘V’ , because all other Astons do. Hmmmmm, that's not so easy - ideas on a postcard please…