In the car industry, when a manufacturer does a limited run model, that usually means less than 1,000 built world wide. Then you get into the ultra exclusive realm when it’s less than 100. The price also goes up significantly. Aston Martin, know for its rare creations such as the One-77 (77 produced) and the Vulcan (24 produced) has entered into the rarest of territories with the Victor. One-off manufacturer models are few and far between. There have only been a handful produced in the last decade. The Victor is another example of what can be done when enough money is involved.
Built atop a One-77 chassis the Victor utilizes some of the same internals as the Vulcan. Under the hood the Victor packs a rare manual transmission and a 7.3-liter V-12 that makes an incredible 847 horsepower.
The Victor clearly draws a lot of inspiration from the Aston Martin V-8 of the 1970s. A rude muscle car wearing a tailored suit, it was a bulkier evolution of the earlier DBS V-8. Interestingly, it also takes some cues from a DBS V-8 that was heavily modified to run in Le Mans in the late 1970s, the RHAM/1. The new car’s massive ducktail spoiler is a nod to that unlikely endurance racer.
Indeed, the exterior is an exaggerated, aggressive, thoroughly modern take on the Vantage V-8’s vintage cues. The forward-sloping grille, inset headlights, and squared-off power bulge all clearly pay homage, but they’re interpreted through the wild fantasies of modern design. So it is, too, with the Michelin-wrapped webbed wheels and the touches of leather and wood inside. All of the retro flavors are balanced by minimalist and modern elements such as the Vulcan-derived steering wheel, the digital gauge cluster and floating infotainment screen. There is copious amounts of exposed carbon fiber and the solid walnut shift knob as a nice finishing touch.
There’s nothing retro about the Victor’s body or its construction, however: It’s essentially all carbon fiber. The monocoque is derived from the One-77’s, and the body is made of more of the light weight . Q claims that the full structure—body and chassis—is actually lighter than the One-77’s, which is rather incredible. The vintage styling cues do very little to dampen the car’s aero potential, as it makes more downforce at 100 mph than a Vantage GT4 race car. Inboard dampers are fitted, as on the Vulcan, in addition to massive Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes—so the Victor can clearly hold its own on a track if the lucky owner so wishes.
Power comes from a naturally aspirated V-12 backed up by a six-speed manual gearbox from Graziano. Aston says this is the most powerful car it has ever built with a manual transmission; for perspective, it’s more powerful than the formidable One-77, which put out “only” 760 horsepower to the Victor’s 847, and 553 lb-ft to the one-off’s 605 lb-ft.
It’s always exciting to see not only what clients are able to imagine, but what automakers are able to create.
