Aston Martin’s wildest-ever car - the track-only Aston Martin Vulcan - has been taken to new extremes with a performance upgrade package developed by the marque’s new performance brand, AMR.
Following on from the release of the first AMR production model - the Vantage AMR - the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro package is set to make its public debut this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The new AMR Pro package includes extensive aerodynamic enhancements and shortened gearing to produce increased downforce, greater responsiveness and reduced lap times.
Built in a strictly limited run of just 24 cars and delivered to customers throughout 2016, including Tony Quinn in New Zealand, the 600kW Aston Martin Vulcan was engineered to exceed the performance of Aston Martin’s Le Mans-winning race cars.
“When we first conceived the Aston Martin Vulcan it was to create something that expressed Aston Martin’s wilder side," said Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Special Operations Officer, David King
"Like anything with a motorsport mindset, once we’d built and delivered all 24 Vulcans we started thinking about how to make it quicker. And so the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro was born."
The Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro’s aerodynamic enhancements begin at the front-end with louvred panels added above the front wheel arches to extract high pressure air and reduce aerodynamic lift.
A sizeable pair of dive planes have been added to each side of the nose to help pin the front-end to the track and the huge front splitter has turning vanes fitted to its underside to improve steering response.
Weight has also been saved with a carbon fibre lay-up and core form reducing the weight of the engine cover by 5kg.
Changes to the rear are equally effective and even more dramatic, courtesy of a new rear wing with dual plane design, rather than the original single plane.
The main element of this enormous rear wing features a 20mm ‘Gurney’ flap - a simple but effective upstand on the wing’s trailing edge - which is added by slotted wing endplates with an additional 15mm Gurneys.
The combined effect of these aerodynamic changes is a major increase in downforce, from the standard Aston Martin Vulcan’s 3150Nm to 4000Nm (newton metres of plate pressure). More than the 3104Nm generated by the 2017 Le Mans winning Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE.
The aero changes have also improved the aerodynamic balance of the Aston Martin Vulcan, shifting its Centre of Pressure forwards bringing it closer to the middle of the car (47% compared with 41.5% for the standard Aston Martin Vulcan).
We worked hard to ensure it’s not a monster to drive, so it was important the AMR Pro upgrade remains true to that objective," said Aston Martin Racing works driver, Darren Turner.
"By increasing the overall level of downforce front and rear, but also improving the balance of the car we’ve done just that. Together with the shortened gearing, which makes it even more punchy when you accelerate through the gears, the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro feels more agile and responsive to steering inputs."
"When you get the aero working through a fast corner it really is an unbelievable feeling. I can’t wait to see the customers’ faces when they experience it for themselves!”
The Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro upgrade package will be installed by Q by Aston Martin Advanced Operations.
Work is already underway on the first upgrades, with the first customer cars expected to be completed in September.
