The 836bhp, 7.3-litre Aston Martin Victor is a bespoke creation built for one very lucky customer, and DickieMeaden's had a drive -
or Vulcan. Especially if you’re old enough to remember the boxy ’70s Vauxhall saloon, or had a great uncle Victor. Better to make the link to the Cold War strategic bomber designed to drop A-bombs on the commies, or the former chairman of Aston Martin, the ebullient Victor Gauntlett.Funnily enough, AML used a rather more evocative internal codename for the car during its development: Muncher.
Unsurprisingly, it’s quite a moment when you finally get to drive the Victor. I’ve been fortunate to get behind the wheel of many extremely valuable cars over the years. There’s a certain responsibility, but I’ve always managed to calm myself by silently repeating ‘It’s just a car’ in my head. In Victor, my mental mantra is ‘the only one’. If there’s a car you don’t want to damage, it is this.
Both steering and gearshift require a proper amount of effort, at least in the context of other 21st century hypercars. The steering weight is the bigger surprise, but the heft is welcome and entirely appropriate given the look and character of the Victor. You also need to apply significant pedal pressure on the carbon brakes , but the overall effort levels are nicely matched to the resulting response, so the effect is one of satisfying physicality.
On Michelin Pilot Cup 2s there’s plenty of grip , which is supported by a multi-stage traction control system that can be adjusted via a neat rotary barrel switch on the right spoke of the steering wheel. It’s not stability control as you’d know from a road car, so respect is still due – especially on a damp or wet track – but the way it intervenes, even when relaxed to a very lenient setting, gives you plenty of warning the V12 is winning out against the rear tyres.
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