The Vulcan moniker is officially transitioning from the sky to the ground, but before passing the torch, the two feats of engineering had a day on the airstrip together.
The Vulcan XH558 is the last airworthy Avro Vulcan still in operation, marking the end of an era for British engineering. It’ll be flying its final flight this October, and as an Oct. 2 press release from Aston Martin shares, one of its final fly-by moments was at the Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, England, with the Aston Martin Vulcan sitting on the tarmac.
“Clearly the Avro Vulcan provided the inspiration for the naming of our most extreme sports car,” Aston Martin CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer, said in the release, “and I’m delighted that we have been able to unite the ‘two Vulcans’ and deliver our own tribute to this world-renowned aeronautical phenomenon.”
The Vulcan XH558 is currently operated by the charitable trust Vulcan To The Sky, but when it’s retired at the end of this month, the 1950s British V bomber will become the centerpeice in Robin Hood Airport’s educational Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Center.
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The Aston Martin Vulcan is a fitting creation to carry on the the Vulcan name. The 811+ hp race car is limited to just 24 examples, making it both extraordinarily powerful and rare. It signals the beginning of a new design and engineering era for the marque, much like how the Vulcan bomber signaled a new era of aeronautical engineering.
Operated by the Royal Air Force between 1956 and 1984, it was the first successful delta wing strategic bomber. As Vulcan To The Sky’s website describes, its design lead to the creation of the space shuttle and Concorde.
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A video shared to YouTube by Aston Martin the same day they issued the release shows the moment the Vulcan passed by the Vulcan, in a striking black and white appearance. Check it out above, then find your own Aston Martin from our exclusive listings.
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(Source: Aston Martin, YouTube, Vulcan To The Sky)
