WATCH the Aston Martin Vulcan meet the Vulcan Bomber

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With the last airworthy Vulcan Bomber about to retire, watch Aston Martin’s new Vulcan track car meet its namesake in a flypast in Yorkshire.

When Aston Martin decided they’d build a track-day hypercar – in the mould of the the McLaren P1 GTR and Ferrari FXX K – they opted for a name that evokes something stunning, able and very British – the Aston Martin Vulcan.

The Avro Vulcan Bomber – from which AML derived the name – went in to service with the RAF in 1956 (so it’s even older than the underpinnings of Aston Martin’s cars) as the core flying nuclear capability for the UK (although it also saw non-nuclear action in the Falklands), but has long since gone out of service.

Now, there are just three Vulcan bombers left – two of which are kept in taxiable condition at Southend and Wellesbourne Mountford – and a third, “The Spirit of Great Britain”, is a restored and airworthy example. But that too is now about to be consigned to ‘taxiable’ status only, and heading for a new home at Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster.

But ahead of its retirement, a flypast of the Vulcan Bomber at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire was an opportunity for the iconic V Bomber to meet with its modern-day namesake.

Aston’s CEO, Andy Palmer, said:

Clearly the Avro Vulcan provided the inspiration for the naming of our most extreme sports car, 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.

We’d be a little surprised if the Aston Martin Vulcan is remembered in 60 years time as an icon, like the Vulcan Bomber, but with 800bhp plus from its 7.0 litre V12 – and a price tag of £1.5 million for each of the 24 being built – it will certainly be remembered as a pricey Aston.

The first Aston Martin Vulcans are expected to be with their owners before the end of 2015.

Aston Martin Vulcan meets Vulcan Bomber Video