Aston Martin Vulcan, one of the world's rarest and most expensive supercars, is getting a road conversion kit to finally make the $3.4 million car legal to drive on the road.
In an exclusive interview with Autocar UK, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer confirmed that British engineering company, RML, is currently working on converting the track-only supercar into a street-legal machine. Palmer also revealed that there was initially some hesitation from prospective buyers because Aston Martin Vulcan did not have a road pack.
"We didn't want to make it road legal from the start, because (special projects boss) David King and his team wouldn't have been able to make such a stunning car in the first place, but RML said they had the ability to do it," Palmer explained.
The Vulcan is a limited edition vehicle with only 24 cars built, as TechTimes previously reported. Some owners who paid a significant amount of money for the track-only car are willing to shed more cash to make the car usable on the road.
The Vulcan is a very powerful car with 7.0 liter V12 engine producing over 800bhp. To make it street-legal, it has to pass safety inspections, which would require alterations to the height and gear ratios of the vehicle. Converting a supercar like the Vulcan to be drivable on the road is not an easy undertaking. It would require multiple crash test simulations, emissions checks and regulatory upgrades to bring certain safety features to street-legal condition.
Getting a green light to drive a supposedly track-only vehicle on the road may prove to be challenging in certain countries like the U.S. where road regulations are defined at both State and Federal levels. However, other countries that offer single vehicle type approval will allow converted power vehicles on the road as long as they adhere to safety regulations.
Many supercar owners wish to show off their power cars on more than just the track. The trend is to take current track-only supercars like the Vulcan and provide conversion kits to make them street-legal. One of the first supercars to receive a conversion kit was the McLaren P1 GTR, whose kit was released by another British automotive company, Lanzante.
The exact price of the conversion kit has not been announced as of this time. However, if you are one of the lucky 24 owners of the $3.4 million Vulcan, then the price probably won't matter that much.
