This is the Aston Martin Victor, a one-off beauty commissioned by a very well-off enthusiast of the brand. If you’re not ecstatic already by looking at it, then perhaps some highlights would help; a big naturally-aspirated V12 engine, mated to a manual gearbox (yes, with a stick in the middle, and an extra pedal), bolted onto a carbon’d tub chassis, and clothed under a hand-crafted retro-futuristic body that oozes lust.

Opening A time Capsule.

The Victor, although new, isn’t entirely created from a blank slate. It felt as though Aston rummaged around its dusty attic and found all the best bits across 107 years, and bolted them into a single car. The job of making it all happen is Q, their in-house “whatever you want, we can make it” division. It’s like having a suit tailor-made just your physique and personality, allowing you to choose the fabrics, cuts, style, and all the little details possible down to the thread.

The structure underneath is recycled from an old, dormant One-77 prototype. Yet, the folks at Aston Martin have somehow been able to make it much less porky than its predecessor, itself a fairly lithe 1,630kg (3,594lbs). Clothing all those carbon weaves is a superbly jaw-dropping bodywork, an example of how retro-futuristic designs can work well in a car. It’s appearance is heavily inspired by the old boxy Vantages of the 70s and 80s, with its muscle-y stance, and bulldog face.

The name, then, comes from Mr. Victor Gauntlett, the gentleman that ran Aston Martin at the time. It’s then finished with a fine coating of dark Pentland Green paintwork – a historic colour for Aston Martin. Despite its heavily sculptured body, you can still see bits of the carbon structure underneath, with its beady eyes up front and moustache-like grille. Ensuring that you don’t scrape or (god-forbid) tear-off the expensive front-splitter, there are small blocks of wood to absorb the blow.

Yes, wood. Actual wood. But worry not, as there are also ample helpings of carbon-fibre to negate the added mass. The side profile is reminiscent of the racy, track-only Vulcan – also created atop the One-77 – as is evident by the massive carbon-fibre skirts, helping to ventilate heat from the side-exhausts. The rear is just as boxy and slab-sided as the rest of the car, but no less beautiful. There’s a small ducktail spoiler (no gaudy wings here), and a very delicate cluster of LEDs taken from the upcoming Valkyrie hypercar.

Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep.

Perhaps more amazing than analysing the Victor’s skeletal structure and fleshy appearance, is seeing its beating heart. Underneath that long bonnet, the Victor sports a monstrous 7.3-litre naturally-aspirated V12, lifted straight from the One-77. Cosworth gave a helping hand with fine-tuning the motor, and without the addition of a single turbocharger, they’ve boosted the output by another 84hp. A total of 836hp and 606lb-ft of torque will be quite the handful with just the rear-tyres at play.

But instead of having to be limited to the One-77’s clunky single-plate automated-manual, the Victor has a traditional 6-speed manual box imported from Italy. Oh yes, in this car you have to change the gears yourself, with every satisfaction to be had from clickity-clacking your way across. A motorsports-grade clutch with two-independent oil-coolers are installed to prevent the transaxle-mounted gearbox from exploding every time you stamp on the throttle.

The interior is just as wonderful of a place to spend time in, filled with sumptuous materials all around. The carbon-fibre tub is prominently seen, as is the racy nature of the car underneath it – through the Vulcan-ised F1-esque wheel, the support braces, and the little windows at the back to let you peer into the suspension. Elsewhere however, it’s a characteristic display of traditional British craftsmanship, lined with entire herds of leather.

The roof-lining is not Alcantara, but cashmere cut straight from Savile Row. There’s lambswool carpeting to rest your weary feet on, and a thick slab of walnut on the gear-knob. Oh, and did I mention the gear-linkages are semi-exposed, just in case your eyes haven’t had enough. This is a car that most would never get to see, let alone get close. Yet, one can’t help but celebrate the Victor. It’s not just a wonderful car, but also a remembrance for future generations to look back to, with a big grin, and heartstrings tugged.

More articles from Zack can be found here.