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Guy Martin Drives Aston Martin at 180 MPH, Now Under Police Investigation

If we were to devise a math formula to describe the situation, (Guy + Aston)^Martin=Police would definitely be one of the most accurate. Long story short, Guy Martin took an Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition to his habitual track day scenario... around the Snaefell Mountain in the Isle of Man to see how the car feels like.
Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition 1 photo
Photo: Aston Martin
Unfortunately, his report of the ride got the Police's attention, and his driving is now under investigation, because doing 180 mph (290 km/h) in a 40 mph (65 km/h) zone is not exactly nice.

This is not Martin's first Martin, as he previously owned the V12 Vantage in 2009, the first privately-owned model in the country, but was utterly disappointed with it.

Still longing for the true Aston Martin experience, Guy Martin eventually got a £203,000 black Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition for a test ride and decided to drive it to Ireland to see his girlfriend and some business at TAS, the team he races bikes for.

One cannot have a stop on the Isle of Man

Since the Isle of Man lays between England and Ireland, the stop there was only natural. Martin took the Martin on the Mountain Course he knew so well and floored the pedal in a segment he felt that he was less prone to encounter traffic lights or motorists.

"About 17 miles into the lap there’s a corner called Ballacrye, a fast left out of the village of Ballaugh. On a 1000cc racing motorbike you get into fifth gear, licking on at 170mph-plus, and you just get around there flat out. On this Sunday morning, I just got around it with the accelerator flat to the floor. There’s a jump after the corner, and the car was off the ground, all the lights flashing on the dash telling me everything was dropping off. It fishtailed when it landed, but there was so much feedback from the Aston I felt totally in control," Guy Martin said online.

"I was driving hard by this time. I saw 180mph down Sulby Straight, one of the fastest sections of the course, and the car wasn’t even in top gear. Aston claims a top speed of “200mph or above”. It’s the quickest-accelerating road car it has built, that’s for sure," he adds, according to driving.co.uk.

Guy Martin drove the Aston for what was a 22-minute lap. Aboard his race bike, Martin would need around 17 and a half to complete the lap, but he says that he wasn't trying to set a lap time and only wanted to see how the car would feel like around the Mountain.

Now, since a road sector was limited to 40 mph, Mr. Martin will most likely have a lot of explaining to do. Manx police inspector Derek Flint only declared: "We are making some enquiries."

We'll keep you posted. Below you can watch a showcase video of the Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition:

Price: £202,995 ($303,000 or €282,000)
Engine: 5935cc, V12
Power: 569bhp @ 6650rpm
Torque: 464lb ft (630 Nm) @ 5500rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic/sequential
Performance: 0-62mph in 3.8sec
Top speed: 201 mph (323 km/h)
Fuel: 22.1mpg (combined)
CO2: 298g/km
Road tax band: M (£1,090 for first year; £500 thereafter)
Release date: On sale now

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