Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Revealed

Meet the world’s sexiest convertible; the all-new 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. Yes, Aston Martin has finally taken the covers off the convertible version of last year’s Vanquish coupe, and we must say the car’s seductive lines look even better with the roof removed.

Beautiful surfacing and incredible attention to detail really set the Vanquish Volante apart from the competition, and that’s before taking a look at the car’s technology.

Thanks to the latest generation of Aston Martin’s bonded aluminum VH platform (generation four for those counting), the Vanquish Volante is expected to retain its coupe sibling's full breadth of dynamic character and sporting capability. The car also benefits from a full carbon fibre body, which helps to keep weight down while increasing rigidity. Torsional stiffness is up 13 per cent on the DBS Volante, which the new model replaces.

Power comes from the automaker’s latest 6.0 liter V12, which rates at 422kW/620Nm of torque and has a beautiful exhaust note as evidenced in the video above. It promises 0-100km/h acceleration in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of about 290 km/h.

Drives goes to the rear wheels only, via Aston Martin’s a Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic gearbox. The dynamics have been tuned precisely, with new springs and damper settings calibrated to deliver the same crisp handling yet compliant ride as the coupe.

Also unique to the Vanquish Volante is its roof structure, naturally. The car's triple-skin lightweight fabric roof can be operated at speeds of up to 50km/h and takes just 14 seconds to fold. The windscreen, meanwhile, is now full height--a first for Aston Martin--which means that the glass runs up to meet the fabric roof, thereby reducing visual 'clutter'.

Aston Martin is once again offering the choice of 2 or 2+2 seating, though we should warn, if you opt for the latter you’ll find it near impossible squeezing anyone older than 12 in the back.

The rest of the cabin gets full grain Luxmil leather with optional quilting, Alcantara and satin accents, and a modern centre stack inspired by the version in the One-77 supercar. The facia trim now stretches down the whole centre stack and is manufactured from a single piece of material giving a uniform finish.

Other tech features the Vanquish Volante benefits from include an adaptive suspension damping system with three different settings (Normal, Sport and Track), speed-sensitive power steering, and carbon ceramic brakes from Brembo.

Sadly, the first Aston Martin Vanquish Volantes won’t be delivered until early next year, priced from US$297,995. Australian availability is yet to be confirmed.

Announcing the arrival of the Vanquish Volante, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez said: "This car is what luxury super GT driving is all about--great performance, fantastic style and exhilarating Volante motoring in one superb package.”

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