Automotive

Vanquish Volante: The "best Aston Martin ever" gets topless

Vanquish Volante: The "best Aston Martin ever" gets topless
2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
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2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
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A year ago, Aston Martin revived the Vanquish nameplate. Now it's sliced the roof off the coupe to bring the "thrill of open top motoring to the super GT class." If the Vanquish is "the best Aston ever," as Aston Martin calls it, it follows that the 2014 Vanquish Volante is the best Aston convertible.

The new Vanquish Volante is the first fully carbon fiber-bodied Volante in Aston Martin's 100-year history. The automaker from Gaydon also says it's its stiffest Volante body structure yet. Atop that carbon skin sits a multi-layer fabric roof that folds in just 14 seconds and operates at speeds up to 30 mph (48 km/h). The car is the first Aston to feature a windshield that runs straight into the fabric roof, providing a cleaner look that eliminates the windshield-capping body color strip.

Also like the Vanquish, the Vanquish Volante features Aston's latest design language, which draws cues from the One-77 limited edition supercar. Those cues include the waist, stretched side strakes and rear LED light blades. Other elements, like the grille and headlamps, are pure Aston. As in the Vanquish hard-top, the Volante's rear-end has received some aerodynamic optimization, but its tonneau and decklid have been designed to accommodate the folding roof.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante

Under its curvy, sculpted hood, the Vanquish Volante carries the latest generation AM11 naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12 engine, which drives the rear wheels. A six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic gearbox helps the V12 manage its 565 horses and 457 lb-ft of torque, and while a convertible usually loses a step or two when compared to its hard-headed sibling, the Vanquish Volante has the same 183-mph (295-km/h) top speed and 4.1-second 0-62 mph (100 km/h) as the Vanquish coupe. A set of Brembo Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes brings it back to standstill.

Most drivers probably won't be straight-lining the Volante to 183 too often, and Aston says that the car handles spryly on the corners, dips and curves. The convertible has an almost-perfect 51:49 weight distribution. Its lightweight bonded aluminum structure has been optimized with a number of semi-structural carbon fiber components. The suspension system's Adaptive Damping System offers a selection of normal, sport and track modes to fine-tune settings for the ride of choice. The Volante also includes Dynamic Stability Control and Positive Torque Control.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante

Of course, a convertible GT car is all about the overall driving experience, and that overall experience starts in the cockpit. The driver and his or her three passengers of choice are enveloped by elegant materials like full-grain Luxmil leather with optional quilting, Alcantara and satin chrome. A center stack inspired by the One-77 houses the latest features and controls, including an infotainment system and illuminated capacitive glass buttons with haptic feedback. In back, the trunk is 50 percent larger than the DBS Volante, offering 279 liters of storage, whether the top is up or down.

Not one to leave potential buyers wondering how deep they'll have to dig, Aston Martin said that the 2014 Vanquish Volante will start at US$297,995 when it hits the US market early next year.

Source: Aston Martin

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3 comments
3 comments
Arahant
Oh man i want one! They are coming out with some good new cars, the new jaguar looks pretty slick too!
I'll pick one of these up in 5 years when the price tag has dipped down to 100k...
....yeah right who am i kidding.
One can dream though. That interior color is abit overpowering however, hope it comes in black or beige/cream.
The Skud
For that money they will probably do both the interior of your colour choice but even ask you if you would "like go-faster flames on the bonnet, sir" yeah, right.
Mirmillion
Its just a little bit obscene but that could be the color scheme talking rather than the price. What's perplexing is the idea that the mention of carbon fiber could actually support the blandness (meaninglessness, really) of the accompanying "improvements" and other marketing-speak.
If you've got one, you won't know whether to be more incensed about the closeness of other parked cars or the thought that, once off the lot, $90,000 of depreciation will not be accepted by the tax authorities...