Express & Star

Aston Martin broadens Vanquish appeal with new drop-top Volante

New flagship V12-powered convertible will manage a 214mph top speed.

By contributor Jack Evans, PA Motoring Reporter
Published
Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
The Volante is powered by a turbocharged V12 engine

Aston Martin has created its ‘most powerful open-top series production’ car to date with the new Vanquish Volante.

Utilising the same 5.2-litre V12 engine as the hard-top Vanquish, the Volante can manage 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds and will carry onwards to a top speed of 214mph.

Incorporating a revised chassis setup to help it cope with different weight distribution to the standard hard-top car, the Volante uses a lightweight K-fold roof which can be opened in 14 seconds or closed in 16 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph via a button on the centre console. Additionally, the roof can be operated remotely via the key.

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
A lightweight titanium exhaust system is available as an option

An ‘acoustically enhanced fabric’ should ensure that the Volante’s cabin remains hushed even when travelling at speed. When the roof is raised, the Volante offers 219 litres of boot space which falls to 187 litres when folded away.

Inside, the Vanquish Volante adopts a two-seater configuration with a low centre console framing a 10.25-inch central touchscreen. Ahead of the driver is placed a 10.25-inch TFT readout displaying all key driving information.

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
The roof can be operated via a central button

The new convertible Vanquish also celebrates 60 years of the Volante name, with it first being used on the Short Chassis Volante of 1965. Since then, the Volante name has been used consistently, from models like the DB6 Volante to the Virage Volante of the early 1990s.

The new Volante will fall under total Vanquish production, which currently stands limited at 1,000 examples per year.