2013-08-20 11:10:21

Splendid Aston Martin Vanquish Volante

How do you turn an already exhilarating vehicle to even more exciting? You create it with a convertible roof so the driver and passengers can enjoy all the nature’s treasures. That’s what the engineers at Aston Martin have done with their exceptional Vanquish, turning it into the Vanquish Volante.

This extraordinary super grand tourer includes a 2+2 cabin that opens with the help of a button. Its multi-layer fabric roof lowers in just 14 sec at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. With the top down visibility should much better than the enclosed vehicle.

Now that’s fine and catchy but those probably aren’t the digits you really care about. Under the hood sits the automaker’s AM11 motor, a 6.0-liter, V12 with 565 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. A top-performance 6-speed automatic transmission sends it all to the rear wheels. The dash from zero to 100 km/h – 62 MPH – should take right about 4.1 sec. Top speed is 183 miles per hour.

Constructed on the automaker’s VH architecture, which basically stands for vertical horizontal, the Vanquish Volante’s bones are made of bonded aluminum panels with some carbon-fiber bits thrown in.

Talking about fancy polymers, every panel on this model is made of the lightweight – and not cheap – material. The extensive use of carbon fiber helps to lower the weight and results in approximately perfect weight distribution front to rear.

Aston Martin informs that the 2014 Vanquish Volante was “created to be the perfect convertible” and with performance digits and looks like this it’s hard to say opposite. The cost starts at about $300,000; deliveries should launch early next year.