Aston Martin unveils Vanquish Volante
Aston Martin has revealed their new flagship model for their sports car line-up, the Vanquish Volante is priced at $510,040 which sits it above the $472,840 Vanquish Coupe.
The Volante featurs the same 421kW/620Nm 6.0-litre V12 engine as the coupe as well as the same performance figures, the Vanquish Volante being capable of reaching zero to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds while reaching a top speed of 295 km/h.
The Volante will be the first such model in the brand’s 100-year history to feature a full carbonfibre body, while at the same time being the stiffest open-top structure ever created by the British carmaker.
The model employs the same six-speed automatic ‘Touchtronic 2’ transmission to send power to the rear wheels, just like the Vanquish Coupe.
The model’s lightweight fabric roof is made of three layers and it takes just 14 seconds to fold and sits beneath a tonneau and decklid that have been aerodynamically tuned for high-speed performance.
The Volante features another first for the carmaker, its windscreen being now full height – meaning that the glass runs up to meet the fabric roof, thus achieving a clean visual transition.
The entire car’s dynamics have been tuned for performance, with new springs and damper settings calibrated to deliver the same precise handling and compliance as the Coupe does.
The Volante will feature the British carmaker’s Adaptive Damping System – ADS – which will allow the driver to switch between three different damping modes: Normal, Sport and Track.
The system works by taking sensor readings from several of the car’s systems including the throttle position, brake position, steering wheel rotation and vehicle speed.
The model will be sitting on 20-inch forged allowy wheels clad in 305/30-series Pirelli tyres at the back and 255/35 on the front.
The first deliveries of the new Vanquish Volante are expected to reach the UK and Continental Europe in late 2013.
