Volante: a name that has long marked the most stylish and sensuous open topped Aston Martins, for 60 years now. Positioned at the high performance ultra-luxury GT sector’s pinnacle, the iconic British manufacturer marks the nameplate’s sixth decade by announcing the new Vanquish Volante which combines its Coupe sibling’s raw driving thrills and stunning design with a sensually visceral top-down driving experience.
The first Aston to bear the Volante name was 1965’s little-known Short Chassis Volante. Beautifully combining design elements of the preceding drop-head DB5 and succeeding DB6 Volante, it helped set the visual tone for all future Volante Aston Martins to come, while a production run of just 37 cars over 1 year made it one of the rarest production Aston Martins.
Perhaps the most well-known Volante was HM King Charles III’s DB6 MkII Vantage Volante, which was later loaned to Prince William to drive himself and the Princess of Wales from their Buckingham Palace wedding reception to St James Palace. Other open Aston Martins enjoyed by King Charles have included a 1986 V8 Vantage Volante and a unique 1994 Virage Volante with an upgraded 6.3 litre V8 engine and 5-speed manual gearbox.
Timothy Dalton as James Bond also drove a gadget-laden 1987 V8 Volante in ‘The Living Daylights’, which just happened to be Aston Martin chairman Victor Gauntlett’s personal transport at the time. Later it is ‘winterised’ by Q and becomes a coupe for the rest of the movie.
With a lineage like that, the new Vanquish Volante has rather large shoes to fill; fortunately it looks to be very much up to the task. Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Hallmark said “For 60 years, Aston Martin Volantes have defined the art of elegant, sporting, open-top motoring. With its stunning looks and outstanding V12 engine producing more power than any other front-engine production car on sale, Vanquish Volante has taken this philosophy to an entirely new level. At Aston Martin we are proud to be doing such justice to our heritage while, as the unprecedented performance of the Vanquish Volante shows, keeping our eyes firmly focused on the future.”
The Vanquish Volante shares the coupe’s more assertive visual character and increased road presence with the same front bumper and fender profiles. Its signature vaned grille is now 13% larger to better cool the 835 PS engine along with the sloping bonnet’s dramatic F1-inspired thermal louvres, while new outer bumper vents channel air around the nose and into the front wheel arches for improved brake cooling.
An 80mm longer wheelbase accentuates the Vanquish’s iconic front-engined, cab-rearward profile with elegantly toned muscularity and fluid curves. Round the back, a flicked up Kamm tail sits above 3D bladed tail-lights and the ‘Shield’ element designed to appear like it is floating in place.
The lightweight convertible K-fold roof can be operated while driving up to a speed of 31 mph (50 km/h), opening in just 14 seconds and closing in 16 seconds. When parked it can also be actuated remotely via the key fob up to a radius of two metres, while boasting a level of thermal insulation directly comparable to that of the Vanquish Coupe; something that will be most welcome to owners living in colder climates.
Marek Reichman, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer commented, “The opportunity to create a true flagship Volante is rare. The challenge is always to maintain Aston Martin’s core brand DNA and it was vitally important to create the Volante alongside the Coupe in order to deliver excellence in proportion and drama. Vanquish Volante epitomises this; not only is it one of the most breathtakingly beautiful cars ever to wear the nameplate, it goes far beyond the expected and, like Coupe, captures the immense performance and intended purpose of a flagship model. With outstanding visceral design that truly embodies noble beauty and presence on the road, Volante sees no compromises in the elegant packaging of the roof system. Through the collaboration between Aston Martin’s design and engineering teams, Vanquish Volante truly delivers the crown jewel in our core model portfolio.”
Aston Martin’s new twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 engine will give the Vanquish Volante more than adequate punch to live up to those stunningly dynamic looks, with maximum outputs of 835 PS and a gutsy 1000 Nm of torque. In line with its effortlessly rapid touring character, maximum torque arrives at just 2500 rpm and is maintained up to a peak of 5000 rpm, before attaining a 214 mph maximum speed. A new stainless steel exhaust system featuring unique geometry and quad tailpipes will treat occupants to the trademark Vanquish V12 resonant howl with an enhanced frequency range, especially with the roof retracted. An optional Titanium exhaust system will utilise a smaller muffler to give the V12 an even louder and more engaging aural character, while saving 10.5 kg of weight.
A bonded aluminium structure shared with the Coupe forms the bases for chassis and dynamic systems, while enhanced with optimised underbody strengthening for 75% better lateral stiffness over the outgoing Vanquish Volante. This maintains structural performance and driving dynamics at levels close to the Coupe, while imparting a weight increase of only 95 kg. Its power to weight ratio has thus risen to 416hp per tonne, elevating performance to an entirely new level competitive with current market contemporaries.
A ZF 8-speed ZF gearbox located at the rear axle for excellent weight distribution powers the rear wheels, and also incorporates the Vanquish Coupe’s rear E-differential (E-diff) that can snap from fully open to 100% locked in just 135 milliseconds. Working in concert with the latest Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) technology, it improves low and medium speed cornering agility & steering response by virtually ‘shortening’ the wheelbase, whilst offering greater composure during high-speed lane changes and stability through fast sweeping curves.
Simon Newton, Director of Vehicle Performance and Attributes said, “The drive to ensure Vanquish Volante delivered the same class leading performance as the Vanquish Coupe meant that, from inception, the engineering team worked on both Coupe and Volante simultaneously, allowing us to retain the dynamic capabilities and character of Vanquish Coupe with no compromise upon removing the roof. Optimisations made to the body structure combined with specific chassis tuning ensures that Vanquish Volante makes the same headlines as Coupe for its outrageous performance and capability, now with the extra enjoyment of roof-down driving.”
A uniquely tuned set of Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers accounts for the Vanquish Volante’s unique weight distribution, while also offering unprecedented adaptability and distinction between the individual driving modes. GT mode provides a more compliant configuration and wheel control optimized for effortless long distance comfort that has always defined the very best Grand Tourers; whilst the Sport and Sport+ modes yield more dynamic sides to the Vanquish’s driving character, with progressively tighter and more responsive body control. A new carbon ceramic brake system weighs in at 27 kg less than conventional iron discs, while having the ability to shift brake balance rearwards for better stability when decelerating into corners.
Of course the Vanquish Volante incorporates the same pure 2-seater cabin layout as the Vanquish Coupe, while incorporating Aston Martin’s next generation interior architecture. When the roof is retracted, the ultra-luxury sensation of open air driving simply adds to the sense of more spacious cabin width already provided by a lower centre console and scalloped door panels.
The interior designers have struck an ideal balance between touchscreen technology and the luxurious tactility of physical switchgear: a 10.25” TFT driver display delivers clear pilot information customisable display configurations, while the centrally integrated 10.25” Pure Black touchscreen system provides infotainment access with capacitive single and multi-finger gesture control technology. Meanwhile, a machine-knurled drive mode selection rotary dial surrounds the illuminated Stop/Start button, alongside push button Chassis, ESP, Exhaust and Park Distance Control switches that enable the driver to operate their most used controls can be operated without compromising their focus on the road.
Sports Plus Seats are equipped as standard with a focus on occupant comfort, boasting adjustable seating positions that cater for a wide range of driver and passenger heights. Should they want to enjoy their favourite music on top of the V12’s evocative soundtrack, a specifically tuned 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system with double amplifiers delivers a mesmerizing listening experience.
Aston Martin’s dedication to luxury and quality finish is also carried through into the Vanquish Volante’s rear cabin area, with the sculpted cross brace is a boldly separating purpose made storage areas reserved for optionally available saddle leather luggage sets. Befitting the Vanquish’s flagship status, its standard options range already offers an extensive choice of exterior and interior colour design combinations, from wheel rims and brake calipers to carpets and interior trim. Those desiring greater customisation are of course welcome to consult the Q by Aston Martin bespoking department, where some of the brand’s most creatively skilled and experienced designers & craftsmen stand ready to tailor a particular client’s Vanquish Volante to their completely bespoke requirements. Right up to full-scale engineering and production of entirely unique elements that result in true one-offs, this ensures that even in the rarefied realm of the Aston Martin Vanquish which will only be produced in limited runs of 1000 cars per year, genuinely special and unique cars can still be created.
