New Aston Martin Vanquish Volante set to better expose V12 soundtrack
Aston’s flagship drop-top has been spotted testing on the road
Not too long ago we saw the covers come off the new Aston Martin Vanquish, and following up will be a convertible Volante model - ready to give drivers unfettered access to the sound of the most powerful version of the firm’s 5.2-litre V12.
Our spies have caught the new car testing, but aside from the obvious soft-top roof, there are very few changes to the Vanquish coupe test cars we saw earlier this year. One small detail is the lack of a ducktail spoiler on the rear – most likely due to the changes in aerodynamics caused by the drop-top. Flared aprons on the rear wheelarches suggest some changes there too.
Just like we saw on the old DBS, there shouldn’t be any difference in power output between the Vanquish coupe and the Volante. Its 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine produces 823bhp and 1,000Nm of torque, which is slightly more than the 818bhp developed by the naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 in the Ferrari 12Cilindri.
Despite having the same power as the coupe version, we expect the Vanquish Volante to be slightly slower than its sibling, which manages the 0-62mph sprint in 3.3 seconds and tops out at 214mph.
The reason for that is weight. Aston Martin increased the torsional stiffness of the Vanquish by 75 per cent over the old DBS with stiffer bracing and new plating. In order not to lose any of the coupe’s stiffness, we expect some more bracing in the Volante, which will add to the coupe’s 1,774kg dry weight.
The price of the Vanquish coupe is ‘around £333,000’, according to Aston Martin, and as with the old DBS Volante, the Vanquish Volante is likely to command a slight premium - placing it closer to the £366,500 12Cilindri Spider. The Volante could also mirror the coupe’s limited production run, which is capped at 1,000 units per year.
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