As with the Coupé, the Volante features a ‘curlicue’ behind the front wheel arch that allows air to escape and flow smoothly along the car’s flanks. A double diffuser at the rear allows air to exit cleanly and neutralise lift as efficiently as possible. Aston Martin’s distinctive ‘Airblade’ rear spoiler has had to be repositioned relative to the Coupé, yet the net effect is that the Volante develops 177kg of downforce, just 3kg less than the Coupé. The DBS Superleggera Volante is a flagship convertible that looks equally sensational with the hood up or down.
TECHNOLOGY
Inside, cossetted by Aston Martin’s finest hand-craftsmanship, the driver and passenger enjoy state of the art TFT screens; one 12" unit provides the instrumentation and there’s a second 8" display for infotainment, including satellite navigation. Infotainment can be controlled by gesture, voice, or letter recognition via the touchpad. The roof has eight layers for year-round usability and sound insulation and takes 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close. It can be operated from inside or remotely within a two-metre radius of the car.
Safety
Both the front and rear brakes feature ventilated carbon ceramic brake discs, of 410mm and 360mm diameter respectively. Among the many dynamic safety systems are Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) Positive Torque Control (PTC) and Dynamic Torque Vectoring (DTV).
Performance
The DBS Superleggera Volante’s 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 produces 715bhp and 900Nm of torque, rocketing the Aston from 0-62mph in just 3.6 seconds and onto a remarkable 211mph. 0-100 miles an hour takes 6.7 seconds. For optimum balance, the eight-speed ZF transmission is mounted at the rear via a carbon-fibre propshaft and transaxle. Adaptive software gauges the conditions, along with the driver’s demands, to ensure the car is in exactly the right gear at the right time.
