Cars

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante: brand’s fastest drop-top

By Sagar

Posted on April 25, 2019

Aston Martin’s flagship Super GT, the DBS Superleggera is now available in Volante form, grabbing the title of the fastest convertible in the company’s history.

The fabric roof incorporates 8 layers of insulation materials and acoustically enhancing materials. Its operation takes 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close and can be operated from inside, or even from the remote key within a two-metre radius of the car.

Exposed to conditions as extreme as the heat of Death Valley and the extremities of the Arctic Circle during development, the roof mechanism has been put through more than 100,000 cycles. Simulating 10 years of usage into a one-month test, the functional capability of the roof mechanism has been thoroughly tested, the company said.

A revised iteration of the Aeroblade ll system delivers 177 kg (390 lbs) of downforce, 3 kg (6.6 lbs) less than the coupe. The roof is available in 8 colours including Bordeaux Red, Atlantic Blue and Titan Grey. It can be further personalised on the inside with 6 Rokona headliners.

For the first time on an Aston Martin Volante model, the window screen surround is available with a 2×2 twill carbon fibre finish, with an option to continue that theme to the car’s tonneau cover and rear waterfall. Buyers can also go for tinted carbon fibre trim elements.

The 5.2-litre V12 biturbo retains 715 bhp/725 PS at 6,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 900 Nm/663 lb-ft from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm. The Volante sprints from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds (0.2 seconds slower than the Coupe). The top speed of 340 km/h or 211 mph is the same as the Coupe.

An 8-speed ZF automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels. As with the Coupe, the Volante too gets a carbon fibre propeller shaft.

While the name is Superleggera (Super Light in Italian), the Volante still weighs 1,863 kg (4,107 lbs) dry, which is 170 kg (375 lbs) more than the Superleggera Coupe.

The DBS Superleggera Volante is priced at £247,500 (Inc. tax) in the UK, €295,500 (Inc. tax) in Germany and $329,100 (Inc. gas guzzler tax) in the US. Deliveries are set to begin from Q3 2019.