Aston Martin today unveils the Vanquish Volante a stunning new luxury sports car that brings the thrill of open top motoring to the super GT class.
\nAlongside its coupe sibling, launched to worldwide acclaim last autumn, the Vanquish Volante sits at the pinnacle of the luxury British car maker\u2019s sports car line-up.
\nBenefitting from all of the technical, engineering and design advances present in the Vanquish coupe, the new Volante enhances the driving experience still further through the option of exciting convertible driving.
\nInstantly becoming one of the most beautiful cars in its class, Vanquish Volante crucially retains the coupe\u2019s dynamic character and sporting capability. It boasts the same new AM11 6.0 litre V12 engine as the coupe and the same blistering performance figures, meaning the 0-100 km\/h sprint is dispatched in just 4.1 seconds (estimated) while the top speed stands at 294 km\/h.
\nVanquish Volante is the first fully carbon fiber skinned Volante in the brand\u2019s 100 year history, while also being the stiffest Volante body structure yet created by the engineering team at Aston Martin\u2019s global HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The new car\u2019s triple-skin lightweight fabric roof takes just 14 seconds to fold.
\nAnnouncing the arrival of the Vanquish Volante Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez said: This car is what luxury super GT driving is all about. Great performance, fantastic style and exhilarating Volante motoring in one superb package.
\n“Aston Martin is celebrating 100 years of excellence in 2013, and the arrival of this new sports car our ultimate Volante \u00a0underlines that our mission to make the next 100 years even more successful is starting perfectly.”
\nThe design of Vanquish Volante represents the latest take on Aston Martin\u2019s iconic visual language. Styling cues such as the elegant waist, elongated side strakes and LED rear light blades are derived from the One 77 supercar while the folding fabric roof sits beneath a tonneau and decklid that have been aerodynamically tuned for optimum performance.
\nThe windscreen, meanwhile, is now full height \u00a0a first for Aston Martin which means that the glass runs up to meet the fabric roof, thereby achieving a particularly clean transition.
\nThe Vanquish Volante\u2019s \u2018suit\u2019 of carbon fibre panels cloaks a cabin that is both sophisticated and comfortable. The 2+2 cabin is elegantly attired in authentic and luxurious materials: full grain Luxmil leather with optional quilting, metal controls and satin chrome trim underscore the car\u2019s well-appointed nature.
\nEach body panel on the car is constructed from carbon fibre not just because of its high strength to weight ratio, but also for its flexibility of form. This not only reduces mass but means that fewer individual body panels are required \u00a0reducing joints and contributing to a more coherent and svelte shape.
\nAs practical as it is well-dressed, the Vanquish Volante boasts a boot that\u2019s fully 50% larger than that of the previous DBS Volante. It measures 279 litres \u00a0roof up or down \u00a0and makes the new Aston Martin the perfect choice for continent crossing grand tours as well as daily drives.
\nPerhaps one of the most striking interior design elements is the centre stack with refinements providing a more elegant form that is also more intuitive and accessible for both driver and front seat passenger.<\/p>\n
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A direct descendent of the One 77 centre stack, the Vanquish and Vanquish Volante\u2019s set up retains familiar elements such as the ECU engine start button and glass gear selection buttons while featuring a new infotainment system and a significantly more user friendly design.
\nThe facia trim now stretches down the whole centre stack and is manufactured from a single piece of material giving a uniform finish.
\nThe user interface boasts a simple, ergonomically efficient layout as well as technological updates that make it the brand\u2019s most advanced in-car system available today.
\nCapacitive glass buttons with illumination and haptic feedback feature in the rest of the centre stack\u2019s switchgear. Haptic feedback is more commonly found in touch screen mobile phones and Aston Martin became among the first significant luxury car manufacturers in the world to use the technology in a series production model when it debuted on Vanquish coupe in 2012.
\nAston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman explained: “Vanquish Volante is a sports car, of course, but more even than that it is the ultimate Volante. A car which follows a long line of elegant Aston Martin convertibles, this super GT is sculpted to convey sophistication as much as raw power.
\n“The aerodynamically shaped tonneau, the proportions of the folding fabric roof, the luxurious nature of the cabin these elements have been pored over by the Design team, working with our Engineering colleagues, to ensure we deliver the aesthetic appeal for which Aston Martin is renowned around the world.”
\nUnder its curvaceous carbon fibre bonnet the Vanquish Volante comprises the latest generation AM11 naturally aspirated 6.0 litre V12 petrol engine which drives the rear wheels via a Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic gearbox.
\nThe V12\u2019s power peak of 573 PS (565 bhp) arrives at 6,750 rpm while the torque peak of 620 Nm (457 lb ft) is available at 5,500 rpm. These numbers translate into performance that matches the Vanquish coupe\u2019s and ensures the new car supports its Super GT billing.
\nThe dynamics have been tuned precisely, with new springs and damper settings calibrated to deliver the same crisp handling yet compliant ride as the coupe.
\nStrenuous efforts have been made to limit the new car\u2019s weight; contributing to its impressive performance, agile handling and compelling power to weight ratio. The combination of controlled weight, near perfect 51:49 weight distribution, a powerful V12 engine and a performance honed six speed transmission unite to make the Vanquish Volante as rewarding on the move as it is beautiful standing still.
\nLike its coupe counterpart, the Vanquish Volante uses the latest generation of Aston Martin\u2019s class leading VH (Vertical Horizontal) architecture, a lightweight bonded aluminium structure that provides outstanding strength and rigidity. In this iteration, the Vanquish now includes the addition of significant semi-structural carbon fiber components, as well as the use of bonding derived directly from the latest aerospace technologies.
\nAs well as being light, strong and flexible in its application, the gen4 VH architecture is also extremely rigid. The new Vanquish Volante is, in fact, 14% torsionally stiffer than the DBS Volante which preceded it, making it highly resistant to flex and allowing for responsive and predictable handling.
\nThis rigid structure also provides an ideal foundation from which the suspension can control the vehicle effectively, further highlighting the importance of the body structure and the effect it has on the dynamic performance of the car.Aston Martin\u2019s engineering teams have worked particularly hard to minimise the weight outside the wheelbase of the new car to reduce yaw inertia. As a result, carbon fibre has been used extensively in the rear structure and the weight of the aluminium front structure has been limited.
\nTo take full advantage of its precise and rigid architecture, the Vanquish Volante employs a battery of sophisticated technologies including Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Positive Torque Control (PTC).
\nAston Martin\u2019s Adaptive Damping System (ADS) allows the driver to switch between three distinct damping modes: Normal, Sport and Track, delivering instant adjustment of the car\u2019s ride and handling characteristics.
\nThe ADS automatically alters the suspension settings to ensure the driver has high levels of control at all times, with the ability to respond quickly to different driving conditions. The different damping modes available help significantly broaden the Vanquish Volante\u2019s character, adapting its set up to suit the driver\u2019s mood and requirements. Thus it can be a cruising GT car in Normal mode with the capacity to morph into an assertive sports car in Sport and Track modes.
\nThe damper settings are determined by an electronic control unit which takes sensor readings from the car\u2019s systems including throttle position, brake position, steering wheel rotation and vehicle speed. This data establishes the prevailing driving conditions and the demands the driver is making on the car.
\nSteering, too, is crisp, precise and communicative. The rack\u2019s quick 15:1 ratio 2.6 turns lock to lock is allied to speed sensitive power assistance that\u2019s tuned to deliver optimum assistance.
\nThe car\u2019s braking system features third generation Brembo Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) parts to deliver shorter stopping distances with resistance to fade in even the most demanding driving conditions. CCM brakes are also lighter than a conventional system, reducing the weight of the car overall and, in particular, the unsprung weight and rotational masses, further enhancing the performance of the suspension.
\nThe front brakes use 398 mm x 36 mm CCM discs with larger front pads and six-piston callipers from the One 77, while the rear brakes use 360 mm x 32 mm CCM discs with four-piston callipers.
\nAston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez added: “Vanquish Volante, like the Vanquish coupe before it, uses the very latest technologies employed in the very best ways to create a sports car which is easy to control, and to enjoy dynamic performance at the finest level.
\n“This is not simply a great looking car this is a great car engineered and crafted for the connoisseur by people dedicated to delivering exceptional sports cars with clearly defined characters.”
\nPriced from \u00a3199,995 RRP in the UK; \u20ac264,995 RRP in Germany; $297,995 MSRP in the United States and $323,974 RRP in Dubai, first deliveries of the new sports car are expected to begin in the UK and Continental Europe late in 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aston Martin today unveils the Vanquish Volante a stunning new luxury sports car that brings the thrill of open top motoring to the super GT class. Alongside its coupe sibling, launched to worldwide acclaim last autumn, the Vanquish Volante sits at the pinnacle of the luxury British car maker\u2019s sports car line-up. Benefitting from all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[452,454,453],"acf":{"country":["uae","kuwait","ksa","bahrain","qatar","oman"],"sub_title_for_this_post":"","youtube_video_identifier":"","excerpt_for_this_post":"","gallery":null},"yoast_head":"\n