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Thursday, May 23, 2013
What It Is: A lightly covered-up prototype of the inevitable convertible version of the Aston Martin Vanquish, the brand’s flagship coupe. Following Aston’s nomenclature, the roofless Vanquish will be known as the Vanquish Volante. Just as the hardtop model replaced the DBS last year, this topless Vanquish will take over for the DBS Volante.
Platform: The Vanquish Volante should share a significant portion of the aluminum VH architecture with the regular Vanquish and will look largely the same. The Volante’s front and rear ends, visible through these test mules’ form-fitting camouflage, appear identical to the Vanquish coupe’s goods, as does its side sculpting. We must admit that while it’s sure to have impressive curb appeal, the Volante’s transition from sleek fastback to folding cloth-roof droptop seems to have done a number on its proportions. The profile view reveals a helmet-like roof shape positioned nearly entirely ahead of the rear wheel opening, resulting in a strangely long rear deck. We won’t go so far as to say it looks as though its front wheels are driven, but the classic GT proportions present in every other Aston appear to be missing here.
Powertrain: Just as the Volante’s basic look carries over unchanged from the Vanquish coupe, so should its 5.9-liter V-12 and six-speed automatic transmission. As we already mentioned, the 565-hp 12-cylinder should be more easily appreciated in the topless Volante, which pleases us endlessly. The convertible might gain a few pounds relative to the coupe from reinforcing the car’s bonded-aluminum monocoque, but don’t expect the extra luggage to drastically effect the Vanquish’s forward urgency much.
Competition: Bentley Continental GTC, Ferrari California, Lamborghini Aventador roadster, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
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