Super-convertible can top 320 km/h
Lastest Aston goes stunningly topless
Aston Martin has slashed the roof off of the DB12 to create the DB12 Volante. It’s the convertible version of the car Aston is calling the first Super Tourer, and despite the fabric roof it has performance to match the coupe.
The Aston Martin DB12 Volante starts with the same 4.0L twin-turbo V8 as the one in the coupe. It makes 671 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, significantly more shove than the DB11 offered with the old version of the same engine.
Like the DB12 coupe, the Volante can hit 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds. It will also run to the same top speed of just north of 320 km/h.
Instead of fixed aluminum or even a metal folding top, the Volante DB12 uses a fabric roof. No ordinary top, this one has eight layers and acoustic insulation to work to help keep the DB12 silent inside. The fabric roof means it can maintain the car’s profile when the top is up and disappear when it goes down. It can accomplish those feats in about 15 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h. Even with a 50 km/h headwind. Stand within two metres of the car and you can raise or lower the top with the key fob.
The roof, or hood as Aston calls it, will be offered in four colours. Black is the standard, but red, blue, and black and silver are on the list. This lets it work with multiple paint colour choices.
Aston’s latest stunner is making its debut at Monterey Car Week this week, and will be on display at The Quail. It’s the most high-end show in the country, exactly the kind of place DB12 Volante buyers are likely to be found. Production starts soon with deliveries set for later this year.
