Aston Martin has revealed its latest grand tourer for buyers who want to feel the wind in their hair.
Dubbed the Aston Martin DB12 Volante, this new convertible is set to make its global debut at Monterey Car Week in California this week.
Production of the new flagship convertible is set to start in the third quarter of this year, ahead of Australian deliveries commencing from the first quarter of 2024.
Unlike its recently revealed coupe counterpart, it features an electrically operated fabric convertible roof. It takes 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close, and can be used at speeds up to 50km/h and into a 50km/h headwind.
The soft-top comes standard in black, but can be had in red, blue, or black and silver.
Aston Martin claims to have developed the DB12 Volante alongside the coupe and says it retains “all the purity and exceptional sporting capabilities”.
Its bonded aluminium chassis remains unchanged, though key structural elements like the rear suspension upper mounting points and lateral connection, as well as the engine cross brace, have been modified. The result is torsional stiffness that’s up 3.7 per cent from the coupe.
The DB12 Volante has a dry weight of 1796kg, which is 111kg more than the DB12 coupe.
The new convertible also has an electric power-assisted steering system with a non-isolated steering column, and a stiffer front axle that’s said to help on- and off-centre steering feel.
Like the DB12 coupe, the Volante is powered by a hand-built 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing 500kW of power and 800Nm of torque. This is 107kW and 125Nm more than the V8-powered DB11 Volante.
The DB12 Volante has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.7 seconds, which is 0.1 slower than its coupe counterpart. Flat out you’ll be doing 325km/h.
This twin-turbo V8 engine is mated to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission with drive sent to the rear wheels only. There’s also an electronic rear limited-slip differential.
The new convertible comes with new-generation adaptive dampers, which are claimed to have a 500 per cent increase in bandwidth of force distribution compared to the previous-generation hardware.
Compared with the coupe, the Volante has different rear spring rates and a dedicated damper tune.
It rides on standard 21-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in ‘AML’-coded Michelin Pilot Sport 5s tyres.
Providing the stopping power are a set of cast-iron 400mm front discs and 360mm rear discs. Customers can option carbon-ceramic brakes that offer increased braking performance, reduced brake fade, and a 27kg saving in unsprung mass.
Like the DB12 coupe, the DB12 Volante has a more contemporary interior than the old DB11.
It receives a redesigned dashboard with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There are also physical controls for the drive mode selection, as well as the seat heating and ventilation.
An 11-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround-sound system comes as standard, however you can option a 15-speaker system that’s been acoustically engineered for the DB12.
Unique to the Volante, there’s wood veneer or carbon fibre on the seatbacks matching the door trim inlay creating an “extra layer of visual interest” when the roof is lowered.
Per usual, the British luxury carmaker offers a range of personalisation options through its Q by Aston Martin division.
Aston Martin is overhauling its entire front-engine sports car line-up, with eight launches over the next 24 months.
In addition to replacements for the current Vantage, DB11 and DBS and their Volante convertible variants – bringing the tally to six – Aston Martin has hinted at a model that would be “above GT”.
