Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
POWER IN THE WIND. THE NEW SPIDER BASED ON THE VANQUISH IS THE FIRST IN ASTON HISTORY WITH CARBON FIBRE BODY. 573 HP, 0-100 IN 4″1, 295 KMH.
The new Aston Martin Vanquish Volante is a new luxury sports car that brings the thrill of open top motoring to the super GT class.
Alongside its coupe sibling, launched last autumn, the Vanquish Volante benefits from all of the technical, engineering and design advances present in the Vanquish coupe and enhances the driving experience still further through the option of exciting convertible driving.
It boasts the same new AM11 6.0-litre V12 engine as the coupe. This unit produces a 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. It drives the rear wheels via a Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic gearbox.
CHASSIS AND BODY
The Vanquish Volante uses the latest generation of Aston Martin’s VH (Vertical Horizontal) architecture, a lightweight bonded aluminium structure. It now includes the addition of significant semi-structural carbon fibre components, as well as the use of bonding derived directly from the latest aerospace technologies.
As well as being light, strong and flexible in its application, the gen4 VH architecture is also more rigid. The new Vanquish Volante is, in fact, 14% torsionally stiffer than the DBS Volante which preceded it.
Aston Martin’s engineering teams have worked particularly hard to minimise the weight outside the wheelbase 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.
Vanquish Volante is the first fully carbon fibre-skinned Volante in the brand’s 100-year history. The new car’s triple-skin lightweight fabric roof takes just 14 seconds to fold.
The dynamics have been tuned precisely, with new springs and damper settings. Furthermore it employs a battery of sophisticated technologies including Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Positive Torque Control (PTC).
Aston Martin’s Adaptive Damping System (ADS) allows the driver to switch between three distinct damping modes: Normal, Sport and Track, delivering instant adjustment of the car’s ride and handling characteristics. The different damping modes available help significantly broaden the Vanquish Volante’s character, adapting its set-up to suit the driver’s mood and requirements. They are determined by an electronic control unit which takes sensor readings from the car’s 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.
The car’s braking system features third generation Brembo Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes. They are 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. The 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.
COCKPIT
The Vanquish Volante’s ‘suit’ of carbon fibre panels cloaks a cabin that is both sophisticated and comfortable: full grain Luxmil leather with optional quilting, metal controls and satin chrome trim underscore the car’s well-appointed nature.
As practical as it is well-dressed, the Vanquish Volante boasts a boot that’s fully 50% larger than that of the previous DBS Volante. It measures 279 litres – roof up or down.
A direct descendent of the One-77 centre stack, the Vanquish and Vanquish Volante’s 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. The facia trim now stretches down the whole centre stack and is manufactured from a single piece of material giving a uniform finish.
The user interface boasts a simple, ergonomically efficient layout as well as technological updates. 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.
PERFORMANCES
Despite a voluptuous and feminine style, the same blistering performance figures: 0-100 sprint is despatched in 4.1 seconds (estimated) while the top speed stands at 183 mph / 295 kms.
PRICES
Priced from £199,995 RRP in the UK; €264,995 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.
