HEAVENS ABOVE
Sixty years after the debut of a name that has made history, Aston Martin once again applies the “Volante” concept to one of its creations, this time based on its Vanquish model. In short, the fastest and most powerful ever
by
Diego Tamone - ph. courtesy by Aston Martin
Volante, a name that evokes the idea of the open air and the feeling of apparent freedom that only a convertible can inspire. But above all, like Aperta or Targa it’s drawn from the Italian language, something that occurs in Italy itself and practically everywhere else in the world when naming a car of this type – including the UK, where sometime in the mid-1960s someone at Aston Martin decided that all its open-air versions would be given a foreign, slightly exotic name – Volante. The first was the relatively unknown Short Chassis Volante produced in a run of only 37 examples in 1965. This model defined the stylistic basics that from then on were to feature in all the brand’s open-top versions. It was a successful strategy, and one that is still in use, celebrated exactly 60 years later by the new Vanquish Volante. The style and approach of this open top does justice to the British brand’s rich heritage, and the model is proving to be a worthy heir to the tradition in its choice of engine - a 5.2 litre Twin Turbo generating 835 hp for 1,000 Nm of torque, providing performance figures of 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 345 km/h,
From right, clockwise. An aerial shot shows the shapes of the Vanquish Volante, with wide sides emphasising the sporty nature of this two-seater open by Aston Martin. The striking grille that dominates the front, serving to cool the V12 engine. A view of the interiors, reserved for just two people
almost inconceivable for a car with this type of roof. The engine, located in front but delivering its power to the rear wheels, is a distant descendant of the V12 that made its first appearance in an Aston Martin in the years surrounding the arrival of the new millennium, given its debut on board the DB7 Vantage – in the Volante configuration, of course. Its subtle roar is voiced through an exhaust system with a new geometry. The sound differs greatly in tone and loudness depending on whether the roof is up or down.
This photo, the distinctive rear light cluster. Below, the headlights and central console with the classic circular start button and minimalist gear paddle
Opening the roof takes an average of only 25 seconds – the operation is activated by remote control or in drive mode up to a speed of 50 km/h. Two seats and zero compromises, the Vanquish Volante introduces a new interior architecture that will shape the brand’s stylistic progress in the near future and a muscular exterior design with an impressive presence. The Volante and the Coupé version were designed in parallel and this means that the Volante - as often happens in this type of operation – does not look like an open version of a model that was originally designed as a closed top, with all the technical and aesthetic compromises this
would entail. The importance of this aspect of the design is made clear by Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer.
“The challenge is always to maintain Aston Martin’s core brand DNA and it was vitally important to create the Volante alongside the Coupe in order to deliver excellence in proportion and drama. Vanquish Volante epitomises this. With outstanding visceral design that truly embodies noble beauty and presence on the road”. astonmartin.com
