Aston Martin removes DBS Superleggra’s roof
Just under a year after going on sale as a replacement for the Vanquish S, Aston Martin has revealed the drop-top version of the DBS Superleggra, the Volante.
Penned by Executive Vice President & Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, the Volante, with the obvious exception of the canvas roof that can be opened in 14 seconds and closed in 16 seconds, differs little from the coupe with Aston claiming that the inclusion of eight layers of sound insulating materials has resulted in improved levels of comfort, but which “allows (for) a true orchestra of sound to pour into the cabin” when lowered.
Equipped with the same quad exhaust system as the coupe said to have been derived from the Vantage GTE World Endurance racer, the Volante also comes with Aston’s Aeroblade ll setup that is designed to deliver ultimate downforce at the rear. Accordingly, the Volante produces 177 kg of downforce, three kilograms less than the coupe.
Aside from its exterior, the Volante is otherwise unchanged inside, though buyers have the option of eight roof colours including three new hues; Titan Grey, Atlantic Blue and Bordeaux Red, while the inside can be finished off with six Rekona headliner options and so-called twin scroll carbon fibre around the windows that can be carried over to the tonneau cover. Also optional are woven or tinted pieces of carbon fibre.
Up front, the Volante has remained unchanged from the coupe with the AMG-sourced 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 once again producing 533kW/900Nm. Paired to a ZF-sourced eight-speed Touchtronic gearbox and equipped with Aston’s own drive mode selector with three settings; GT, Sport and Sport Plus, the Volante will complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.6 seconds, 0.2 seconds slower than the coupe, and top out at the same 339 km/h top speed. Zero to 160 km/h meanwhile is dealt with in 6.7 seconds.
In its home market, where delivers will commence from the third quarter of this year, the DBS Superleggra Volante will carry a price tag of £247 500 (R4 642 463), though expect this to be significantly higher when it does become available in South Africa.
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