2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante: All About That Drop-Top Sexiness
A twin-turbocharged V12 convertible with 715 horsepower? Where do we sign over our kidneys?
Year, Make, Model: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante
Topline: Coming in hot on the heels of Aston Martin’s best grand tourer its ever produced, the DBS Superleggera, the British marque has dropped the super GT’s top for a convertible Volante variant available later this year.
What’s New: It’s a convertible and that’s about it. The Volante iteration of the DBS Superleggera keeps all of the basic comfort and performance features as the hardtop, but increases the amount of headroom—at least when the top is down—exponentially.
Underneath the DBS Superleggera Volante’s clamshell hood sits the same twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 as the standard DBS Superleggera. The mighty V12 makes the same 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is claimed to be 211 miles per hour, the fastest convertible in the company’s history. What customers can look forward to is the noise produced by the sonorous twin-turbocharged V12 engine being uninterrupted by either roof or windows thanks to the Volante’s retractable roof.
The DBS Superleggera Volante’s power is still routed to the super GT’s rear via a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission via a carbon fiber driveshaft.
As for the convertible roof, Aston Martin’s engineers designed it so it flows with the overall DBS Superleggera design, making it appear as seamless as the hardtop’s. That’s good when we ourselves stated, “In the silky Berchtesgadener light, the DBS’s savage, long-hooded beauty is self-evident: The golden-ratio proportions, the striking formalization of animal ferocity, the broad shoulders and athletic flanks. It’s a sexier, more fully realized GT design than the DB11 and Vantage, which are no slouches in the looks department.”
Furthermore, when customers want a little peace and quiet, the retractable roof has bee acoustically damped to insulate the driver and passengers. According to Aston Martin, the roof will open in 14-seconds and close in 16. Aston Martin also states that the company put the roof through “100,000 cycles” simulating heat and cold and weather in order to ensure reliability.
Like the standard DBS Superleggera, the Volante will also be able to be personalized to fit the customer’s unique styles with a host of options.
Quotable: Aston Martin’s Executive Vice President & Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman had this to say about the DBS Superleggera Volante’s debut, “DBS Superleggera produces a spectacular and relentless level of performance and so for the Volante, we focussed on bringing that extra level of sensory overload that only an open-top Super GT can deliver inside the cabin. With the unique dynamics, beautiful yet brutish design and the unmistakable harmonics of Aston Martin’s 5.2-liter V12 engine, we believe we have delivered a unique and unforgettable driving experience that is synonymous with the traditions of the Volante name.”
The company’s boss, Dr. Andy Palmer, added, “There is nothing on earth that compares to the roar of an Aston Martin V12 and I believe that the DBS Superleggera Volante provides one of the greatest sensory experiences in the automotive world.”
Furthermore, if our first outing in the hardtop model is any indication of the experience, “The Hooligan in a Waistcoat” is about to become “The Hooligan in a Waistcoat Minus the Monocle.”
What You Need to Know: Aston Martin’s DBS Superleggera represents one of the best grand tourers on the market. It’s monumentally fast, offers superior comfort than many of its competitors, and delivers a covetable experience. The DBS Superleggera Volante takes the car a step further toward perfection. Aston Martin state that the DBS Superleggera Volante will carry a price tag of $329,100 when the company begins deliveries in Q3 of 2019.
