Aston Martin opens up with DB11 Volante

UPDATED: 17/10/2017

ASTON Martin has lifted the lid on the drop-top Volante version of its DB11 Coupe that will hit Australian showrooms in the second quarter of 2018.

Australian pricing and specification will be confirmed at a later date, but expect the convertible Aston to attract a premium over the DB11 V8 Coupe that starts from $368,000 plus on-road costs.

The British car-maker says the Volante is a series production model with a limited allocation for the Australian market, but it is unclear how many will be offered to local buyers.

So far the only powertrain option for the DB11 Volante is the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-litre biturbo V8 that pumps out 375kW at 6000rpm and 675Nm from 2000-5000rpm, driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Aston Martin told GoAuto in a statement that the 5.2-litre 447kW/700Nm V12 found under the bonnet of some Coupe variants would not be offered with the Volante.

“DB11 Volante is only available in V8 guise as we believe that the lighter V8 was the most appropriate engine to ensure DB11 Volante retained the same dynamic driving characteristics as both coupe variants, despite the additional weight added by the roof mechanism.”

According to Aston, the 1870kg grand tourer is 26kg lighter and more rigid than the old DB9 Volante, and it can hit 100km/h from zero in 4.1 seconds – 0.1s slower than the Coupe – on the way to a 300km/h top speed.

The fabric roof of the Volante includes eight layers of acoustic and insulation materials and takes 14 seconds to lower and 16 seconds to raise up to 50km/h.

The new roof system has freed up an extra 20 per cent of cargo space in the boot compared with the DB9 Volante.

Aston says its “exhaustive” testing procedures pushed the roof mechanism to extremes, putting the roof through more than 100,000 cycles “in special weather chambers designed to simulate conditions in the world’s harshest environments”.

It was also tested in real-world conditions in Death Valley and the Arctic Circle.

Buyers can opt for one of three roof colours, including ‘bordeaux red’, ‘black silver’ or ‘grey silver’, and the Volante comes with newly designed 20-inch forged alloy wheels.

The Volante features a limited slip differential, idle-stop, three-stage powertrain and chassis modes, independent double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, an Adaptive Damping System, ventilated disc brakes with six-piston callipers up front and four at the rear with a choice of black, red, yellow or grey paint.

Inside the four-seat DB11 Volante features new wood or carbon-fibre veneer panels on the seat backs, rear seat Isofix attachments and a heated steering wheel. European specification includes full-grain leather interior, Alcantara headlining, 360-degree surround view cameras, sat-nav, infotainment with capacitive switching, an Aston Martin audio system, remote control locking, boot release and roof operation front and rear parking sensors and heated front seats.

“For many of our customers, indeed many generations of Aston Martin customer, the Volante has always offered something very special: a unique combination of elegant style, innate sporting ability and sensory engagement that lifts it above other open-top cars,” Aston Martin president and chief executive officer Andy Palmer said.

“The new DB11 Volante captures those qualities perfectly and promises the kind of pleasure and enjoyment that can only come from driving an open-top Aston Martin.”