The Volante legacy dates back to 1965, beginning with the Short Chassis Volante, an automotive unicorn with just 37 examples made. Since then, the name has been graced by cars owned by royalty (King Charles III), rockstars (Queen’s Roger Taylor), and even James Bond himself.
Beneath the new Vanquish Volante’s sculpted bonnet lies a fire-breathing, twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 that belts out 835PS and 1,000Nm of torque. It dispatches the 0-100km/h sprint in a mere 3.4 seconds and tops out at 345km/h.
Obivosuly, the Volante is fast. But it’s the way it delivers that speed (with grace, drama, and a V12 soundtrack to match) that elevates it into rarefied air.
The new Vanquish Volante is as much an artwork as it is a performance machine. There’s a taut muscularity to its silhouette, an almost feline readiness to pounce. The designers, led by Marek Reichman, worked on the coupe and convertible in tandem, ensuring the drop-top lost none of the coupe’s lithe proportions.
The K-fold roof is a feat of engineering on its own. Able to open in just 14 seconds and close in 16, it operates at speeds up to 50km/h.
And if you’re approaching the car from afar? A quick press of the key fob will have the roof sliding back as though it’s been reading your mind.
Thanks to meticulous underbody strengthening and optimised chassis tuning, the Volante delivers the same sharpness, poise, and refinement as its coupe sibling. The addition of Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers means it can glide like a grand tourer in GT mode or tighten up like a track weapon in Sport+.
The rear-mounted ZF eight-speed gearbox, paired with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, sends power to the rear wheels with a balletic sense of balance. The result is a convertible that feels light on its feet, agile in corners, and utterly planted at speed.
Braking duties are handled by a carbon ceramic system that’s not just lighter, but also resists fade when the pace gets hot. And when it comes to rubber meeting the road, Aston Martin turned to Pirelli to craft bespoke P ZERO tyres that harness the Volante’s formidable power while retaining day-to-day usability.
The cabin of the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante is less cockpit, more haute couture. This is craftsmanship at its most indulgent; hand-stitched leather, carbon fibre inlays, and tactile metal switchgear that makes even adjusting the seat feel like an occasion. A 10.25” digital TFT cluster sits ahead of the driver, while another 10.25” Pure Black touchscreen handles infotainment duties.
As standard, you get a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system that turns the cabin into a concert hall. That said, you might find yourself turning it off just to listen to the V12’s baritone roar, especially with the roof down.
The seats are Sports Plus units by default, but a Carbon Fibre Performance Seat is available for those who prefer a tighter embrace. There’s space for just two, but that’s by design.
Even the rear shelf is a statement piece, featuring space for bespoke Aston Martin saddle leather luggage.
Now, with electrification on the horizon, the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante may be one of the last great V12 convertibles we’ll see. If so, Aston Martin has ensured it’ll be remembered not just as a car, but as an icon.
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