New Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante seen in production guise

Aston Martin is readying a drop-top Volante version of the new DBS Superleggera, with the latest prototypes spotted sporting the full production body for the first time. 

Disguised test mules of the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante successor have been spotted everywhere from the Nürburgring race track to the M40 motorway in the past few months, but they always featured non-standard bodywork. This time, however, the rear-end design from the coupé can clearly be seen, while the rest of the body is virtually undisguised.

The DBS Superleggera is Aston’s largest, fastest and most powerful series production model, and the Volante will lose very little of that performance. The 715bhp turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 will transfer over unchanged, putting power through the rear wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox mounted in a transaxle layout. 

Given the additional weight of a folding roof mechanism and any structural bracing required to maintain the Volante’s chassis rigidity, the coupé’s 0-62mph time of 3.4sec could increase by a couple of tenths. The 211mph top speed might drop, too, either because of decreased aerodynamic efficiency or via an artificial limiter. 

We don't yet know when the DBS Superleggera Volante will make its debut, but because the coupé has only just gone on sale, it won't be until at least next spring. With pricing for the hard-top starting at £225,000, the Volante version is likely to push the £250,000 mark when it arrives in showrooms. 

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