the Vanquish may have you covered as far as comfort, luxury, and the need for shuttling between Amsterdam and Paris with speed are concerned, but it lacks of an element that any summer-loving speedsters want: the wind in the hair. and hence, there is the 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. the drop-top version inherits many of its hard top sibling’s characteristic and features, starting with the naturally aspirated 5.9 liter V12 unit outputting 565 horses (421 kW) and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque. mated to a performance-honed Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic transmission, this topless beauty rockets from naught to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 295 km/h (183 mph). those numbers are probably customary to the luxury British marque, but the real highlight is the structure: a fully carbon fiber skinned body on top of a lightweight bonded aluminum structure – doing it while still having the stiffest convertible body structure yet. speaking of convertible, it has a three-layer fabric roof that takes just 14 seconds to fold (even at a speed of up to 30 mph) and tucks away neatly under an aerodynamically-sculpted tonneau and deck lid.
exteriorly, it takes on visual cues from its million-dollar counterpart, the One-77 Supercar, and includes a full-height windscreen where it meets the cloth roof without the need for intermediary. on the inside, the cabin features various carbon fiber elements, full grain Luxmil leather, metal controls, satin chrome trimmings, and a One-77-inspired center stack where the engine start button, a suite of glass gear selection buttons (with illumination and haptic feedback!), a new infortainment system calls home. even as a convertible, it still boast a boot that is 50 percent bigger than previous DBS convertibles – with 279 liters by volume, regardless of whether the roof is up or down. this 2+2 luxury sport ride also has a weight distribution of 51:49 and has a set of Brembo carbon ceramic brakes for hauling the topless speedster to a stop. first deliveries are expected to start in UK and Continental EU in late 2013. for the exhilaration of the wind-in-the-hair, Aston Martin-style, expect to shell out £199,995 in the UK or $297,995 when it hits the US dealerships, or you could just use a $30 hair dryer while sitting on a kiddy ride. your choice.
