By Otsile Kadiege

Aston Martin has lifted the veils off the all-new Vanquish Volante. Highlights of AM’s new ultra-luxurious drop top sports car include a V12 engine of monumental potency, a bespoke chassis with state-of-the-art dynamics technology, carbon fibre bodywork and a modern, luxurious interior.

V12 under the hood

Straight off  the bat, powering the new Vanquish Volante is a new 5.2-litre Twin-Turbo V12 producing an astonishing 835PS (614kW) of power and 1000Nm of torque. It’s paired with a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission which is paired with an electronic rear limited slip differential (e-diff). Aston Martin claims the new Vanquish Volante has a top speed of 345km/h.

More highlights of the potent V12 include a strengthened cylinder block and conrods, redesigned cylinder heads incorporating re-profiled camshafts, plus new intake, exhaust ports, re-positioned spark plugs and new higher flow-rate fuel injectors. The flagship sports cars also has a new Boost Reserve increases turbo boost pressure above what would normally be required for any given part throttle position, so it is ready to go when full power is needed.

Vanquish Volante exterior design

The new Vanquish Volante boasts typical Aston Martin exterior design and styling. Up front, highlights include a long hood with bonnet louvers and sharp creases, Matrix LED headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights and clusters in typical Aston Martin shape and newly designed front bumper, fender, and grille design.

As is always the case with Aston Martin sports cars, the new Vanquish Volante has a sleek profile with flush-fit door handles, which electronically deploy towards the hand with a simple press or when the vehicle is opened via the remote key and frame-less door mirrors. The Vanquish Volante is shod with 21-inch forged alloy wheels which are wrapped with bespoke Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) tyres as standard.

At the rear, the new Vanquish has broad, powerful haunches and a Kamm Tail with integrated deck-lid spoiler to provide aerodynamic balance front to rear. A pure styling element of the rear-end is the ‘Shield’, which has been designed to appear as though it is floating at the rear of the car. This statement panel proudly displays the Aston Martin word-mark and can be customized in various finishes of carbon fibre or body colour.

The lightweight K-fold roof can be opened in 14-seconds and closed in 16-seconds, and is operable on the move up to 50km/h via a metal switch on the centre console. Furthermore, the roof can be opened or closed remotely from the key fob, within a two-metre radius of the car.

Vanquish Volante cabin

Stepping inside, the cabin of the new two-seater Vanquish Volante oozes top-class craftsmanship and precision. Highlights include a three-spoke multi-function, flat-bottom steering wheel, a fully digital 10.25-inch TFT driver display, a 10.25-inch Pure Black touchscreen system with full online connectivity and wireless Apple CarPlay, a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins Surround Sound system, chunky Sports Plus Seat as standard  (carbon fibre Performance Seat as an option) and a tinted panoramic glass roof – a first for the Vanquish.

Pricing and availability

The new Aston Martin Vanquish Volante will touch down in South Africa during the third-quarter of 2023 and it will be priced from R10,749,000.