Photo: Theophilus Chin
Aston Martin took the covers off its DB9 successor just a little over a month ago in Geneva, and showed the world a car that has every chance of making it in the strangely competitive super-luxury market.
However, if it really wants to make an impression with the recently-divorced 50-year-old bankers, it's definitely going to need a convertible version as well. That's where the Aston Martin DB11 Volante comes in, the open top variant that ups the high street cred this vehicle offers by a thousand.
It will also give viewers a better chance of admiring the exquisite interior, even though some critics did complain about the inevitable Mercedes-Benz references now that the British brand uses the infotainment system and other onboard technology borrowed from Daimler. There's plenty of it to not go unnoticed, but the extraordinary level of attention to detail usually shown by British luxury marques is there.
The DB11 is one of those generations that marks a revolution in the model's lifetime. The car is built on a completely new chassis that uses a new bonded aluminum structure to offer more room, more stiffness and less weight. For the Volante, some extra strengthening will be required to compensate for the rigidity offered by a metallic roof, which, in true convertible fashion, will also add some weight.
Not that a few pounds would actually pose a problem for DB11's powertrain. Using a turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 engine with 608 hp and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm), the DB11 has enough power to move a mountain, albeit a small one. It's also enough to reach a maximum speed of 200 mph (322 km/h), while the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint is dispatched in just 3.9 seconds. Expect the Volante to come with slightly lower performance figures, but it will still fare extraordinarily well for something that is primarily a luxury GT, and not a sports car.
The gorgeous new design with the reinterpreted classic lines will be a perfect match for the Volante when it comes out, and we really can't see why they would change anything more than what's essential to transform the DB11 into a convertible. Photoshop master and car-guy Theophilus Chin seems to agree, judging by this rendering he just threw at the Internet. And, look at it: why would it have to look any different?
It will also give viewers a better chance of admiring the exquisite interior, even though some critics did complain about the inevitable Mercedes-Benz references now that the British brand uses the infotainment system and other onboard technology borrowed from Daimler. There's plenty of it to not go unnoticed, but the extraordinary level of attention to detail usually shown by British luxury marques is there.
The DB11 is one of those generations that marks a revolution in the model's lifetime. The car is built on a completely new chassis that uses a new bonded aluminum structure to offer more room, more stiffness and less weight. For the Volante, some extra strengthening will be required to compensate for the rigidity offered by a metallic roof, which, in true convertible fashion, will also add some weight.
Not that a few pounds would actually pose a problem for DB11's powertrain. Using a turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 engine with 608 hp and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm), the DB11 has enough power to move a mountain, albeit a small one. It's also enough to reach a maximum speed of 200 mph (322 km/h), while the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint is dispatched in just 3.9 seconds. Expect the Volante to come with slightly lower performance figures, but it will still fare extraordinarily well for something that is primarily a luxury GT, and not a sports car.
The gorgeous new design with the reinterpreted classic lines will be a perfect match for the Volante when it comes out, and we really can't see why they would change anything more than what's essential to transform the DB11 into a convertible. Photoshop master and car-guy Theophilus Chin seems to agree, judging by this rendering he just threw at the Internet. And, look at it: why would it have to look any different?
Google News