2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante - Open Top Motoring At Its Best

We first got a look at the Aston Martin DBS Volante at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show back in March and were pretty wowed. This drop-top version of James Bond's preferred mode of transportation is a fantastic addition to the DBS family. The name Volante means 'moving with light rapidity' according to Aston Martin and this is an appropriate moniker. The car mostly shares everything with the standard DBS except for the roof.

Both have a hand-built 510 hp, 6.0-liter V12 engine that cranks out 420 lb-ft of torque and is mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed Touchtronic automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. The performance specs are identical with both variants able to reach 62 mph in 4.3 seconds and hit a max speed of 191 mph. Stopping power comes from carbon-ceramic brakes with 6 piston calipers up front and 4 piston calipers in back.

The biggest different between the standard DBS and the new Volante is the soft-top roof. We've recently seen a push towards retractable hard-tops for luxury cars, but like many high-performance manufacturers, Aston Martin decided that saving weight was of upmost importance. The Volante has a curb weight of just 3,990 lbs which is only 41 pounds more than the standard DBS. The challenge with convertible sports cars is the chassis rigidity, but Aston Martin was able to retain the majority of the original's rigor through advanced engineering.

The DBS Volante is the company's 16th drop-top in 95 years and they have learned a great deal during that time. Two biggest complaints with convertibles - noise and vibration - are expertly accounted for and diminished with the Volante. Thinsulate is used to reduce cabin noise and keep the inside completely sealed off from the elements.

The roof of the DBS Volante retracts in only 14 seconds with the help of hydraulic pumps and can be operated up to 30 mph. When it is fully down, the soft-cloth sits in a special tonneau cover to retain its sleek appearance. If you happen to put your DBS Volante into a multiple turn-over flip, an advanced rollover protection system kicks in which deploys two pop-up rollers to keep your dome from scraping and splitting open.

Here's a personal favorite, one near and dear to my heart. The DBS Volante features a 13-speaker Bang & Olufsen 'BeoSound DBS' in-car entertainment setup that actually recalibrates the sound stage when the top goes down to compensate for wind noise and still provide a slamming system. (Most convertibles have speaker systems that sound like absolute crap when the top is down). Price should run somewhere around $286,500 for a base model if we benchmark the current DBS. Check out the photo gallery below of the 2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante.

Source: Aston Martin