![]() Aston refers to the DBS Volante as a ‘Super GT’, and it’s awesomely capable in that role. Fire the engine, drop the roof and head out of town. Still, you’re not here to fiddle about in infotainment menus. It doesn’t feel cheap in here, far from it, and the fundamentals – clear instruments, great driving position, good seats – but material quality is inconsistent and the previous-gen Merc infotainment, on its budget-looking fixed screen, doesn’t sit right in a quarter-of-a-million-pound car. You might have a pang of regret when you slide into the intricately-upholstered seat. Ready, now, to hand over the money? Don’t blame you. The bodywork is in carbonfibre, which doesn’t do much for the car’s elitist pricing, and the detailing’s sublime, from the elegant cut-outs and fins aft of the front wheels to the badging, which looks like marble but is in fact neatly machined carbonfibre. From its Zagato-esque grille all the way back to its infuriating bootlid, with its hidden release button, the DBS Superleggera Volante is a ravishingly beautiful car. The DBS not only runs the twin-turbo V12 in its most powerful guise, it also uses the shortest final drive ratio, boosting acceleration still further.Īnd then there’s the body. Spin the V12 to the 7100rpm redline, preferably with the car in Sport or Sport+ modes, and the fury of its acceleration and aural barrage are breathtaking. Try a little harder though and, even short-shifting at 4000rpm, the potent powertrain means you’re almost embarrassingly faster than everything else on the road. Hell, you’ll even see mid-20s mpg on a cruise. Leave the DBS in GT mode and it’s demure, civilised and easy-going. Together, engine and gearbox are a mighty pairing. The only transmission is an eight-speed ZF auto with paddleshift, driving the rear wheels via a mechanical limited-slip diff. (Price is comparable to Ferrari’s 812 Superfast, and not far behind Lamborghini’s ageing Aventador.) The structure’s aluminium, not carbon, but the suspension is proper – double wishbone front, multi-link rear, adaptive dampers – and the V12 is a hand-finished masterpiece: twin-turbos, 5.2 litres and power and torque enough to take the near future and make it the distant past in impressively short order. In most regards the DBS feels every inch as special as a car this expensive should. Wow, okay, so let’s take a look at what you get for your money. But the convertible promises sensory overload, with a stonking engine, drop-dead style and the wind in your Ray Bans. The Volante’s heavier than coupe, itself no lightweight, and its boot is heavily compromised by the folding roof mechanism. And, at the top of the tree, there’s the DBS Superleggera, now available in soft-top Volante guise. ![]() The base V12 was dumped, and the V8’s chassis upgrades added to the V12 to create the very fine DB11 AMR. It launched as a V12 but that car was almost immediately superseded by the V8 with its sharper, more nimble chassis. At 211 mph (340 km/h), top speed is identical in both models.So, Valkyrie aside (that’s a V12, but without turbos and with the engine behind the occupants), Aston offers three strengths of DB11. The V12 has 5.2 liters in displacement and twin turbos, produces 715 HP (725 PS / 533 kW) and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) of torque, and is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.Ĭhopping the roof off and strengthening the body has made it a bit heavier than the Coupe, but it is still very fast, needing 3.6 seconds for the 0 to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint, according to Aston, or 0.2 seconds slower than its fixed-top sibling. Unlike most modern Astons, the DBS Superleggera doesn’t feature an engine developed by Mercedes-AMG and tuned in-house, but a power unit that has been built by Aston Martin itself. ![]() Watch Also: Oh Yes, The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante Is Very Special The actual ride is far more impressive, though, because it is one of the sexiest out there, a true open-top GT that won’t scare the bejesus out of its occupants yet will offer lots of thrills. ![]() The smartphone in question is Apple’s new iPhone 12 Pro Max, which has some pretty impressive cameras. ![]()
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