2014 Aston Martin Vanquish loses its lid!

Aston Martin has lifted the veil off of the 2014 Vanquish Volante convertible.  Based on the range-topping Vanquish coupe, the V12-powered Volante represents several milestones for the hundred-year old British firm. None of the Vanquish coupe’s sexiness is lost in the transformation to drop-top Volante. Even the soft-top complements the body lines. That top is made from a lightweight triple-layer fabric and can be raised or lowered in 14 seconds and at speeds up to 30 mph.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Front 3/4

Like its coupe sibling, the Vanquish Volante wears carbon composite body panels wrapped around a bonded aluminum structure. Underhood, there are no surprises: you’ll find the same 6.0-liter, 565-hp, 457 lb-ft V12 that so ably powers the coupe. Aston’s 6-speed Touchtronic II paddle-shift transmission is also carried over, along with the hardtop’s six-piston Brembo carbon ceramic setup in front, with four-piston carbon ceramic stoppers in the rear.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Rear 3/4

Retaining the coupe’s 2+2 layout, the Volante’s interior is built with premium materials such as Luxmil leather, satin chrome and Alcantara.  The cockpit boasts a new, user-friendly center console that is inspired by the exclusive One-77 supercar.  The console is home to the infotainment system, the engine start button, the gear selection buttons and the climate control knobs.

In keeping with the Vanquish Volante’s range-topper status, it gets a range-topping price of $297,995. That’s a $16,000 premium over the Vanquish coupe, nearly $100,000 more than the four-door Rapide S, and a not-insignificant $150,000 more than the 2013 V8 Vantage roadster.

Aston Martin’s 2014 Vanquish Volante is rendered for the first time

A few weeks back we presented images of the all new Aston Martin Vanquish which has been slated to replace the current DBS as the brands top grand touring car. While the Vanquish coupe isn’t due to arrive until next year, it remains a safe bet Aston’s engineers are busy working on several variants of this 565-bhp super coupe. One of these will definitely be the Vanquish Volante, a convertible version that shares the same 6.0-liter V-12 engine and 6-speed Touchtronic II paddle-shift gearbox with its hardtop sibling.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Hitting the Streets

Road and Track magazine has commissioned there top graphics artist to chop the rood off of the 2013 Vanquish hard top to create a virtual markup of what the Volante version should look like once all of the camouflage has been peeled off. Longer headlights, a carbon-fiber front splitter, larger front air intakes, and more sculpted sides all add up to a leaner overall look, despite the fact that the Vanquish is wider, longer and taller than its predecessor.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Side Profile

It’s not a stretch of our imagination to assume that the Carbon ceramic brakes and a three-mode stability control system should migrate from the Vanquish to its mechanical twin, the Volante. We are also hopeful that the drop top version will also receive Aston Martin’s first ever launch control system that was developed specific for the Vanquish.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Rear 3/4 View

The engine is also familiar: an all-alloy, 48-valve, 6.0-liter, V12 which first saw service in the DB7 Vantage back in 2000. In this new application, this motor produces 565 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. Power is fed to the rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. This gearbox is called Touchtronic 2 and is the same unit used in the Aston Martin DB9, Virage and Rapide models. In the new Vanquish, a limited slip differential is offered as standard, which will help transfer power to the road more effectively.

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – Front 3/4 View

Hook it up properly, and Aston Martin reckons the Vanquish (Both hard or no top) will cover the 0-100 km/h sprint in just 4.1 seconds, and keep accelerating on to a top speed of 295 km/h. While nowhere near other production sports cars in its price range, these figures are still very respectable. Sales of the Vanquish are expected to begin this Fall which could open the door up for a 2013 Spring/Summer release date for the Vanquish Volante.