Aston Martin is known for its classy and elegant sports cars. If there’s anyone in the automotive sphere who knows their way around cars, it’s Aston Martin. Often badged as Britain’s muscle car, Astons have always oozed a certain level of finesse that’s rarely matched in the automotive fraternity.
Consider, the Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante, a ridiculously long name for one of the finest offerings from Gaydon. The Vanquish was Aston’s flagship sportscar till the DBS Superleggera was launched. While the DBS is nothing short of magnificent, the Vanquish is in our opinion one of the best to roll out with an Aston badge.
The Volante is Aston Martin’s way of signifying a convertible. While they recently adopted naming the mid-tier open-top Vantage a Roadster, all flagship convertibles are given Volante as the suffix, even the recently launched DBS convertible is called the Superleggera Volante.
The Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante can most certainly be deemed as one of the voluptuous open-tops to leave Gaydon. Aston has nailed it with the design as well as the performance. That’s not all, read on to know more about the sickest Aston Martin we’ve ever found.
Unmatched Visual Appeal
Astons are always known to be elegant and beautiful but the Vanquish is just jaw-dropping. The DBS Superleggera which took its place is by no means disappointing, but the Vanquish took the design ethos to another level. With styling cues from the previous-gen DBS and the One-77, Aston Martin has well and truly made the Vanquish a stunner.
One of the distinguishing features of the Vanquish was its integrated trunk spoiler which made it stand out from the rest of the Aston lineup. The taillights are reminiscent of the One-77 and so were the side strakes on the fenders. The front headlights remain similar to the first-gen Vanquish but the front bumpers have elongated splitters for air-curtaining which helps with aerodynamic stability.
The grille has carbon-fiber accents which are optional and so do the fender strakes, rear-view mirrors, and the re-worked rear diffuser. Speaking of diffusers, the Vanquish S gets a more aggressive rear diffuser housing a reworked exhaust system. One of the noticeable differences between the regular Vanquish and the Vanquish S is in the rear with twin-quad tailpipes replacing the twin-exhausts of the Vanquish.
While Zagato amped up the Vanquish with their unique design touches, it ended up being pretty expensive. The Vanquish Zagato was made in 4 different body styles; coupe, convertible, shooting brake, and speedster. All of which were limited to 99 units with the exception of the Speedster which saw 28 units being produced.
Impressive Performance
Astons were never short of power and the Vanquish S is no exception. Aston Martin fitted a free-revving naturally-aspirated V12 which was always the norm with flagship Astons. Developed exclusively by Aston Martin, the V12 makes 595 hp and 465-lb-ft of torque in the Vanquish S Volante, a jump of around 30 hp from the regular Vanquish. This was achieved by adopting a new intake manifold along with a revised exhaust system which sounds absolutely mental. The Vanquish S can easily go down as the best sounding car in the entire automotive industry. The V12 rumble is leaps and bounds ahead of the DBS Superleggera and is unlike anything that you’d come across these days.
Unlike the previous-gen Vanquish, the Vanquish S gets a ZF-sourced 8-speed unit which makes shift a lot smoother than the clunky 6-speed unit and drives the rear wheels. The Vanquish S goes from 0-60 mph in a brisk 3.5 seconds which is a tenth of a second quicker than the Vanquish. Top speed is limited to 201 mph and the whole experience on offer is well and truly glorious.
True GT Credentials
Astons are never considered a sports car nor a supercar, they’re grand tourers and the Vanquish S Volante is nothing short of a true GT. Aside from the intoxicating exhaust symphony, the Vanquish has chopped carbon-fiber inlays inside and exquisite stitching which rivals the ones seen in Bentleys. The spider-web like design is asymmetrical but only Aston can pull that off while still looking gorgeous. Everything you expect from a continent cruncher is supplied in the Aston; a premium Bang and Olufsen sound system, heated and ventilated seats, Apple Carplay, a decently sized trunk, and the all-important top-down experience.
Set the dampers in its softer setting with the drivetrain in comfort and the ride is as civilized as a Lexus coupe. Turn it up to sport and the Vanquish S comes alive with a mighty roar from its V12. Aston has tuned the car in a way that the heft is cleverly disguised and it feels a lot more athletic. Given that it weighs a touch over 4000-pounds, the Aston shows no hesitation when driven with intent. To top it off, the Vanquish S lets you feel the wind in your hair and amplifies the exhaust notes as part of the Volante experience.
Sources: Youtube, Wikipedia