Aston Martin Vanquish Volante: grey cabriolet
The Aston Martin Vanquish is a high-performance grand tourer introduced by British luxury automobile manufacturer Aston Martin in 2001 as a successor to the Aston Martin Vantage (1993).
The Aston Martin “V12 Vanquish,” designed by Ian Callum and unveiled at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show, was produced from 2001 to 2007 as the flagship of the marque. A concept car, known as “Project Vantage” and the first Aston Martin design wholly designed by Callum, was built to display the company’s vision for a future sports car that could represent Aston Martin’s aspirations after the discontinuation of the Virage-based Vantage. The concept car evolved directly into the V12 Vanquish, and featured an advanced carbon fibre and alloy structure, Aston Martin’s most powerful V12 engine, and host of new technologies. A specially modified V12 Vanquish was driven by James Bond in the 2002 film Die Another Day. In 2004, a mildly updated version of the first-generation model named “V12 Vanquish S” was introduced featuring a more highly tuned engine and more track-oriented ride and handling. The V12 Vanquish was indirectly replaced by the DBS after 2007.
The second-generation “Vanquish” was introduced in 2012, this time based on Aston Martin’s existing VH platform – similar to the one that underpinned the DB-9. Designed by Marek Reichman and made in the Gaydon facility, the VH platform Vanquish was designed to fill the shoes of the discontinued DBS V12. In 2017, a “Vanquish S” with a more powerful engine and improved aerodynamics was launched. The second-generation Gaydon Vanquish was succeeded by the DBS Superleggera in 2018.
Second generation (2012–2018). Vanquish Volante (2013–2018)
In 2013, Aston Martin unveiled a convertible variant of the Vanquish, called Volante. The Volante has a full carbon fibre body, triple-skin lightweight fabric roof, 50% larger boot than its predecessor and the third generation Brembo 398 mm × 36 mm (front) and 360 mm × 32 mm (rear) Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brake discs with six-piston front and four-piston rear brake callipers. The Vanquish Volante is 13% torsionally stiffer than the outgoing DBS Volante.
The Volante was unveiled at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Deliveries to Europe began in late 2013, with deliveries to the US starting in early 2014.
