A couple of months ago, Aston Martin lifted the wraps off its new flagship grand-tourer, the DBS Superleggera. It’s currently only available as a coupe, but more variants are in the pipeline. Like the Vanquish it replaces, a convertible Volante was expected to join the coupe, but now it’s official.
As reported by Autocar, CEO Andy Palmer has confirmed that both Volante and AMR versions of the DBS Superleggera are already in the works. “I’m on record as saying that there will be an AMR version of every car, so you can take that as read, and the Volante is a given. In fact, testing has already begun,” he said. In truth, we’ve already seen a prototype of the DBS Superleggera Volante being tested, but this is the first time the car’s existence has been officially confirmed by Aston Martin.
Palmer emphasized the DBS Superleggera’s superior torque to the Ferrari 812 Superfast, suggesting this could be further improved on the AMR without sacrificing power. “The standard DBS Superleggera is designed to be a car that anyone can drive without feeling intimidated, but the punch it packs from that torque is what sets it apart. It is a sensational characteristic that every driver can enjoy,” he said. “But the engine can be turned up more and it will be on the AMR. As for how much and how, you will have to wait and see.”
The standard DBS Superleggera is powered by a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 that produces 715 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, but an Aston Martin executive recently confirmed the V12 has been engineered to produce a maximum of 750 hp without any major modifications. Palmer also described the Volante as a “no-brainer”, citing growing customer demand for more model variants.
“In 2016, we had the V12 DB11. It had 50% of the V12 market, which sounds great but isn’t a very wide base on which to sell from,” said Palmer. “As we rolled out the V8, the Volante and the AMR, we were able to stretch that vehicle’s appeal – to the point that the V12 has now moved from where it was originally pitched, so we have space between all the vehicles and room for a more diverse portfolio across the board. “The DBS Superleggera Volante makes a lot of sense. It’s fast and purposeful, but it's a car designed to be driven rather than be edgy and intimidating.”
Expect the DBS Superleggera Volante to have similar specs as the Coupe, but the extra weight will inevitably affect the 3.4-second sprint time by a few tenths of a second.
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