In the Aston Martin lexicon, Volante stands for beauty, exhilaration and style in open-topped form. The first Aston Martin convertible to carry the name was a DB5 in 1965; some 52 years on, the latest Volante makes its debut. The DB11 Volante is available in bi-turbo 4.0-litre V8 form and features the same power output and agile handling as its coupé sibling, while offering the hedonistic pleasures of open-air motoring when the weather permits.

Aston Martin’s new bonded and extruded aluminium architecture makes the ideal basis for a convertible, as the rigid, light and strong structure offers near-identical levels of agility, performance and refinement to those of its coupé sibling. It also frees the designers to create a stunning, sleek shape that’s both aerodynamic and clean, with a distinct character all its own. When up, the soft-top K-fold roof perfectly follows the sweep of the body line, yet when retracted stacks in just 260mm, freeing up plenty of luggage space in the boot. It’s offered in a choice of colours, features eight layers of insulation for year-round warmth and comfort and retracts in just 14 seconds, taking 16 seconds to close once again. The roof was tested in all conditions, from Arctic to Death Valley, and taken through 100,000 opening and closing cycles to ensure faultless operation throughout the life of the car.

Other unique features of the DB11 Volante include a waistline and tonneau finisher that’s offered in a choice of bright or dark finish, while the windscreen surround is also available in either body colour or gloss black. At the rear, the Aeroblade on the rear deck automatically deploys for high-speed stability, while three alloy wheel styles are offered for the DB11 Volante, including a new 20″ forged machined Y-spoke wheel in a choice of three finishes. Interior design follows that of the DB11 V8 Coupé, with a monotone colour in Strathmore leather as standard but the option of duotone colour splits and Caithness or Balmoral leather.