The 2020 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante is finally out – less than a week after the company launched the DBS 59 Special Edition. Aston Martin’s flagship GT now gets an open top version and with summer days just around the corner, we can’t be more excited to see it.
The obvious new element here is the retractable soft top. You can have it in 8 colors and can additionally opt for the carbon fiber finish on the windshield surround and rear window. The roof automatically opens and closes in 14 and 16 seconds respectively. There are controls on the dashboard and on the key fob, but the latter only works within a range of 6.6 ft.
Aston Martin has gone to great lengths to ensure the folding mechanism works in every possible environment. The DBS is a grand tourer after all, so Aston drove it in Death Valley as well as the Arctic Circle to test the roof in extreme operating temperatures.
Furthermore, the folding mechanism endured 100,000 cycles of retraction and deployment, simulating 10 years of usage in one month. That’s a reliable product beyond every expectation.
Even though downforce is not the primary focus of this car, aerodynamic efficiency is still very important to any high-performance vehicle.
To account for the lack of a roof, Aston Martin replaced the rear spoiler for an upgraded Aeroblade II system, which we first saw in the DB11. The side vents above are deeper, drawing more air from the front wheel wells and improving the stability at high speeds.
The DBS Superleggera Volante produces 390 lbs of downforce at top speed, losing just 6 lbs compared to its hardtop counterpart.
Speaking of performance, the Volante is nearly identical to the coupe. The car retains the original power train. The 5.2-liter, twin-turbo V12 engine, produces 725 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque and feeds them through a carbon-fiber driveshaft into the ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox, located at the back, and out into the rear wheels.
Top speed remains the same – 211 mph. Acceleration from 0 to 62 mph happens in 3.6 seconds – 0.2 slower than the coupe. We can attribute that delay to the 375 lbs increase of the Volante.
The DBS Superleggera Volante is the fastest convertible Aston Martin has ever produced. It’s a worthy addition to the DBS product line and an intimidating competitor for every other Spyder or open top car in the market.
