2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Video, First Look

How do you make an already exhilarating car even more exciting? You give it a convertible roof so the driver and passengers can bask in all of nature’s glory. That’s just what the folks at Aston Martin have done with their awe-inspiring Vanquish, transforming it into the Vanquish Volante.

This thrilling super grand tourer features a 2+2 cabin that opens to the world at the push of a button. Its multi-layer fabric roof lowers in just 14 seconds at speeds up to 30 miles an hour. With the top down visibility should much better than the enclosed model.

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Now that’s fine and dandy but those probably aren’t the numbers you really care about. Under its long, low hood sits the company’s AM11 engine, a 6.0-liter, V12 with 565 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. A high-performance six-speed automatic transmission sends it all to the rear wheels. The dash from zero to 100 km/h – 62 MPH – should take right around 4.1 seconds. Top speed is 183 miles an hour.

Built on the company’s VH architecture, which oxymoronically stands for vertical horizontal, the Vanquish Volante’s bones are constructed of bonded aluminum panels with some carbon-fiber bits thrown in.

Speaking of fancy polymers, every panel on this car is constructed of the lightweight – and expensive – material. The extensive use of carbon fiber helps keep cut the fat and results in near perfect weight distribution front to rear.

Aston Martin says the 2014 Vanquish Volante was “designed to be the ultimate convertible” and with performance numbers and looks like this it’s hard to disagree. As for pricing the car starts at around $300,000; deliveries should start early next year.