Aston Martin DB11 Volante revealed

The Aston Martin DB11 Volante is here – and it’s V8 powered. Only.

Since the DB9 the ‘DBs’ have been V12-powered, unless you count Bond’s DB10, but the DB11 changed that when a twin-turbo V8 became an option.

Now, with the Volante drop-top, the V8 is it.

Still, a 375kW 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is nothing to scoff at, especially with a body that’s lighter and more rigid, according to Aston Martin chief technical officer Max Szwaj.

“The challenge of creating a convertible car is retaining structural and dynamic integrity,” says Szwaj.

“To protect the former you need strength and rigidity, but to preserve the latter you need to keep weight to a minimum.

“With the DB11 Volante we have maximised the advantages of the DB11’s all-new bonded structure to underpin our new Volante with a structure that’s 26kg lighter and 5 per cent stiffer than its predecessor.

Its hood, which Aston Martin says is “available in a choice of bordeaux red, black silver or grey silver,” has also undergone 100,000 cycles in special weather chambers which imitate approximately one decade worth of wear.

This quality control matches up to the words of Aston boss Andy Palmer, who this year told MOTOR that he “wanted to give a guarantee and a sense of confidence to the first 1000 [DB11 coupe] buyers.”

“For many of our customers, indeed many generations of Aston Martin customer, the Volante has always offered something very special: a unique combination of elegant style, innate sporting ability and sensory engagement that lifts it above other open-top cars,” says Palmer.

“The new DB11 Volante captures those qualities perfectly and promises the kind of pleasure and enjoyment that can only come from driving an open-top Aston Martin”.

MOTOR awaits confirmation for Australian delivery and pricing information for the DB11 Volante.