Aston Martin has unveiled an open version of the Volante DB12 sports car with a 2+2 landing formula. Despite the aluminum body and “light options”, the convertible is very heavy: its curb weight is 1898 kg versus 1788 kg for the coupe.
Aston Martin's front-engined road cars have never been particularly light and technical progress, unfortunately, did not fix this: in pursuit of body rigidity and modern electronics, the new convertible weighs under two tons as standard, like some kind of hybrid crossover.
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The Aston Martin DB12 coupe debuted in May of this year, its design is a “revolutionary evolution” of the previous DB11 model. The revolution in this case came down to a radically improved design and workmanship of the interior, modern electronics with an over the air update function for the Aston Martin DB12 are supplied by Mercedes-Benz.
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The aluminum body of the coupe became stiffer with the change of generations, but the DB12 Volante convertible needed additional hardware to make it as close to the coupe as possible in terms of handling: the suspension attachment points and the power strut above the engine were strengthened, the torsional rigidity of the body turned out to be 3.7% higher than the DB11 Volante. Under the increased load and slightly changed weight distribution, the adaptive shock absorbers of all wheels and rear springs were reconfigured. The 8-layer soft top is borrowed from the previous generation and can be folded in 14 seconds and unfolded in 16 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h. The volume of the luggage compartment with the roof folded – 169 l, with the roof unfolded – 206 l.
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The powertrain of the Aston Martin DB12 Volante is the same as that of the coupe: a 4.0-liter Mercedes-AMG V8 biturbo petrol engine (680 hp, 800 Nm) is paired with an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission mounted on the rear axle , all power is sent to the rear wheels via an electronically controlled self-locking differential. The convertible accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds (0.1 seconds slower than the coupe) and has a top speed of 325 km/h (same for the coupe).
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The curb weight of the Aston Martin DB12 Volante at 1898 kg is indicated with “light options” (carbon-ceramic brakes instead of steel, carbon fiber front seats) and without “heavy” options (steep Bowers & Wilkins audio system). The choice of finishing materials, which Aston Martin is traditionally very wide, has almost no effect on the weight of the car. £200,000.
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