2002 Aston Martin Db7 Convertible on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante is coming soon for $329,100

You've seen the coupe and read the reviews. You've seen the spy shots filtering out of the Nurburgring. And now you've finally, digitally and officially, seen the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante. It's exactly what you'd expect — take the DBS Superleggera, keep its twin-tubrocharged 5.2-liter V12 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, ditch its hardtop in favor of a folding convertible mechanism, add a drop of sunshine and a copious extra dose of wailing exhaust note, stir and enjoy. Aston Martin boasts that the DBS Superleggera Volante's top speed of 211 miles per hour matches that of the coupe and makes it the fastest convertible ever to roll out of Gaydon. Its quoted 0-62 mph time of 3.6 seconds (.02 seconds behind the coupe) and 0-100 time of 6.7 seconds means it's no slouch in the acceleration department, either, despite its quoted dry weight of 4,107 pounds. Fortunately, that heft (375 pounds more than the coupe) is distributed equally over the front and rear wheels. A revised aerodynamics package that includes a front spoiler and airdam, side strakes that are deeper than those of the coupe, a double rear diffuser and a so-called Aeroblade II all combine to deliver 390 pounds of downforce. That's just 6.6 pounds less than the coupe, despite the inherent aero penalty caused by the removal of the roof. It takes just 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close the soft top. At 10.2 inches, Aston says the folded roof stack is the smallest in its segment, and the top is offered in eight colors. A twill carbon fiber mesh finish is optional for the windshield surround, as well as the rear tonneau cover. Want one? You'll have to wait for the third quarter of 2019 to order the DBS Superleggera Volante in the United States. And you'll need a check for $329,100.

2020 Aston Martin Vantage Road Test | Old-school road trip in a new-school Aston

Our roads may be virtually empty, with Americans all cooped up and nowhere to go. But with jet planes and TSA lines looking iffy and icky for the foreseeable future, the great American road trip is poised to reclaim its preeminence in travel. To test that post-pandemic theory, in a purely theoretical way, I requisition a 2020 Aston Martin Vantage for a daytrip from New York to the Catskills. It’s the kind of high-character “import” sports car that once defined the breed, before corporate imperatives watered the character down. AstonÂ’s two-seater is nakedly beautiful, flawed-yet-fabulous, and expensive as hell. But if you drive the Vantage and donÂ’t fall head-over-loafers, IÂ’d accuse you of not caring for sports cars at all. ItÂ’s as alive and engaging as any sports car out there, a 509-horsepower firecracker that rewards skilled drivers – or dings them for mistakes – in defiance of the trend toward all-wheel-drive automatons. As for the Catskills, itÂ’s in the midst of its own explosive comeback. This rough-hewn mountain region, a convenient two hours north of Manhattan, was once the prime vacation destination of the Northeast, so popular in the late 19th century that a 1,200-room luxury hotel was required just to gaze at some waterfalls, with guests including U.S. presidents and Oscar Wilde. Through the 1950s and 60s, it continued to be the pipeline to nature for Jewish families and other northeast tourists. Their summer camps and sprawling “Borscht Belt” resorts and nightclubs mythologized in films like Dirty Dancing and now televisionÂ’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which has fetishized Catskills nostalgia to a truly marvelous degree. Then came airline travel, and affordable tickets to Miami Beach and other exotic warm-weather locales. Like a Palm Springs of the east, the Catskills fell into steep decline. The region became a punch line of corny kitsch. As with Palm Springs, fashion has come full circle: The Catskills and adjacent Hudson Valley are red-hot again, rediscovered by Brooklynites especially as a magical spot for affordable second homes, or permanent moves to open farm-to-table restaurants, curated antique shops and other bastions of rustic hip. The Vantage lures me from coronavirus lockdown like a movie idol waving outside my Brooklyn window, for a cannon-shot recon run to Woodstock.

Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato previewed in renderings

Last fall, Aston Martin and Zagato announced that they would be building special continuation versions of the DB4 GT Zagato to celebrate the Italian design house's 100th anniversary. But the two companies wouldn't stop there, as each DB4 would come with an yet-to-be-revealed DBS variant. Now the companies have released detailed renderings and information about what is officially called the Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato. The car will be based on the hottest DB11 model, the DBS Superleggera. That means it should have a twin-turbo V12 making at least 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque with all of that going to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Outside of the bones, the DBS GT Zagato will have a thoroughly revised exterior. As shown in the photos, the front grille is one piece and is more reminiscent of what's found on the smaller Aston Martin Vantage. An exaggerated double-bubble roof is a highlight, and it stretches out to the pointy tip of the tail. The hood echoes the double bubble in its center. The taillights have an afterburner shape that Zagato has favored lately. Neither Aston nor Zagato has said when we'll see the actual car, but we expect it will be shown sometime this year. Buyers will start getting their DBS GT Zagatos at the end of 2020, a year after their DB4 GT Zagato continuation cars are delivered. As a reminder, the price for each of the 19 pairs of cars is 6 million pounds, or $7.93 million at current exchange rates and before taxes.