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This is Aston Martin's sexy 580-hp Vanquish S Volante convertible

You might remember that we drove the Aston Martin Vanquish S earlier this month. That was the fixed top twin to this car, the S Volante, which we're getting our first look at. Since they're mechanically identical save the top mechanism, we can give you a sense of what the S Volante will be like. In a word, it'll be awesome. Remember, the Vanquish S twins are lovable dinosaurs in the powertrain department. Both feature a naturally-aspirated, 5.9-liter V12 – that means no turbochargers. It might make a healthy 580 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and an equally healthy 465 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 RPM, but it's an endangered species. It is, however, a sonorous beast with incredible throttle response (no lag!) – and it's backed up with the smooth, well-regarded ZF 8-speed transmission, just like the coupe. The similarities are fun, but the vive la difference. Especially in profile, with the top down, the Vanquish S Volante is beautiful. The small cowl humps are a racey, tasteful touch. There's almost assuredly some sort of weight penalty associated with choosing the Volante version, and there's definitely a cost penalty. The Vanquish S Volante will start at $315,775, or an $18,000 premium over the fixed-top version. From there, you can spend a lot more with various personalization options. Update: An Aston Martin representative told us there isn't an official Vanquish S Volante weight figure to release at this time. For reference, the old non-S Vanquish Volante was 232 lbs heavier than the coupe. The Vanquish S coupe weighs 3,834 lbs, so it's a save assumption that the Volante version will be slightly north of 4,000 lbs. We'll update you when an official weight figure is released. Both versions will hit US dealers in April. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante Aston Martin Convertible Luxury Performance aston martin vanquish aston martin vanquish s

2020 Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato launches with 760 horsepower

The 2020 Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato has finally been revealed in real life, following renderings shown this summer. And with the reveal come additional details, such as the fact that it bears the most powerful version of Aston's twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 at 760 horsepower. That's an increase of 45 horsepower over the DBS Superleggera. That engine is wrapped in some stunning Zagato-designed bodywork. The fluttering multi-piece grille and rear-windowless roof are the big attention getters, but the fine details impress, too. The front and rear Aston badges are made of 18-carat gold. The interior is unique to the Zagato, featuring a new dashboard and center console. The geometric parts shown in the console are 3D-printed and can be produced in carbon fiber, aluminum, or in the case of the Centenary Specification car above, stainless steel with a real gold coating. The seats also are finished in leather and dotted with Zagato Zs. If those special parts aren't special enough, Q by Aston Martin is willing to work with you to make further modifications. Only 19 DBS GT Zagatos will be built, and all of them have to be purchased as a pair with a DB4 Zagato continuation car. Each pair starts at $7.9 million. Everyone that orders up a pair will have the cars delivered by the end of the year.

Aston Martin to demo Vulcan at Spa 24 Hours

The Aston Martin Vulcan is an absolutely evil-looking hypercar with a low-slung, heavily angular shape that looks ready to challenge any track in the world. With a 7.0-liter V12 with over 800 horsepower on tap, it can complete a lap in the blink of an eye, as well. Unfortunately, the Vulcan isn't street legal, meaning that this beast is exclusively for the circuit. To show this carbon-fiber rocket ship off to some very wealthy potential clients, Aston Martin is bringing the limited model to the 24 Hours of Spa on July 25 for a few high-speed laps prior to the green flag. Works driver Darren Turner will be doing two flying laps around the picturesque Belgian track. As a member of the development team from the very beginning, there's likely no other person better suited to driving the hypercar than him. It should be quite a sight to see the black and blue machine shooting up Eau Rouge, too. Aston Martin Racing is also on hand for the actual race, and the squad has two customer teams in V12 Vantage GT3s in the Pro-Am class. If you can't make it to Belgium for the weekend, the event is also livestreamed on YouTube at the Blancpain Endurance Series' GT World channel. The event kicks off at 10:30 AM Eastern on July 25. ASTON MARTIN VULCAN TO RUN AT SPA 24 HOURS 23 July, Gaydon - The highly-anticipated Aston Martin Vulcan will attend the showpiece of the Blancpain Endurance Series, the TOTAL 24 Hours of Spa, this weekend (25 July) and will demonstrate its abilities as the ultimate track-only machine as it completes two flying laps of the world-famous circuit. With its 800-plus bhp powertrain developed in conjunction with Aston Martin Racing, the 7.0-litre V12 Aston Martin Vulcan will be driven by works driver Darren Turner (GB), who has been involved in the design and development of the car from its inception. Turner has more than 20 years experience in developing racing cars and relished the opportunity to put this track-knowledge into Aston Martin's most extreme sportscar. "It's been amazing to have been involved in this project from the beginning," said Turner. "From the conceptual sketches through to working with the designers on driver ergonomics, it is a fascinating process to be part of. "It was very early days for the car when we first ran it at Goodwood Festival of Speed, but we certainly made a good impression and now we get to show the car in its most natural environment.