2014 Aston Martin Db9 Volante' Selene Bronze With Ice Mocha on 2040-cars

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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

Kahn Vengeance has Aston Martin's blessing [UPDATE]

Last week we brought you the first renderings of a coachbuilt Aston Martin DB9 called the Vengeance that's being developed by Kahn Design. The emergence of the project raised a valid question: if Aston Martin quashed a similar venture by Henrik Fisker, wouldn't the Kahn Vengeance suffer a similar fate? Not according to Kahn. In a statement released to the press, company spokesman Mo Bhana said that "unlike the David Brown Speedback GT and recent Fisker Thunderbolt that ended in a lawsuit, there are no copyright issues with the Vengeance since Aston Martin has confirmed they have entered into a supply deal with us." The incidents Bhana refers to are over two coachbuilder projects that have come up recently and which have drawn the ire of Gaydon. The first is the Speedback GT developed by David Brown Automotive and assembled by a British coachbuilder called Envisage. The latter company also supplies parts and tooling to Aston Martin, which sued Envisage over concerns that its designs were being misappropriated. Given the resemblance of the Speedback to certain classic Astons, and the use of the name David Brown (which happens to be shared by the Speedback's patron and a key figure from Aston's history), reports began circulating that Aston was suing Envisage over the Speedback project, however David Brown Automotive refuted the allegations. The second was Project Thunderbolt, a rebodied Vanquish designed by Henrik Fisker – the same Danish designer who penned the DB9 and V8 Vantage while serving as Aston's design director before striking out on his own. Despite the former association, Aston objected to Fisker's project, launched a lawsuit against him and only agreed to drop it after Fisker agreed not to produce the Thunderbolt. Given Aston's track record, fearing that it would go down the same path would seem reasonable, but Kahn apparently doesn't expect any such difficulties with its supplier. And the company does, after all, also have a history of collaborating with coachbuilders - most notably Zagato. We've reached out to Aston Martin itself for confirmation and will update you as soon as we hear back. In the meantime, you can ponder the second set of renderings released and which we've included above.

Zagato receives a pair of 600-hp Aston Martin V12s for its private collection

Enthusiasts who missed their chance to buy the limited-edition Aston Martin V12 Zagato released in 2012 are in luck. British manufacturer R-Reforged received permission from both brands to build 38 more cars, split evenly between coupes and convertibles, and it has just completed the first prototypes in its Warwick, England, facility. Fittingly, the first pair was ordered by Andrea and Marella Zagato, and it's headed for the coachbuilder's private collection. The roadster is finished in a darker shade of gold, while the coupe is painted silver, and each color shows up again on the center console. Both cars ride on the same center-locking 19-inch wheels, and they receive a plaque in the engine bay that certifies they were built specifically for Mr. and Mrs. Zagato.  R-Reforged didn't settle for copying and pasting the original blueprints. It made small but significant changes to the cars, including giving the front end a new-look splitter and redesigned fenders. Zagato's signature double-bubble roof remains, but the rear end gains active aerodynamic components that keep the car planted on the ground at autobahn speeds without altering its lines. Carbon fiber body panels help offset the system's weight. Power still comes from a 5.9-liter V12, but it has been tuned to develop 600 horsepower, an 80-horse increase over the original V12 Zagato. Suspension and chassis modifications make the car lower and wider, too. Just 19 pairs will be built in the coming months, and pricing for the duo starts at $2.2 million. Twelve workers make each car by hand, so building one takes up to 16 weeks. R-Reforged told Autoblog there are still some build slots left, but the catch is that the coupe and the convertible are exclusively sold as a pair, which is good news for people who buy supercars like they buy flip-flops. From there, anything is possible. Buyers can request that both cars be built to the exact same specifications, or they can work with the design team to personalize each one.