(from Aston Martin Press Release)
Aston Martin is all set to give the elegant DB9 Volante its world
premiere on January 4th at the 2004 Detroit Motor Show - the sixth new
car from the company in less than two and a half years.
The DB9 Volante is the latest model from Aston Martin and is also the
13th convertible from the company - joining a prestigious line-up of
post-war convertibles that stretches back to the DB2 of 1950 and
includes the DB4, DB5, DB6, V8 and DB7. However, this will be the first
convertible ever to use Aston Martin's unique VH Platform
(Vertical/Horizontal) Strategy and the first to be built at the newly
opened Aston Martin Gaydon facility.
The DB9 Volante will be built alongside the DB9 Coupe, which was
launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2003. Both models will
be hand-built at Aston Martin Gaydon with the Coupe being delivered to
customers in Spring 2004 and the Volante in Autumn 2004. It is expected
that more than 2000 DB9 models will be sold next year of which around
50% will be the Volante model. Pricing will be announced at a later
date.
Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin said: "From the outset of the DB9
programme we knew we wanted a convertible model. So the Volante has been
designed, engineered and built from the outset as a convertible - it's
not a Coupe with just the top taken off.
"The DB9 Volante has all of the traditional styling cues you'd expect
from a convertible Aston Martin. It's very elegant and perfectly
proportioned from every angle, while subtle embellishments help create a
powerful-looking sports car."
Designed by Henrik Fisker, Aston Martin's Design Director, who took
styling cues from previous Aston Martin convertibles, the DB9 Volante
has a fully retractable hood that is stored within the body of the car
when closed allowing the car to retain a very smooth and elegant
profile.
"I wanted to ensure that the DB9 Volante was unmistakably an Aston
Martin, but it had to retain all of the values of a convertible. Even
with the hood raised it had to look beautiful," said Henrik Fisker.
The hood is operated by the push of a button and retracts within just 17
seconds. When down, it folds behind a hard tonneau cover, which then
electrically closes flush with the DB9's bodywork. The DB9 Volante has a
boot capacity of 197-litres (170-litres in the DB7) and has two rear
seats.
In the event of an accident, sensors in the DB9 Volante detect the risk
of a potential rollover and two roll-hoops are deployed from the rear
seat headrests, while front seat passengers are protected by the
windscreen A-pillars which can withstand twice the total body weight of
the car.
Like the DB9 Coupe, power for the Volante is supplied by Aston Martin's
low emissions, all-alloy, 48-valve, 6.0-litre, V12 engine. No
performance figures have yet been issued by Aston Martin but the Volante
will be able to achieve a 0-62mph (100kph) time of under 5 seconds and a
top speed of more than 180mph (300kph). Like the DB9 Coupe it will be
offered with a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission.
