2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante

The Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, the drop-top companion to the Vanquish Coupe made its North American debut in Monterey, California, during the festivities preceding the August 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

With the same stunning good looks as the fixed-roof Vanquish, the two-door, 2+2 Volante is powered by the same AM11 V12 engine, good for 565 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. It's mated to a 6-speed Touchtronic 2 sequential manual gearbox, with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. A limited-slip differential is standard. While it's not the quickest Aston in the lineup, it nonetheless posts an impressive 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph.

Underneath its carbon fiber body, the Vanquish Volante rides on a chassis of bonded aluminum and carbon fiber that's 14 percent stiffer and 10 percent lighter than Aston Martin DBS Volante. Although the Volante is lighter, it's not svelte with a curb weight of 4,065 pounds. A new rear subframe helps redistribute weight more evenly, for a 51/49 front-rear balance.

Like the newly announced Aston Martin V12 Vantage S, the Vanquish Volante uses three drive modes, Normal, Sport, and Track, that electronically adjust suspension settings and steering response. Suspension is an independent double-wishbone setup in front and rear, with coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampers.

Brakes are ventilated carbon ceramic discs with six-piston calipers in front and four pistons in back. Standard 20-inch alloy wheels are wrapped with Pirelli P Zero tires.

Standard features include everything you'd expect to find in a luxury convertible whose price surpasses that of the average U.S. home price: automatic climate control, full-grain leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats, Alcantera headliner, cruise control, power-folding heated exterior mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, Garmin-powered navigation with a 6.5-inch display screen, a 1000-watt, 15-speaker Bang & Olfufsen sound system with iPhone integration, USB port and satellite radio capability, as well as Bluetooth phone and audio streaming. The full-power fabric top folds up or down in just 14 seconds.

Options include a variety of colors and trims, different wheel designs, painted calipers, backup camera, and personalized vanity sill plaques.

Deliveries of the 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante are expected to begin in the U.S. in early 2014, with a starting price of $297,995.