2004 Aston Martin DB9

DETROIT – It's not just a coupe with the top taken off.

Making its official world premiere at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the DB9 Volante was designed, engineered and built from the start as a convertible. It is the sixth new car in less than two and a half years from one of the industry's fastest-growing car companies. It's also Aston Martin's 13th convertible and the first of which to use the manufacturer's unique vertical/horizontal (VM) platform, which will form the basis of all Aston Martin models to come.

"The DB9 Volante has all of the traditional styling cues you'd expect for am convertible Aston Martin," says Dr. Úlrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin. "It's very elegant and perfectly proportioned from every angle, while subtle embellishments help create a powerful-looking sports car."

The DB9 Volante features a fully retractable roof that retracts at the push of a button within 17 seconds and is tucked within the body, allowing the car to retain its smooth and elegant profile. Behind a hard tonneau cover, the closed roof couldn't interfere in the slightest with the DB9 Volante's impressive 197 liters of cargo capacity or its two rear seats.

As in any convertible, safety is at the front of mind. Sensors in the DB9 Volante detect the risk of rollover in the event of an accident, and two roll-hoops are deployed from the rear seat headrests. Front-seat passengers are protected by windscreen A-pillars, which can withstand twice the total body weight of the car.

Like the DB9 coupe, which was unveiled last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Volante is powered by Aston Martin's low-emissions, 6.0-liter V-12 alloy engine mated to a six-speed automatic or manual transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) While performance figures have yet to be published, the DB9 Volante is expected to hit 0-62 mph in less than five seconds and a top speed of more than 180 mph.

Source - Jennifer Shatwell | Ford Communications Network