The Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Defies Logic: Review

 It might be a mistake to look at the new Aston Martin Vanquish Volante too rationally. With a starting price of $489,700, it’s crazy expensive both at face value and relative to Aston Martin’s other cars—the excellent DB12 Volante is over $200,000 less.

But why look at the Vanquish Volante rationally when you could just, well, look at it. Is there a better-looking convertible on sale today? Is there anything with quite such panache and presence? Is there anything with such an evocative name, with the performance and soundtrack to back it up? For my money, probably not.

Quick Specs 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante

Engine Twin-Turbo 5.2-Liter V-12

Output 824 Horsepower / 738 Pound-Feet

0-60 MPH 3.3 Seconds

Base Price / As-Tested $489,700 / $595,300

That’s how Aston Martin hopes people will see the Vanquish Volante. We can’t call it Aston Martin’s flagship, as the company will soon launch the 1,000-plus-horsepower Valhalla hypercar. But the Vanquish is the pinnacle of the traditional Aston—a gorgeous, imposing grand tourer with a monster V-12 up front.

This carbon-bodied car will be rare, too. Aston Martin will only make 1,000 examples per year, 400 of which will be open-top Volantes. It recasts the V-12 as something a lot more exclusive than it was before, something for those who want it badly enough to pay the enormous premium.

There’s nothing like a V-12. That high-pitched starter-motor sound that gives way to a flare of revs settling down into a smooth idle never fails to make you feel like a million bucks. Aston essentially redesigned its twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 for the Vanquish, and the result is 824 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Which is a lot.