And so at the first Motor Show of 2004, at Detroit
and AM
introduced the DB9 Volante, intended to be available for sale by early 2005.
The really neat thing
about the VH platform is that it is so strong and adaptable, that open versions
of the cars are engineered at the same time as their closed brothers. Thus, at
the time of introduction, the DB9 Volante became the most structurally rigid and therefore best handling
convertible ever.
The Volante shared exactly the same engine as the coupe.
Performance was very close to that of the coupe as the open car weighed in at
only about 100kg more at 1810kg - so 0-60 time was an impressive 4.9 seconds and the
Volante toped out at 186 mph.
The electrically folding roof of
the DB9 Volante was of the
standard fabric type - the current fashion for a folding steel roof wasn't been
followed as it would eat greatly into the boot space and increase weight. Indeed the Volante retained
rear seats and had almost as much boot space as the coupe. But unlike all
previous Volantes, the roof folded fully and stored neatly under a hard tonneau cover in
just 17 seconds. In the event of a potential roll-over, hoops could be deployed from
the rear head restraints. If the roof was erected at the time - the hoops will
'punch' through the rear window glass.
Recently, Volante
versions have accounted for almost half of total production and trend
continued with the DB9. Production of the Volante began in early 2005 at a rate
of around 1000 examples a year with an introductory price of £112,000 (manual)
and £115,000 (Touchtronic 2).
Many of these photos were taken at the European debut of the Volante at
the Geneva Salon, March 2004. This particular example shows the unusual new
Bamboo wood interior which is perhaps a better option in the open car. The
remaining pictures of the green car were taken at the same show the following
year; this car features the desirable 15 spoke wheel option.
