Tuesday 25th November 2003

DB9 Volante

Has Aston lost its magic?

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This is the new Aston Martin DB9 Volante that will be unveiled at January's Detroit motor show.

It's been engineered from the outset as a convertible rather than being a coupe with the roof lopped off. The roof retracts within the body of the car under a hard tonneau cover rather than sitting atop the body as on the DB7.

Rollover hoops are built in behind the rear seats and pop up in the event of an accident.

The car is powered by the 48 valve, 6 litre V12 and is expected to hit 60mph in less than five seconds and head on to more than 180mph.

The design is the work of Henrik Fisker, Aston Martin's Design Director. The question is does it do justice to the marque?

[PetrolTed]

Really lacks presence in my opinion.

Looks too ordinary for a car with such a history of exclusivity.

[PetrolTed]

I want something that has 'wow' factor. This doesn't. It looks like a big Celica.