Astons more powerful than a DB9, but still a 2+2 drophead ?

[Salt flat rat]

The DB9 Volante can just about be regarded as a 2+2 inasmuch as it can take two small humans in the rear seats. Are there any other contemporary Astons that can do the same but are more powerful I.e. by that I mean can exceed
180 mph with a brake horse power figure of about 500 BHP ?

[krisdelta]

DBS Volante... 510bhp and 191mph top speed in manual guise.

At least, according to the internet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_DBS_V12

[Bravo73]

If a DBS doesn't suit...

How about a Virage Volante?

Or a, soon to be released, Vanquish Volante?

[iluvmercs]

To which DB9 are you referring?
If it's the pre late 2012 model, there's the recently released new shape DB9 (looks like a Virage, but with a DBS matching 510bhp and its bootlid), which could be considered, too.

Darren

[George29]

Salt flat rat said:

The DB9 Volante can just about be regarded as a 2+2 inasmuch as it can take two small humans in the rear seats. Are there any other contemporary Astons that can do the same but are more powerful I.e. by that I mean can exceed
180 mph with a brake horse power figure of about 500 BHP ?

The DB9 Volante can exceed 180mph with its 470bhp. I'm not really sure 30bhp would make all the difference.

[Jockman]

Do the humans have to be alive ???

If not then the Vantage is surely the voiture du choix, with its infinitely superior space allocation.

I can easily get a coffin in the back of a Vantage coupe but I would struggle with a roadster

[bogie]

I've always wondered what the use case was for a 4 seater convertible to do 180mph?

is this something any of the parents here have done in their car? do the kids like it at 150mph+ on the autobahn with the roof down ?

maybe someone should do it at the next Vmax event on an airfield - load up a 4 seater and see if it delivers....

[mikey k]

Jockman said:

I can easily get a coffin in the back of a Vantage coupe but I would struggle with a roadster

Nah roof down the roadster has even more space
I've had 3m banisters in mine
Coffin you could even get the seat belt on for extra safety

[mikey k]

bogie said:

I've always wondered what the use case was for a 4 seater convertible to do 180mph?

Buying on VMax in a convertible is missing the point IMHO
Go for low down torque

[Jockman]

mikey k said:

Nah roof down the roadster has even more space
I've had 3m banisters in mine
Coffin you could even get the seat belt on for extra safety

Whoops, sorry Mr K, I've misread OPs posting.

I thought he was after a dropdead

[AWV12]

George29 said:

The DB9 Volante can exceed 180mph with its 470bhp. I'm not really sure 30bhp would make all the difference.

It is the gearbox that makes the difference: the manual (DBS) can do 307 km/h, the auto box "only" 295 km/h, same amount of bhp. Even the new Vqs, that has much more bhp, does not exceed 295 km/h, because of the auto box (a manual would easily do more than 310 km/h). Strangely enough, the new Rapide S with auto-box exceed 300 km/h, but I would say has the same setup as the Vqs?

BTW, it is great pleasure to drive 300 km/h with the top down.........but only with 1 or 2 people, you would definitely not want to sit in the back then! DBS Volante with manual gearbox.......an exciting combination! :-)

[George29]

AWV12 said:

It is the gearbox that makes the difference: the manual (DBS) can do 307 km/h, the auto box "only" 295 km/h, same amount of bhp. Even the new Vqs, that has much more bhp, does not exceed 295 km/h, because of the auto box (a manual would easily do more than 310 km/h). Strangely enough, the new Rapide S with auto-box exceed 300 km/h, but I would say has the same setup as the Vqs?

BTW, it is great pleasure to drive 300 km/h with the top down.........but only with 1 or 2 people, you would definitely not want to sit in the back then! DBS Volante with manual gearbox.......an exciting combination! :-)

You quote the top speed of a manual a lot, but how often have you actually done it in the UK (since the OP says his location in his profile is the UK)? Also, I imagine the auto box with it's lower ratios will get to it's top speed substantially quicker than the manual with it's lower ratios. I'd value acceleration much more than top speed personally.

[AWV12]

George29 said:

You quote the top speed of a manual a lot, but how often have you actually done it in the UK (since the OP says his location in his profile is the UK)? Also, I imagine the auto box with it's lower ratios will get to it's top speed substantially quicker than the manual with it's lower ratios. I'd value acceleration much more than top speed personally.

Since I am 30 minutes from the German border, yes, I do! :-)
In the UK: never (I was there only once with this car).

Besides that: I only write about this, when there is confusing messages about why the top speed of certain new AMs is lower than of some older ones. But I understand that you now got it :-)

And indeed: torque and acceleration are more important. Interesting fact about these gear ratio's, I will try it out head-2-head soon, to see what is the effect. Don't forget the auto box has a torque convertor in between, don't know what the effect is of that?

In the end: I bought the manual not for the top speed (only), but mainly because of the the fun factor by having real control over what gear you are in in corners, when overtaking, etc, and the lack of a torque convertor makes it more direct/controllable imho, but each of its own of course.

[yeti]

bogie said:

I've always wondered what the use case was for a 4 seater convertible to do 180mph?

is this something any of the parents here have done in their car? do the kids like it at 150mph+ on the autobahn with the roof down ?

maybe someone should do it at the next Vmax event on an airfield - load up a 4 seater and see if it delivers....

Just because it has 4 seats, doesn't mean it has to have 4 people in it at all times

I have hit 165mph in mine a few times which is the theoretical restricted top speed of an early Volante... I have always run out of road at that point so maybe that's a good top speed