On This Day

Sunday 4th January 2004

16 years ago

World premier of the elegant 165 mph Aston Martin DB9 Volante at the 2004 Detroit Motor Show. The DB9 Volante was the convertible version of the DB9 coupe. The chassis, though stiffer, used the same base VH platform. To protect occupants from rollovers, the Volante had strengthened windshield pillars and two pop-up hoops behind the rear seats. The hoops could not be disabled and broke the car's rear window if deployed. In an effort to improve the Volante's ride while cruising, Aston Martin softened the springs and lightened the anti-roll bars in the Volante, leading to a gentler suspension. The retractable roof of the Volante was made of folding fabric and took 17 seconds to be put up or down. The Volante weighed 59 kilograms (130 pounds) more than the coupe. The coupe and Volante both shared the same semi-automatic and automatic gearboxes and engine. The car was limited to 266 km/h (165 mph) to retain the integrity of the roof. Like the coupe, the original Volante had 569 N·m (420 lbf·ft) of torque at 5,000 rpm and a maximum power of 456 PS (450 hp) at 6,000 rpm. The 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) was slowed to 4.9 seconds due to the additional weight. The DB( Volante was the sixth new car from the company in less than two and a half years.