Volante, from the 1965 Short Chassis to the 2025 Vanquish: the story of a name that became synonymous with Aston cabriolets, spanning V12s, limited editions and a royal court.
Volante is more than a badge that rolls off the tongue: it has been an Aston Martin fixation since 1965, a drop-top red thread running from the ultra-rare original Short Chassis to the brand-new 2025 Vanquish. By retracing six decades of continuous use, this article shows how a name defined the marque’s open silhouette, from the DB line to the era of super-GTs, via a foundational V12 and a detour past Buckingham.
The 1965 Short Chassis Volante: 37 built and a name born almost by chance
The starting point is discreet, almost confidential. In 1965, Aston Martin launched the Short Chassis Volante, built in just 37 examples over a year. According to Aston Martin, it is the first model to bear this name, which would then settle into the in-house vocabulary to designate cabriolets. This first Volante remains one of the most overlooked Aston road cars, quickly eclipsed by later generations… and by its own rarity.
It took little more for Volante to become a signature. The choice of word — an elegant Italianism for “flying” — reflects a certain British restraint: say it without underlining it. From the outset, the Short Chassis Volante set the aesthetic and cultural bar, giving the open Aston a fully-fledged identity, distinct from the simple “Drophead” then common elsewhere.
The heritage impact is twofold: a super-rare example, and a christening that became generic. This paradox — the obscurity of a model, the posterity of a name — makes the first Volante a discreet yet decisive milestone.
From DB6 Volante to V8 Volante: how the name became the cabriolet standard
In the following years, the designation took root and asserted itself across the line’s convertibles. From the DB6 to the V8 generations, the Volante badge became the recognised shorthand for “cabriolet at Aston Martin”. It is less a slogan than a refined convention: a way to set the tone, hood folded and lines taut.
This semantic shift, from a rare model to a range standard, sheds light on a very Aston Martin naming strategy: quiet continuity, little noise, lots of meaning. A unique designation, a clear promise. Over time, Volante also became a collector’s reference point, a simple marker to identify the open variant within a GT family.
For anyone wishing to revisit this trajectory, our panorama dedicated to the lineage is a good starting point, beginning with the detailed history of the DB6 and its bodywork evolutions, where the cabriolet finds its place alongside the coupés.
DB7 Volante and DB9 Volante: the modern era and the VH platform
The technical turning point is tied to an engine and a badge. According to Aston Martin, the first V12 to wear the marque’s wings powered the DB7 Vantage, launched in 2000, in both coupé and Volante versions. This milestone propelled the designation into modernity: the cabriolet was no longer the amiable alternative, but the full-blooded expression of the GT, V12 included.
Over a quarter of a century, the progression is telling: again according to Aston Martin, V12 output rose from 426 PS to 835 PS. The open variant followed suit, absorbing this extra energy without sacrificing elegance or Grand Touring usability.
In this continuity, the DB9 lineage perpetuated the grammar of contemporary GTs, where style, a well-shaped hood and versatility coexist. For an overview of this pivotal chapter, explore our feature dedicated to the DB9 and its open derivative, which carried the Volante spirit into the recent era.
Vanquish Volante 2025: 835 PS and 60 years of cabriolets in a single model
The latest witness to this lineage, the 2025 Vanquish Volante distils six decades of fixed ideas into very concrete data. According to Aston Martin’s release, the new Volante delivers 835 PS and 1,000 Nm, for a top speed of 214 mph, and a kerb weight 95 kg higher than the coupé’s. Deliveries begin in the third quarter of 2025, within an annual production limited to fewer than 1,000 units for all Vanquish versions.
This technical escalation fits a coherent narrative: moving from the soft-spoken charm of the Short Chassis to the figures of a super-GT, without losing the poise of a cabriolet built for rapid travel. According to the summary data devoted to the Vanquish line, the newcomer extends a name already synonymous with the top of the range. In Volante form, it reveals the most hedonistic face of that name.
Heritage also speaks through special editions. Thus, the one-off Volante Wave Edition 2026, commissioned via Q by Aston Martin by Aston Martin Naples and auctioned at the Naples Winter Wine Festival in January 2026, illustrates the appeal of singular series built around the open body style.
To put these milestones into perspective, the official release dedicated to the 2025 Vanquish Volante summarises the key specifications and recalls the origin of the name in 1965. Enthusiasts wishing to follow the marque’s news will also find useful references on the Aston Martin media site.
King Charles III’s DB6 MkII Vantage Volante: when a cabriolet enters History
Some public appearances do more for a name’s fame than a thousand brochures. King Charles III’s DB6 MkII Vantage Volante is one such example, becoming a popular icon for the duration of a highly publicised journey. According to Aston Martin, the car was lent to Prince William to drive the Princess of Wales from their wedding reception at Buckingham Palace to St James’s Palace.
In the collective imagination, the image of a sky-blue Volante gliding past the palace railings is enough to reposition the marque: elegance, tradition, and that peculiarly English way of not hurrying while going very fast. The lineage’s prestige is also fed by these moments of grace, when an open GT becomes a witness to history.
This royal symbol is a reminder that Volante is not confined to a spec sheet. It is a culture of use — the cabriolet as an art of living — that runs across generations, from the DB6 to contemporary Vanquishes, speaking as much to collectors as to discerning enthusiasts.
Conclusion — Volante, a drop-top red thread
From the 1965 Short Chassis to the 2025 Vanquish, Volante recounts sixty years of Aston cabriolets with consistency and nuance. A name born in a small series, become the marque’s common language, and today worn by an 835 PS super-GT. Between a V12 inaugurated on DB7 Vantage, the silhouette of a DB6 that entered history, the continuity of a modern GT and the third-generation Vanquish, the thread is clear: it is in Volante form that tradition expresses itself most freely. And that is doubtless how it endures.
