Aston Martin Drop-Top DB12 Volante Comes to the Quail

• With strong success in launching the DB12 Coupe, Aston Martin didn't want to miss out on any French Riveria or California coast fun in the sun.

• Revealing the DB12 Volante at Monterey Car Week, the British manufacturer is continuing the legacy of the Volante nameplate with a twin-turbo V8 convertible.

• Cornering shouldn't be an issue for the drop-top version of the DB12, as Aston reinforced key suspension bits and increased chassis rigidity as a whole.

California's Monterey Bay is mere days away from an invasion of the rarest, newest, and coolest vehicles you've ever seen. With bountiful ocean mist and the occasional sunbeam poking through the clouds, what better place for the reveal of Aston Martin's new 2024 DB12 Volante convertible?

Based on the DB12 Coupe, which was released earlier this year, Aston Martin didn't want its swanky customer base to miss out on any drop-top fun, hence the rapid reveal of its roofless sibling. But that doesn't mean the driving experience will be compromised, the British manufacturer says.

Convertible wallowing isn't as much of a problem as 20th-century test drivers once said, and a large part of this evolution is individual manufacturers' commitment to going the extra mile in making a convertible. That goes far beyond just removing the roof.

Despite wearing the same carryover chassis as its coupe brethren, Aston says the convertible version's rigid bonded aluminum structure has been reinforced at the rear suspension upper mounting points and with an engine cross brace. All told these structural changes account for a 5% increase in torsional stiffness.

Similarly, Aston explained that every suspension mounting point was reinforced laterally, with a 140% increase in rigidity around the front axle. And it makes sense that Aston Martin could spend so much money on getting the handling right, as it outsourced the DB12's powerplant.

That's right, Aston is using a 4.0-liter Mercedes-AMG twin-turbo V8 in the DB12, sporting 671 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Potent on paper and even stronger in person, as confirmed by Autoweek West Coast Editor Mark Vaughn in his initial test of the DB12 hardtop.

But Aston Martin didn't just throw a crate engine in, as its engineers tuned the proprietary turbocharging system, compression ratio, and camshaft profile for super touring use.