Aston Martin finally reveals One-77 & lifts lid on DBS Volante

The car in Geneva isn't, in reality, any different to the one kept under a cloth in Paris last September, still a full-sized mock-up but painted a different colour and now with lights. But the key thing is a full display of the new chassis that incorporates so many innovations for Aston Martin. All-carbon composite construction, dry-sumped V12 and push-rod inboard suspension are all firsts in an Aston Martin road car.

The 700hp 7.3 -litre engine has been developed with Cosworth and will be assembled at its Northampton base, rather than in Germany like other Aston engines. It's set well back and very low in the chassis, giving it that gfront mid-enginedh configuration that should give the dynamics of a rear mid-engined supercar without the edgy handling.

 

The suspension system cleans up the airflow around the front wheels to optimise the aerodynamics. But it's not just the state-of-the-art design. The chassis alone is a thing of such precise technological beauty it is reason alone to covert the One-77. The  billet machined aluminium suspension components are work of fine art.

 

The six-speed transmission is, of course, controlled via steering column mounted paddles. It's a new generation of Aston Martin’s familiar robotised sequential manual. Though it's made specifically for the One-77 and features specially strengthened internals to cope with the tremendous power and torque, the lessons learned in its development will ultimately find their way into the companyfs series production models.

 

The projected weight of 1,500kg the One-77, top speed in excess of 200mph and 0-60mph in around 3.5sec sign off the One-77 into the very top bracket of the ultra supercars. But let's not forget that as well as raw numbers, the One-77 promises an unrivalled combination of driving experience and automotive art.

In the more affordable, if around £160,000 is really affordable these days, comes the debut of the DBS Volante.  Aston Martin's Ferrari California rival wipes all thoughts of credit crunches and recessions away, leaving you to simply savour one of the most beautiful cars at the show. It's not just a pretty face either, this soft top gaining all the features you'd expect of a flagship Aston Martin.

 

Adjustable dampers and ceramic brakes are standard, buyers having a choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed torque converter automatic gearbox, the latter specially configured to match the DBS Volante's formidable power output. Capable of 0-62mph in just 4.3 seconds en route to a top speed of 191mph, the Volante matches its coupe brother in performance.

But surely a traditional cloth hood is old tech compared with the folding metal hardtop offered by the Ferrari California? Perhaps, but it means the Volante looks just as elegant as the coupe when the roof is up, preserves the finely balanced lines (the California's looks are compromised by the need to accommodate its solid roof) and minimises weight gain.

 

Aston Martin's sophisticated bonded and riveted aluminium structure means the DBS is inherently stiff anyway, chopping the roof off barely compromising this and requiring a minimum of extra bracing. The rear-mounted gearbox, meanwhile, ensures perfect weight distribution with which to enjoy the added performance of the DBS model.

And while the standard DB9 Volante already has 470hp the DBS version of the fabulous 6-litre V12 in this new model boasts 517hp and a mighty 420lb ft of torque. Much of the extra grunt comes from a revised induction system including a flap to bypass the standard intake beyond 5,500rpm, boosting power and noise.

 

The latter is especially spectacular and all the more enjoyable in this open-top version. It's not the only V12 Aston here though, the new twelve-cylinder 517hp version of the Vantage also on the stand. Previewed in concept form already the production car is one of the most extreme road-going Astons ever built.

Production will be limited to just 1,000 examples when it starts later this year – recession notwithstanding. The headline figures of a 190mph top speed and 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds might not sound dramatically different from the 180mph and 4.8 seconds of the standard V8 Vantage but the new V12 is a much more extreme proposition.

 

The V12 Vantage includes technology honed on track with the N400 and GT4 race versions. Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes help keep weight gain over the V8 to just 50kg, despite the engine alone weighing 100kg more. Therefs also a track mode on the stability control and a Sport button to unleash the ferocious side to the V12's nature.

VIDEO: watch our film of Aston Martin at the Geneva show