by Vijay Pattni

This is the new Aston Martin DBS Volante set to premiere at next week’s Geneva motor show.

The DBS Volante is the convertible version of the 510bhp Aston Martin DBS which featured in 2006’s James Bond film Casino Royale.

The new Volante will come with an automatic folding fabric roof which fully retracts in 14 seconds.

Aston engineers decided against a folding metal roof – which features on most convertibles today – in order to keep the weight down and preserve the DBS’s “beautiful profile”.

The fabric roof also gets a ‘Thinsulate’ lining to keep the cabin quiet.

The DBS Volante keeps the coupe version’s 6-litre hand-built all alloy V12 engine, which produces 510bhp and 420lb/ft of pulling power.

This means the drop-top Aston goes from 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds and can reach a top speed of 191mph – just one mph faster than the Aston Martin V12 Vantage.
 
The DBS Volante is described as a 2+2 GT car, and Aston reckons “the beautifully trimmed rear seats are ideal for younger persons or extra luggage, making the car practical”.

All DBS Volantes are fitted with a 13-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system – designed exclusively for Aston Martin – which even adjusts the sound when the roof is down.

And to complete the look, Aston offers up lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels with a diamond-turned surface.

The Geneva Motor Show looks set to be one of the year’s hottest events, with launches from Lamborghini, Bugatti, Koenigsegg and Gumpert.

We’ll be reporting live from the show – check back for the latest news as it happens.

The Ferrari 599 is a close rival to the DBS - watch it in action now: