Just in time for Summer Aston Martin releases the drop-top version of the Vanquish super GT, the Volante. And it is quite possibly the sexiest, most desirable car of the year. By taking the roof off Aston has made the Vanquish even less of a sports car than the coupe. But who cares, when it looks this gorgeous, and feels so awesome.

Performance-wise, the Vanquish is more than satisfying. It has got a 560 horsepower V12 engine and can do upwards of 180 mph. But there are those who are more interested in facts and figures than pure joy of driving, and they say that for the same amount of money, a Ferrari or even a Lamborghini can take you around a corner much faster.

They are not going like the Volante at all. Sure, it is the first convertible Aston to boast a full carbon fiber construction, and there’s that VH architecture going on. But at the end of the day, it is not going to be as nice to drive as, say, a Ferrari F12, or a even a 599 for that matter. What you want to do in this car is not corner with the precision of a cheetah. You want to cruise, listen to the sound of that V12, and bask in the magnificence of hand-built British luxury. That is the Aston Martin way; a bit aristocratic, but quite wonderful.

That said, if you decided you want to play a little, the 565 bhp and 457 lb ft of torque 6.0 liter V12 engine is game. Just drop the electric hood, which can be operated on the move up to 30mph, put the automatic gearbox in manual mode, switch on the sport dampers, and go for it.

The Vanquish Volante looks pretty much like the Coupe, save the fabric roof obviously. Aston has put a lot more effort into styling the interior of this car though, what with it being a cabrio and all. It has the same nice and ergonomic design of the Coupe, but the materials, the choice of color, and the overall fit and finish is much improved.

Price-wise, well, all you need to know is that it’s hugely expensive. But then good things cost a fair bit of money. Still, if you want to start saving, here’s the numbers you have to match:

• UK: £199,995
• United States: $297,995 MSRP
• Europe: €264,995
• Middle East: $323,974