Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante revealed

If Aston Martin's hard-core, half-million-dollar DBS Superleggera coupe wasn't quite the head-turning street machine you'd hoped for, perhaps the new convertible variant will fit the bill?

On sale in Europe from around August, the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante brings the same force-fed V12 artillery to the table as the coupe, only with the added bonus of a folding roof.

Designed to steal sales from the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet ($482,700) and Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster ($825,530), the flagship Aston Martin convertible isn't quite as quick to 100km/h but it doesn't use any fancy tech tricks to get there, such as all-wheel drive or launch control.

Instead the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante shunts power solely to the rear axle via a carbon-fibre prop shaft and a strengthened ZF eight-speed transmission.

The 0-160km/h sprint takes 6.7 seconds, which is just off the pace of its coupe cousin, while top speed is the same 340km/h (211mph).

That's an impressive feat considering the DBS Superleggera Volante has a folding cloth roof that takes 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close.

Expected to cost significantly more than the $517,000 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera coupe when it arrives in Australia, the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante is powered by a muscular 5.2-litre twin-turbo 12-cylinder belting out a wicked 533kW at 6500rpm and 900Nm of torque between 1800 and 5000rpm. It has a 7200rpm rev-limiter, should drivers wish to stretch it legs.

With the top dropped, the sound from the brawny V12 engine is described as 'simmering' in GT mode, which becomes 'progressively more intense' in Sport and Sport Plus.

With a free-flowing quad exhaust system, the fastest convertible ever built by Aston Martin "… provides one of the greatest sensory experiences in the automotive world," declared Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group CEO.

The epic rev flare on start-up can be pacified with a special 'quiet start' mode.

The power-folding roof can be operated remotely via the key-fob from two metres away, and Aston Martin offers the cloth roof in eight colours.

Despite looking flimsy compared to a metal-folding roof, the cloth covering is designed to deliver extreme weather protection., Aston Martin proclaims that testing occurred in both the extreme heat of Death Valley in the USA to the Arctic Circle.

One of the many options is a twill carbon finish for the window screen, which comprises large pieces of finely-woven carbon-fibre -- a first for the British car-maker.

Aston Martin reckons the super GT's speed (and stability) comes from its honed aerodynamics. The car will generate up to 177kg of downforce at 340km/h, which is only a few kilograms shy of the coupe.

At the front of the car is a large splitter which helps not only improve downforce but also channels air towards the brakes, aiding cooling. Meanwhile, the "deeper side strake draws more air from the front wheel-arch to reduce lift and aid high-speed stability," says Aston Martin.

There's also a few other aero tricks, such as the 'curlicue' behind the front wheels which directs air along the car's sides, while the beefy double diffuser that reaches deep underneath the Volante reduces air turbulence and lift at the rear.

According to Aston Martin's chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, the idea was to create a functional design that delivers "… a spectacular and relentless level of performance" while ensuring an "… extra level of sensory overload that only an open-top Super GT can deliver inside the cabin".

Naturally the cabin is festooned with carbon-fibre and aluminium, and there are deep leather-lined bucket seats to hold both occupants in tight.

The digital dashboard has a large centrally-mounted tachometer and, as Aston Martin proclaims, an "extensive options list offers exceptional levels of customisation".

We don’t doubt that for a moment.