ASTON Martin is adding an open-top Volante model to its new DB12 range of super sports cars.

With a fabric roof that can retract in 14 seconds and a 4.0-litre V8 engine, the Volante has a top speed of 202mph and a 0 to 60mph acceleration of 3.6 seconds.

Prices are said to be in the region of £200,000 - some £15,000 more than the DB12 Coupe introduced earlier in the year.

The Volante will have its debut at the Monterey Car Week in the United States and first deliveries are scheduled before the end of the year.

Aston Martin chief executive officer, Amedeo Felisa, said: "For many of our customers, roof down driving is the greatest pleasure. Aston Martin Volantes have captured that emotion and expressed it in unique style for more than six decades.

"With the new DB12 Volante we have changed the rules, creating a car that intensifies those feelings by preserving all the purity and exceptional sporting capabilities of the DB12 Coupe. A rare and true sporting convertible in every respect."

Aston says that the Volante was developed in conjunction with the DB12 Coupe and the open-top model is 3.7 per cent stiffer with changes to its underbody components, including the engine cross brace.

The hand-built engine develops 671bhp - 34 per cent more than that of the DB11 - and it is mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission that comes with a range of shift strategies depending on driving mode of which there are five.

Central to the car's appeal is its electrically-operated ‘K-fold' roof, named due to the two-stage folding procedure engineered to achieve a class-leading 260 mm stack height designed to give speedy operation and maximise luggage space.

It features eight layers of insulation and when raised Aston says it maintains the car's sleek looks. When lowered the K-fold mechanism sits low beneath a hard tonneau cover.

The roof can be used at speeds of up to 31mph and into a 31mph headwind and can be operated remotely via the car's keys, within a two-metre radius.

The Volante is also fitted with wood veneer or carbon fibre panels on the seatbacks which are matched to the door trim inlay to create an extra layer of interest when the roof is lowered.

Marek Reichman, Aston Martin chief creative officer, said: "Creating open-air performance machines for drivers has always held a special place in hearts across Aston Martin, dating back to 1965, with our introduction of the first Volante model, the legendary Short Chassis. It has been, and always will be, a design beacon for us.

"The new DB12 Volante is again another emotional Aston Martin design form with a desire to be driven. We've sculpted a graceful, muscular exterior shape that reflects its immense capabilities, set atop very advanced structural elements, with a clean, contemporary interior. Crafted through performance design for those who share our joy and happiness for adventuring in cars in the open air, new DB12 Volante is certainly exhilarating to experience and one that adds to our distinctive history."

The Volante can be enhanced with Q by Aston Martin - the Gaydon-based company's ultra-luxury personalisation service - which allows those who wish to put their own stamp on the vehicle with anything from a single detail to full-scale engineering and production of with bespoke components.