New Aston Martin comes with almost unlimited headroom

Aston Martin has unveiled a soft-top Volante version of its latest Vanquish S GT car.

The British brand confirmed the convertible was on its way when the coupe was revealed in November but these are the first images to have been released.

Featuring the same styling tweaks as its hard-roofed sibling, the Volante gets a reworked aerodynamic package featuring an exposed carbon-fibre splitter and diffuser, as well as special quad exhausts.

A tweet from the manufacturer described the Volante as “stunning from every angle”.

Under the skin, it uses the same sixlitre V12 as the hard-top. Now boasting a faster throttle response, the naturally aspirated unit offers a power output of 592bhp.

That engine is mated to an eightspeed automatic transmission that has been revised to offer faster gear changes and improved low speed refinement.

Behind the huge alloy wheels, the suspension has been tuned to be more aggressive in the sportier driving modes and more supple in comfort settings.

No prices have yet been announced for the Vanquish S Volante but it seems certain to be more expensive than the £199,950 coupe.

Meanwhile, around 100 million electric vehicles are expected to be on the road in 20 years’ time, according to BP’s 2017 Energy Outlook.

The document, which outlines the company’s predictions for the coming years, says the number of electric cars in circulation will increase 80-fold by 2035.

However, the company also predicts the global car fleet will double in size over the same period, leaving electric vehicles with a 5% share of the market.

By the early 2030s, the company believes non-combusted oil use, such as in the production of plastics and fabrics, will take over from transport as the main source of demand for oil.

The Vanquish S convertible is likely to have a price tag well past the £200,000 mark.