It’s hard to blame them. Top up or down, the Vanquish’s aesthetic is one of eagerness and aggression, largely due to the F1-derived aero elements to cool the massive power unit as well as to balance out air from front to back. The rest is all Aston Martin-quality craftsmanship, shaping the Vanquish into a taut, sleek form wrapped in formal attire.

Bond. Aluminum Bond.

The secret underlying the Vanquish’s capabilities is its bonded aluminum body, which is perfectly suited for a grand tourer like this. Bonding panels together rather than welding them makes controlling the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels much easier as the adhesives absorb vibrations, while the stiffness provides much more control in terms of lateral movement. This also means the suspension has less to compensate for, which means it can be stiffer without adding teeth-rattling jitter.

Indeed, on the move, the Vanquish Volante is velvety-smooth on the highway, and with the top down, conversations don’t need to be shouted. Raise the soft top and the well-sealed cover is indistinguishable from the coupe as far as your ears are concerned.

The even-keeled nature is also due in part to the balance Aston Martin maintains between the throttle input and the electronic rear differential. At low speeds, the Vanquish is quite agile, but a progressive power band keeps it from being nervous or jerky when laying down the power, with the wheels effectively locked in place at high speeds for added stability.

We’re talking autobahn speeds, here, by the way. What we’d usually muster on the highway is a cakewalk for this immense luxury chariot. It goes too fast too quickly, for better or for worse, with 80 mph (129 km/h) feeling like half of that. Different drive modes make a palpable difference in behavior, with GT mode supporting smooth, long stretches while Sport and Sport + offer more engaging, throaty behavior for twisty backroads. Here, the car continues to be well-mannered, though the occasional dab for power triggers an overeager automatic into dropping a gear or two, sending the V12 into a fury.