The Aston Martin Vanquish Volante is so good it would leave James Bond shaken and stirred

The suntan I earned should tell you everything. Spent mainly in glorious sunshine with the roof down, my day behind the wheel of Aston Martin's new open-top Vanquish Volante was both exhilarating and exciting.

Hailed by Aston Martin as the jewel in its crown, the two-door, two-seater drop-top sportscar is supposedly 'the fastest, most powerful open-top series production Aston Martin to date', and 'the world's fastest, most powerful front-engined convertible' on sale today.

But does it live up to the billing? To find out, I drove it through some of Britain's most beautiful scenery – the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire moors. This is Herriot Country, after the vet James Herriot of All Creatures Great And Small fame. Fitting, really: the new Volante is one big beast that deserves respect.

Push that accelerator hard, and the power – fed from the vast engine to the rear wheels via an eight-speed gearbox – is truly awesome. Propelled by an 835hp, twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 engine, the new Volante accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds, up to a top speed of 214 mph.

That's just 0.1 seconds slower than its hard-top coupé sibling, developed alongside the cabriolet and launched last autumn.

The standard GT grand tourer cruising mode offers effortlessly long-legged performance, but I quickly graduated to the more responsive Sport mode as my default setting – rationing the dynamic Sport+ mode for those moments of really letting rip.

Showstopper: Ray with the open-top Vanquish Volante

But while the rip-roaring blast gives an instant thrill, it also tires you out. Despite its power, the Volante entices you to sit back and take in your surroundings – especially on the winding roads of this region.

First convertible deliveries will start in the autumn, with prices from £361,000 – a £27,000 uplift on the hard-top. The car I drove cost nearer £400,000 due to extras including dark Chimera Blue metallic paint, and orange brake calipers and livery. Inside were comfortable 16-way adjustable Sports Plus seats and a heated steering wheel.

If new James Bond director Denis Villeneuve is looking for a sexy Aston Martin supercar for 007's next big-screen outing, he could certainly do worse.

A convertible without compromise

Aston Martin said designing and engineering both the hard-top Vanquish coupe and open top Volante variant simultaneously allowed them to create a convertible car without compromise while maintaining the design - whether the hood is raised or stored – and retaining maximum rigidity with minimum weight gain.

The car's Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and suspension helped give me extra confidence, grip and stability negotiating tighter corners.

A newly developed stainless steel exhaust system with quad tailpipes allows occupants to experience the full V12 howl – though my car was fitted with the optional 10.5kg lighter titanium exhaust system, which uses a smaller muffler to give an even louder and distinctive roar.

Putting up the acoustically enhanced fabric roof creates a snug cabin that feels little if at all different from the metal-top Vanquish coupe thanks to comparable levels of thermal insulation.

First convertible deliveries will start in the autumn, with prices from £361,000 – a £27,000 uplift on the hard-top

The next generation infotainment system combines a digital 10.25-inch driver display and the integrated 10.25-inch touchscreen system with single and multi-finger gesture control

Despite its power, the Volante entices you to sit back and take in your surroundings

Retracted to a height of just 260mm the roof can be stowed under the tonneau behind the seats without interrupting the car's flowing lines.

Aston Martin's next generation infotainment system - with a Bowers & Wilkins 15-speaker surround sound system - combines a digital 10.25-inch driver display and the integrated 10.25-inch touchscreen system with single and multi-finger gesture control.

A machine-knurled rotary dial surrounding the illuminated Stop/Start button made it easy to select my desired drive mode.

Push button switches for Chassis, ESP, Exhaust and Park Distance Control meant I could operate the most used controls without taking my eyes off the road.

Push button switches for Chassis, ESP, Exhaust and Park Distance Control meant I could operate the most used controls without taking my eyes off the road

Putting up the acoustically enhanced fabric roof creates a snug cabin that feels little if at all different from the metal-top Vanquish coupe thanks to comparable levels of thermal insulation

Retracted to a height of just 260mm the roof can be stowed under the tonneau behind the seats without interrupting the car's flowing lines

Aston Martin engineers worked with tyre partner Pirelli to develop a new Pirelli P ZERO Summer and Winter tyre designed specifically for Vanquish Coupe and Volante.

A carbon ceramic brake system weighing 27kg less than conventional iron discs is fitted as standard to provide 'suitable stopping ability.'

Smaller and sleeker frameless door mirrors aid the aerodynamic profile.

Electronically deployable flush-fit door handles retain the smooth lines of its side profile.

VERDICT

Given the choice of the metal-roofed Vanquish coupe or the open-top fabric roofed Volante, I'd go for the latter as it offers a more fun and flexible option whether we're in a heatwave or enduring a deluge – and recently we've enjoyed or endured both.