Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Aston Martin’s 510-h.p. supercar easy to drive

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

The words from the Aston Martin rep reverberated in my brain, leaving a distinct impression, as he handed me the Emotion Control Unit — essentially the keys to a brand new lightning silver $325,000 Aston Martin DBS Volante roadster.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of a similar scene which had played out on the big screen several times from my youth to present day: “Try to bring it back in one piece 007,” an exasperated Q warns James Bond.

All to no avail of course. More often than not, the car got trashed, but usually for a good cause — saving the world and so forth.

But on this day, we won’t be chasing any bad guys on darkened, twisty roads, in a desperate search for a kidnapped British agent, or banging doors at high speed along twisty tunnels lining the shore of Lake Como.

In fact, I showed up at the North American Volante’s launch in Calgary, hosted by Aston Martin of Calgary and the Dilawri Group, with a passenger — fellow auto aficionado and longtime buddy JR — to play the part of co-driver.

As well as offering his impressions of the vehicle, he would more importantly act as my second set of eyes on Calgary’s precarious, construction-strewn roads, warning me in advance, I hoped, of any unseen dangers that came our way.

Aston Martin rep Lawrence Romanosky gave us a quick pre-flight rundown as we circled the DBS Volante, which sat unassumingly outside the dealership in Glendeer Circle.

We learned that this particular roadster was the 16th convertible model produced in the company’s 95-year history.


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