The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante is an absolutely wild piece of kit and Matt Farah recently had the chance to put it through its paces on some mountain roads near Malibu.

As the name implies, the DBS Superleggera Volante is the convertible version of the DBS Superleggera Coupe. In times gone by, removing the roof of a performance car like this would ruin the way it drives. However, that’s not the case with the Aston Martin.

Farah says it feels very taught and rigid, even though the roof of the Coupe does form a structural part of the car, unlike some supercars such as the McLaren 720S which use a carbon monocoque to ensure both the Coupe and Spider variants are equally as stiff. Farah adds that the DBS is beautifully damped and rides over bumps very well.

Watch Also: Aston Martin’s 715HP DBS Superleggera Volante Is A Topless GT That Doesn’t Need To Be Perfect

Then there’s the engine. Like the Coupe, the DBS Superleggera Volante is powered by an absolutely brutal twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V8 that sends its 715 HP to the rear wheels and helps the car hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in as little as 3.6 seconds, 0-100 mph (160 km/h) in 6.7 seconds, and reach a 211 mph (340 km/h) top speed. The engine is so powerful that it doesn’t deploy full torque until fourth gear.

As for the name, well, it’s not entirely accurate. Superleggera means ‘super light’ in Italian, and while that name was appropriate on the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, it is not so fitting on the DBS that weighs 4,107 lbs (1,863 kg) – but we guess Aston thought it’d sound cool for what is an absolutely gorgeous, and capable, supercar.