Aston Martin DB11 Volante – along the Riviera
This is an article about Aston Martin DB11 Volante which was actually supposed to be published several years ago. The photos were taken, the text began to take shape, and the plan was clear. But life got in the way. A motorcycle accident in 2022 put everything on pause, and shortly thereafter, Enliven, the platform where I published my articles before starting CarsCollection.com, was shut down. The article was never finished and was left unpublished. Until now.
There are cars that take you from one place to another. And then there are cars that change the journey itself. The Aston Martin DB11 Volante belongs to the latter category.
There is also another dimension to this. For me, James Bond has always been strongly associated with Aston Martin. Not just as a car in a film, but as part of a larger narrative. A world where elegance, control and a certain self-assuredness characterise everything from the choice of car to the way of travelling. Perhaps that's also why I've personally become a great admirer of him, for reasons that are as much about the feeling as the visual expression. And perhaps that's precisely where the fascination began.
Not in numbers or specifications, but in the feeling of what the car represents. Something more understated than pure performance, yet at the same time stronger in its presence. Then, to drive an Aston Martin yourself along roads like these, with the roof down and the horizon open, becomes in a way your own interpretation of that world.
When I was given the opportunity to borrow a DB11 Volante in connection with a Gran Turismo Event, arranged with Connoisseur Magazine, - this wasn't just another assignment. For many years, I had worked as the head photographer for Gran Turismo Events, which organises events and trips with some of the world's most exclusive sports cars where the experience behind the wheel is central. It became a journey where the car played a bigger role than I had initially intended.
During the trip, it struck me how clearly Aston Martin has positioned its models. While the DB11 Volante is about balance, elegance and long-distance comfort, there is a clear contrast in the brand's more extreme expressions.
In this context, the DB11 Volante becomes almost the opposite. Not weaker, but more nuanced. A car that doesn't try to dominate the experience, but rather refines it.
From Nürburgring to Italy
I picked up the car at the Aston Martin centre by the Nürburgring. Having a DB11 Volante standing there, just a few metres from the Nürburgring Nordschleife, naturally sparks thoughts. A lap would have been tempting. Very tempting. But for insurance reasons, it wasn't permitted to drive the car on the Nürburgring.
Instead, the journey began south. The destination was Viareggio, where the event was due to start, but on the way I met up with Peter Ternström and Björn Lagercrantz from Gran Turismo Events Video Villa d'Este. We spent one night there before heading on to Viareggio. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more fitting hotel for a DB11 Volante, a setting where the car feels completely natural.
Aston Martin DB11 Volante as a tool and an experience
My role during the trip was to photograph, to document the cars, the environments and the people. But the choice of car proved to be decisive. The DB11 Volante not only served as transport but became a tool. With the roof down, it opened up new possibilities. Perspectives that would otherwise have been difficult to capture suddenly became natural. The camera could work freely, the light flowed in, and the closeness to the surroundings gave the images another dimension.
At the same time, there was always that duality. That the car I used as a tool was also an experience in itself.
Along the Riviera
The start was in Viareggio, along the Italian west coast. From there, the journey continued to Monaco with accommodation at Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, classic ground where both the location and the cars gain an extra dimension. The next stop was Portofino and Belmond Hotel Splendido, one of those hotels that are hard to describe without having been there yourself, and one of the finest I've had the opportunity to experience thanks to Gran Turismo Events. The event concluded in Saint-Tropez, where Hôtel Byblos became the final stop.
The entire setup was also signed by Connoisseur, where their readers had priority for the seats. It was a trip that, in retrospect, feels like the definition of modern grand touring.
The pictures and the way home
The photos I took, in addition to being souvenirs for the participants and material for Gran Turismo Events, also became a published article in Connoisseur. On the way home, I made another stop. In Sainte-Maxime, I met up with my friend and colleague, motoring journalist Bengt Dieden. It was there that I did the more straightforward photography of the car, in a calmer setting where the DB11 Volante could take centre stage in a different way than during the pace of the event.
An early chapter in something bigger
At the time, this was a collaboration between Gran Turismo and Connoisseur, a format that would later evolve into what is now known as Gran Turismo Riviera. Being part of it at an early stage gave another dimension. There was a spontaneity to the journey, a feeling that something was taking shape. And in the midst of it all, the DB11 Volante.
When the car becomes part of the story
In retrospect, it's clear that the car was more than just a means of transport or a prop for the photos. It became part of the story. A car that doesn't demand attention, yet still gets it. One that doesn't scream to be the fastest, but defines what a modern grand tourer should be.
Experiencing the DB11 Volante in this manner was something extraordinary, and without a doubt, one of the most powerful driving experiences I've had. The Aston Martin DB11 Volante isn't just built to be driven. It's built for journeys like this.
Facts – Aston Martin DB11 Volante
Price: from approx. SEK 2,100,000 (at launch)
Motor: 4.0 litre V8 petrol engine with twin-turbo
Output: 510 brake horsepower. Torque 675 Nm
Power transmission: Front engine, rear-wheel drive. 8-speed automatic transmission
Top speed: 301 km/h
0–100 km/h: 4.1 seconds
Fuel consumption: approx. 9.9 l/100 km (combined driving, WLTP approximate)
Weight: approx. 1,870 kg
Dimensions (length/width/height): 4,750 / 1,950 / 1,300 mm
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