Aston Martin Short Chassis Volante
The Short Chassis Volante (also known as the Short Wheel Base (SWB) Volante) was the first Aston Martin to be called an Aston Martin Volante, 'Volante' meaning 'Flying' in Italian. As it was the first Aston Martin to be called a 'Volante' any 'drop-head' version of the DB4 and DB5 series should therefore be called a 'Convertible' and not a 'Volante',
| Aston Martin Short Chassis Volante | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Aston Martin Limited |
| Production | 1965–1966 (37 produced) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Grand tourer |
| Body style | 2-door roadster |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 3995 cc Tadek Marek I6 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Aston Martin DB5 |
| Successor | Aston Martin DB6 |
The car is a cross between the DB5 (same chassis) and DB6 (bumpers, rear church/TR4 lights, oil cooler, leather stitching), but is closer to being a DB5. Only 37 cars were ever built, being constructed on the last DB5 chassis, between October 1965 and October 1966. Calling it a "Short Chassis" is a bit of a misnomer; it is a unique Aston model. The "short" comes from comparing it to the subsequent DB6, which has a longer chassis. When compared to the DB5, it is not "short" but rather the same size.