Aston Martin
Short-Chassis Volante

Why it matters

With only 37 made, the Short-Chassis Volante is the lowest-production convertible Aston Martin and the first open Aston to carry the Volante name. It combined the DB5's shorter wheelbase with DB6 styling details.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante (Wikimedia Commons: Paris - Retromobile 2014 - Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis Volante)
  Photo: Thesupermat · CC BY-SA 3.0
• Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante (Wikimedia Commons: Paris - Retromobile 2014 - Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis Volante)
  Photo: Thesupermat · CC BY-SA 3.0
• Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante (Wikimedia Commons: Paris - Retromobile 2014 - Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis Volante)
  Photo: Thesupermat · CC BY-SA 3.0
• Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante (Wikimedia Commons: Paris - Retromobile 2014 - Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis Volante)
  Photo: Thesupermat · CC BY-SA 3.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

When DB6 production began in October 1965 the factory still had 37 unused DB5 chassis, which became an interim convertible. Factory man Kent Monk named it the Volante. The cars used the all-alloy twin-cam 4.0-litre straight-six, originally rated at 282 bhp at 5,500 rpm, with a ZF five-speed gearbox, on a 98-inch wheelbase shorter than the DB6's.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Chassis numbers use the DBVC prefix (the first car kept its DB5C number). The cars have DB6-specification quarter bumpers on all four corners, a taillight treatment unique to the model, the first 'Volante' logo on the boot lid and Connolly leather stitched in the DB6 V-pattern. An 'N' suffix indicates factory air conditioning.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   DB6 Level A Aston Martin Lagonda

   • The last thirty-seven DB5 chassis were used ... Volante

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   RM Sotheby's lot catalogue: 1966 Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante (Amelia Island 2017) Level B

   • 37 made

   Accessed 2026-11-11
3. 3
   1966 Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante, Monaco 2012, lot 344 Level C RM Sotheby's

   • race-proven all-alloy, twin-cam straight-six powerplant
   • in original 4.0-liter form
   • 3,995 cc DOHC alloy inline six-cylinder engine
   • triple SU carburettors
   • originally rated at 282 brake horsepower at 5,500 rpm
   • 282 brake horsepower at 5,500 rpm
   • An original ZF five-speed transmission
   • ZF five-speed transmission
   • independent front suspension with upper/lower A-arms, coil springs and anti-roll bar
   • live rear axle with Watt linkage, radius rods and coil springs
   • four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes
   • dual-system Girling hydraulic disc brakes on all corners
   • Rack-and-pinion steering
   • wrapping the panels around an open lattice of small-diameter steel tubing
   • Wheelbase: 98 in.

   Accessed 2026-11-12