Aston Martin DB12 Volante

671. That's the number stamped on the DB12 Volante's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, a figure that would have seemed implausible for a soft-top Aston a decade ago, and yet here it sits, delivered with the kind of composure that suggests the engineers were more concerned with manners than bragging rights.

The roof folds away in under fifteen seconds, quietly, at up to 32 mph, which tells you something about how this car intends to be driven — with the wind present but never intrusive, the cabin trimmed in leather that's been considered rather than merely fitted. Push through the gears and the eight-speed automatic shifts with the sort of assurance that comes from restraint, not urgency; there's real violence available under your right foot, but the DB12 Volante would rather you discover it gradually, on a road that deserves it, than have it announced at every stoplight.

British reserve, in automotive form, usually means holding something back. Here it means having far more than you'll ever need and choosing, most of the time, not to show it. Open the roof, settle the cabin around you, and let the V8 do its talking at a volume of its own choosing.