Newport Convertible Engineering almost wrote the entire book on factory hard –> soft-top conversions. Often completed on a one-off basis — the NCE process has been making almost anything into sunny cabrios for decades.

This includes SUVs and various other unlikely candidates, like the $30,000 Tesla Model S Cabriolet conversion shown below.

But what many of these fantasy builds do not have is the existing Vanquish Volante drop-top sharing similar bones to the Rapide.

This would seem to make the Rapide an amazing candidate for a high-fashion, four-door cabriolet. Something like the Mercedes-Benz Ocean Drive concept. Or, for that matter, the upcoming S550 and S63 AMG Coupes’ soft-top variant coming for 2016.

So how do the proportions and ideas of an OEM soft-top exotic like the Vanquish Volante look on the Rapide?

NCE has some original renderings and info on their site – waiting for an owner to commission the roughly $50,000 (est) conversion.

Car-Revs-Daily.com Renderings –

Aston Martin RAPIDE VOLANTE

Aston Martin RAPIDE Convertible

Car-Revs-Daily.com Renderings –

Aston Martin RAPIDE VOLANTE

Aston Martin RAPIDE Convertible

Car-Revs-Daily.com also took a look at the profile angle of the Vanquish Volante versus the Rapide S. While similar in feel, the designs are quite distinct in some proportions. Namely, the VV has a slightly steeper windshield rake and a lower intake/door-strake than the sedan.

Even so, this might be a very compelling low-volume option for Aston in the future.

Or from NCE today!

Newport Convertible Engineering ASTON MARTIN Rapide S Cabriolet – Renderings

VANQUISH VOLANTE

Newport Convertible Engineering TESLA Model S Cabriolet

NCE will Design & Engineer your Aston Martin Rapide S four door to open-top convrtible, NCE EDITION.

Newport Convertible Engineering is an original design manufacturer (ODM) which designs and manufactures convertible soft tops and hard tops for many attractive convertible vehicles in the world, for instance the open top variants of the Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen, Vovlvo, and many others.

NCE maintains a highly trained staff of designers, engineers and craftsmen dedicated to provide the discerning enthusiast with state of the art convertible designs. Today NCE is a full service supplier and assumes overall resposibility for all functional units of the roof system along with designing and producing ODM convertible tops.
NCE’s ODM convertible tops represents the highest standards of automotive design, quality and craftmanship. By creating unique convertibles of unmatch and detail.
NCE’s ODM roofs meet the highest demans; They defy the most adverse weather conditions, produce very little wind noise at top speed, look good open or closed and are easy to operate.

NCE Custom Convertible Services

NCE designs and engineers soft tops and hard tops for many attractive convertible vehicles in the world. We have been the leading provider of exceptional custom convertible car design for exceptional people throughout the World for 30 years. Offering the most unique convertible designs before you can see them anywhere else in the World.
NCE maintains a highly trained staff of designers, engineers and craftsmen dedicated to provide the discerning enthusiast with state of the art convertible designs. We are committed to providing you with the very best individual service

NCE Durable Convertible

To assure long-term durability, the convertible top at NCE undergoes extensive testing during development, being opened and closed more than 9500 times. Some of those cycles were performed in extreme conditions; temperatures ranging from minus -22° F to 170° F and humidity of up to 95 per cent. And an eight-minute water test consist of almost 7200 gallons of water are hurled at the car in a hurricane-like downpour at a pace of about 900 gallons per minute.
Every NCE Convertible undergoes a water test as it completes assembly.

Addressing another aspect of interior comfort, NCE’s Convertible three-layer top includes liner made of 3/4? foam sandwiched between a German twil weave cloth (topping made using polyester/acrylic blend surface cloth laminated with butyl rubber) outer fabric and an inner reinforcing cotton layer.
Engineers use a sophisticated human-ear mimicking device called the Aachen Head to measure noise levels. NCE’s Convertible achieves a better interior quietness acoustical rating than most other convertible in interior quietness.

For many of our clintes, NCE’s Convertible can be a collector car, something they might keep for generations. So we made sure the tops would retain their quality for a long time.
NCE is your resource to help validate designs and prove test components.

Test miles can be accumulated independently-operated test facilities, as well as on public roads surrounding NCE (The Center). Driving cycles can be duplicated or developed across the country for all terrains and climates. NCE offers 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week operation for fast, safe accumulation of test miles…1,200 miles a day…72,000 miles in less than two months.

http://newportconvertible.com/aston-martin-rapide-s-convertible/