After more than 3 years of speculation, the English coach builder Aston Martin has finally unveiled the Rapide - their first four door sedan in the super car maker’s lineup. Watch out Porsche Panamera owners, because deliveries of the all new super sedan from Gaydon will begin in early 2010.
The Rapide’s engine is the venerable 6.0 Liter V12 lifted directly from the Aston Martin DB9, and will make the exact same 470 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque as the coupe. The fat four door will be able to go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5.1 seconds and reach a top speed to be estimated at 188 MPH.
The Rapide’s power plant is mated to a six speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission, which offers the ease of a traditional automatic via the push buttons mounted on the dash or a much sportier manual transmission mode with the wheel mounted paddle shifters.
According to the automaker: "There is a real sense of proportion with this car, akin to a tailored suit; the new double grill gives more presence on the road while the iconic signature side strake has been lengthened through to the rear doors to enhance its lateral proportions in a subtle, yet elegant way. The car’s purity makes it look right from every angle."
When the Aston Martin Rapide was introduced to the world at last month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, a lot of people left with high hopes for the new British supercar.
Now it looks like Aston Martin is hard at work to give the people exactly what they want.
The British automaker recently released a new video of the Rapide undergoing a series of high-speed tests at the company’s Mira facility in Warwickshire, England, followed by another run, this time at the world-famous Nurburgring Nordschleife. Finally, the Rapide heads off to the Italian boondocks for another run of powertrain testing.
It’s been a while since we last saw an Aston Martin being taken out for a test run and judging by the video we just saw, it looks like the Rapide is as good as advertised; maybe even better than we all initially thought.
Powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine with a mouth-watering 477 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque, the Rapide is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in just a little over 5 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph.
Even if everyone already knows exactly what to expect from the new four door Aston, and was already know what it will look like, the Prodrive owned automaker has not announced anything saying that the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide is official yet. So whenever another rendering or spy shot of the car surfaces, it is still big news. The all-new Aston Martin Rapide is set to be unveiled sometime in 2010 and will be priced in the $200,000 range.
The Rapide is built on the automaker’s VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture, the same construction as the DB9 and will be powered by a 6.0 Liter V12 engine that will be tuned to deliver a maximum output of 470 HP and a peak of 443 lb-ft of torque. The mighty power plant will be mated to an example of Aston’s Touchtronic automated manual transmission, which provides the functionality of a normal automatic transmission via the push buttons mounted on the dash as well as offering a manual mode that takes full advantages of the wheel mounted paddle shifters.
With the recent – and well-documented – struggles of the auto industry, car makers have been a little more reluctant attending car expos. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Frankfurt Motor Show.
One of the world’s biggest motor shows is expected to draw the best of the best car brands and their latest toys. A line-up of brand-new autos set to be unveiled at the Motor Show includes the Ferrari 458 Italia, the revamped Porsche 911 Turbo, the Mazda MX-5 Superlight, and now, Aston Martin is joining the fun with the highly-anticipated launch of the Rapide.
It seemed like ages ago – three years, in fact – when the Rapide became the talk of the town during the 2006 Detroit Motor Show and despite the long wait, Aston Martin’s new crown jewel is once again expected to be the one of the toasts of Frankfurt.
Aston Martin has also released the price of the Rapide, which is expected to be around £110,000 in the U.K. The car, which some scribes have called the Vantage’s little brother, is about £25,000 cheaper than the car James Bond made famous in Die Another Day. That’s tremendously good news for fans of the Rapide, a lot of who have waited three long years for the car’s official release.
Before its official debut this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the four door Aston Martin Rapide has been caught on the roads of the oil rich country, Kuwait. The Rapide will be powered by the 6.0 Liter V12 lifted directly from the Aston Martin DB9 and will make the exact same 470 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque as Jams Bond’s sports car of choice.
After being caught wearing a black while sitting in a parking lot, the Aston Martin Rapide has been caught in the nude, and let us tell you that it looks even better in white! We will most definitely see the car in a more official setting, when the four door Aston Martin makes its debut in Frankfurt this September.
When it does hit the Auto Show circuit, the Rapide will be powered by the same 6.0 Liter V12 from the DB9, the power plant will still make the exact same 470 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque as in the DB badged Aston Martin. The engine will be connected to one of Aston’s Touchtronic automated manual transmission, which provides all of the easy to use features of an ordinary automatic transmission with race car inspired paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel.
You can expect to see James Bond taking the kids to football practice in an upcoming 007 feature, with the bad guys driving a Porsche Panamera as they battle for four door sports car supremacy.
Even if the English coachbuilder, Aston Martin, has started to pull back the curtain concealing their answer to Maerati’s Quattroporte. The Rapide sport sedan will not make its official debut until September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and go on sale early in 2010. Thanks to a very lucky Aston Martin enthusiast who caught the car completely undisguised in between test runs for sharing their discovery with us. Not much has been revealed about Aston’s new sport saloon, but one thing is for sure, compared to the other new arrival on the four door GT car market, Porsche’s Panamera, the Rapide wins our vote for most style.
The Rapide will be powered by the same 6.0 Liter V12 from the DB9, despite the extra pair of doors, the power plant will still make the exact same 470 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque as in the DB badged Aston Martin. The engine will be connected to one of Aston’s Touchtronic automated manual transmission, which provides all of the easy to use features of an ordinary automatic transmission with racecar inspired paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel.
Ever sine it appeared over three years ago, there have been rumors of Aston Martin’s Rapide receiving V8 and hybrid versions, but as the sedan nears production, Aston is getting wise. The Rapide has always looked like a four-door DB9/DBS, and even Aston is pitching it for its DB9 customers who want a little more room; so now it’s not even going to bother giving the Rapide any other engine than the one from its coupe look-alikes.
Marcel Beci, General Manager for Aston’s European operationstold Autotelegraaf, "There are no plans for the Rapide with a V8 engine. We build the Rapide with an engine, the V12 from the DB9."
Beci would not confirm the power of the V12, but the 6.0-liter unit makes 470 hp in the DB9. We should expect at least that much power (the same engine makes 510 hp in the DBS) when the production car makes its first appearance in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
After showing off the One-77 mockups, V12 Vantage, DBS Volante and Lagonda concept all in Geneva, Aston Martin had us forgetting about the Rapide. Maybe Aston hoped everyone was distracted long enough that it could take the sedan out to its Nurburgring test facilities for a little undisguised fun. Unfortunately from Aston, and fortunate for us, a spy photographer was there to catch the run around the ring.
Although its not great surprise, the Rapide carries more than a passing resemblance to the DB9 and DBS, which will also share a chassis with the sedan. The Rapide will also likely share the 6.0-liter V12 with its coupe siblings. It should have at least 450 hp when the car hits the streets in 2010.
AutoCar seems to have the jump on everyone, and has revealed today the first “official” images of the production version of the Aston Martin Rapide. The look of the car is a little toned down from the concept car, but still carries a lot of the spirit, and is definitely unmistakably Aston.
The super-sedan will use its DB9 sibling for much of its mechanics. The Rapide will use a stretched version of the DB9’s platform and also its utilize the 6.0-liter V12 making between 480 - 500 hp. AutoCar puts the price at £140,000 (about $200,000 at direct current rates), which if true, puts the Rapide between the DB9 and the DBS in Aston’s lineup.
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