The Aston Martin Rapide is the English super car maker’s entrant into the four door high luxury segment market. The Rapide features a unique passenger arrangement and a pair of rear doors. Originally introduced as a concept at the 2006 NAIS in Detroit, a further refined Rapide production concept debuted at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show with road going versions released in early 2010. The Rapide is powered by Aston’s 6.0 Liter V12 lifted directly from the DB9, and makes 470 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque just like the coupe, not to mention that it will take the $200,000 super sedan from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5.1 seconds and reach a top speed estimated to be around 188 MPH.
The Aston Martin Rapide was debuted back in 2006 at the North America International Show (NAIS) with many people oohing and aahing over the clean and sleek design of the supercar. You would think that after such a remarkable reception, Aston Martin would jump at the chance to produce this vehicle and give everyone just what they were drooling over. That was not the case. It took Aston Martin four years to come out with a production model and now we get to see what transpired over those four years in a video that is only three minutes long.
To be honest, the video is not that great. The stages of development that are showed are not exhilarating or telling in any fashion. What the video is good for is a few shots of the beautiful Rapide as it coasts down the road. If you are looking for a Mulsanne type documentary, this video simply isn’t for you. If you are looking to see the gorgeous Rapide travel along some roads, then watch on.
The Aston Martin Rapide comes with a 6.0 Liter V12 engine lifted directly from the Aston Martin DB9. It 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.
It seems there has been a wave of sickness that has swept over Europe. It’s not the disease-ridden kind of sickness, but it’s still rather interesting. Where as the United States has been working on making their supercars faster, the Europeans have been hard at work making their high performance cars more practical.
There is nothing wrong with practicality, but it’s certainly not the new speed. Power, beauty, and performance are three things that matter more to us than practicality. Sure the Lamborghini Gallardo Balboni doesn’t have rear seats or all-wheel drive, but it’s still bloody fun to drive and that makes us happier than any backseat could.
Yet, for some that isn’t enough. Porsche was the first to catch the disease and it has really affected them quite badly. Worse than others in fact. Their first go at a practical vehicle was a bit too tall, long, and very out of place. Imagine Land Rover creating a sports car and you’ll get the idea here. It was called the Cayenne and it must have been a ’real’ illness that made them think it looked remotely good.
Now we have the Panamera and, sadly, the same thing has occurred, just in a smaller and easier to swallow dose. It doesn’t look great, but it does offer insane performance with room in the back for two full sized people.
Aston Martin decided to follow the German lead with the Rapide. This is their first practicality attempt in quite some time and initial impressions are very good indeed. This car looks the part, but does it drive as well as the Panamera. We’re about to find out.
The force of Mother Nature is both unpredictable and devastating. And when you’re caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, well, things like this could happen.
The devastating hailstorm that wreaked havoc in the Midwest damaged a lot of property and injured a lot of people, but what really caught our attention is this Aston Martin Rapide that was sitting in the parking of the Midwestern Automobile Media Association. Unfortunately for the owner of the Rapide, he parked his super car directly in front of a tree, which, as a result of the hailstorm, snapped and fell on its hood. The only redeeming factor in this is that it wasn’t that big of a tree that fell, but either way, the damage is still significant enough to cost a ton of money in repairs.
Aston Martin celebrated an important milestone in the company’s history when the very first Rapide sports car was rolled out of the brand’s very own Rapide Plant in Graz, Austria.
According to Aston Martin, the new Rapide, which made its debut as a concept car back in 2006 at the Detroit Motor Show, will be available in a number of the company’s 125 showrooms covering over 34 countries all over the world. Prices for the four-door sports car are $199,950 in the US and around £139,950 in the UK.
Despite the three-and-something-year-wait for the road version of the Rapide to become more than just a pipe dream, fans of Aston Martin have already voiced their excitement with the release of the company’s latest toy. So, while the price tag may be steeper than most, expect the Rapide to post strong sales numbers in the months after the car hits dealerships all over the world. The wait sure has been worth it.
After three years of waiting for the Aston Martin Rapide’s arrival, most of us were pretty impressed with the car’s sleek, proportioned look. The English coach builder put a lot of thought into the lines and dimensions of the car that would make everyone forget about the 4-door Lagonda that was the saloon for Aston Martin during the mid-seventies to late-eighties. Of course, not everyone could appreciate the new 4 door just as it was and that is why Cargraphic has merely whispered a few changes into the Rapide to tweak its near-perfect status.
Cargraphic began the Rapide’s minimalistic transformation with a tail diffuser, wing mirror caps, and a spoiler at the front apron. Then they added a remote-controlled, high-grade, steel flap exhaust with a polished shield. Exhaust counterpressure is lowered by adding a 200 cell catalyst. This system enables the Rapide to produce a few more horsepower, although we assume, since the number is not mentioned, that it is by an insignificant amount.
Finally, Cargraphic replaced the current tire setup with their very own 21 inch light alloy rims surrounded by 255/35R21 tires in the front and 295/30R21 tires in the back. Additional rim designs are available in 20 and 22 inch options with the GT, I-10, and SPORT.
The modest changes in the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide aren’t something to go crazy about, but if one was looking for a Rapide that promotes a tad more style and function then this would be the way to go.
