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2010 - 2012 Aston Martin Rapide
After more than 3 years of speculation, the English coach builder Aston Martin unveiled the Rapide - their first four door sedan in the super car maker’s lineup. The Rapide’s engine is the venerable 6.0 Liter V12 lifted directly from the Aston Martin DB9, and makes the exact same 470 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque as the coupe. The fat four door goes from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 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." Updated 01/14/2011: Aston Martin will be launching a series of innovative new films designed to showcase the marque’s four-door Rapide. Part One is now ready for your viewing enjoyment! Updated 01/20/2011: Aston Martin has released today the second part of their new promotional series of films featuring the Rapide sedan. The new video is called "True Power Should Be Shared" and its even more impressive than the first part, so enjoy! Updated 01/27/2011: The third - and a little Bond-esque - episode of the new Rapide promotional film has been revealed by the company. Its message: "Time is precious. Share it wisely in the new four door Rapide." Yes, Aston, we believe everyone should get a turn in the Rapide. Why not send us one and we’ll give it a go? Check out the video to see what we mean. Read more on the Aston Martin Rapide after the jump. Full story 2010 Aston Martin Rapide Nurburgring Edition
 
Aston Martin will return to the legendary Nurburgring 24-hour race on May 15th-16th, 2010 with a racing version of their latest sedan. The Rapide will compete in near-standard specification apart from mandatory changes required to compete in this most demanding of endurance races and will be driven by a team of engineers from the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, England. "The Rapide has the capability to carry four people in comfort but first and foremost it is a sports car and we will subject it to the same tests we would our other sports cars. We already have a proven track record at the Nürburgring racing our road cars with limited modification and in recent years we have enjoyed success in winning the SP8 class both in 2008 and 2009." According to the boys from Aston, the race spec version of the Rapide wouldn’t be too far off of the production version with the only noticeable difference between the two would be the addition of race safety modifications and the elimination of all the interior trims and features found in the production version in an effort to reduce the car’s overall weight. Aston Martin top dog Ulrich Bez stressed the importance of sticking the Rapide in an environment where it can measure itself against other sports cars from competing brands. “This race represents the ultimate final engineering durability test for any sports car – it subjects the car to the toughest possible assessment under public scrutiny,” he said. UPDATE 12/15/10: Our friends over at Autocar have released a short three-minute video of the Rapide Nurburgring Edition. Affectionaly called ’Katie’ by Aston Martin, the Rapide racer was given a brief review by James Corstorphone where he compares Katie the Rapide Racer to a standard Aston Martin road car. Check out the video of the review after the jump. Press release after the jump. Full story First Aston Martin Rapide crashed
Technically, we don’t know if this is the first Aston Martin Rapide that has been crashed since the car was unveiled almost a year ago, but we are absolutely hoping that it is, and that no other Rapides have been cracked and banged before this. The incident happened in Netherlands, near a school in Eindhoven. Although we have no details as to what really happened, the pictures shown here lead us to believe that it wasn’t a horrific display since the Rapide isn’t that damaged. We are guessing that there was a sudden braking scenario and the car behind him just wasn’t fast enough - or was driving too close - to brake in time. Anyone with details on this accident, please drop us an email or comment below. We have no details on what really happened, but the Rapide in the pictures looks pretty less damaged, so we presume nothing bad happened. Most likely something involving a sudden brake and the car behind not reacting in time. If you have more details on this, please let us know! Aston Martin drops Lagonda SUV; plans sedan instead
An Aston Martin SUV? That seemed to be the plan back in 2009 when the company brought back the Lagonda brand with an SUV concept. In 2010, however, the company has decided that the Rapide is the only non-sports car version they will ever develop. It’s probably a good decision considering the Lagonda SUV wasn’t very well-received by the automotive industry when it debuted. So, instead of wasting money on something no one will buy, Aston Martin is going to bring a Lagonda version of the Rapide sedan. It will grow in length in order to offer enough interior space for the rear passenger, and will most likely be more luxury oriented. If we remember correctly, at the concept launch Aston Martin Lagonda Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez said that the future sedan would be "the luxury car of the future, a combination of total usability, a new form and innovative new technology and materials." Sounds promising, but we’ll have to wait about four years to see if they’re right since that is how long it will take Aston Martin to produce the Lagonda Rapide. 2010 Aston Martin Rapide Luxe
Let’s face it, when you say Aston Martin Rapide, you think of a high-end luxury sedan. However, it seems not everyone thinks of it that way. Wait, what? That’s right, Aston Martin themselves have designed an even more luxurious sedan than the Rapide. It’s called the Rapide Luxe and it was just unveiled by Aston Martin UK. The Rapide Luxe provides a combination of highly desirable functional features, a greater choice of paint and leather finishes as standard, and unique features including bespoke accessories. This new edition will be offered with 20” 20-spoke alloy road wheels with a polished finish, full grain leather interior with a choice of colors from the Fast Track or Contemporary ranges, and a luxury entertainment set for rear passengers. This entertainment set includes a 6-disc DVD player, auxiliary input, wireless headphones, and a remote control. Oh, and, of course, unique Rapide Luxe sill plaques. However, what is so special about the Aston Martin Rapide Luxe is that it comes with a bespoke 6 Piece luggage set (in any of the Fast Track or Contemporary leather colors) that can be ordered in the same leather as the entire interior. Video: Aston Martin Rapide in development
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. Four-Door European Saloons: Aston Martin Rapide vs. Porsche Panamera
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. Hit the jump to keep reading. Full story . Aston Martin Rapide gets pinned under a tree
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 Rapide Sports saloon number one gets factory send-off
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. 2010 Aston Martin Rapide by Cargraphic
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. | featured reviews: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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