The most eagerly anticipated car by Aston Martin of New England has just been unveiled to the world at the 63rd Frankfurt Motor show. Aston Martin has been talking about this new four door, called Rapide, for quite some time. We’ve been following its progress since 2006 to be exact. We’ve already started to hear from the lucky people who have been privileged enough to see the Rapide in the flesh and the raves are all about its’ elegant design and Aston Martin’s fantastic attention to detail
Here are some of the quotes from Frankfurt.
“For once the PR hype is right -- the first production Rapide, unveiled at a private party the night before the first press day at the Frankfurt Show, looked damned elegant...” (Motor Trend, 15th September) “The Rapide brings Aston Martin back into a segment in which it hasn’t competed for nearly two decades and does so with utter grace.” (Car & Driver, 15th September) “...drop-dead gorgeous Rapide 4-door...” (Road & Track, 15th September)Aston’s first four door production car is designed to be just as elegant, and sporting as their current DBS, DB9 and Vantage models, but will be able to carry four adults in comfort, and style like no other. Features like the 1000 Watt Bang & Olufsen BeoSound, the optional rear seat entertainment system, and hand trimmed individual rear seats that are air both conditioned & heated. The Rapide will feature a 301 liter capacity trunk, and with the rear seats that fold with a touch of a button, luggage capacity will be increased to 750 liters!
The Rapide will be powered by Aston’s famous 6.0 liter V-12, front mid-mounted engine creating 470 horsepower, and 443 lb ft of torque at 5000 RPMs. The transmission will be the fully automatic, Touchtronic II, paddle shift transaxle that we have in our DB9 models. For those of you who do not know, Aston’s Touchtronic II transmission is a perfect blend of a smooth shifting automatic when you’re in traffic, or the excitement of manually going up and down through gears when the road conditions are appropriate.
Now you no longer need to leave your Aston Martin (or kids) at home when you need to unwind and take that long therapeutic road trip!!
Pricing will be announced shortly.
Here are some technical details of the new Rapide:
BodyFour door body style with 4 individual seats.Extruded bonded aluminum VH body structureAluminum, magnesium alloy and composite bodyExtruded aluminum door side impact beamsSingle bi-xenon headlamps EngineAll alloy quad overhead cam 48 valve 5935cc V12Front mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel driveCompression ratio 10.9:1Max Power 470 bhp at 6000 rpmMax Torque 443 lb ft at 5000 rpmAcceleration 0-60 mph in 5.1 Max Speed 188 mph (predicted)TransmissionRear mid-mounted ‘Touchtronic 2’ six-speed gearbox with electronic shift-by-wirecontrol systemAlloy torque tube with carbon fiber propeller shaftLimited slip differentialFinal Drive Ratio 3.46:1SteeringRack and pinion, Servotronic speed-sensitive power-assisted steering, 3.0 turns lock to-lockWheels & tires20” alloy wheelsFront Bridgestone Potenza 245/40 R20Rear Bridgestone Potenza 295/35 R20SuspensionFront Independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs,anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampersRear Independent double wishbones with anti- squat and anti-lift geometry, coilsprings, anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampersAdaptive Damping System (ADS)BrakesFront Dual cast brake discs 390mm diameter with six piston calipersRear Dual cast brake discs 360mm diameter with four piston calipersDynamic Stability Control (DSC)Anti-lock braking system (ABS)Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)Traction ControlHydraulic Brake Assist (HBA)Positive Torque Control (PTC)Electronic Park Brake (EPB)DimensionsLength 197.6”Width (including mirrors) 84.3”Height 53.5”Fuel Capacity 90.5 litersKerb Weight 4299 lbInteriorFull grain leather interiorWalnut facia trimIridium Silver centre console outer finish and Graphite inner finishAuto-dimming interior rear-view mirror with garage door opener Electrically operated front seatsMemory front seats and exterior mirrors (three positions)Dual stage driver and passenger front airbagsFront occupant side airbagsHead protection airbags for front and rear occupantsHeated front and rear seatsHeated rear screenAutomatic front and rear temperature controlOrganic Electroluminescent (OEL) displaysLED map lamps and ambient lightingTrip computerCruise controlHard Disk Drive (HDD) satellite navigation system1,2Bluetooth telephone preparation1Satellite radio system (USA only)Powerfold exterior mirrorsFront and rear parking sensorsTire pressure monitoring1Alarm and immobilizerRemote-control central door locking and boot releaseBattery conditionerTracking device (UK only)3Boot mounted umbrellaIn Car Entertainment1000 W Bang & Olufsen BeoSound audio system with ICEpower® technologyIntegrated Apple iPod® connector4USB connector with Waveform Audio Format (WAF), Windows Media Player (WMA)and MPEG (MP3) audio file compatibility3.5 mm auxiliary input socketOptionsCooled front and rear seatsTwin screen rear seat entertainment system with 6-disc DVD player, auxiliary input,wireless headphones and remote controlAlternative facia trim finishes – Mahogany, Piano Black, Bamboo, Tamo Ash, BirdsEye Maple, Olive Ash Burl, Double Apex AlloyMatching wood door trimColor-keyed steering wheelSecond glass keyMagnum silver rear lamp infillsDelete model badgingDelete protective tape20” alloy wheels with graphite finish20” alloy wheels with polished finishAlternative brake caliper finish – black, red, silverPersonalized sill plaquesAlarm upgrade (volumetric and tilt sensor)Tracking deviceFirst aid kitAshtray and Cigar Lighter
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