Frankfurt Motor Show 2009
Aston Martin Rapide
The Rapide has four doors, four adult seats and is the longest car – 5,019mm - in the Aston Martin portfolio. First shown as a design study back at the 2006 Detroit Show, the production car is powered by the marque’s 470bhp V12 engine. Design director Marek Reichman believes the extra length has helped make the car seem more elegant. He explains: ‘it is very difficult to create tension in a shorter car. I think the balance is not to overly stretch it, as it still needs to look compact. This is essentially a small car.’
The Rapide has a low roofline which is very much part of the Aston Martin design language. It features ‘swan wing’ doors that open up and out at an angle to avoid scratching and for easier access.
The cabin is driver-focused but there are some novel ideas practiced at the rear, including openings in the front driver/passenger headrests designed to allow light to peep through giving the impression of extra space.
Reichman describes the Rapide as a long distance runner, a car that is agile in appearance. ‘Agility is about compactness and shrink-wrapping the exterior around its chassis and its architecture, then shrink-wrapping the interior too to maximise space.’
The Rapide will be built in Graz, Austria with first customer deliveries expected in early 2010.
Price: circa £150,000
www.astonmartin.com
The Rapide has four doors, four adult seats and is the longest car – 5,019mm - in the Aston Martin portfolio. First shown as a design study back at the 2006 Detroit Show, the production car is powered by the marque’s 470bhp V12 engine. Design director Marek Reichman believes the extra length has helped make the car seem more elegant. He explains: ‘it is very difficult to create tension in a shorter car. I think the balance is not to overly stretch it, as it still needs to look compact. This is essentially a small car.’
The Rapide has a low roofline which is very much part of the Aston Martin design language. It features ‘swan wing’ doors that open up and out at an angle to avoid scratching and for easier access.
The cabin is driver-focused but there are some novel ideas practiced at the rear, including openings in the front driver/passenger headrests designed to allow light to peep through giving the impression of extra space.
Reichman describes the Rapide as a long distance runner, a car that is agile in appearance. ‘Agility is about compactness and shrink-wrapping the exterior around its chassis and its architecture, then shrink-wrapping the interior too to maximise space.’
The Rapide will be built in Graz, Austria with first customer deliveries expected in early 2010.
Price: circa £150,000
www.astonmartin.com
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cars 30 Sep 2009
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