2010 Aston Martin Rapide - First Drive Review - Car and Driver
Aside from its stunning sheetmetal, you might wonder what all the fuss is about the Aston Martin Rapide. ) But Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez, in a fit of understandable partisanship, insists his car is something unique. he claims the Rapide is “the only four-door sports car in the world. Think of the stratospherically priced Rapide—the base cost is $201,300—as a stretched, four-door DB9, and Bez seems only mildly insane. His point is that the Rapide is a sports car first and a sedan second, unlike other cars in the segment, which he says have all had their styling and dynamics compromised in the name of rear-seat accommodations or comfort. And any arguments that can’t be won by playing the “sports car” card are dismissed by playing up the Rapide’s exclusivity, as annual production will number 2000 or so units worldwide. The engine and transmission in the Rapide are straight from the DB9. If you haven’t already memorized those specs, we’ll repeat them for you. Like the DB9 and the rest of the Aston Martin lineup, the Rapide is based on the extruded-aluminum VH architecture. Lessons learned throughout the development of other Astons have made the Rapide’s chassis the stiffest yet. Source: www.caranddriver.com
