Although Aston is 84 years old, this is a young business which needs to mature. It’s important that we develop procedures and standards of our own. As far as new models go, the DBS, our Vanquish replacement, isn’t far away and we’ve also approved the investment that will bring the Rapide four-door saloon to market late in 2009.David Richards, founder of Prodrive.
The Aston Martin Rapide name is a reference to the Lagonda Rapide, a 4-door GT car produced from 1961 through 1964 by Lagonda, now part of Aston Martin.
Aston Martin wants the Aston Martin Rapide to reach the market before the Porsche Panamera. This means that the company has less than two
years to engineer and develop the new Aston Martin Rapide, which will line up alongside the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Aston Martin DB9 and a successor to the Aston Martin Vanquish.
The 2009 Aston Martin Rapide will be based on Aston Martin’s unique VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture (the same that will be used for the 2008 Aston Martin DBS). The 2009 Aston Martin Rapide will combine the company’s commitment to power, beauty and soul with space and practicality for every eventuality.
Aston Martin stands for stylistic excellence, market innovation and flexible manufacturing.
The 2009 Aston Martin Rapide will have the same design as the 2006 Aston Martin concepts, but it will use less costly materials for the body and the interior.
The 2009 Aston Martin Rapide will be derived from the Aston Martin DB9 platform and will be powered by the same engine from the DB9. The 5.9-liter V12 will deliver between 450 to 480 hp at 4000 rpm.
Even if the 2009 Aston Martin Rapide will have the same power as the DB9, it will be slower. We have to consider that the Aston Martin Rapide is a sedan, so its top speed will be lower than the one for the coupe. We expect the Rapide to have a top speed of 180 mph and make the 0 to 60 mph in around 5 seconds. Even so, the 2009 Aston Martin Rapide one of the fastest sedans in the world.
It will come with a six-speed manual transmission as a standard, and, as an option, also a paddle-shifted automatic.
The 2009 Aston Martin Rapide will be priced between $160.000 (Aston Martin DB9) and $175.000 (Aston Martin DB9 Volante). It will add another 1,000 to 2,000 cars to Aston Martin’s annual total of 7,000 units. The Aston Martin factory at Gaydon in Oxfordshire will have to be expanded with a new production line and will have to develop new body and paint facilities.
