The Aston Martin Rapide is a sports saloon car, built by the British marque Aston Martin from 2010 to 2020. It has four doors and four seats. It was first presented as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show in 2006 and the production version was shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
History
The Rapide name is a reference to the Lagonda Rapide, a four-door, four-seater saloon produced by Lagonda, now a part of Aston Martin. The new Rapide is the company's first 4-door fastback saloon since the Lagonda which was discontinued in 1990. The Rapide is based on the DB9 and is underpinned by the Aston Martin VH platform.
The first cars rolled off the production line in May 2010, initially built at a dedicated plant at the Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria. The factory initially planned to build 2,000 cars per year, but production was relocated to England in 2012 after sales did not meet production targets.
Models
Rapide (2010–2013)
Specifications
The Rapide is powered by a V12 engine, generating a maximum power output and torque of . The car is rear-wheel drive and has a 6-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission. The Rapide can attain a top speed of , and can accelerate from 0 to in 5.2 seconds.
Equipment
The Rapide's standard features include a tilt-telescoping steering wheel, bi-xenon headlamps and LED taillamps. Leather and walnut wood trim with metallic accents; power front seats with memory, cooling and heating systems; Bluetooth; satellite radio (US version only); with USB and iPod connectivity. Other standard features include a Bang & Olufsen 16-speaker sound system with two tweeters that rise from the dashboard on activation of the system. The Rapide became the first Aston Martin model to replace the Volvo-sourced satellite navigation system with a bespoke Garmin unit.
Design
The Rapide was designed by stretching the design of the DB9 in order to accommodate an extra set of doors. Aston Martin design director, Marek Reichman has described a thoroughbred race horse as an inspiration, stating that he wanted muscles in the design to be visible through the skin.
The side windows of the car were made to appear like a single unit by using a black B pillar. The roof was designed to be as low as possible so it would mimic the design language of Aston Martin's model lineup. Due to the usage of swan doors and a low roof, the car is difficult for the accommodation of tall people. By comparison, the Porsche Panamera, a competitor of the Rapide, is 2.3 inches taller.
The rear flanks of the car are wider than those on the DB9, thus smoothening the extended roof design. The rear fenders and a curvaceous design language prevent the car as being perceived as stretched. The car makes use of rear lights and diffusers from the Vantage while the front headlamps were originally unique to the model. The front headlamps would also be used on the 2011 Virage, the second generation Vanquish, and the 2013 model year DB9.
Rapide S (2013–2018)
Specifications
The Rapide S succeeded the standard Rapide in 2013. The AM11 V12 engine is upgraded and now has a power output of and torque of . Performance improvements include a top speed of and acceleration from 0 to reduced to 4.9 seconds. Carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 23g/km to 332g/km.
The Rapide S received further revisions in August 2014, for the 2015 model year, including a new, 8-speed Touchtronic III automatic transmission. It now also used the AM29 V12 engine, with a power output of and of torque, resulting in an acceleration of 0 to in 4.4 seconds and an increased top speed of .
Rapide E (2019) In 2015, Aston Martin was reported to be working on an all-electric version of the Rapide. Named Rapide E, it was confirmed to be slated for production in the fourth quarter of 2019, at the 2018 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Rapide E was designed to rival Porsche's Taycan electric saloon.
Aston Martin planned to build a limited series of 155 examples at their dedicated production facility located in St Athan, Wales where future all-electric Lagonda models are to be produced. Williams Advanced Engineering provided R&D assistance in the protype building and testing process with close involvement from interested customers. In January 2020, however, it was reported that the production of the Rapide E had been cancelled.