Aston Martin Rapide Concept '2006
Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin has produced truly British luxury sports cars throughout its 100-year history. Founded by Lionel Martin and Richard Bamford in 1913, the company built racing cars and sold road versions in small numbers. It remained little known until 1947, when David Brown bought it along with the Lagonda brand. The combination of a tubular Aston Martin chassis and powerful 6-cylinder Lagonda engines forms the basis for the famous DB series models.
Design Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
“We just wanted to create the most beautiful four-door car ever,” said Marek Reichman, chief designer of Aston Martin, without further explanation. His team managed to come very close to the cherished goal …
Design Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
Today, when the most eminent manufacturers are bowing to the fashion for sports four-door "coupes" one after another, such an Aston Martin was simply obliged to appear. And the Rapide concept was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. The first impression - the handsome DB9 was simply stretched out and punched in an extra pair of doors, and it is not far from the truth. The Rapide is based on the same original VH (Vertical / Horizontal) platform on which both the DB9 and the "small" V8 Vantage are built. Body panels made of aluminum and composite materials are mounted on a spatial aluminum frame.
Design Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
The closest technical relationship of different models is common today, but Rapide and externally literally repeats DB9. The design of the front part has not changed at all (the lighting technology on the diodes does not count), right down to the geometry of the air intakes and ventilation slots. The shape of the profile and sidewalls are also borrowed from the coupe. And in this case, the obvious similarity is a compliment.
Design Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
Retaining the traditional curvature of the sill line and the familiar outline of the Aston Martin body, Reichman masked the rear doors as much as possible (and the emerging triangular scarves on the front ones) and made the long sedan look no worse than the athletic DB9. By the way, as Reichman himself remarked interestingly, if the DB9 is a sprinter who strained before the start, then the Rapide's idea is different, he should become a stayer flying on a long step along the track - the trans-American highway, the German autobahn or the highway along the Cote d'Azur. There the creators see the habitat of their concept.
Design Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
And here's another surprise: The Rapide is not a sedan, but a 5-door hatchback. And Aston Martin is not at all shy about this, moreover, it willingly uses this term in official press releases and recalls that both the modern Vantage and the historic DB2 / 4 from the distant 1952 are also essentially hatchbacks. “If there is room, it’s necessary to provide access to that space, otherwise it’s just not fair,” Reichman reasonably asserts. Incidentally, the Rapide not only has a large fifth door, it also has the rear seats that can be folded down individually.
Under the hood Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
The spaciousness the designer talks about is the result of a 30 cm increase in length compared to the DB9, now 5 m. Clearly, the increase is entirely credited to the rear passengers, who now rely on luxury individual seats instead of "remaining" seats. But it seems that it is still not very convenient to sit on them - the rear doors are rather narrow, it is good that the glass is without frames.
Interior Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
The height of the car has not increased so much (the riders are 4 cm higher), but almost the entire roof area is made up of transparent polycarbonate panels. Other luxury items include almost every detail in the cabin - finished in finely-crafted light leather, natural wood, and polished aluminum. The headrests of the front seats are equipped with multimedia screens, and the rear passengers have control panels for climate control and an audio system at hand. In the trunk there is an exquisite travel bag with a chess set and champagne glasses.
Design Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide
The interior design preserves tradition, but also meets the requirements of the genre: the dashboard is focused on the driver, and the center console is already on the passengers. A remarkable detail - in the center of the large information display, framed by polished buttons and knobs, there is … an analog clock. And not simple ones, but the legendary Swiss brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, which has been developing instrument scales for Aston Martin since 1929.
The fascination with interior space and luxury made the Rapide 140kg heavier than the DB9. But the 5.9 liter V12 added enough power - 30, power reached 480 hp. So in terms of dynamics, the novelty should practically not be inferior to the coupe. For better weight distribution, the ZF Touchtronic transmission (there is no gearshift lever, but there are paddle shifters) has been moved, as in all models with the VH platform, to the rear axle, and the propeller shaft is made of carbon fiber. For the first time, an Aston Martin uses carbon brakes.
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Aston Martin Rapide Concept '2006
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