Aston shows new four-seat cruiser
Will the Rapide beat Porsche's Panamera to market?
Aston Martin Rapide
Four seats and doors and a 450bhp+ V12 form the core package of Aston's new Rapide, which could be in production by 2008. It uses a stretched version of the VH aluminium monocoque platform on which the DB9 and V8 Vantage are based and, even though it's only a concept so far, it could beat Stuttgart's four-door Panamera, due out in 2009, to market.
Motive power for the 1,900Kg Rapide will come from the same motor found in the DB9, uprated from the earlier car's standard 450bhp to 480bhp. The quad-cam V12 will sit in the nose and drive the rear wheels through a rear-mounted, paddle-shift controlled auto 'box.
The car looks to be some five metres long, about 300mm longer than the DB9, and about 40mm higher and wider than the DB9. According to Autocar, the car's creator, designer Marek Reichman, rear access and packaging have given ground to the need to create a shape that's low and sleek.
Just when you thought that Aston would be settling back and counting the pennies from pent-up demand from the DB9 and V8 Vantage, instead it's proved the versatility of the VH platform, and the speed with which it allows the Ford subsidiary to produce new models.
If produced, the Rapide, will cost some £160,000 and be produced at a rate of some 500 a year -- about 10 per cent of Aston's planned total production volumes.
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Come on now Jeremy - err, Michael - behave!
Nice, very nice. Lambo has to come with a damn good Espada to beat this . . .
'Just trading in the 575. Glorious, but I need (a) some kind of seat in the back for the children, and (b) something slightly more suitable for the slog up and back to the country. Budget £150k max.'
Makes sense . . . I noticed the F-word on the Beebs TG-article . . .
One of my favourite classics
I've seen the pictures of this thing and I can't be the only one who thinks it's a bit, well, uninspired, in that they've given the DB9 four doors and a different name. They did the same thing with the Virage Lagonda in the nineties and absolutely no-one noticed.
IMO it needs its own Lagonda identity. They could take inspiration from this for a start:
>> Edited by Twincam16 on Wednesday 4th January 10:25
Twincam16 said:
Rapide - should really be a Lagonda then methinks.
I've seen the pictures of this thing and I can't be the only one who thinks it's a bit, well, uninspired, in that they've given the DB9 four doors and a different name. They did the same thing with the Virage Lagonda in the nineties and absolutely no-one noticed.
IMO it needs its own Lagonda identity
I 'd agree with that. Lagonda Rapide got a nice ring to it.shadytree said:
Rapide - should really be a Lagonda then methinks.
I've seen the pictures of this thing and I can't be the only one who thinks it's a bit, well, uninspired, in that they've given the DB9 four doors and a different name. They did the same thing with the Virage Lagonda in the nineties and absolutely no-one noticed.
IMO it needs its own Lagonda identity
Exactly - it had a nice ring to it back in 1964 when AML produced the Rapide as a four-door version of the DB4 with a different front end:
www.astonmartins.com/db4_5_6_s/lagonda_rapide.htm said:
This DB4 based four door sporting saloon was launched in the Autumn of 1961. Heavy (1,715kg), expensive (£4,950) and available only to special order, a meager 55 cars were built during it's three year life. Despite it's odd-ball looks, at least 48 cars still exist, an incredible rate of survival as the cars approach 40 years old.
From these views of a German registered car, the styling links to the DB4 are there, especially to the rear. The front, on the other hand, reminiscent of a Ford Edsel perhaps, has a horse shoe shaped grille, badly copied from a Bugatti.
TC, 1961 . . . and bringing the Lagonda-name back - again - will be confusing. IMO this Rapide seems a logical step and a smash in the face of Rari, Maserati, Porsche, future Espada and Beemer / Merc . . .
And gawd does it look nice.
Four-door Aston Martins have always been Lagondas ever since the merger in the '40s. We've had the Lagonda Rapide, the 'wedge' Aston Martin Lagonda, the Lagonda V8 (very rare 4-door version of the '70s AMV8), the Virage Lagonda and a concept car, the Lagonda Vignale.
The company is still called Aston Martin Lagonda ltd - why not use that facet for its saloons instead of having everyone wonder what on Earth the 'L' bit stands for.
Aston Martin Lagonda Rapide - sounds great alongside Bentley Continental Flying Spur, both long names that you don't have to write on the bootlid.
Yep, Maybach has not been a success - they are currently running well under half the modest production numbers they initially expected.
I have to say, as gorgeous as the DB9 is, this piece is lazy. It's just the same coupe styling with a couple of extra doors thrown in. Would have been nice to have seen some original thinking.
oagent said:
I would like to see anyone taller than the size 8, 5'5 model fit in the back.
Not another damn paddle shift. Lets just hope if they go ahead with this idea they use a real auto box as Maserati should have done.
DB9 does use a real Auto box, the best one at that, the ZF 6spd as used by BMW/Jag/LR etc, just with sports shift fuctionality
williamp said:There were 7 Aston Martin Lagondas built in the mid-70's (1974-76) that were based on the AMV8, there were beautiful cars. I've got pictures in my books but I've been looking for a picture on Google but can't fine one. Rich...
The Lagonda Vignale is the car they should be building...
richb said:
There were 7 Aston Martin Lagondas built in the mid-70's (1974-76) that were based on the AMV8, there were beautiful cars. I've got pictures in my books but I've been looking for a picture on Google but can't fine one. Rich...
I think this car (number 4) is local to me - I certainly saw it parked at the side of the road the other day.
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