Aston Martin Rapide
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| Manufacturer | Aston Martin |
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| Production | 2010–present |
| Assembly | Graz, Austria (Magna Steyr) |
| Predecessor | Aston Martin Lagonda |
| Class | Grand tourer |
| Body style | 5-door hatchback/liftback |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | Aston Martin AM VH platform[citation needed] |
| Engine | 6.0 L V12 |
The Aston Martin Rapide is a four-door, high-performance sport saloon, which British luxury marque Aston Martin introduced in early 2010. It was first presented as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show in 2006. The Rapide name is a reference to the Lagonda Rapide, a saloon car produced by Lagonda, now part of Aston Martin. The car is based on an Aston Martin DB9. The base price for the Aston Martin Rapide is $199,950 (USD)[1] and the first cars were rolled out in May 2010.[2][3]
The Rapide is built at a dedicated plant at the Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria. Production began in 2010 and the factory plans to build 2,000 per year.[4] The concept car version featured a full-length glass roof and LED light bars on the rear end, two firsts for Aston Martin. The glass roof was not carried through to production.
It is the spiritual successor to the Aston Martin Lagonda, the company's previous four-door saloon, which was discontinued in 1989 — 21 years before the Rapide's launch.[5]
For luxury and convenience, the Rapide's standard features include a tilt-telescoping steering wheel, bi-xenon headlamps and LED taillamps. Leather and walnut trim are standard, with metallic accents; power front seats with memory, cooling and heating; Bluetooth; satellite radio (US version only); and USB and iPod connectivity.[6] The Rapide comes, as standard, with a Bang & Olufsen 16 speaker sound system with two that rise from the dashboard on activation of the system. The production version of the Rapide was shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.[7]
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[edit] Specifications
- Unit price: $199,950 (USD)
- Engine: 6.0 L V12
- Power: 470 bhp (350 kW; 477 PS)
- Torque: 443 lbf·ft (601 N·m)
- Transmission: Six-speed Touchtronic
- Drivetrain: RWD
- 0-100 km/h (62 mph): 5.3 seconds
- 0-60 mph (97 km/h): 5.0 seconds
- Top speed: 188.5 mph (303 km/h)[4]
[edit] Production
Aston Martin opted to end production by sub-contractor Magna Steyr in the middle of 2012, six years earlier than expected. Production of the car was also halted temporarily in May 2011. In the face of a diminishing market for luxury sedans, and to match output to shrinking sales, Aston Martin has to cut annual production from 2,000 to 1,250 in June 2011 - and may go as low as 500 annually.[8]
[edit] Motorsports
A Rapide was entered in the 2010 24 Hours Nürburgring. Drivers included Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez. It finished second in the SP 8 class.[9]
[edit] Media
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[edit] References
- ^ "Aston Martin Announces Pricing for the Rapide". Automoblog.net. http://www.automoblog.net/2009/12/07/aston-martin-announces-pricing-for-rapide/.
- ^ Media announcement on official website, 7 May 2010
- ^ Pal Tan First Aston Martin Rapide rolls out from Austrian factory at PaulTan.org, 10 May 2010
- ^ a b Vaughn, Mark (24 August 2009). "Desert Shakedown". AutoWeek (Detroit, Michigan: Crain Communications Inc.) 59 (17): 27. ISSN 0192-9674.
- ^ "Aston Martin Lagonda (1978–1989) | Buying Guide | Buying | octane". Classicandperformancecar.com. 31 December 2008. http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/buying/octanebuyingguide/223098/aston_martin_lagonda_19781989.html. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
- ^ "First Drive: 2010 Aston Martin Rapide". MotorAuthority.com. http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1042291_first-drive-2010-aston-martin-rapide/.
- ^ "Aston Martin Officially Unveils the Four-Door Rapide". Automoblog.net. http://www.automoblog.net/2009/09/15/aston-martin-rapide-unveiled/.
- ^ Rendell, Julian (2011-06-16). "Rapide production cut back". AutoCar. http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/Allcars/257734/.
- ^ Rusz, Joe (August 2010). "American Cars rule in European GT Racing". Road & Track 61 (12): 107.
[edit] External links
- Official Press Release Detroit, 2006
- Official Press Release Graydon, 7 May 2010
- Official Rapide Page
| Aston Martin and Lagonda road car timeline, 1948–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Owner | David Brown Limited | William Wilson | Sprague & Minden | Pace Petroleum & Gauntlett | Gauntlett & Livanos | Gauntlett, Livanos & Ford | Ford | Richards, Sinders, Dar, Adeem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City car | Cygnet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Limited Run |
DB4 GT Zagato | V8 Zagato | DB7 Vantage Zagato | V12 Zagato | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DB AR1 | One-77 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Super Grand tourer | SWB | V8 Vantage | Virage Vantage | V8 Vantage | V12 Vanquish | DBS V12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand tourer | V8 | Virage | V8 | Virage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DB4 | DB5 | DB6 | DB7 | DB9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DB1 | DB2 | DB2/4 | DB Mk III | DBS | Vantage | V8 Vantage / | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luxury saloon | 2.6-Litre | 3-Litre | Rapide | Lagonda | Rapide
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