2010 Aston Martin Rapide
About three years ago, Aston Martin unveiled a concept version of a luxury sedan which was called the Rapide. Today, that car finally made it to a production version. Designed to compete with the Porsche Panamera, it’s expected to be the most expensive and exclusive luxury sports sedan on the market when it’s hits dealership lots.
Before we get into the details, we want to point out that this car will be the first Aston Martin ever to be built outside the United Kingdom. This is due in part to a partnership with Magna Steyr.
The Rapide will have a hand-built 6.0-litre V12 engine that outputs 470hp and 443 pound-feet of peak torque at 5,000 rpm. It is capable of going from 0-60 in just under 5 seconds, and has a top speed of 180mph. It also carries the six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission, allowing a driver the ability to change gears automatically or manually by the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.
Currently Aston Martin has plans to only produce 1,000 – 2,000 of these per year, compared to the original plan of only 500. The hefty price tag for this car: around the $200,00 range. Not bad for a car that can beat some Porsche’s off the stop lights, but still have plenty of room in the back for that trip to the grocery store.
Pictures
September 15, 2009
Car News