ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE PHOTO GALLERY

Aston Martin Rapide V12 four-door saloon for Detroit motor show 2006

For the rich and the famous, and the ones who enjoy the legendary understated Britishness of it all, there is Aston Martin. For those among them who have kids, they have the Aston Martin Rapide, scheduled for production in 2008.

5 January, 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

That's about it. It's gonna put you back by $ 250,000, but thats the price for true, family man luxury and performance - not necessarily in that order.

The four-door, four seater Aston martin Rapide will debut at the Detroit Auto Show, less than a week from now.

Like the DB9, with which it shares the platform, the Rapide possesses the same 6 litre engine, with its horsepower upped to 480 bhp from the DB9's 450. That easily takes the four-door supercar within the sub 5 second 0-60 mph category. The car has an automatic gearbox, controlled with a paddle-shifter.

Aston Martin Rapide debut at NAIAS Detroit, USA - Photo Gallery

The V12 Aston Martin Rapide is built on the VH aluminium monocoque platform on which the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage cars are also based. There will be a total of 500 Rapides built over 2008 and 2009, from what we can gather. Rumour has it that the car will easily take the fight to the camp of Porsche which is planning its Porsche Panamera - something that is still only on the drawing board and the fertile imaginations of computer graphics artists who race Porsche Unlimited - Need for Speed when the world sleeps around them.

The Aston Martin rapide is not just an elongated DB9. The photos acompaying this article should make that quite obvious, if you are already familiar with the DB9 lines. The entire shape is freshly designed, though the family resemblance is there in abundance. The Rapide is 250 mm longer and now is a full five meters in length (12 inches longer), and 40 mm taller and wider. 

The extra length and the foldable rear seats mean massive storage area, and there could even be space for two to stretch out, thanks to the rear hatchback.

Considering the extra horses under the hood of the Aston Martin Rapide, it comes with carbon ceramic brakes to bring it to a halt.

That is all for now. We shall bring you more when the car debuts at Detroit. Meanwhile, enjoy the Aston Martin Rapide photo gallery alongside this story.