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Automotive Industry
AUTOS: Aston Martin Debuts 4-Door Rapide
British automaker's first four-passenger car in two decades boasts performance and roomy interior.
SPEED Staff  |  Posted September 18, 2009   Frankfurt (GER)
Aston Martin calls the newly released Rapide its first four-door sports car. (Photo: Aston Martin)
Aston Martin introduced its first four-door luxury car in 20 years at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, based on the concept car shown at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006.

The sporty Rapide, which the British automaker calls its “first four-door sports car,” is powered by a 470-horsepower V-12 coupled with a specifically tuned six-speed Touchtronic 2 a
utomatic transmission.

Marek Reichman, Aston Martin's director of design, described the all-aluminum Rapide as a lithe “long-distance runner,” compared with the sprinter-like poise of the V8 Vantage and the muscularity of the DBS.

“We wanted to make the most beautiful four-door sports car in the world,” Reichman said.

Rapide employs “swan wing” doors that rise up and outward, and the four-passenger car boasts a pair of roomy and well-trimmed rear seats, according to Aston Martin.

“The Rapide will be the most elegant four-door sports car in the world,” said Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin. “In 2010, there will be an Aston Martin for every type of sports car customer regardless of the demands of their lifestyle.”

Rapide will be built at a new production facility in Graz, Austria, closely modeled on the automaker’s main Gaydon factory, managed by the acclaimed vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr and co-ordinated by a team from Aston Martin.

Rapide is expected to be available worldwide in early 2010.

“Rapide is the culmination of the Aston Martin range of sports cars, a car that seals the revival of a truly admired marquee,” Bez said. “With Rapide, the entire family can enjoy their Aston Martin together in unison, in an invigorating yet comfortable environment, sitting low, with plenty of visibility from every seat and with new levels of comfort, refinement and entertainment.”
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