Aston Martin Rapide

Aston Martin has made two four-door cars over its lifetime—the Lagonda Rapide and the Aston Martin Lagonda. The Lagonda Rapide was introduced in 1961[5] but production ceased in 1966 after just fifty-five units had been manufactured.[6] The Aston Martin Lagonda was introduced in 1974,[7] and production continued until 1990, by which point 645 units had been produced.[8][9] The new Rapide, introduced in 2010 and manufactured until 2020, was the first four-door, four-seater car series produced by Aston Martin.[10][11]

Design work on the Aston Martin Rapide began in 2005 under the guidance of Marek Reichman, whom Aston Martin appointed as the lead design director in May. Before assuming his position as the lead designer, Reichman studied the characteristics of Aston Martin's cars and made numerous sketches for a four-door concept. The Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez gave the brief to Reichman in the same month of his appointment, and work commenced. Reichman, alongside a team of clay modellers, developed the initial project within seven weeks. Between August and December, a team composed of twenty-six engineers led by Reichman and the General Manager of Prototype Operations Ian Calnan, built a full-scale prototype.[12][13][14]

After its completion on 22 December, the prototype debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January.[12][14][15] Aston Martin released the first official images of the Rapide via the Internet on 26 November 2008 and 16 April 2009.[16][17] The Rapide debuted at the 2009 International Motor Show Germany in September.[18][19] The official series manufacture of the Rapide began on 7 May 2010 at the Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria.[20][21]

Aston Martin opted to end its production by Magna Steyr in the middle of 2012, six years earlier than expected. Production temporarily halted in May 2011. Aston Martin, responding to declining demand for luxury saloons and aligning production with reduced sales, reduced annual output from 2,000 to 1,250 in June 2011.[22] In 2012, Aston Martin relocated production of the Rapide to Gaydon, a village in Warwickshire after receiving a £1.6 million funding package from the Regional Growth Fund.[23] The funding was part of an agreement between the British government and private industry to invest £200 million in the economy.[24]

The Rapide's "vertical/horizontal" (VH) platform employs extensive use of aluminium to reduce weight.[25][26] About sixty per cent of its chassis and powertrain—comprising the engine, transmission and much of the front section up to the windshield—is carried over from the Aston Martin DB9, which the initiated of the VH platform.[27][28] Its chassis, bodywork and structure are constructed primarily of extruded and cast aluminium,[14][29] while its roof was created from polycarbonate.[30] The Rapide features Bridgestone Potenza S001 tyres, sized 245/40ZR20 at the front and 295/35ZR20 at the rear.[31] In addition to the DB9, the Rapide's platform is also used by the DBS,[32] Vantage,[33] Virage[34] and Vanquish.[35]

The Rapide is considered both a saloon car[37][38] and a "four-door coupe".[39][2] Its rear window slopes and narrows towards the back and over the rear haunches to increase its sporty aesthetic. But this design compromises rear head and shoulder room, and the rear doors are bulky at waist level.[14] Its rear flanks are wider than those of the DB9, thus smoothening the extended roof design. The rear wings[note 3] and a curvaceous design language prevent the car from being perceived as a stretched version of the DB9.[40]

The Rapide features a tilt-telescoping steering wheel, bi-xenon headlamps, LED tail-lights, leather and walnut wood trim with metallic accents, power front seats with memory and cooling and heating systems. Connectivity features include Bluetooth, satellite radio and USB and iPod compatibility.[41] Other standard features include a sixteen-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with two tweeters that rise from the dashboard on activation of the system. The Rapide became the first Aston Martin model to replace the Volvo-sourced satellite navigation system with a bespoke Garmin unit.[42]

2010 model

2014 Rapide S

The 5,935 cm³ (362.2 cu in) V12 engine, as fitted to the Rapide, produced 350 kilowatts (470 hp) at 6,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and 601 newton-metres (443 lbf⋅ft) at 5,000 rpm, sufficient to give the car a 0–62 mph (100 km/h) time of 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 303 km/h (188 mph).[2][43][44] It featured a six-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission developed by ZF Friedrichshafen, a technology company.[30][44][45] Its front-mounted engine powers the rear wheels.[46][47] Its fuel economy rating was 355 grams per kilometre (20.2 oz/mi), while its average fuel consumption was about 19 miles per US gallon (12 L/100 km; 23 mpg_‑imp)—inefficient.[48]

The "Rapide S" succeeded the Rapide in 2013.[49][50] The upgraded "AM11" V12 engine, as fitted to the Rapide S, produced 410 kW (550 hp) and 620 N⋅m (457 lb⋅ft),[51][49] sufficient to give the car a 0–62 mph (100 km/h) of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 306 km/h (190 mph).[52][53][54] The car's fuel economy rating is 332 grams per kilometre (18.8 oz/mi).[55] The Rapide S received further revisions in August 2014.[54] It featured the "AM29" V12 engine, producing 412 kW (553 hp) and 630 N⋅m (465 lb⋅ft), sufficient to give the car a 0–62 mph (100 km/h) of 4.2 seconds and an increased top speed of 327 km/h (203 mph).[56][57]

In June 2018, Aston Martin unveiled the high-performance version of the Rapide named the "Rapide AMR".[58] The upgraded 5.9-litre engine, as fitted to the Rapide AMR, produces 444 kW (595 hp) and 630 N⋅m (465 lb⋅ft).[59][60] The car includes standard Michelin Pilot Supersport tyres and 21-inch alloy wheels—the largest wheels fitted to an Aston Martin.[61][62] The Rapide AMR features a carbon ceramic braking system with six-piston callipers at the front and four-piston callipers at the rear, featuring 400 mm (16 in) and 360 mm (14 in) brake rotors at the front and rear, respectively.[63] The Rapide AMR can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 4.4 seconds and possesses a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph).[62]

Cutaway of the Aston Martin Rapide E

In October 2015, Aston Martin revealed the concept version of the Rapide E, an electrified version of the Rapide S.[64] Aston Martin, at the 2018 International Motor Show, confirmed that production was slated for the fourth quarter of 2019.[65] Aston Martin debuted the Rapide E at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show.[66] Aston Martin intended to manufacture 155 units at their St Athan, Wales production facility,[67] which would also produce Lagonda's future electric vehicles.[68][69][70] Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) assisted in research and development and supplied its electric system.[68] In January 2020, the Rapide E programme had been cancelled because of the reported upcoming introduction of the DBX; the Rapide E instead served as a "research project".[71][72]

The Rapide E was to be powered by a 65 kilowatt-hours (230 MJ) lithium-ion battery provided by HyperBat Limited, a joint venture between WAE and the Unipart manufacturing group, capable of 800-volt power transfers.[73][74][75] The battery pack was to house 5,600 lithium-ion electric cells,[76] along with two Integral Powertrain electric motors at the rear,[75] driving the car through an Xtrac transmission with a limited-slip differential.[77] A new suspension system was also planned to accommodate the Rapide E's increased kerb weight.[75][78] The combined power output of the two electric motors was to be 449 kW (602 hp) with 949 N⋅m (700 lbf⋅ft) of torque. The Rapide E was projected to accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in less than four seconds with a top speed of 249 kilometres per hour (155 mph). Prototypes underwent testing at the Nürburgring to ensure linear power delivery even under strenuous conditions.[75]

The projected all-electric range for the Rapide E was about 322 kilometres (200 mi) according to the standards of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), with the ability to charge up to 297 kilometres (185 mi) of range per hour on a 400-volt, 50-kilowatt charger.[65][76][73] The Rapide E featured low-drag wheels and low-resistance Pirelli P Zero tyres for maximum efficiency.[75]

The Rapide was criticised for its tight rear seating.

Reviewers and automotive publishers mostly praise the Aston Martin Rapide's exterior and interior, with many describing it as "one of the most beautiful cars" or even the "most beautiful car in the world".[2][21][79][80] A journalist from the newspaper Australian Financial Review described the Rapide as "the prettiest sedan money can buy",[81] while a review from the automotive insurance company RAC Limited noted that the car's design may alone be enough to influence a buyer's decision. They also stated that while its rear cabin was not spacious, as long as occupants were not tall, the Rapide would transport four "with elegance".[82]

The magazine What Car? praised the Rapide's V12 engine, noting that it was one of the largest engines on sale, but described the eight-speed transmission as "less impressive". They also highlighted concerns about the car's handling, noting that "the Rapide [was] unsettled by ruts and bumps at all speeds, while [the] firmer Sport mode simply makes things even more uncomfortable". They also pointed out that the car's large dimensions affected its handling, stating that "despite having nicely precise steering, the Rapide does not feel particularly agile". They complained that its large wheels generated road noise, although wind noise was effectively suppressed.[83]

A Rapide was entered in the 2010 24 Hours of Nürburgring.[84] Drivers included Bez, the journalist Matthew Marsh, Wolfgang Schuhbauer, the company's Nürburgring Test Centre Director, and the engineering manager Chris Porritt. It finished second in the SP 8 class and thirty-fourth overall.[85][86] A Rapide S was entered in the 2013 24 Hours of Nürburgring.[87] Powered by a new technology introduced by Alset GmbH, its hybrid–hydrogen system enables the car to use hydrogen and petrol individually or simultaneously in its internal combustion engine.[88] This Rapide S was the first car to race the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with hydrogen fuel.[89]

• 
  The car that ran at the 2010 24 Hours of Nürburgring
• 
  The car with the hybrid hydrogen system that ran at the 2013 24 Hours of Nürburgring

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aston Martin Rapide.

• Aston Martin website (archived)