With the first Aston Martin Rapide customer cars just under a year away, Aston has released a handful of details about its eagerly anticipated four-door saloon.
The Rapide will use a revised version of Aston's hand built 6.0-litre V12 engine, delivering 470bhp and 442lb ft of torque, placing it on par with the DB9. Power will be transferred to the road through a six-speed ZF automatic gearbox equipped with Aston’s Touchtronic control system.
No official performance figures have been revealed by the company, but expect the Rapide to reach 60mph a few tenths slower than the DB9 thanks to its increase weight. Based on a stretched DB9 platform, the Rapide is likely to weigh a hefty 1900kgs, and will have a much higher profile than the DB9 in order to accommodate full-sized adult passengers.
In addition to the Rapide being the first four-door modern production line Aston, it will also be the first Aston model built outside of the UK. Aston Martin announced last year that it was to partner with Austrian manufacturer Magna Steyr. A new production facility is being built in Graz to cope with the annual production run of around 2000 units.
A full production car will be unveiled in September, after Aston Martin has fine-tuned the car at is Nürburgring Test Centre. Sales will start at the beginning of 2010 at an estimated price of £140k.
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