05 October 2009 - 10:00
Video: Aston Rapide does Stelvio
It's been a long wait, but the Aston Rapide is nearly here.
We finally saw the production version of the gorgeous four-door in Frankfurt last month, and now Aston has created a slick promotional video showing the Rapide in testing.
The three-minute clip takes the Rapide from high-speed testing in the UK to the Nurburgring and, finally, to the Stelvio Pass in northern Italy for drivetrain development.
Yes, that's the same Stelvio Pass that Jeremy, James and Richard tackled in their trio of luminous lightweight supercars. Not a bad place to test a couple of boxfresh Rapides, eh?
Just to remind you, here are a few Rapide numbers: it's powered by the DB9's 6.0-litre V12 putting out around 470bhp, and is expected to hit 60mph in around five seconds flat.
The first Rapides will hit the road early next year. What's it going to be, all you well-monied family types? Rapide, Maserati Quattroporte or Porsche Panamera?
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The Panamera look like some sort of mutant.
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Aston first, Maserati second and Porsche last. While the Aston is clearly related to the DB9, it still looks beautiful in 4-door form. The Porsche is either a 911 that got stretched or a Cayenne that got sat on by an elephant. When will Porsche start employing designers that can use something other than tracing paper and a photocopier?
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Whoever filmed this, I want their job. Beautifully filmed and gorgeous cars to boot! wonder if they need a runner?
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Why does it look so much like the Porche? This is ugly aswell. Bring on the 4-door Lambo, NOW!!!
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I saw the Panamera for the 1st time yesterday at Brands. What a deeply ugly car with horrible proportions. From the pics the Aston appears to be a lot better balanced, it will rattle and break down though. I guess that's a price worth paying. Not that I could afford, even the dust caps, on any of 'em
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if i could afford aston martin or maserati them should be my favorite. allthough the maserati is aging she still has a beautiful design porsche is really ugly car i don´t know what wore thinking the porsche designers they should learn from aston martin or lamborghini designers how to build a 4 sportive 4 door
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Personally, I'd have the Jaguar XF-R. It's a load cheaper, reliable, very quick, and very good looking. Okay, not as good as the Aston, but a lot prettier than the Porsche. But I have to admit, that Aston is just breath-taking...
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r u nuts!!!!!!!!!!! how does this look like the porche?????? the back of this car is awesome and the porche is ugly. this car is'nt
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The aston martin Rapide is realy the most beautiful car in the world. Extremely well balanced car. I just looooooove it!
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While the Panamera, Quattroporte and the Rapide are great to drive, I would still have an Audi A8L W12 or an S8. The purpose of a luxury saloon is to be a luxurious car. As for speed, they must accelerate quickly and hold the turns well, without losing their comfort level. Making a car that is a sports car first, and luxury car second fails to fulfill that image.
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@ cardinal_fang: Yeah, because all Astons look entirely different from each other, don't they? And yes i'm being sarcastic. The words "pot", "Kettle" and "Black" come to mind.
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Aston .. no doubt about it
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the est aston might be maybe
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Even though I love the Aston, I'd have to have the Maser, just so I could look like a Mafia guy :D
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An impeccably beautiful Aston, a long and winding 'spaghetti like' road threading around the mountains accompanied by the symphony from the V12 orchestra and you have, quite simply, an almost perfect day. All you need is some beautiful girls along side you in the Aston to complete the 'James Bond' look and turn the day into perfection. It's easily sub-zero. In the DB9 fridge? of course! It's an Aston after all!
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Best looking, British and while not as fast as the panamera its not exactly slow. I wonder what Im going for.
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The point of Astons is there useable sports cars, ie. there practical and reliable RELIABLE! And i dont no where they have got there info from but the Rapide is quicker than a DB9.
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Definitely not the Porsche . . . the Quattroporte, the original four-door supercar, has soul & passion of Italy . . . as for the Aston, Mr.Bond, you're family car is here . . . it's Goldfinger & the DB5 all over again while in Stelvio Pass . . . I'll bet Jeremy is dying to have a go at driving the Rapide up there . . . it's breathtaking . . . don't like the wheels though . . . it makes the them look solid even when standing still . . .
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i'd have one any day just to put me mates in the back and scare the wits out of them.even though i think the bonnets a bit too long,and the headlamps a bit too angular it still looks gorgeous.i bet any money it'd trounce a panamera's lardy posterior on the 'Ring
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Not breaking any speed limits on that pass. And just like Captain Slow, the test driver also have 4-point harness. What a beautiful machine.
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My only problem with the rapide is the rear end its too similar to a V8 Vantage and if im honest the V8 vantage rear end is not that nice. I saw the prototype in geneva and its proportions do not look quite right but thats saying its a dam better job than porsche I sat in one that was for sale for 130grand and if im honest it didnt feel or look it. I would save the money and pay the jag XFR and by a second car aswell like a V8 Vantage or something. Would be better than having an expensive saloon car like that
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Beautiful car - again - they just stretched their old design - So they could have called it V8 Vantage - L? Beautiful, balanced, can agree to all of that - nothing new from Aston Martin since how long? The Panamera looks ugly on pictures - I saw the first yesterday in a parking, rolling by very close. Impressive. Beautiful? hum. They should hire an italian design team. At least its very different to anything on the road right now and polarizing. That´s a very good thing. Its very efficient - loads of space also in the back - you can´t say that from the competitors. Which one would I take? For the every day drive - the Panamera, as the 2nd / 3rd the Vantage
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Watching this reminded me how extraordinary the cinematography is from the Top Gear productions studio. Even Aston struggle to come close to the same quality.
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Well at least it's moved on from literally being a four-door DB9. That would be unoriginal. I like the sharp new front end, although the flattening of the grille looks like the shape of Heinz labels. I think I would cruise and pose in the Maserati - it's a less obvious, and therefore cooler, style choice than the Aston - but I would use the Rapide more to enjoy myself. Best-sounding engine ever! And look at all those wheel spokes! They must be a bugger to clean.
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That's a ridiculously hard choice! The aton is beautiful, and will probably be a lovely thing to drive. Yet the Maserati is quite beautiful, and very good to be in. The Porsche isn't as good looking, but is still a good looker, while probably being the best to drive dynamically. All I can say is: can I get all three?
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Any high-end supercars that have been designed specifically as 2dr. coupes lose their status once 2 back doors are added and I do honestly believe that. It's very lazy and utterly unimaginative and totally unacceptable especially at this price point segment. And yes I'm bagging Aston Martin ( even though it doesn't look half as bad as the Panamera ).
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Very nice car indeed, and nice spot too. Anybody knows the first track of its Soundtrack?
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Well its better looker than the Porsche Panamera for sure.
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Rapide, Quattroporte or Panamera....Theres no competiton. The Rapide is by far the best looking and with Astons V12 from the DBS it will be a great car.
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I think the choice between those four cars for people who can afford them will probably depend not only on your pockets but also on nationality, no question the germans and probably most northern europeans would think the panamera is perfection, the latin countries probably think the maserati has the passion and soul a car could have, but everyone in britain will always have a soft spot for the aston, I know I do, give me an aston, any aston no matter how flawed, and I'll be happy.
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ugly Panamera!
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quoting spoonman comment i agree with you that preference could depend on natyonality. i´m italian and i love the maserati quatttro porte but the aston martin too the only thing that make difference between them is that the maserati has a specific design and the aston is a db9 stretched good looking although i think they could have changed just a little the design
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The Aston is very cool, very beautiful. The Maser is super sexy. The Porsche looks like a turd.
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The Aston is very cool, very beautiful. The Maser is super sexy. The Porsche looks like a turd.
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For someone who doesn't fall under any of the above mentioned nationalities I guess I can be a little objective, *chuckes* So, the Porsche does it for me in this case. May be a little bit uglier than the other two but you won't go wrong with it. Also, I find the Aston to be on the ugly side unlike the Maserati.
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Definitly the Rapide. It's just a very cool car.
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i think this car is fantastic but 470bhp from 6 full litres is not enough. if subaru get 300bhp (probably more when tuned) from an imprezza then this could easily get something like 900bhp from 6 litres. it just makes it that bit better to know that you have more power than one of them ugly rally cars. this looks absolutley stunning
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The Porsche looks better in real life than on photos, but it's still ugly. I'd take the Aston Martin, just because of looks (I'm sure the Porsche will be great to drive, but where's the fun with a paper bag over the head?). Though actually... I'd take a Citroen SM and modernize it.
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Oh, and I'm a German. I still think the Porsche is too ugly to be seen in.
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Aston anytime. I would not buy the Panamera at all, while this generation of Maseratis, while being quite a brilliant one, carries a bit of "between expensive Alfa and cheap Ferrari" flavour.
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that would be amazing as the next bond car.
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i don´t know how german can do a piece of art like mercedes mclaren slr(wonderful) and than do the panamera
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As an owner of a Panamera which is ugly according to many on here .... but quite an awesome machine , tons of presence ... yep id have the aston too ....... but from an accountancy perpsective the panamera lease cost is only slightly higher than an xfr !!! the aston will be way way way beyond ...who pays cash ?
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aston martin have done it 6.0-litre V12 putting out around 470bhp will go like f**k
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i just remembered the lagonda this is sort of its sucessor. the lagonda was a fantastic car if only it worked. id love to buy one and bring it to perhaps germany or japan and get all the electrics wired correctly even today it is a futuristic car
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The porsche may be a good car, but porscches don't have the street prescence that an aston does.
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WELL WELL WELL!!!! FIRST OF ALL, SORRY MASERATI AND PORCHER, JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH. ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE RAPIDE IS " PERFECTION IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME" SO NOW INSTEAD OF "POWER, BEAUTY AND SOUL WE HAVE "RAPIDE, PERFECTION = GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!. LIFE IS SO MUCH BETTER WHEN WE ALL KNOW THAT A CAR CAN BE SO GOOD. I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR A CAR LIKE THE RAPIDE AND I WILL BE IN ENGLAND IN DECEMBER TO TRY JUST THAT!!! EVEN IF IS JUST TO TOUCH IT FOR 1 SECOND.
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I hate to say it but its nowhere near as good looking as a DB9, it may be the paint colour but also that bonnet bulge ruins the delicate lines. Bring on the Estoque, by far the best looking 4 door discussed here.
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Not bad for 4 door saloon, just two questions aston 1. Why was one of the cars on a '58' plate and we only heard from you now and... 2. What is the cost of the damn car?
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Personally i LOVE aston M, they make brilliant cars and the V12 Vantage i mean WOW ! just they cost a tad too much for a girl on £30 a week :L lol
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Personally i LOVE aston M, they make brilliant cars and the V12 Vantage i mean WOW ! just they cost a tad too much for a girl on £30 a week :L lol
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AshHorne commented on this article
05 October 2009
Panamera. The Porsche is a good, fast, luxurious, practical car, as they all are, except the Porsche is also extremely reliable. The Maserati is Italian, so something will break within minutes, and Aston's reputation isn't without blemishes either. The Panamera is definitely the least pretty car there, but personally, I wouldn't mind. It's not exactly dog ugly either.
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