Aston Martin Rapid. Full-fledged sports 4-seater
Aston Martin Rapid is a luxury S-class sports car from the British automaker Aston Martin, produced since 2010. It is the world’s only 4-door 4-Seat sports car. It has a coupe body, front-engine layout, and rear-wheel drive. You could buy the second generation of this unique sports liftback in Israel in 2020.
First generation
It was produced from 2010 to 2013. Marek Reichman was the chief designer of the new sports car. The first Rapide was built on a modified platform of the Aston Martin DB9, the DBS was also built on this platform. The Rapide has become larger and longer by 290 mm in contrast to its ‘brother’, but, at the same time, it is not much heavier at just 190 kg. This is possible due to the use of lightweight materials and the Aston Martin VH vertical-horizontal construction system, a space industry technology that uses bonding rather than welding of aluminum. This system was used by the company until 2016.
Approximately 50 Rapide prototypes have been rigorously tested to verify quality standards. There was high-temperature resistance testing among them. It was held in the ill-reputed territory in Kuwait, sometimes nicknamed the Death Valley. The air heats up to 50 degrees Celsius there. A car was placed in a refrigerator with a temperature of -40 ° C in Sweden. And the dynamics of the car was tested on the famous Nordschleife track.
The front 6-liter V12 engine produced 477 hp at 6000 rpm and 600 Nm of torque. The acceleration time from 0 km/h to 100 km/h was 5.3 seconds. The engine was developed by Aston Martin engineers and assembled by hand at the Cologne plant. The appearance of the first Rapide was distinguished by a knocked down and expressive build, a low-set car showed power and potential dynamics with all its appearance even in a standing position. This is what Top Gear anchors said on the Rapide’s 2,400 km journey to Valencia. “It”s a brilliant car! It’s the only one who has fulfilled a promise to become a four-door, four-seat sports car! "
Second generation
It has been produced from 2013 to the present. (as for 2020). The Rapide S modification was presented in 2020. At the same time, a unique specimen in the station wagon body was released in honor of the 60th anniversary of the collaboration between Bertone and Aston Martin.
The new Aston Martin Rapide S is the only car in the world that is a full-fledged 4-seater sports car. This model was equipped with a V12 engine with increased power to 558 hp. and a maximum torque of 620 Nm, also a new adaptive chassis. The new Rapide S accelerated to 100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds and its top speed was 305 km/h. At the same time, surprisingly, fuel consumption and gas emissions on the move only decreased. Aston Martin engineers knew their job perfectly. The 6-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission was mated to the engine in the Rapide S. Their joint efforts created a fuel consumption of 14.3 liters per 100 km. Also, an improved stabilization system was installed in the car, and the adaptive suspension worked in 3 modes: normal, sport, track mode. Don’t forget the carbon propeller shaft and limited slip differential.
The Aston Martin Rapide S is the only car in the world that is a full-fledged 4-seat sports car.
The new Rapid S has become even larger and more aggressive. It got a spoiler on the trunk lid, and the top of the body was made slightly higher. The radiator grille was also modified and the rear-view mirror covers appeared. The design of the squat Rapide S screamed of its belonging to the world of sports. The S-modification boasted a wide range of equipment. For example, there are satellite navigation, Bang & Olufsen audio system, and the ability to connect with Apple devices.
The updated car was presented in 2014. The main differences from the previous version were the new 8-speed Touchtronic III gearbox, an improved intake system, and a more modern engine management program. The result of these changes was an increase in car power up to 560 hp, and torque up to 630 Nm, while maintaining the same engine volume. The car was now able to accelerate to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds together with an updated engine and gearbox.
Alloy wheels were also unique to the 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S. The new directional pattern on the discs gave the impression of movement even without it. The new transmission became three percent lighter than the previous one. It had sports and manual modes of operation and it was able to adapt to the driving style of a particular driver. It spent only 130 milliseconds to change gears. The use of it made Rapid not only faster but also made it possible to improve fuel-economic and environmental performance. There were other changes to the 2015/2016 Rapide S. They are reinforced front brakes, redesigned wheels, additional body color options, and new interior design options.
