Aston Martin Rapide – First Official Image

Those clever chaps over at Car Magazine have managed to get their hands on what they claim to be the first official images of the Aston Martin Rapide, the Aston Martin answer to the forthcoming Porsche Panamera. Not that you’d ever guess where they came from, with all those ‘Car Magazine’ watermarks plastered across the picture!

The Aston Martin Rapide has been ‘Coming’ for what seems like forever. Based on Aston’s incredibly flexible car architecture, it has allowed the company to build new cars at relatively low cost. The Rapide has been seen out testing all over the world in the last year, and by any measure it is a stunning car.

Aston Martin Rapide - First official image

This final image is little changed from the original concept renderings. The front has lost the concept car’s 4 air intakes in favour of a split front grill, and down the side there’s a long crease running from the front wing through the back doors. There are also some small changes at the back (but we can’t see them as this is the only image Car Magazine has released).

I was only moaning the other day about how these cars that have been teased for an age end up being very watered-down versions of the concept, but Aston Martin is the exception that proves the rule. This car looks every bit as good as the concept did.

Power is expected to come from a big, 6 Litre V12 with around 500bhp, and rumour has it that there will be a high-power version to follow later. The interior is going to be very DB9-esque (which, as car interiors go, is about the best there is) but with a huge panoramic glass roof to bathe the cabin in light.

Expect the Rapide, when it gets here in late 2009, to be in the £125k-£150k bracket.

By Cars UK