Gallery: IAA Frankfurt: Aston Martin Rapide
Very pretty: Aston Martin Rapide
Tweet this!Frankfurt Motor Show: Aston Martin reveals the Rapide at Frankfurt
Autoblog's James Baggott reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show
ASTON Martin finally took the wraps off its four-door Porsche Panamera rival, the Rapide at Frankfurt.
Thankfully the addition of rear doors hasn't ruined the traditional AM look, with the new car jaw-dropping in the metal.
The car features a 48-valve, 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 470bhp and 600Nm of torque. That's enough to transport you and your three passengers to an expected top speed of more than 175mph.
Performance figures are yet to be confirmed, but expect a 0-60mph time of around 4.5 seconds.
'Like a race horse standing still, you can see its power and elegance, the shape of Rapide's rear haunches are muscular conveying the power that lies beneath while its low stance produces a powerful look,' were the words uttered by Aston Martin director of design Marek Reichman, in a way only car designers can.
Looks wise, the Rapide has stolen a march on the recently launched Panamera, but only just...
TOP 10 preview IAA Frankfurt: Aston Martin Rapide
The new Aston Martin Rapide goes like a bomb and is a snip at 200,000 euros. The luxury vehicle is based on the DB9 and has a princely 500bhp engine under the bonnet. A four-seater at around five metres in length, this aluminium-bodied vehicle is powered by a six-litre V12 engine which propels it from 0 to 62mph in five seconds and to a top speed of around 186mph (300km/h).
Gallery: Aston Martin Rapide
Le Mans - better than F1?
Thousands of Brits cross the Channel into France every year for the classic 24 Hours race in the hope of celebrating home success on French soil. In 2008, they were doubly rewarded when Scot Allan McNish finally got a monkey off his back when he won for a second time, ending a 10-year wait since his maiden success. How a nation rejoiced!
At the same time, Aston Martin took the GT1 class honours for the second year in succession, taming their arch rivals from across the Pond, Corvette. The Americans are back for the final time in the class this year but they'll more than likely be looking at the back end of the two Astons as the Prodrive-run team have bigger fish to fry in the leading prototype class (LMP1) as they bid to win outright 50 years on from its one and only Le Mans victory. The team has already tasted success this year in the opening Le Mans Series race in Spain.
Concept: Comeback for Lagonda?
First impressions of the new Lagonda are also mixed. Despite numerous sophisticated design touches, it still comes across as lumbering and shapeless. Somehow, we might have hoped for an elegant sports car like the Vantage or DBS. Instead, they've given us a tank. The decision of the British manufacturer to attempt a crossover between a limousine and an SUV in such difficult times is bold indeed. The technical platform for this upmarket SUV is the Mercedes GL. The huge grille is enough to scare the living daylights out of anyone looking in their rear mirror. Curious? Then take a look at the gallery.
Gallery: Aston Martin Lagonda Concept
Aston Martin One-77: Limited Edition of 77, each with 700bhp.
Gallery: Aston Martin One-77
Aston Martin One-77
While we are still drooling over the DBS in the current Bond film, Aston Martin has already lit the fuse for takeoff into ultimate and perfectly-shaped coolness.
The first images of the Aston Martin One-77 really are breathtaking. It certainly looks waspish and features new details. But is there a slight danger of confusing the innocent observer by overdoing things with too much fuss? Previously, Astons always looked smoother and somehow as if they had been more or less cast from the same mould, but the One-77 is somewhat of a break from this tradition.
The air inlets fitted at the side of the front end and running through to the headlights, and the matching air outlets mounted in the side behind the front wheel arches are a fully new departure.
The bonnet is more contoured and at the back, the arched lights are now joined up. Futuristic and possibly with a touch less understatement than one would expect from this British institution?
Alchemist gold-plates an Aston Martin DB7
Aston Martin makes some of the most beautiful cars in the world. Take, for instance, the critically-acclaimed DB7. Based on the Jaguar XJS platform, styled by Ian Callum and introduced to an extremely excited market in 1994, it was the firm's most successful car ever and it is still recognized as a breathtaking design. So, what do you do to make the DB7 even more stunning? Apparently, if you are the Alchemists, you plate it with 24-carat gold and platinum leaf and embed seven diamonds (for 007 we assume) into its shapely bodywork. Or, if you ask us, you paint it in resplendent British Racing Green and leave it exactly as God and Ian Callum intended. The day after the upcoming James Bond flick Quantum of Solace comes out in the U.K., the car will appear at the MPH Show at London's Earls Court and will be just one of 200 supercars on display. We wish they'd leave it at home, or sell it to an oil sheik... anything to get it out of our sight.
OVERDESIGNED?
If you thought the design of the Peugeot 307 was a bit too aggressive, then you'll be gobsmacked by the enormous radiator grille of its direct successor, the 308.
Whereas its predecessor had a certain cohesion (the 307 was an all-round success), the 308 gives the impression that they have now pushed the concept just a little too far. The term that springs to mind is 'overdesigned'.
The bonnet with its deep-set headlights, pronounced nose and enormous radiator grille sporting a graceless integrated bumper, makes a ragged and disjointed impression.
If you stand behind and slightly to one side of the vehicle, you are struck by
the unfinished appearance of the prow with its prominent nose and wheel arches.
Even the area on the front wing that has been kept black to optically lengthen the side window-line looks out of proportion, just as in the Mercedes Benz B-Class.
The tail is broken up by lots of beading and gratuitous lines.
These comments should not be taken to imply that I feel that the more conservative the design, the more beautiful is the car. It is always a question of personal taste. But it certainly leaves us wondering what direction Peugeot will take with the next generation of the 308. Perhaps back to simplicity without being boring? This is after all where the skill lies in car design.
By contrast, the interior gives the impression of quality and success, especially with the optional leather dash.
Its flat A-pillars and the van-like quality of the cabin create an airy feeling of space.
At least no-one could accuse the 308 of being boring. And for that reason alone it should certainly attract a reasonable fan base.
Whereas its predecessor had a certain cohesion (the 307 was an all-round success), the 308 gives the impression that they have now pushed the concept just a little too far. The term that springs to mind is 'overdesigned'.
The bonnet with its deep-set headlights, pronounced nose and enormous radiator grille sporting a graceless integrated bumper, makes a ragged and disjointed impression.
If you stand behind and slightly to one side of the vehicle, you are struck by
the unfinished appearance of the prow with its prominent nose and wheel arches.
Even the area on the front wing that has been kept black to optically lengthen the side window-line looks out of proportion, just as in the Mercedes Benz B-Class.
Gallery: Peugeot 308
The tail is broken up by lots of beading and gratuitous lines.
These comments should not be taken to imply that I feel that the more conservative the design, the more beautiful is the car. It is always a question of personal taste. But it certainly leaves us wondering what direction Peugeot will take with the next generation of the 308. Perhaps back to simplicity without being boring? This is after all where the skill lies in car design.
By contrast, the interior gives the impression of quality and success, especially with the optional leather dash.
Its flat A-pillars and the van-like quality of the cabin create an airy feeling of space.
At least no-one could accuse the 308 of being boring. And for that reason alone it should certainly attract a reasonable fan base.
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