REPORT: Production Aston Martin Rapide to debut in Frankfurt
by Jonathon Ramsey on Aug 7th 2009 at 3:28PM 
2010 Aston Martin Rapide - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Unlike recent auto expos, the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show is going to have some fantastic jewelry on display -- the Ferrari 458 Italia, Porsche's revised 911 Turbo, the MX-5 Superlight, the list goes on and on. Aston Martin has also confirmed that three years after the Rapide concept stole the show in Detroit, the production version will join the beer-and-sausage fest in Germany.
The Rapide's price has been given at £110,000 in the U.K.. It's supposedly 40 horsepower down on the Vantage V12 -- 470 hp versus 510 hp -- but if that price is right, the Rapide costs £25,000 less than the Vantage V12. While we're fans of the brutish Vantage, that's enough change for us to notice. So we'll simply have to put the two side-by-side in Frankfurt to compare...
[Source: Channel4]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TurboFanatic 3:39PM (8/07/2009)
ugly as helll
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BigMcLargeHuge 3:57PM (8/07/2009)
Like Megan Fox ugly?
2buck 4:24PM (8/07/2009)
Not too sure I'd want to know about your tastes in women if you think this car is ugly.
Well done Aston.
skablaw 3:39PM (8/07/2009)
Oh sweet mother that is a sexy looking car. Porsche, you need to put posters of this up in your Panamera design studio and tell those kids to get back to work. Seriously.
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c0de 3:46PM (8/07/2009)
I'm probably gonna be shunned if i say this, but i seriously think porsche should drop all it's line.. keep only the 911.. and bring back water cooling ! i personally don't want 500 hp, i want the heritage associated with it
zamafir 4:14PM (8/07/2009)
You're not going to be shunned, it's just the most idiotic choice Porsche could possibly make. Without their suv and sedan they would be unable to sustain their business and sell you a 911 because internet commenters do not equal sales.
BigMcLargeHuge 4:25PM (8/07/2009)
I think they should use the Panamera platform for a revised 928.
Twin-turbo V8, front-mid engine, AWD, 50/50 weight distribution.
Panamera-like comfort in a 2+2. And the performance would be insane.
skablaw 4:59PM (8/07/2009)
zamafir, it's a little premature to be attributing the Panamera to anything except an obvious lack of aesthetic taste on Porsche's part. You're right about the Cayenne, though, and left out the Boxster, which has contributed heftily to their operating budget.
In their day, how did the 924, 944 and 968 compare to the cost of a 911? I'm trying to figure out if the Cayman sits in the same zone as a percentage of overall cost. If those cars came in considerably lower on the totem pole, maybe Porsche should consider making any even more down-market model to compete with the Elise/Exige and get some more loyalists into the fold. The Panamera was a fine idea, but there's still a chance it could flop... I mean it is sinfully ugly.
zamafir 5:57PM (8/07/2009)
"but there's still a chance it could flop... I mean it is sinfully ugly."
Yup, the same thing you, me, and every enthusiast said about the Cayenne. That's just the point I'm making. Porsche is a prestige/status brand. Two of my coworkers own 911 Turbos, neither ever drive them in a spirited fashion (gentlemen in their late 50s). Other friends race their Caymans on the weekends, but the majority of Porsche owners? They just buy 'em because of the name. Some of us buy them for the characteristic handling and character, but not most. Which is why the Cayenne was a success and why the Panamara, regardless of how ugly, won't have issues selling because porsche's making their money (or were, pre hedge fund crap) off status purchases.
skablaw 10:36PM (8/07/2009)
zamafir,
I get what you're saying, and you're not wrong, but for me the Cayenne isn't an issue. I thought at the outset that a Porsche SUV was silly, but I actually think it's very attractive. If I were going to buy such a vehicle, it would be at the top of my list - far ahead of the LX, X-series, and whatever the heck MB is calling their trucks these days. The Panamera is the opposite conundrum from my perspective - a Porsche sedan seems like a great idea, but they absolutely hosed the execution.
BigMcLargeHuge 3:42PM (8/07/2009)
Hope they make a V8 version to go up against the entry-level Panamera.
This is a beautiful alternative for those with the fundage to obtain it.
Side note... I hate sausage fests. =P
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c0de 3:42PM (8/07/2009)
wonderful design, even though i would've wanted less Vantage, more Lagonda.. WAY MORE LAGONDA !
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O.Z.Racing_UK 3:46PM (8/07/2009)
Woah, that actually looks pretty good. Looks like the Panamera is going to just fade away. Unless AM price this car like hell.
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bud_bud 3:59PM (8/07/2009)
Guys!
I sent you a video of this car being DRIVEN on the streets but you never posted it! We've already seen this car here in Kuwait.
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zamafir 4:16PM (8/07/2009)
well. and everywhere. the production rabide debuted in magazines (CAR EVO) months ago. I'm seriously curious how many more debuts Aston can milk out of the car. Not that I'm complaining.
Yaroukh 4:30PM (8/07/2009)
Post it here pwetty PLZ!
nuggetsmcduggets 5:06PM (8/07/2009)
If this and the Lagonda concept from earlier this year could somehow bang each other and make a baby, it may end up being the most beautiful car ever made. Until that happens, this will do. AM may be the only manufacturer without a runt in it's litter, every car they have on offer is astonishingly good/sex.
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skablaw 10:39PM (8/07/2009)
AM's great, but I don't know that they're the only one... I mean Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati aren't exactly pitching outside the strike zone these days.
spiffcmh 8:00PM (8/07/2009)
um, no matter which way you look at it...much better execution than the Por*** Panamera.
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Paul 1:03AM (8/08/2009)
Gee, looks an aweful lot like: http://www.ecoautoninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/tesla-model-s.jpg
Not sure if that's good for Tesla, or bad for Aston Martin.
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