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Aston to Show Stunning Rapide Four-Door Sedan at Detroit

Could the Rapide Concept Mark the Return of the Four-Door Aston?

The North American International Auto Show is one of the first major auto events of the year. Its a time when the worlds automakers show off their latest designs, production cars, and unveil a surprise or two. The Aston Martin Rapide Concept, named after a 1960s Lagonda (Astons defunct sedan marque), is definitely one of the latter. For the 2006 NAIAS, we were expecting this British boutique carmaker (wholly owned by Ford) to show up with the Volante (convertible) version of its Porsche

The Rapide Concept - think of it as a DB9 with four-doors. (Photo: Aston Martin)

911-sized V8 Vantage, but instead we will get this - a beautiful four-door sports limousine.

The Rapide Concept is based off of Astons very clever VH (Vertical-Horizontal) aluminum monocoque chassis, an excellent example of the companys collective engineering genius. Through a series of replaceable

Lagonda used to be a brand of its own, prior to Astons purchase. Pictured here is a classic V12-powered Lagonda Rapide. (Photo: Aston Martin)

cross-members, the modular chassis can adapt to different widths, lengths and heights to create a variety of different forms, from a four-passenger GT (DB9) and a compact two-seater (V8 Vantage), to this four-seat luxury limo. In order to accommodate four full-size passengers and their luggage in absolute comfort, the chassis takes the largest current

We were expecting the Volante version of this car (V8 Vantage) for Detroit, but we got the Rapide instead. (Photo: Aston Martin)

V-H vehicle, the DB9, and stretches its wheelbase by 9.8 inches.

From these preliminary images, the Rapide is one of the most graceful four-door vehicles weve ever seen. Though it doesnt share a single panel with the DB9, its remarkably similar in appearances, thanks to similar headlamps, the slender Aston grille, a long, low hood and the retention of the cars sleek, laid-back look. Many of the DB9s details have also remained, like the hidden door handles, alloy fuel filler

Electrochromic roof keeps things airy, yet cool on the inside. (Photo: Aston Martin)

cap, side fender vents and chromium hood accents. Super-thin side pillars, as well as a heavily-curved roofline, keep a coupe-like profile.
With the growth in its chassis, the Rapide is approximately 11.8 inches longer than the DB9 for a total length of just over 16.4 feet, making it similar in size to the regular wheelbase Audi A8 and BMW 7-Series. Most of the additional length was added at the cars tail, not to give it a reasonable sized trunk, but to keep it proportional. Other areas of growth include its height and width, both of which have increased by 1.6 inches to - surprise, surprise

A late 80s example of the Lagonda sedan - this is the last four-door that Aston Martin made. (Photo: Aston Martin)

- keep the proportions balanced. A new addition to the Rapide is a glass panoramic roof in place of traditional alloy, which features two electrochromic panels that provide variable levels of tint from clear to sun-blocking opaque. Inside, expect a beautiful, hand-crafted cabin made with only the finest leathers, woods and carpets money can buy.

Like its name suggests, the Rapide will be rapid. Extremely rapid. Power for this high-end sedan will come from the DB9s six-liter quad-cam V12, which has been said to produce up to 480 horsepower, allowing it to reach 60 mph in around five seconds, with a top speed somewhere in the 180 mph range.  Like the DB9 and Vanquish, the Rapide will benefit

Look forward to paddle-shift and push-button gear selection, like the DB9 pictured here. (Photo: Aston Martin)

from a variable exhaust system that allows it to be quiet in town and when cruising, yet sing its soulful song when spiritedly driven. But dont expect this car to be all motor for straight-line cruising - its even more about balance.

To keep the cars weight distribution as close to 50:50 as possible for neutral handling, the lightweight motor, mounted mostly behind the front axle in the front-mid position, is offset by a rear-mounted automatic transmission situated behind the rear axle. This is a technique used in many high-end performance cars, such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Maserati 4200 GT, as well as the DB9 and V8 Vantage. The automatic isnt any ordinary gearbox either; modes (drive, reverse and neutral) are selected via push buttons on the dashboard, while the gears are controlled with

A sketch depicting what the Rapides rear end might look like. (Photo: Artists Rendition)

steering column-mounted paddles. With a performance-tuned program, the Rapides transmission should provide the driver involvement of a sequential gearbox with the smoothness that luxury car buyers demand.

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