JEDDAH: Amidst a palpable static of expectation, the covers came off the new Aston Martin Rapide at a launch in Jeddah on Sunday. Any new Aston Martin model is worth waiting for; the Rapide however is something extremely special.
“I am delighted to tell you that, despite the difficult conditions during 2009, Aston Martin in Saudi Arabia has emerged in great shape,” said David MacDowell, Aston Martin’s regional sales and aftersales manager at the unveiling.
“We had a busy 2009 bringing to market exciting and desirable new sports cars and with our dealer partners, have continued to offer exceptional levels of customer service. Through these actions demand has remained strong and Aston Martin has out-performed the market.”
It is a breathtaking looking car, not for what it has, but for what it has not. It has not lost the elegant simplicity and simply beautiful flowing lines of the DB9 on which its design is based. Best of all, the head-on silhouette reveals the massive “haunches” of the rear flared wheel arches that gives the car the look of lurking power. Neither does it look like a stretched two-door DB9 and, though capable of carrying four people in luxury, it has not lost its sporting heritage.
Even Aston Martin, never given to hyperbole, describe the computerized suspension control that alters settings to ensure maximum safety and lightning responses to changing road conditions and speed as providing an “engaging” drive.
Powered by the 470bhp 6.0-litre V12 engine from the DB9, the Rapide uses a Touchtronic 2 gearbox (with paddle-shift manual override) mounted at the rear to drive the rear wheels. The combination sends the Rapide to 100kph in five seconds and produces a near perfect weight distribution of 51/49 percent.
Weighing in at 1950kg, just 10 percent heavier than the DB9, the Rapide demonstrates its weight-saving technology borrowed from the aircraft industry. The ultra-stiff chassis comes from the bonding of aluminum parts together rather than welding.
The Jeddah connection in the Rapide is that the Haji Alireza dealership was involved in the extensive hot weather testing for the car.
Inside, the four individual bucket style seats counter the lateral forces that the car is capable of producing when driven hard.
The Rapide is certainly one of the most striking entrants into the emerging four-door super-coupé market, taking on Bentley’s Flying Spur and the Porsche Panamera.
