Further underlining the sporting credentials of Aston Martin’s latest model, the Rapide will compete in the 24-hour race as a final engineering durability test – as has been the case with other recent Aston Martins, the V8 Vantage and V12 Vantage. The Rapide will compete in near-standard specification apart from mandatory changes required to compete in this most demanding of endurance races and will be driven by a team of engineers from the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, England.

Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez who will lead the Rapide driver team, explained: “This race represents the ultimate final engineering durability test for any sports car – it subjects the car to the toughest possible assessment under public scrutiny.
“The Rapide has the capability to carry four people in comfort but first and foremost it is a sports car and we will subject it to the same tests we would our other sports cars. We already have a proven track record at the Nürburgring racing our road cars with limited modification and in recent years we have enjoyed success in winning the SP8 class both in 2008 and 2009.”

The Rapide race car will be close to production standard with only essential race safety modifications, interior trim removed to reduce weight, re-tuned suspension and will run on slick tyres designed for track use.

The Aston Martin Rapide encapsulates the values of Aston Martin in pure four-door sports car form with an unrivalled combination of performance, comfort, craftsmanship and exceptionally elegant design. Since the Rapide’s original premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009 the car has gone on to win the widespread approval of customers and media commentators alike, prompting strong global demand for the car.

Deliveries of the Rapide commence later this month through Aston Martin’s 125-strong global dealership network.
The Rapide race car will be joined by a V12 Vantage – again modified only slightly for racing – which in 2009 swept to a class win on its competitive race debut. The near production standard V12 Vantage – which finished in 21st place overall last year – saw off competition from a field of largely specialist race cars in the SP8 class to claim an impressive debut win.
Further details on the V12 Vantage and the full driver line-ups for both Aston Martin entries plus details on a number of customer teams competing in the race will follow in the coming weeks.
The 38th ADAC Nürburgring 24 hour race will take place on 15/16 May 2010.

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For further information visit: www.astonmartinmedia.com.

PR & Press Aston Martin (Italy):
Davide Ciliberti
Purple & Noise PR
ufficiostampa@purpleandnoise.com

Paris, 5 February 2010 – The Aston Martin Rapide continues to reign as design icon, winning ’The most beautiful Supercar of the Year’ award presented at The Festival Automobile International last night in Paris.

The prominent jury chaired by architect Jean-Michael Wimotte and Alain Prost, four times Formula One worldwide champion, awarded the Grand Prize “to the most fascinating project of the year that balanced ingeniously both art and automobile”.

Marek Reichman, Design Director of Aston Martin, accepted the limited edition Daum Trophee created by French designer Christian Ghion, saying: “The Aston Martin Rapide is a balance between automotive design art and engineering excellence, a beautifully proportioned and elegant four-door sports car, without compromise – a true icon.”

The Aston Martin Rapide won first place with 20.58 per cent of the judges’ vote, putting it ahead of the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster, the Mercedes-Benz SL-AMG, the Lexus LFA, Bentley Mulsanne, Ferrari 458 Italia, Jaguar XJ, the Porsche Panamera and the Rolls-Royce Ghost.

The Festival Automobile International is the only competition of its kind in France focused on automobile design and beauty. From diverse backgrounds of motorsports, architecture, fashion, design, art and media professions, the judge’s choice was influenced by their perception of which model represented ’the car of exception, the most sublime’ from the productions of 2009.

The Rapide, which will be introduced to the market this spring and in celebration of receiving the design award was on display through the night to a guest audience of over 600 selected participants in the prestigious Les Invalides.

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Further information: www.astonmartinmedia.com

PR & Press Aston Martin (Italy):
Davide Ciliberti
Purple & Noise PR
ufficiostampa@purpleandnoise.com

davide ciliberti

As the marque’s first production four-door sports car, Rapide encapsulates core values of Power, Beauty and Soul; four ‘swan wing’ doors provide access to cosseting sports seats both front and rear bestowing occupants with ample accommodation. A 301 litre luggage compartment affords generous space for belongings for all four passengers whether they be sports bags or indeed, sets of skis, creating an Aston Martin which can be enjoyed on any occasion, anytime, anywhere.

Rapide’s rear environment has been intelligently packaged to create a space where passengers feel a part of the driving experience with clear views to the front and sides. Comfort and support is supplied in the form of two hand trimmed individual seats and a personal face-level heating and air conditioning system. Aiding the practicalities of everyday use, the luggage compartment features a movable bulkhead to permit access from the rear cabin while the rear seats fold flat at the touch of a button to create a flat loading space increasing the luggage compartment from 301 litres to 750 litres.

At the heart of every Aston Martin lies an evocative engine providing effortless power and torque: Rapide features a hand-built 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 470 bhp  (477 PS / 350 kW) with peak power being delivered at 6000 rpm and 600 Nm        (443 lbft) peak torque at 5000 rpm. A specifically tuned six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission features as standard, allowing the driver to change gear automatically or manually via the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.

First shown in 2006 in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show, the Rapide project received an immediate green light from Aston Martin’s new shareholders in mid 2007 following the sale of the marque by the Ford Motor Company. In a little over two years, Aston Martin’s design and engineering team have delivered a new car from the ground up. Rapide has been developed from the ‘V/H Architecture’ platform which already forms the backbone to Aston Martin’s critically acclaimed line-up: the DBS, DB9 and Vantage range.

Chief Executive, Dr. Ulrich Bez said: “Rapide is the culmination of the Aston Martin range of sports cars, a car that seals the revival of a truly admired marque. There is now an Aston Martin for every taste and for every use”.

“With Rapide, the entire family can enjoy their Aston Martin together in unison, in an invigorating yet comfortable environment, sitting low, with plenty of visibility from every seat and with new levels of comfort, refinement and entertainment.”

Director of Design, Marek Reichman who led the in-house design team which penned the Rapide said: “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”

“There is a real sense of proportion with this car, akin to a tailored suit; the new double grill gives more presence on the road while the iconic signature side strake has been lengthened through to the rear doors to enhance its lateral proportions in a subtle, yet elegant way. The car’s purity makes it look right from every angle.”

First deliveries of the Rapide will commence early in 2010 and will be available globally through Aston Martin’s 125 strong dealership network. Pricing will be confirmed at the Frankfurt Show.

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For further information please visit: www.astonmartinmedia.com.

PR & Press Aston Martin (Italy): Davide Ciliberti,  Purple & Noise PR  ufficiostampa@purpleandnoise.com

Instantly recognisable as an Aston Martin, the Rapide assumes its extra doors gracefully to visually remain every bit a sporting coupe as its sister models. The four ‘swan wing’ doors open up and out at 12 degrees avoiding scuffs and scratches when parked next to a raised walkway, while serving the dual purpose of allowing easier access to the front and rear cabin. The opening angle of the doors has been increased to 70 degrees to allow easy ingress and egress. Front on, the new polished alloy upper and lower grill adorn the Rapide to give it presence on the road while the new front lights house a single lens bi-xenon headlight with innovative light tube sidelights subtly distinguishing the Rapide to other road users.

Adding to the sense of proportion, Rapide’s low roof line combined with uniquely styled 20” wheels contribute to its sporting stance, and the iconic side strake, housing the side LED indicators is elongated to meet the rear doors. The pillarless side glass helps convey Rapide’s coupe lines. The front and rear window choreography has been designed to permit the absence of a visible B-pillar to unclutter the curve line of the doors from front to back creating a seamless glass to glass window frame. Contributing to Rapide’s interior comfort, the side glass will rise up further into the window seal when the car is driven at speed cancelling out wind noise and the glass is laminated to improve noise insulation.

Strong rear haunches hint at the power that lies beneath creating the classic Aston Martin sports car silhouette. The wing mirrors have been specifically designed to emerge from the door giving the driver optimum visibility through the front corner glass. At the rear, a practical tailgate provides access to the 301 litre luggage space flanked by the signature Aston Martin ‘C’ shaped tail lamps each housing 360 LEDs.

Echoing the beauty of the exterior, Rapide’s interior welcomes all occupants to a exquisitely hand crafted and spacious cabin. To the front, the familiar dashboard and controls are ergonomically designed to provide the driver with all the information needed to extract the very best from the car. The Rapide boasts a new front seat design giving a sporting feel supporting the occupant when driving spiritedly and providing high levels of comfort during more leisurely journeys. The double-edge stitch design enhances the visual impact of the seat alluding to the attention to detail and hand craftsmanship. Heated and optional cooled seats feature with two centrally-mounted rotational dials, one at the front and one at the rear offering fingertip control to all passengers.

Both rear passengers are treated to their own individual heating and air conditioning operated independently from the front system. Controlled by a singular rotary dial in front of a digital display, two directional air vents channel air to the upper body serving to heat or cool occupants quickly and effectively while air is also channelled separately to the foot wells. The rear heating and air conditioning can also be controlled via the rotary dial located between the front seats giving the driver full control.

Aston Martin engineers chose to integrate an electronic park brake into Rapide saving space to the side of the seat and creating an uncluttered centre console. A revised Bluetooth™ microphone is located above the driver’s head improving sound pick-up from the driver’s voice to give crystal clear conversations.

The long swooping front centre console continues all the way through to the rear seamlessly linking the front environment to the rear, thus creating a sense of involvement for the rear passengers. Large storage binnacles set between both the front and rear seats provide ample space to store CDs, games and keep valuables from view.

Two individually appointed sports seats form the rear environment of the Rapide. Aston Martin’s design and engineering team paid special attention to creating a space that is cosseting giving both passengers an equally sporting feel to that of the driver while also providing passengers as much forward and side visibility as possible. Forward visibility has been optimised through intelligent profiling of the       B-pillar and front seats to give occupants a clear view of the road ahead. Despite the low sleek coupe appearance, adequate leg and head room accommodates adults and children in comfort.

Rear passengers can benefit from the optional Aston Martin rear entertainment system; two LCD screens are seamlessly integrated into the back of the front seat headrests optimally positioned at eye level. A six DVD multi-changer, integrated into the boot compartment, provides hours of entertainment with sound being delivered via wireless headphones or through the standard Bang & Olufsen Besound Rapide audio system, so however long the journey, passengers will be treated to a rich audio-visual experience. Should the passengers have different taste in entertainment whether it be a DVD, a games device or simply listening to an MP3 player; the screens can be operated independently combined with wireless headphones. A  infra-red remote control is supplied to control the video and sound from the comfort of the seat.

Continuing the successful brand partnership between Bang & Olufsen and Aston Martin who share similar values in design and craftsmanship; Rapide is fitted as standard with the 1000 W BeoSound Rapide – a bespoke sound system tailored to the Rapide. 15 speakers have been optimally located throughout the cabin to deliver the finest sound quality naturally associated with Bang & Olufsen. The famous Danish audio specialist’s skilled Tonmeisters worked closely with Aston Martin’s acoustic engineers during the entire development of Rapide to create a soundstage that cannot be localised to any particular speaker and delivering notes that are precise to the instrument played or the vocal sung.

Turning on the BeoSound Rapide, the occupants are greeted with a sense of theatre as the two Acoustic Lenses rise silently from the dashboard.

Acoustic Lens Technology (ALT) enables a wide (180 degrees) horizontal dispersion of high frequencies. The technology prevents the loss of critical sound and gives listeners an improved sense of space. ALT allows sound to be focused within the car depending on who is inside. In Auto mode, Beosound Rapide uses sensors on the seatbelts to determine how many people are in the car and their location and will adjust the soundstage for the optimum sound experience. Manual override options feature for: Driver, (focus sound solely on the driver) Front (focus on two front passengers), Rear (two rear passengers) and All Round (all four passengers).

The speaker grills are formed from a single piece of aluminium and integrate seamlessly into Rapide’s interior dispersing sound equally to all passengers. A microphone located behind the rear-view mirror continually monitors ambient noise to adjust volume settings to compensate. The result of this leading technology creates an unparalleled automotive audio experience.

The two rear seat-backs effortlessly fold flat at the touch of a button to produce an increased luggage area creating 750 litres of boot space (an additional 449 litres over when the seats are in the upright position). Well appointed, the boot space is hand-trimmed with a carpet floor and four iridium anodised runners and tread plates. Increasing the versatility of the rear luggage compartment a divider can be raised or lowered to create a separate area accessible from the back seats should rear passengers require access to their luggage during the journey.

For customers with young children, ISOFIX™ attachment points feature as standard and Aston Martin will be offering approved child seats specifically for the Rapide.

Protecting passengers in the event of an accident, a total of eight airbags are strategically located throughout the cabin giving peace of mind to all passengers in all driving conditions. Restraint sensors around the vehicle help Rapide decide not only which airbag to deploy but also how aggressively depending on the severity of impact. Seatbelt pretensioners are fitted to both front and rear seats and rear passengers are protected with individual head protection airbags ensuring that Rapide is one of the safest sports cars on the road.

The Rapide is built in a new state-of–the-art 23,000 sq. metre manufacturing facility in Graz, Austria. Utilising the same modern technology as the global headquarters in Gaydon, England and combining hand-craftsmanship; the Rapide is hand built to Aston Martin’s usual exacting standards. Customers will be able to visit the facility as part of the Aston Martin experience where specialists are able to guide and help customers specify their Rapide with over 2.5 million different combinations of paint, options and finishes available from Aston Martin’s core options list.

PR & Press Aston Martin (Italy): Davide Ciliberti,  Purple & Noise PR  ufficiostampa@purpleandnoise.com

Gaydon, 15^th April 2009. The Aston Martin Rapide has moved into the final stages of its development programme, on course for a public debut in late 2009, with the first customer cars due to be delivered in early 2010.

First revealed as the Aston Martin Rapide Concept at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006, the Rapide is one of the most eagerly awaited cars of the year. As Aston Martin’s first true four-door production sports car, the Rapide encapsulates the core values of the brand within an elegant, high-powered sports grand tourer, with four full-sized seats, generous accommodation and luggage space and trademark Aston Martin performance.

Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr. Ulrich Bez said: “The Rapide will be the most elegant four-door sports car in the world. It completes the Aston Martin range conveying our established attributes of Power, Beauty and Soul”.

“In 2010 there will be an Aston Martin for every type of sports car customer regardless of the demands of their lifestyle. The Rapide is the most versatile, bringing a new benchmark of luxury and refinement to both driver and passenger.”

The concept received worldwide acclaim for its design as well as strong expressions of interest from customers. Following the purchase of Aston Martin in June 2007, the production version of the Rapide was approved and development began in earnest. Underpinned by Aston Martin’s VH (Vertical/Horizontal) extruded aluminium architecture, the Rapide retains the elegant, flowing proportions that are integral to every Aston Martin and remains remarkably faithful to the original design study.

The cohesive design language and elegant form of the Rapide ensure it is a perfect complement to the other cars in Aston Martin’s line-up. From the outset, the Rapide was designed with no aesthetic compromise. “We wanted to make the most beautiful four-door sports car in the world” Aston Martin’s Director of Design Marek Reichman stated when the concept was first shown.

The signature elements of Aston Martin’s design language translate seamlessly to the four-door format, with key features such as the ‘swan wing’ doors – rising upwards and outwards as they swing open – facilitating access to the two beautifully trimmed individual rear seats. The bodywork flows effortlessly from front to rear, where a kicked up tail and strong rear shoulders wrap around the wheel arches to create the classic Aston Martin silhouette, enveloping the additional doors, seats for children or two adults on shorter journeys and functional luggage capacity.

Described by Reichman as a lithe ‘long distance runner’, compared to the sprinter-like poise of the V8 Vantage and the muscularity of the DBS, the Rapide’s lines are a master class in maintaining purity of proportion and vision. Detail design is crucial, with Aston Martin’s iconic side strake extended to run through the front doors before blending into the rear door, lending a sense of dynamic thrust to the Rapide’s stance.

The Rapide has been subjected to Aston Martin’s rigorous testing programme including extreme climate testing and dynamic performance trials at the company’s new Nürburgring Test Centre to ensure it will display the brand’s integral high speed abilities. The last stages of endurance testing are now underway with final sign-off expected later this year before a production car is debuted in September.

The Rapide will offer performance purity and the same level of sporting ability as all modern Aston Martins. Powered by a version of Aston Martin’s 6.0 litre V12 engine producing 470bhp and 600Nm of torque and, hand built at the company’s engine facility in Cologne, the Rapide’s rear wheels are driven through a highly responsive Touchtronic gearbox. Performance figures have yet to be revealed, although early indications are that the Rapide will offer class-leading performance and dynamics, alongside new levels of refinement and luxury.

The Rapide will be built at a new production facility in Graz, Austria managed by the acclaimed vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr and co-ordinated by a fully integrated Aston Martin team from the UK. The new production facility is closely modelled on the Gaydon factory and will combine a sophisticated modern production line with the Aston Martin traditional hand-finishing skills, a proud blend of craft processes and attention to detail. The interior will further develop Aston Martin’s skilful use of genuine high quality materials, applied appropriately and effectively to ensure that form always follows function.

“Rapide will exceed expectations to deliver elegance and practicality in a form that will allow driving enjoyment and comfort beyond anything that exists today,” says Dr Ulrich Bez, “The Rapide will exist in a class all of its own, a true Aston Martin with the high performance and dynamic excellence that defines the brand, and a luxurious sporting grand tourer without equal.”

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 For further information please visit: www.astonmartinmedia.com.

PR & Press Aston Martin (Italy): Davide Ciliberti,  Purple & Noise PR  ufficiostampa@purpleandnoise.com

davide ciliberti