Jalopnik: 2011 aston martin rapide

Production Aston Martin Rapide Shows Off SexyBack In Parking Lot

Ray Wert — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:45:00 EDT

Simon Gregg of the seemingly always-on-the-ball-when-it-comes-to-Aston-Martin Car Magazine stumbled upon this production model of the all-new Aston Martin Rapide sport sedan sunning itself in a parking lot without a single trace of camouflage.

The test car you see here is likely one of the final prototype models of the four-door Aston scheduled to be officially revealed to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show this upcoming September. The undisguised prototype is finished in a menacing black color with a contrasting red interior.

Poised to take on other strangely rear-ended sport sedans such as the Porsche Panamera, the Rapide will be powered by a a 6.0-liter V12 doling out 470 HP and 442 lb-ft of torque.

This Magna Steyr-produced Aston Martin's expected to hit showrooms around the world in early 2010 with a price point expected upwards of $200K.

Head on over to Car Magazine for a couple of at-speed shots plus the photos we've shown you here. [via CarScoop]

BMW M7 Possibly Spied Lurking About In The Dark

The Auto Insider — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

BMW's Motorsport division said it would never tune an SUV, yet they've gone back on their word on that one. Does that leave room for a big-daddy M7? Looks like a definite "maybe."

Spied by a reader of MotorTips, this odd looking BMW 7-series was parked at a supermarket in a town roughly 100km outside of Munich, Germany. At first glance it appears as if this BMW 7 was merely modified by its owner with new quad-exhaust, bigger black-painted wheels and lower profile tires, but the badges appear to be covered in order to mask the cars identity. Upon closer inspection, it appears as if this suped-up seven may in fact be a early build prototype for an upcoming BMW M7 super sedan.

BMW has never officially mentioned an M version of its luxurious 7-Series sedan, but with the AMG-tuned Mercedes S63 and Audi S8 gobbling up sales, albeit in small numbers, it only makes sense that BMW gets into this game. Also adding pressure is Aston Martin's upcoming Rapide and Porsche's ghastly Panamera, two luxo-sport sedans that will surely be game changers.

[motortips via wcf]

First Official Aston Martin Rapide “Image” Leaks

Wes Siler — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST

According to CAR, this rendering shows the long-awaited production version of the Aston Martin Rapide. As expected and as indicated by multiple spy shots, the Rapide stays remarkably similar to the original concept, full-length glass roof and all. That’s a good thing, the Aston design language, as seen on the DB9, Vantage and Jaguar XK lends itself rather fetchingly to a four door shape, resulting in a much less awkward car than the Porsche Panamera and a much less confused shape than the Lamborghini Estoque. But what changes have been made?

CAR says to expect a two-intake, stacked front grille, a new crease that runs from the front wheels back through both doors, a redesigned trunk and rear clip with a chrome accent between the taillights. The interior should, more or less, resemble a four seat DB9, since that’s exactly what this car is.

Power will come from a 6.0-liter V12 making around 500 HP and 420 Lb-Ft of torque. While that sounds like more than enough, a faster version of the Rapide, tentatively called the Rapide R (get it?) is allegedly in the cards. Production will be carried out by Magna Steyr in Austria, meaning the Rapide stands half a chance of having quality that’ll live up to its near $300,000 price tag. [via CAR]