Aston Martin Rapide - The sporty family transporter

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Aston Martin Rapide - The sporty family transporter

Created on March 17, 2026

Text:

Martin Sigrist

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Aston Martin Lagonda

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Ramiro Santos Silva

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Oldtimer Galerie Toffen

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Porsche AG

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The doors swing slightly upwards

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The Rapide remained a rare phenomenon

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The precise steering is a big plus

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The press praised the successful design

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The ultra-wide rollers were among the largest to be found on an Aston Martin

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Long, fast bends preferred

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Pleasurable driving is definitely possible with the four-door car

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Does the Rapide have what it takes to become a classic?

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Tight suspension, but smooth handling thanks to long wheelbase

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The Aston is agile and achieves high cornering speeds - for a sedan

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The Rapide sits very firmly on the road

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The Rapide was the first four-door Aston Martin built in notable quantities

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The car overcomes its size and weight with astonishing driving dynamics

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Powerful, but elegant appearance

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The basic structure of the car is made of aluminum

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The shock absorbers are electronically adjustable

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - More of a four-door coupé than a saloon

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Not quite as agile as a sports car, but far from a luxury sedan

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Overtaking prestige

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - it transports 4 passengers at up to 300 km/h

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - A novelty for the editorial team, a car with LED headlights!

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - 2 Plus 2 Doors

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - At that time, the engines for Aston were still produced in a separate hall at Ford in Cologne

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The typical Aston Martin grille is very softly drawn on the Rapide

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The front end of the Rapide is virtually identical to that of the DB9

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The air vents are not just there for decoration

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - The door opens slightly upwards

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - A styling element taken from the DB4

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Ventilation grille for the engine compartment

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Command center over 470 hp

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Powerful 6-liter V12 engine

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - Analog dashboards are still available

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) - High-quality, but not opulent interior

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Thanks to the modular system, the Rapide shares many components with the DB 9

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Everything an Aston Martin needs

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Great expectations were placed on the new four-door model when it was launched

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - The wide center console extends all the way to the trunk

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Rotary push wheel for air conditioning

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - A grand tourer for four passengers

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Finely crafted details

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Built for long-distance continental touring

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Leather-lined cup holder

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Classic registration AML 1

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Press photo for the launch of the Rapide

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Relatively narrow rear entrance and high sill

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Seat adjustment on the center console

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - on the way to becoming a classic

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - The shape was considered very successful in 2011

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - A four-door coupé

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Stepped trunk

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - The original version only remained in the range for three years, before the more powerful S

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Key as plug-in start button

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Aston Martin Rapide (2010) - Atmospheric staging from the first press release

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Lagonda 3 Litre (1956) - Four Door Saloon, Tickford bodywork - note the cricket players in the background

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Lagonda Rapide (1963) - four-door sedan, co-developed by Touring

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Lagonda Rapide (1962) - elegant, but not successful

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1975) - Four-door sedan based on the V8, bearing the name 'Lagonda' again after many years

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1982) - still breathtaking years after its presentation

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Aston Martin DB 7 Volante, based on the Jaguar XJ-S

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Porsche Cayenne (2002) - Porsche board members inspect the Cayenne at the development center in Weissach

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Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Der Rapide blieb eine seltene Erscheinung

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Die präzise Lenkung ist ein grosses Plus

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Die Presse lobte das gelungene Design

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Die ultrabreiten Walzen gehörten zu den grössten, die auf einem Aston Martin zu finden waren

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Lange, schnelle Kurven bevorzugt

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Lustvolles Fahren ist mit dem Viertürer durchaus möglich

Summary

In September 2008, Aston Martin announced that the Lagonda name would be resurrected, and a year later the new four-door Aston Martin was presented at the IAA in Frankfurt - contrary to expectations, however, it was not called Lagonda, but Aston Martin Rapide, and was based on the Aston Martin DB 9.

This article contains the following chapters

The four-door sports car
Aston Martin, rethought and implemented
A hot iron in the fire
Low - wide
No whispering wind

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In April 2009, Porsche presented the Panamera in Shanghai, at the IAA Aston Martin, independent of Ford again since 2007 and owned by Prodrive owner David Richards, two Kuwaiti investment companies and a minority shareholding by Ford, followed suit with the Rapide. The first signs of the model had already been seen earlier: In September 2008, Aston Martin had announced that it would revive the Lagonda name, in the past always associated with the construction of four-door cars. And shortly before that, it had become known that a contract had been agreed between Aston Martin and Magna Steyr in Graz, which provided for the construction of up to 2000 vehicles per year. This figure still seemed unrealistic at the time, as Aston Martin had only celebrated building 13,000 cars since 1955 in 2007.

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Images of this article

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Der Rapide blieb eine seltene Erscheinung

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Die präzise Lenkung ist ein grosses Plus

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Die Presse lobte das gelungene Design

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Die ultrabreiten Walzen gehörten zu den grössten, die auf einem Aston Martin zu finden waren

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Lange, schnelle Kurven bevorzugt

Aston Martin Rapide (2011) – Lustvolles Fahren ist mit dem Viertürer durchaus möglich

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