ASTON MARTIN vANQUISH S - The Seen

FEATURE : RAPIDE TRANSIT
As I approached Nicholas Mee & Co’s Brackenbury House
showroom in advance of the editorial planning meeting
for this issue of FullBore, I had my mind focussed on other
matters and so was only subconsciously aware that there
was a smart ‘new era’ Almond Green Aston parked on
the forecourt.
It seemed just a little too large to be a Vantage, and my
subconscious mind had also ruled out the possibility of it being
a Vanquish or a DB7, so I logically assumed it must be a DB9 –
an exceptionally fine looking car by any standards, but a shape
we’re all familiar with so not something to stop me in my tracks.
Then, when I was right up close, in the corner of my eye I
noticed something unusual. The very muscular rear haunch
featured a door handle, a discreet one, but a door handle
nonetheless. And is that a shut line? It most certainly is. By
this point I had stopped in my tracks and the car had my full
attention. It was, to my surprise, nothing other than a Rapide – a
car based on the DB9, with VH chassis architecture and a 6-litre
470bhp V12, but with four grown-up seats and five doors, (that’s
five if you count the rear hatch, as most manufacturers do).
With customer deliveries of the Rapide having only started in
mid 2010, and having personally seen very few on the road
since then, I perhaps naively wasn’t expecting to see the
world’s-prettiest-car-with-more-than-two-doors parked on the
forecourt of this or any other used car dealership.
As our planning meeting got under way it didn’t take us long
to come up with the notion that I should take the Rapide for a
drive for a feature in this issue. Et voila!
23
Now as a motoring journalist this may be a weakness, but I
prefer to keep my comments on car styling to a minimum
as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a picture is worth a
thousand words, and frankly it’s hard to top the colourful
descriptions of creative chaps like Marek Reichman, the man
who led the Rapide design team.
“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.”
And to that I can only add, I don’t know much about car styling,
but I know what I like, and I love the Rapide!
As you might expect of any car costing almost £140,000 when
new, the ‘Bitter Chocolate’ leather-trimmed interior is exquisite,
both in terms of design and finish. The long, swooping centre
console – a design feature pioneered on the first Vanquish –
continues through to the rear of the cabin, separating the two
rear seats, and so helps give those passengers an ambience
that’s every bit as sporty as for those in the front.
With a press of the glass-trimmed key-cum-starter button the
big V12 barks into life, and by pressing the D button just to
the right in the wood-finish fascia, we’re ready to roll. Once
on the move, and even in the urban confines of West London,
the Rapide’s firm but supple suspension, its ultra-rigid chassis
and its very responsive steering all combine to make it very
FULLBORE