Shadow is a smooth operator
Four-door coupes are a contentious proposition, but Aston Martin has refined the Rapide Shadow edition into a sleek, almost mouthwatering, motoring vision to behold.
Of course it helps that under the bonnet sits a V12 engine generating 630Nm of torque that can propel this large luxury sports car from zero to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds.
The claimed top speed is 327 km/h, but Driven was unable to verify this during several hours with the latest edition of the Rapide, in Melbourne recently.
We were in Melbourne for a sneak preview of another Aston Martin model, about which we can say nothing until later this month.
However a drive in the latest version of the Rapide was on offer, with a lengthy and winding drive roughly following the route of the Yarra River, into some of Melbourne’s outer and wealthier suburbs.
It is possible to get into the Rapide without losing your dignity, although some of us struggle to get out of it without embarassment. However this is a small price to pay for the joy of being seen driving the Rapide.
It draws envious looks, even in parts of Melbourne where supercars are almost commonplace.
Aston Martin’s marketing describes the Rapide S somewhat imodestly as ‘the world’s most beautiful four-door sports car’ and it is difficult to argue with the claim. Perhaps its most obvious competitor, the Porsche Panamera, with a new model just launched now looks good. But Aston Martin has refined the Rapide since its introduction in 2010, and it is now a stunner.
At more than 5000mm in length, the Rapide it is long car. It is also low and sleek, and its current shape, it is finally a worthy sibbling to the more traditional Aston Martin sports cars.
The Rapide was named after the Lagonda Rapide, a luxury saloon produced by Lagonda, a company that was absorbed into Aston Martin. It is based on the DB9, and shares the same platform.
While it was initially built in Austria, production was moved to the United Kingdom in 2012, after sales did not meet production targets.
There was market resistance to