The luxury British sports car maker - which is marking its centenary in 2013 - takes
centre stage in Switzerland with cars both from its illustrious past and its exciting
future.
Pride of place is reserved for the latest luxurious addition to the now fully-replaced or
refreshed sports car range - the forthcoming Rapide S.
The luxury four-door GT has been sympathetically redesigned and painstakingly
re-engineered to reassert its position as the world's most beautiful, and beautifully
balanced, four-seat sports car.
Extensive design and engineering improvements make the new Rapide S even more
desirable and refined. It replaces the outgoing Rapide in markets worldwide.
The Rapide S now boasts an even more assertive 'face' created by virtue of the
striking new full grille.
The new front end design is matched at the back by a new rear deck profile which
consists of a more pronounced boot lid 'flip'. The improved aerodynamic and
aesthetic upgrades both reinforce the sporting nature of new Rapide S.
Changes under the car's sinuous skin are comprehensive, with the new AM11
naturally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12 powerplant delivering unprecedented power and
improved in-gear acceleration.
Power from the new engine jumps significantly versus that of its predecessor: up by
17% or a massive 80 bhp from 470 bhp at 6,000 rpm to a now very substantial
550 bhp at 6,750 rpm.
Peak torque increases, too, up from 443 lb.ft (600 Nm) to 457 lb.ft (620 Nm) at 5,000
rpm. Meanwhile an even more marked improvement in torque occurs lower down the
rev range, as pulling power rises by more than 30 lb ft (40 Nm) between idle and
4,000 rpm with an additional 37 lb ft (50 Nm) available at 2,500 rpm.
Naturally, increases in power and torque lead to even swifter performance as befits a
four-door sports car. New Rapide S shaves 0.4 seconds off its 0-60 mph time, which
drops from the 5.1 seconds of the current car to just 4.7 seconds for the new model.
Top speed climbs, meanwhile, to 190 mph.
Fully CNC machined combustion chambers; lighter, hollow, cam shafts; dual variable
camshaft timing; knock sensing - these important advances all help reinforce the
V12 engine's position as a mainstay of the Aston Martin range.
More efficient, as well as more potent, the new Rapide S cuts its CO2 emissions by
seven per cent - from 355 g/km to 332 g/km - while fuel economy now stands at
19.9 mpg on the official EU combined cycle.
A product of the latest generation of Aston Martin's world-renowned VH engineering
philosophy, which debuted in 2003, the car is based on the new Gen4 VH
architecture.
New dynamic stability control (DSC) and the latest Gen4 iteration of Aston Martin's
hi-tech Adaptive Damping System (ADS) sharpen already crisp dynamics. The ADS
system now offers three distinct settings: 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Track', with the
character of each being tailored to the nature of Rapide S.
The different damping modes help to significantly broaden the character of the
Rapide S, adapting its set-up to suit the driver's precise requirements. Thus it can be
a luxurious GT car in Normal mode with the capacity to morph into a more assertive
sports car in Sport and Track modes.
Meanwhile, as with the new DB9, the new Rapide S achieves compliance with the
latest European pedestrian protection regulations courtesy of its innovative new front
grille design.
Pricing for the new 2014 Aston Martin Rapide S starts at $199,950 in the United
States and CAD $210,500 in Canada.
Centenary Editions
Elsewhere on the Geneva stand Aston Martin's ultimate Super GT - the new
Vanquish - showcases a painstakingly created Centenary Edition specification that is
available worldwide on just 100 examples of each of the car maker's model lines:
Vantage, DB9, Vanquish and Rapide S.
Featuring a unique graduated paint finish, solid sterling silver Aston Martin wings
badges with tailored 'trans flux' enamel inlay and a special Aston Martin hallmark, the
show car's exterior represents an exclusive celebration of the company's 100-year
history.
Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, played a key role in the creation of the unique paint
treatment, tasking Design Director Marek Reichman and his team with the
development of a suitably exclusive and desirable dual tone specification.
Dr Bez explained: "The chance to own and enjoy such a stunning piece of
Aston Martin's heritage is made all the more rare by the fact that we are limiting
numbers to just 100 of each model line. Even before a single customer car is built we
are seeing supporters and enthusiasts of the brand worldwide quickly securing their
chosen model."
Inside, as out, a Centenary Edition Aston Martin is identified by its exclusive and
luxurious treatment. Deep Soft black leather - previously featuring only in the One-77
hypercar - with contrasting silver stitching, a special silver thread embroidery of the
Aston Martin wings in the head restraints and solid sterling silver sill plaques
individually numbered with an Aston Martin hallmark are among the features unique
to the car.
Each Centenary Edition model will also be supplied with a unique presentation box
containing a number of exclusive gifts to mark the first 100 years of the company.
These include two glass keys, two bespoke key pouches made from leather
matching the car's interior trim, solid silver cufflinks featuring the Aston Martin script,
solid silver Rollerball pen and high quality Bang & Olufsen headphones.
The gift box will also include a silver polishing cloth to help owners ensure the silver
centenary wings badges and sill plaques on their car keep their lustre.
Some specification details will vary market by market around the world but all cars
will, as ever, be painstakingly handcrafted at Aston Martin's global headquarters and
state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Gaydon, in Warwickshire.
Q by Aston Martin
'Q by Aston Martin' is a bespoke personalisation service - it can even be seen as a
Brand of its own - and goes far beyond even Aston Martin's extensive options list.
Q by Aston Martin allows customers to enhance and personalise their cars with
meticulous attention to detail.
The service can be extended to interior and exterior styling, offering almost endless
opportunity for expression. Thanks to Aston Martin's unique VH (Vertical Horizontal)
architecture, the philosophy that forms the backbone of its sports cars, the company
has evolved a fast, flexible and modular approach to engineering. With Q by
Aston Martin, the ability to commission the design and manufacture of a unique car is
now within reach.
Several examples of the service are displayed at Geneva with, for instance, a
Vanquish presented in striking Morning Frost metallic white with a contrasting
Spectral Blue interior and Pearl White welting. Satin finish carbon fibre exterior
features, blue tinted diamond-turned alloy wheels, a blue-tinted glass fibre centre
console and embossed 'Q' logos are just some of the sports car's highlights.
Beyond cars, Q by Aston Martin can even help to design and procure almost any
manner of luxury item. Colour-matching a Brompton bicycle to an Aston Martin,
supporting a customer's architect to design their house, or creating colour themes
and materials for the interior specification of a yacht - these bespoke services are all
within the gift of this remarkable department.
Century of success
In 2013, 100 years after it was first incorporated, Aston Martin offers customers its
most modern, attractive and compelling line-up to date.
The luxurious new Rapide S joins sporty V8 and V12 Vantage, in either coupe or
roadster form, timeless new DB9 - as coupe or Volante - and ultimate Super GT, the
Vanquish coupe, in a centenary sports car portfolio that continues to make Aston
Martin one of the most desirable automotive brand's in the world. The Cygnet 'tailorfit'
city car, meanwhile, underscores the brand's determination to challenge
convention, think differently and surprise and delight its customers worldwide.
Ahead of the show in Switzerland Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, said: "2013 is
a celebration of the Aston Martin Brand and its achievement as being seen as 'best
of British'.
"From the triumphs on the track at Le Mans and Nürburgring in 1959 - represented
at Geneva by the showing of a precious 1959 DBR1 - to the on-going on-screen
'love affair' with James Bond, Aston Martin has a richly-textured history that we can
look back on with pride.
"Today, with many exciting new projects in the pipeline and new shareholders
helping to drive us forward, we can also look ahead to what I am sure will be a
vibrant, dynamic and successful future."
He added: "Aston Martin is, today, truly a global business. A growing network that
now stands at 145 dealers in 41 countries worldwide illustrates how far this still
modestly-proportioned British company has come in recent times, and I know our
determination to continue reaching into new markets and territories around the world
will see Aston Martin's unique appeal spread further still."
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