The Rapide gains an S as Aston Martin plans life in new Centenary

2013 is Aston Martin’s centenary year with it being 100 years since Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin founded the company back in 1913 and the first model to be announced in the new era is the Rapide S. Though it may seem it is a brand new model to the Rapide range, technically it is more of a facelift as it will be replacing the older model altogether.

Fresh from a £150 million investment from former Ducati owner Investindustrial who now own a 37.5% stake in the company Aston Martin is making headway in its centenary year with the new Vanquish and now the Rapide S. The general opinion of the Rapide was that it was a fantastic car with impressive performance and beautifully made but as a new car it was very expensive in comparison to it’s rivals and only really came into it’s own as a used car and now early cars do represent great value for such a terrific car.

To re-ignite interest in the Rapide there are some significant changes though the overall design and looks of the car only experience subtle changes. A more aggressive looking front grille, new bonnet and sporty new alloys go some way to giving the car more attitude with new options available including a carbon fibre exterior pack and new interior trim options. The same 6.0L V12 engine now sits lower in the car giving the car a better sense of gravity improving handling but most importantly has boosted power to 550bhp which is a decent jump from 471bhp of the old model. More torque and more rigidity add to the flavour.

The adaptive damping system from the new DB9 has been borrowed so the new Rapide has the Normal, Sport and Track modes though I can’t imagine people lining up to take this on a track. With prices set to start around £150,000 let’s hope enough people buy them so some used cars start appearing on the market in the future. If you are interested in buying a new Rapide S or a used Aston Martin Rapide then please contact us, Romans are one of the leading independent Aston Martin dealers in the UK and we have privileged access to the best luxury cars on the market providing you unrivalled service looking after all your motoring needs.