There are two primary reasons why this luxury four-door, four-seater sports car exists. First, the same flexible manufacturing techniques that have allowed the formerly near-dead Aston Martin brand to now boast a line-up that contains the V8 Vantage, DB9 and Vanquish also provide the foundation for the Aston Martin Rapide concept shown at the Detroit Motor Show. The second reason is that Aston Martin head cheese, Dr. Ulrich Bez, was at Porsche when his version of a four-door 911 was canned, only to be recently resurrected in the form of the planned Panamera.

The new Aston Martin Rapide is a fulfilment of his dream. Regardless, the car is beautifully proportioned, and it matches the performance of the two-door DB9 that it is based upon. If Bez gets his way, the Rapide will be launched one day before Porsche launches its own luxury four-door, four-seater sports car. In the meantime, try the Maserati Quattroporte or Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG.

John LeBlanc - 16 Jan 2006