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| Heart Stopper: Aston Martin Rapide Debuts in Detroit |
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DETROIT — Aston Martin, the British sports-car specialist, built the odd saloon long before Ford purchased the Newport Pagnell company in 1993. But none of those four-door Astons — not the quirky Lagonda "star destroyer" of the mid-'70s, not the funky Lagonda Rapide of the early '60s — had quite the heart-stopping sex appeal of the new Rapide concept unveiled here at the North American International Auto Show.
Although billed as a concept "four-door coupe," the DB9-derived Rapide looks shockingly close to being production-ready. And why not? With such premium four-doors as the Maserati Quattroporte and the Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG now finding eager customers around the globe and the new Porsche Panamera slated to reach dealers in 2009, a high-performance variant like the Rapide seems like a logical extension of the Aston brand.
The hardware certainly looks capable enough. Aston has adapted the flexible VH platform from the DB9 for the four-passenger Rapide, which is nearly a foot longer and 300 pounds heavier than its two-door sibling.
At its heart beats Aston's silky 6.0-liter V12 engine, massaged to deliver 480 horsepower and mated to a ZF Touchtronic gearbox.
Designed under the direction of Marek Reichman, the Rapide's signature styling feature is the so-called "swan wing" doors that swing upward and out to permit easier access to the car.
Although not yet approved for production, this one looks fairly certain to win the green light from Dearborn. According to Britain's Top Gear magazine, Aston insiders already are projecting an asking price of around $250,000.
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Source : http://www.edmunds.com
(1/9/2006)
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Stories of Wednesday, January 11, 2006 |
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| Chanin Capital Partners Opens Detroit-Area Office, Anchored by Automotive Industry Veterans |
| Introducing Chrysler's First SUV: The All-New 2007 Chrysler Aspen |
| North American International Auto Show Showcases Concept and Production Vehicles on Second Press Day |
| Toyota's 'living room on wheels' |
| Jaguar puts price on new XK |
| Fancy running your car on corn? |
| Toyota Boss Believes US Would Bail GM Out |
| Avis is Newest Sponsor of ING Miami Marathon |
| Kenworth Ranks Highest in Medium-Duty Conventional Truck and Dealer Service Satisfaction; Hino Ranks Highest in Cab-Over Truck Satisfaction for Fourth Consecutive Year |
| Bridgestone Potenza Concept Tires Concepts in Detroit |
| Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Eclipses All-Time Revenue Record While Moving Operations to Talladega |
| Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Eclipses All-Time Revenue Record While Moving Operations to Talladega |
| Jaguar announces XK pricing |
| XM Satellite Radio to be Standard Equipment on the 2006 Scion xB Release Series 3.0 |
| Chrysler Group to Build All-New 2007 Chrysler Aspen at Newark (Delaware) Assembly Plant |
| AAA Reports Gas Prices Up, Will Continue Climb in Next Few Weeks |
| Best-in-Class Seat Components and Flexible Architecture Enable Johnson Controls to Deliver High Value to Customers |
| Mercedes sets three-year quality target |
| Car-care Products Developed With Nanotechnology |
| SCCA Pro To Sanction Spec Miata Endurance Championship |
| CITGO/SAMAX - Rolex 24 test |
| Leading Manufacturers of Garage Door Openers Integrate Johnson Controls' HomeLink QuickTrain Software Into Their Access Control Systems |
| MINI Traveller gets go-ahead |
| Allstate Revolutionizing Car Insurance in America |
| Chevy Camaro Will Go Into Production By 2009 After Hugely Successful Concept Debut |
| Continental's Announced Layoffs in Charlotte Reflect Company's Inability to Adapt to the U.S. Market, Says USW |
| AutoWeek To Celebrate Carroll Shelby's Accomplishments With Lifetime Achievement Award At Annual Design Forum |
| AutoWeek To Celebrate Carroll Shelby's Accomplishments With Lifetime Achievement Award At Annual Design Forum |
| Fiero Store Uses GM Tools to Reintroduce Tail Lamp Lenses |
| Michelin Challenge Design(TM) Announces 2007 Competition Theme |
| Dollar Rent A Car Launches Canadian Web Site |
| Online Auto Bird Dogs Ranked |
| Paulstra, a Leader in Automotive Antivibration Technology, Standardizes on UGS for Global Digital Lifecycle Management |
| Demand Drives Hankyu Cargo to Transform Its International Freight Forwarding Operation with SSA Global |
| Ferrari 599 GTB Details and Images |
| Show Stealer: Lexus Unwraps the New Eight-Speed LS 460 L |
| Ford Reflex Concept Drops in Detroit Promising 65 MPG |
| 2007 Honda Fit Unveiled |
| 2006 North American International Auto Show Industry Preview Days Welcomes Industry Insiders and Celebrities |
| 2007 Dodge Caliber: A New Slant on One of the World's Most Competitive Segments |
| Chrysler Group to Build All-New 2007 Chrysler Aspen at Newark (Delaware) Assembly Plant |
| Lexus unveils new flagship model |
| Performance in mufti from Subaru |
| Ford's S-Max a hit? |
| First peek at Ferrari 599 GTB |
| Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Headlines Auto Show Luncheon |
| BorgWarner Brings Active All-Wheel Drive to China with Interactive Torque Management(TM) System For Chery |
| Indy Racing League Forms Innovative Marketing Agreement With Gene Simmons & Richard Abramson |
| S.Africa '05 new vehicle sales up 25.7 pct, set record |
| Hayes Lemmerz Realigns its Wheel Groups |
| Michelin Challenge Design Announces 2007 Competition Theme |
| Visteon Closes $350 Million Term Loan |
| Locomotive Breath: Ford F-250 Super Chief Chugs Into NAIAS |
| Audi unleashes the Roadjet |
| : Chevy Camaro Will Go Into Production By 2009 After Hugely Successful Concept Debut |
| Chevrolet Announces Aggressive Pricing On All-New 2007 Tahoe |
| Indy Racing League Forms Innovative Marketing Agreement With Gene Simmons & Richard Abramson |
| Heart Stopper: Aston Martin Rapide Debuts in Detroit |
| US govt. would likely support GM: Toyota chief |
| Jeep Wrangler a "Smash" in Detroit |
| Spartan Chassis Reports Record Fire Truck Orders in 2005 |
| 2007 Dodge Caliber: A New Slant on One of the World's Most Competitive Segments |
| Infiniti Highlights Design With Coupe Concept |
| Auto sales top 600 000 for 2005 |
| Strong year for SA car sales |
| Spartan Chassis Reports Record Fire Truck Orders in 2005 |
| TRW Automotive Unveils Portfolio of Technologies For Hybrid Electric Vehicles |
| EPA Proposes New Test Methods for Fuel Economy Window Stickers |
| The Indian Automobile Market is Expected to Grow at a CAGE of 9.5% to 13008 Million |
| S. Africa's auto sales hit 600,000 in 2005 |
| S. Africa's auto sales hit 600,000 in 2005 |
| Motorconsult launches Maintbook Version 3+ |
| Corus appoints TDG as logistics partner |
| 2006 North American International Auto Show Industry Preview Days Welcomes Industry Insiders and Celebrities |
| CLS 63 AMG And CLK 63 AMG Spotted In The Wild |
| Geely Sedan Displayed in Detroit |
| North American International Auto Show Showcases Concept and Production Vehicles on Second Press Day |
| Innovative VibraTech Foam From Johnson Controls |
| Geely confirms plan to enter US market in 2008 |
| MINI Traveller project signed off for production |
| Allstate Revolutionizing Car Insurance in America |
| Paulstra, a Leader in Automotive Antivibration Technology, Standardizes on UGS |
| Fiero Store Uses GM Tools to Reintroduce Tail Lamp Lenses |
| Gill Industries opens first European sales/engineering office |
| 2007 Dodge Caliber: A New Slant on One of the World's Most Competitive Segments |
| Lucas Industries Ltd commences 2020 bonds repurchase offer |
| Research and Markets has announced the addition of Indian Automobile Industry |
| Introducing Chrysler's First SUV: The All-New 2007 Chrysler Aspen |
| Nissan Europe December Sales |
| BorgWarner Brings Active All-Wheel Drive to Chery China |
| Morgan celebrates 70th anniversary of 4/4 with special edition |
| Chanin Capital Partners Opens Detroit-Area Office, Anchored by Automotive Industry Veterans |
| Nanjing Automobile firms up MG production plans – Automotive News report |
| Visteon closes $350 million term loan |
| Johnson Controls and Saft Launch New Joint Venture for Hybrid-Electric Vehicles |
| GM Cuts Sticker Prices |
| VW and Continental enter hybrid electronics systems partnership |
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