2006 Aston Martin Rapide Concept

Aston Martin’s traditional hand-finishing, craft skills and attention to detail operate side by side on the ultra-modern production line at Gaydon in Warwickshire. The VH architecture is at the heart of this manufacturing operation, its modular structure providing such inherent rigidity that it has given the company’s designers and engineers the same levels of freedom as their predecessors, 50 years before. In today’s marketplace, even low volume manufacturers like Aston Martin are governed by strict legislation and the need to balance power, weight distribution, handling and safety. Utilising the VH architecture as the foundation for the new Rapide concept, Aston Martin has illustrated how their current range might be expanded, a four-door coupé that complements the formidable DB9 2+2, DB9 Volante and the compact and muscular Vantage. The visual language of Aston Martin is highly distinctive. Across a range of three cars, the company’s design team, led by Design Director Marek Reichman, fulfils Aston Martin’s core values – power, beauty and soul – with bodywork that is taut, poised and muscular.