2014 Aston Martin Rapide

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

With a name that evokes the stylish four-door Lagondas of the 1960s, the Aston Martin Rapide offers a peerless combination of luxury, power and practicality, and there are few more stylish ways in which to carry four people.

Delivered to its first owner in June 2013 by main dealer Aston Martin Cheltenham, this Rapide was specified in Obsidian Black with Onyx Black interior. It featured a well-chosen selection of options, including ventilated seats, 20in 10-spoke diamond-turned silver wheels, and Sandstorm full-grain leather trim.

It was also fitted with the rear-seat entertainment system – which was a £2495 option – plus the Piano Black interior trim pack. Road-testers raved about the quality of the Rapide’s interior when it was launched, and whether you’re sitting in the front or the back of this car, there’s no doubt it’s a very special place to be.

As a Rapide, it was built at Aston Martin’s Gaydon factory, rather than in Austria, as earlier Rapides had been. It also means that it benefits from the considerably more powerful AJ11 engine, which was mounted slightly lower in order to improve handling, as well as Gen4 adaptive damping technology that enables the driver to choose between Normal, Sport and Track modes. 

The Aston has been meticulously cared for throughout its life and boasts an unbroken main-dealer service history, having always been looked after by the same dealer that sold it new. The service book is fully stamped, starting with its first service in June 2014 at just under 7000 miles, and more than 10 years later it’s still covered only 39,000 miles. 

Now being offered for sale at the Classic Motor Hub, this immaculate Aston Martin Rapide represents exceptional value for money given its specification, history and all-round blend of abilities.

MODEL HISTORY  

When Aston Martin launched the Rapide in 2009, it described it as being ‘the most elegant four-door sports car in the world’ – and not without justification. Car magazine said that, when seen amongst ordinary traffic, ‘it looks stunning – long, low and effortlessly stylish’, while Autocar simply stated that it was ‘breathtakingly elegant’.

Designed by Marek Reichman and Miles Nurnberger, the Rapide used the British marque’s bonded aluminium VH platform, and initially it was offered with a 470bhp version of the DB9’s 5.9-litre V12, which drove through a six-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission. 

It certainly had plenty of performance reserves. The Rapide dispatched the 0-60mph sprint in 5.3 seconds and went on to a top speed of 188mph, while the chassis was also widely praised.

In 2013, Aston Martin introduced the Rapide, which benefited from a boost in power to 550bhp as well as a subtle facelift. Further development the following year added yet more power, pushing the top speed beyond 200mph, plus a new eight-speed gearbox. The chassis and interior were also upgraded along the way. 

Although the Rapide was intended very much as a roadgoing Grand Tourer, Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez drove one to second in class at the 2010 Nürburgring 24 Hours, alongside co-drivers Matthew Marsh, Nordschleife specialist Wolfgang Schuhbauer and Chris Porritt.

Late in the model’s life, 210 examples of the limited-edition, 595bhp Rapide AMR were built, and production came to an end in 2020.