2010 Aston Martin Rapide

It is remarkable to think that Aston Martin has launched more new cars over the past two decades that it had done through most of the 20th century. Thanks to new investment and the success of the beautifully refined DB9, a design so timeless that it influenced the penmanship of virtually every model that followed, Aston Martin had become ambitious. Some would say that a relatively small luxury sports car maker’s intention to take on the sporting saloon market was beyond ambitious, but it wasn’t Aston’s first foray. There had been three production four-door saloon over the decades, the first being the 1961 Lagonda Rapide which ran for three years with just 55 cars built, followed a decade later by just seven examples of the extended wheelbase V8 coupe of 1974 and known as the Lagonda Series 1. However it is the wedged design of the Lagonda Series 2 launched in 1976 as a full size luxury four-door sports car that is most remembered by Aston heritage enthusiasts. In production until 1990, a remarkable 645 cars were built, ending with the restyled Series 4 model.

With a nod to the company’s heritage, the 2010 introduction of the four-door Rapide was a sensation. Based on the sleek lines of the DB9 and intended to compete with Porsche’s Panamera, the 5.9-litre V12 engine was mated to a 6-speed Touchtronic II automatic gearbox. The exterior coachwork was matched in beauty by a simplistic interior trimmed in the finest leather with metallic accents complementing the traditional Aston woodwork. The standard Rapide had a global production of 2,872 cars until the introduction of the Rapide S in 2013, and mainstream production began to peter out over subsequent years, until the final car in 2020. According to online sources, there are some 918 Rapides registered in the UK, which accounts for the car’s rare appearances on the road.

This lovely example was supplied by JCT600 Aston Martin of Leeds in the rare colour scheme of Hardly Green Metallic over an Obsidian leather interior. Optioned from new with rear screen entertainment, ventilated seats and an alarm upgrade, it cost £159,212 and was first registered on 22nd October 2010. The accompanying service book shows 11 Aston Martin main agent stamps, whilst the car’s odometer reading is a shade under 33,500 miles and the Aston is supplied with it's original book pack, V5C and a fresh MOT.