OK, so the Aston Martin Rapide isn’t quicker than the Porsche Panamera Turbo. So what? Aston Fans can always counter with the vicious One-77. No, it doesn’t have four seats, but it is super exclusive and faster than a scalded cat. The company has just dropped some tasty footage of the ultracar during testing, and we have to say it looks and sounds like rolling money. Odds are every last one of the 77 examples has already been spoken for (including 10 that went to one very wealthy buyer), which means our chances of getting behind the wheel are greatly diminished. That makes us sad. [Source: YouTube]

And not just any Panamera, either – the Panamera Turbo. Now, if you’ve kept up with your numbers, you know the Rapide just doesn’t have the guts to keep up with the all-wheel drive, wickedly powerful Porsche sedan. To even the playing field somewhat, the crew from AC decided to load up the hefty Stuttgart machine with four big guys. The Rapide, on the other hand, would get to scoot down the course with nothing but the driver inside. Would the extra weight be enough to give the Rapide an edge over the Panamera? Hop the jump to find out for yourself. [Source: ZerCustoms]

The Bugatti Galibier 16C a little too rich for your blood? No worries. There are a host of high-end supersaloons ripe for the taking right now, including the lusty Aston Martin Rapide. The company from Jolly Old has just rolled out a new video showing a portion of the extensive testing that went into development, including durability runs at the Nurburgring and powertrain abuse at the hands of the Italian Alps. There’s plenty of high-speed footage of the massive sedan jetting around the company’s own facility in Warwickshire, England, too. Hop the jump for a look see. Be warned: you might just find yourself with a burning desire for an extra $200,000 to burn. [Source: YouTube]

Aston Martin has leaked new pictures of its answer to the fast sedan market: the Rapide. The outside shots are nothing really surprising and it looks just as you’d expect: a DB9 or Vantage with a slight stretch and two additional doors. Of course, there are parts that are unique to the Rapide, like its headlights and a duckbill spoiler, but it still looks unmistakably like an Aston Martin.  This set of pictures also includes a cutaway shot that reveals the interior, so click the jump to see why you won’t mind sitting in the back of the Rapide. [Source: MotorAuthority]

The Rapide will be powered by a modified version of the DB9’s 6.0 liter V12 engine with 470 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque, paired to a traditional six speed manual transmission or a six speed auto. The automatic transmission features the ‘Touchtronic’ system which includes manual paddle shifting and a sport mode with a more aggressive throttle and later shift points. They’ve managed to coax the same 4.3 second 0-60 time out of the automatic transmission.

The cutaway photo mentioned earlier shows off four bucket seats divided down the center with a large center console. The console is business as usual at the front, offering occupants all the controls you’d normally expect. It looks like the console might just give passengers in the rear their own set of controls.

The Aston Martin Rapide’s pricetag is suspected to be in the $200,000 range, which is close to the DB9 and below the DBS. Look for more info and pictures of the Rapide after its official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Aston Martin’s latest press release about their newest car, the Rapide, comes at a convenient time that pairs nicely with the leak of information about Mercedes Benz’s latest four door AMG duo, the S63 and S65. The Rapide is Aston Martin’s attempt at a four door car that still looks relatively sporty, which means they tried to emulate the sloping rear roofline of a coupe. This design philosophy has been used by other luxury marques such as Porsche (with their Panamera) and Mercedes (with the CLS series) to a great degree of success. Within Aston Martin, the Rapide has been characterized as a ‘long distance runner’ and will slot nicely into their lineup as a high horsepower yet comfortable grand tourer.

The Rapide looks very much like the DB9 or DBS, except with a slight stretch and cutout for two rear doors. The proportions do not look off at all, the designers did a great job with the new lines; I especially like the crease that extends from the fender vent all the way into the rear doors. Chiseled lines for the protruding rear fender, located partially in the rear doors, also help give the car a muscular stance.  Speaking of design elements, the third and fourth passengers will be entering the Rapide via the “swan wing” doors, which will rise “upwards and outwards. This description sounds like a subdued version of the Ferrari Enzo doors, which also swing upwards and outwards until the outside of the door completely faces the front.

For propulsion, it’ll come with a 6.0 liter V12 engine that produces 470 horsepower and 442 ft-lb of torque, which should do the trick. Of course, power is channeled through a paddle shifted automatic transmission with an undisclosed number of gears.

Hidden way in the thick of the press release is this interesting tidbit, “seats for children or two adults on shorter journeys”, which is written about the rear seats. It might be a bit unsettling for potential buyers because I’ve seen the same phrase written about cars like the Porsche 911, which clearly are not meant to house passengers in the back. In this case, that would defeat the whole purpose of having two extraneous doors wouldn’t it? 

The Porsche Panamera

First, as usual, a little history lesson. In the early 90’s the chief of R&D at Porsche was a man named Ulrich Bez. He left Porsche around that time partially over disagreements with the board of directors over the development of the 989, a 4 door sedan prototype. Although the 989 never saw production, it would provide a dusty blueprint a decade later for the Panamera, Porsche’s first production 4 door sedan.

The Panamera, set for release in 2010, is arguably one of the strangest good looking cars ever designed. From the front and back it’s all Porsche, but from the sides… it looks as though someone took a Carrera and stretched it into a proper sedan; Motor Trend’s “gotta have cars” section had the newest prototype spyshots. However the trick here is that lines are retained, and the body still flows like a proper Porsche. Current R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer has promised that the body lines aren’t the only thing thats going to stay true to the Porsche name, promising that performance will not be noticeably affected by the added weight. The Panamera will probably run a modified version of the Cayenne’s 3.6L V6, leaving the door open for a Porsche hybrid sedan… an interesting and revolutionary concept.

Now, the fact that the Panamera is being made at all is news in of itself, but there is an ironic twist to the story that made the news all the more interesting. Porsche was stunned when Ulrich Bez, now chief at Aston Martin, announced the plans in 2006 for a production 4 door Aston Martin sedan; the Rapide. It appears as though Ulrich never quite got over his denial at Porsche, and decided his revenge would be to produce a car that would compete directly with the Panamera. Ulrich has gone so far as to claim that the DB9 based Rapide will beat the Panamera into production! Now there’s a good old fashioned European showdown. It looks like WW3 might just be on the way for the automotive world… Do I smell shootout material?

Hope you guys enjoyed that juicy bit of sports car drama. Make sure to swing by the Forums and join in on the discussion. This is Dr. VW- out.