NEW 2014 ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE S TO MAKE NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT IN NEW YORK

2014 Aston Martin RAPIDE S

Aston Martin’s new four-door sports car; the Rapide S is set to make its North American debut at the 2013 New York International Auto Show from 27th March where it will also be joined by the new Vanquish and DB9 offerings from Aston Martin.

After making its first appearance at the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show earlier this month, the new V12-engined, 550bhp Rapide S will make its first public appearance stateside in New York ahead of first customer deliveries commencing in June.

Regional Director for Aston Martin The Americas, Julian Jenkins said: “We are delighted to bring the new 2014 Rapide S to the North American audience for the first time along with the Vanquish and DB9 which together form the new and revised Aston Martin GT line-up.

“We are also joined in New York by our motorsport partners TRG (The Racers Group) who will be showcasing their new V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4 race cars giving show goers a rare opportunity to see these racing machines up close.”

The luxury four-door Rapide S has been redesigned and painstakingly re-engineered to reassert its position as the world’s most beautiful, and beautifully balanced, four-seat sports car. Extensive design and engineering improvements make the new Rapide S even more desirable and refined. The Rapide S now boasts an even more assertive ‘face’ created by virtue of the striking new full grille.

The new front end design is matched at the back by a new rear deck profile which consists of a more pronounced boot lid ‘flip’. The improved aerodynamic and aesthetic upgrades both reinforce the sporting nature of the Rapide S.

Changes under the car’s sinuous skin are comprehensive, with the new AM11 naturallyaspirated 6.0-litre V12 powerplant delivering unprecedented power and improved in-gear acceleration.

Power from the new engine jumps significantly versus that of its predecessor: up by 17% or a massive 80bhp from 470bhp at 6,000rpm to a now very substantial 550bhp at 6,750rpm. Peak torque increases, too, up from 443lb.ft (600Nm) to 457lb.ft (620Nm) at 5,500rpm. Meanwhile an even more marked improvement in torque occurs lower down the rev range, as pulling power rises by more than 30lb.ft (40Nm) between idle and 4,000rpm with an additional 37lb.ft (50Nm) available at 2,500rpm.

Naturally, increases in power and torque lead to even swifter performance as befits a fourdoor sports car. The Rapide S shaves 0.4 seconds off its 0-60 mph time, which drops from the 5.1 seconds of the current car to just 4.7 seconds for the new model. Top speed climbs, meanwhile, to 190 mph.

The new Rapide S is on sale now priced at $199,950 USD (CAD $210,500) and the 113th New York International Auto Show commences on Wednesday 27th March at the Jacob Javits Center, NYC.

[Source : ASTON MARTIN]