One of the reasons Aston Martin chief Ulrich Bez left Porsche in the early 1990s was a clash with the board over the development of a four-door sedan. That car, the Porsche 989, made it to prototype stage, but not production. However, it formed the blueprint for the forthcoming Panamera sedan.
Bez shocked his old employer by showing a four-door Aston Martin concept at the 2006 Detroit show based on the clever, flexible VH aluminum space-frame architecture that underpins the DB9 and V8 Vantage. Bez claimed the car, called the Rapide, would beat the Panamera into production. Among the interested onlookers at the Aston stand during the show was current Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer.
The Rapide program has been delayed by the sale of Aston Martin, and the car is now likely to go on sale in 2010. It will share much of its running gear, including the V-12 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, with the DB9. The appearance of the DBS means potential for a higher-performance version later in the Rapide's life cycle.
The Aston Rapide is likely to be a slightly tighter fit than the Panamera, not the least because its rakish profile so closely follows that of the DB9 coupe. Interior appointments will be typically sumptuous, with lavish use of leather, exotic wood, aluminum, and carbon fiber throughout. It's not certain whether the transparent polycarbonate roof of the Rapide concept will make it to production, but don't rule that out.
The Rapide isn't Aston's first four-door. The company made 645 of the dramatic William Towns-designed Lagonda sedans between 1976 and 1989. The Rapide will easily beat that total, though it will be built in far lower numbers than the Panamera-no more than 3500 a year, compared with Porsche's target volume of 20,000 sedans. It's also likely to be significantly more expensive.