With all the hype surrounding the brand-new Panamera, someone was bound to dig up something new on one of Porsche's chief rivals in the four-door sports saloon segment. That someone is Car Magazine and the rival is the long-awaited Aston Martin Rapide. The British mag supports that it has obtained the first official image of the production car in the form of a computer-generated rendering. If we are to believe the magazine's claims, then not much has changed from the concept that was unveiled to the world at the 2006 Detroit auto show.
Put the concept images and the rendering side by side and you'll find a few subtle tweaks like the absence of the secondary air intakes, the larger exterior mirrors and the stronger crease that runs from the front wing vent through both doors, but other than that, nothing important.
The Aston Martin Rapide that will be offered with a 6.0-liter V12 engine developing around 500HP is slated to be introduced in early 2009 with first deliveries expected in early 2010. It will be the first Aston to be built outside Britain with production to be carried out by Magna Steyr at the company's plant in Graz, Austria.
Via: Carmagazine
