Scoop: Aston Martin Rapide Sports Saloon Goes Under the Knife

Aston Martin seems to be following Porsche's evolutionary example not only in terms of design, but also in other areas by constantly tweaking, upgrading and adding new editions to its existing range of models.

After the recent presentations of the new Vanquish coupe and the refined 2013MY DB9 series, the British automaker has turned its attention to the Rapide sedan that was captured by our scoop photographers with barely any camouflage.

We previously reported that Aston Martin was readying a peppier "S" version of its luxury sports saloon, which we believe still holds true, but we now know that the regular Rapide will also benefit from a light makeover.

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Aston Martin Plays the 'Can You Spot the Differences' Game with 2013 DB9 Facelift

You can rest assure that when Aston Martin presents a new model – let alone a facelift of an existing vehicle, you will have a very hard time telling the differences from their predecessors, which is the obviously the case with the refreshed 2013 DB9 in both Coupe and Volante (convertible) body styles.

According to the British automaker, the styling changes on the DB9 are "reminiscent of the outgoing Virage, which ceases production with immediate effect". We will remind you that the Virage was presented last year to close the invisible gap between the DB9 and the DBS, which has now itself been replaced by the new Vanquish.

We will start our tour of the 2013 DB9 with the exterior makeover that includes a redesigned hood, front grille surround and bumper, new front fender air vents, a new design for the rear bumper and the boot that incorporates a much more pronounced spoiler lip to improve aerodynamics.

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EVO Tries Out Aston Martin’s New Vantage V12 Roadster

It has taken Aston Martin no less than three years to roll out the open-top version of the V12-engined Vantage.

Given that other roadsters, like the Ferrari 458 and McLaren MP4-12C Spiders, which use much more advanced tops than the canvas unit employed by the Aston Martin model, hit the market not long after their coupe versions, this is quite a long time.

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Shaken, Not Stirred: Sky Movies Puts Together James Bond Driving Scenes

He has a license to kill, instantly charms all the pretty ladies and gets all the latest toys. And by “toys” we mean all kinds of vehicles, from trucks to Soviet battle tanks and of course, cars, lots of them.

The one he has been most associated with is the Aston Martin DB5, while his most recent drive was a DBS. In between, he has also sat behind the wheel of a Lotus Esprit that doubled as a submarine, a Jaguar XKR and some BMWs – the best of which, the Z8, was cut in half.

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Aston Martin Updates 2013 Vanquish Photo Gallery and Releases First Driving Film [w/Video]

We got our first taste of the 2013 Vanquish a couple of months ago, both online and in the flesh at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but Aston Martin has since made available a renewed photo gallery and the first official dynamic footage in a new promotional film.

The DBS-replacing Vanquish adopts the next generation of Aston Martin's VH bonded aluminium monocoque architecture as well as an upgraded 5.9-litre V12 engine generating 565hp (573PS) and 620Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque.

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Top Gear Live Returns to the UK and the Birmingham NEC in October [w/Video]

We won't be able to watch fresh episodes of the Top Gear UK television show until 2013, but British fans will have the opportunity to see presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May along with The Stig in the flesh at the next Top Gear Live taking place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) from 25-28 October, 2012.

The UK event is a follow up to this past June's Top Gear Live show in Durban, South Africa, where a stunt team successfully completed the world's first ever "double loop-the-loop".

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One-of-a-Kind 1998 Aston Martin DB7 with Racing V8 Hits the Auction Block

Classic and sports car auctioneer Historics at Brooklands will bring a unique 1998 Aston Martin DB7 to its next event that takes place in England on Saturday, September 1.

At its time, the DB7 (produced from 1994 to 2004) was Aston Martin's ‘entry-level’ model and first six-cylinder car since the 1971 DB6 Mk2. It was also the most produced Aston Martin ever until it was surpassed by the DB9 in more recent years.

The burgundy colored 1998 DB7 that will go under the hammer in Brooklands, however, is unlike any other of its siblings as it was specially commissioned by a member of the Saudi Arabian Royal family.

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Edmunds gets Chauffeured in the New Aston Martin Vanquish

After giving EVO magazine a ride in the new Vanquish in the frozen north of Sweden, Aston Martin engineers invited Edmunds Insideline to take a seat on the passenger side of a pre-production model at Spain's Sierra Nevada, which is Europe's version of the Death Valley in California. Read more »

EVO Goes for a Ride in an Aston Martin Vanquish on a Frozen Lake in Sweden

Back in March, several months ahead of the official unveiling of the new Vanquish Coupe, Aston Martin invited British car magazine EVO to take a seat in one of the pre-production prototypes of the V12-powered sports car in northern Sweden.

The trip including a ride at a continental testing facility, which as we learn, is carved on the surface of a frozen lake every winter. The video that follows below the break, gives us an insight on how Aston Martin engineers performed the development work on the new Vanquish.

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New Aston Martin Vanquish and V12 Vantage Roadster Thrashed Around the Nürburgring

Evidently, Aston Martin has not quite yet finished tweaking the new Vanquish Coupe, even though the company has officially presented the car.

A camouflage-free, pre-production model together with a lightly disguised prototype of the Vanquish were filmed racing around the Nürburgring Nordschleife this week.

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Kahn Suits Up Aston Martin Rapide Saloon with Some Discreet Upgrades

More often than not, when it comes to sports cars of the likes of the Aston Martin Rapide it’s better/wiser to keep the aftermarket upgrades as limited and as discreet as possible, which is the path followed by British customizer Afzal Kahn. Read more »

Sounds of Fury: The Best of the Best from the 2012 Top Marques in Monaco

Ah, Monaco, the playground for the rich and famous and one of the best places on earth to catch the crème de la crème of supercars and luxury vehicles of all sorts in action.

The small sovereign and independent city-state that's tucked between the foot of the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean, nine miles east of Nice, France, plays host to the swanky "Top Marques" show that brings together the most exotic and expensive cars in the world.

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New Videos of Aston Martin Vanquish and V12 Vantage Roadster

The two newest models from Aston Martin come into focus in these latest videos, which were filmed under different circumstances.

The first clip is from an exclusive presentation of the new Vanquish at Frankfurt's trendy Klassikstadt, while the second film is from a YouTube user who spotted the also new V12 Vantage Roadster parked on the streets of London.

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Aston Martin Lifts the Top on New V12 Vantage Roadster with 510hp

Some three years after the introduction of the V12 Vantage Coupe in 2009, Aston Martin has presented a roofless version of its sports car that joins the lesser Vantage and Vantage S V8 models.

There are no surprises under the hood with the range-topping Vantage Roadster using Aston Martin’s naturally aspirated 5.9-litre V12 engine that generates 510hp (517PS) at 6,500 rpm and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of maximum torque at 5,750 rpm.

Coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox that directs power to the rear wheels, the V12 Vantage Roadster hits 100km/h (62mph) in 4.5 seconds, which makes it 0.3 seconds slower than the coupe. It's top speed, however, is the same at 305km/h (190mph).

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Spy Shots: Is Aston Martin Preparing a More Powerful Rapide S Model?

Understandably, with only two years under its belt, it's too early for Aston Martin to be working on a mid-life facelift for its Rapide sports saloon. So, what is the British brand doing with this partially camouflaged prototype of the Rapide?

Our spies believe that the car you see in these photos is a more powerful and sportier version of luxury sedan named the Rapide S.

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