Nissan GT-R Cars

Nissan GT-R Cars

New Sport Aston Martin Rapide four door coupe

Aston Martin Rapide four door coupe

The first sighting of Aston Martin’s hotly anticipated Rapide—the company’s first four-door since the quirky, boxy Lagonda—was on neither public roads nor an auto-show stand but rather sliding around on a frozen lake somewhere in Scandinavia. Our hardy and presumably well-insulated spy photographers somehow found it and its creators having a pretty dandy time testing its capabilities in slippery conditions.

Virtually undisguised save for some tape around the head- and taillamps, this prototype appears to be little changed from the saucy Rapide concept that took our breath away at the 2006 New York auto show (the prototype is practically the same color, even).

That car was essentially a DB9 with an extra foot between the axles to make room for the additional doors and more capacious rear-seating area, along with some special show-car touches such as a glass roof and glitzy lights that don’t appear to be making it to production.

Aston Martin Sports Cars DB9

Ian Minards, Aston Martin’s Product Development Director said, “The DB9 was the first sport car built at Gaydon adopting the VH architecture. It has evolved every year since, with significant changes including a power upgrade and successive reductions in CO2 emissions. The latest package of improvements goes further than ever, highlighting the DB9’s qualities as a true sporting GT and underlining its role as the backbone car of our range.”

Aston Martin Sports Cars DB9

Performance comes courtesy of Aston Martin’s sport car celebrated 6.0-litre V12 engine, which develops an unchanged 470bhp and 442lb ft of torque. Mated to a choice of six-speed ‘Touchtronic’ paddle-shift automatic or six-speed H-pattern manual transmissions, the DB9 offers an intoxicating blend of effortless pace and sporting character. A top speed of 190mph and the ability to hit 60mph in just 4.6sec seal its credentials as the definitive 2+2 Grand Tourer.

Aston Martin Sports Cars DB9

The Aston Martin designers gave new 2011 sport car DB9 subtle enhancements in appearance including a new front bumper, new grille, a reshaped lower intake that now features a hexagonal mesh, new headlight bezels, re-styled sills, silver brake calipers, 20-spoke diamond turned alloy wheels and clear rear light lenses.

Aston Martin Sports Cars DB9

The Aston Martin company has revealed their new 2011 Aston Martin sport car DB9 with new styling and some engineering and equipment upgrades. 28 June 2010, Gaydon, Warwickshire: In the most significant programme of upgrades since its world debut in 2003, Aston Martin’s sport car DB9 range has received a complete package of styling, engineering and equipment enhancements. “Improving upon what many consider to be one of the most beautiful sports cars in the world is a delicate exercise,” says Aston Martin.