It's not everyday this two door loving man finds a four door sedan that grabs his attention. Yesterday was one of those days and this 2012 Aston Martin Rapide, pronounced "Rah-peed" was one of those cars. I found it not in a lot of exotic, high performance cars in Southern California but, oddly enough, in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle supermarket near my home on Cleveland's "West Side". That "2012" sticker on the upper right of the windshield, or "wind screen", as they call them on that side of the pond, a tell tale that this silver bullet is for sale. A brief local check on cars.com confirmed that notion.
That search informed me this car is for sale with an asking price of just under $144,000. That means it's depreciated nearly $80,000 in just two years. With a drop like that, this car should be called a "Rapide Depreciation". I sure hope it was leased; anyone who purchases a car costing this much that depreciates like that has me wondering how they got themselves in the position to purchase a car costing this much in the first place. If you've ever wondered how those who've made millions suddenly go bankrupt, here's an example of how and why. Lottery winners, professional athletes and shopping carts, beware.
With my Sunday donuts and bagels in hand, I was first taken back by that I couldn't tell what this thing was. Was it one of those new high end electric cars like a Fisker? Tasker? Tesla? Electrolux? Sorry, I'm not up on those cars. I'm clueless on hybrids or "eco-assists" too. Gee whiz, imagine spending the better part of a quarter of a million dollars on a car and then no one knows what you have. You wouldn't be the first person to think that the front end of this car looks like the front end of a Ford Fusion.
I love this picture because of juxtaposition. See that little red Camaro in the background? That's my beloved, "Old '96er". Up against the Rapide, it illustrates frugal yet fun purchasing vs. whatever you would call the purchase or lease of a Rapide. I guess if you have the money why not. But spending that much on this thing? What is a Rapide anyway? Well, a Rapide is a high performance "sports saloon" made by British luxury marque, Aston Martin. Introduced in 2010, the Rapide is powered by a 550 horsepower, 6 liter, 48 valve, double overhead cam V-12. 0-60 takes just 4.7 seconds. Pretty quick. However, there are faster cars out there for much, much less money.
Those cars also aren't Aston Martins.
This car is chock full of little design elements that are really interesting. Take the door handles for instance. I guess this handle pops out when the driver gets near it with the key fob in tow or hits a button? What happens if the battery goes dead? I didn't touch it knowing that the person driving it (extended test drive, perhaps) could come out of the Giant Eagle and hit me with their English Muffins if they saw me tinkering with it.
This aircraft inspired interior is also out of this world. Isn't it funny how car design emulates aircraft? When was the last time you saw the cockpit of an airplane and it reminded you of a car? Hint: never.
I can only imagine how these beautiful discs and calipers stop this porky, 4400 pound dream machine. Hint: very well.
I wish I was a James Bond fan so I could drop in clever isms from the movies while describing this car. After all, Mr. Shaken, Not Stirred is a Aston Martin fan although not of the four door variety. If he had a family, then maybe he'd drive this.
The bottom line is this car will shake and stir your bank account and have you reaching for a Martini or two (or ten) when you come down off the high that comes from reckless spending. This is just a car after all albeit, a gorgeous one. One that I wouldn't mind tooling around in for an afternoon or two then return the keys or key fob. I'd return with a full tank of gas from Giant Eagle too because that's just the kind of guy I am.
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