Glorious Pictures Of Aston Martin Rapide

To me it is one of the Best looking car that debut in 2009. The Aston Martin Rapide is an engineering marvel that sets your heart racing upon setting your eyes on this beauty. Perhaps that is the reason why it took the British firm some time to release a series of High resolution images for us to download.

The Aston Martin was made public earlier during the Frankfurt Motor Show. Powering this graceful beast is a handmade 6.0-liter V12 engine that makes 477HP at 6,000 rpm and 600Nm (443 lbft) of peak torque at 5000 rpm. The raw power is then delivered to the rear wheels via Aston's six-speed 'Touchtronic 2' automatic transmission that allows the driver to change gear automatically or manually via the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.The Rapide features four 'swan wing' doors that open slightly upwards revealing the saloon's 2+2 seating layout.

Among the quotes of Chief Executive Dr. Ulrich Bez. that describes the Rapide are "Rapide is the culmination of the Aston Martin range of sports cars, a car that seals the revival of a truly admired marque. There is now an Aston Martin for every taste and for every use," he further added that "With Rapide, the entire family can enjoy their Aston Martin together in unison, in an invigorating yet comfortable environment, sitting low, with plenty of visibility from every seat and with new levels of comfort, refinement and entertainment."

All that praise for the Rapide will come to an end when one finds out that the boot capacity is no larger than that of a Ford Fiesta at 310 liters and of course the hefty price tag.



























Aston Martin Rapide Specification

AutoAlert : The All New Jaguar XJ

You are looking at new Jaguar XJ. Arguably the best luxury vehicle from the British automaker to date & is all ready to take on the likes of BMW 7 series & the Mercedes S-Class. Being the flagship model meant that this car will feature the best technology available today & Jaguar has decided to hide all those hardware behind a retro inspired design language especially the rear & interior. To be honest with you I am quite surprise by Jaguar's decision to revert to past for inspiration on the drawing board. Looking at Jaguar's recent design direction like XF & XKR all seems to point to the future but I guess they decided to give the flagship sedan a different treatment. The best bits of the car to me has to be the frontal part that was carried over from the XF with modifications done on the headlights (sharper) and Grill(more upright) to crown the XJ.

Jaguar has channel a lot of effort in making sure that this car's occupant gets a magic carpet ride without sacrificing agility and razor sharp handling. To achieve that goal Jaguar fitted the vehicle with air suspension, adaptive Dynamics (continuously Variable Damping), Active Differential Control & quick-ratio power steering.

Jaguar also made sure that the interior of the vehicle will be one of the 'best place' to be in regardless of the driver or passenger. Real wood, leather and chrome is used generously to convey Jaguar's commitment towards unparalleled quality of the XJ. To further pamper the occupants the features a 12.3-inch high-definition Virtual Instruments complement an innovative, Dual-View technology 8-inch Touch-screen that can project DVD movies or television programmes to the passenger while the driver views vehicle functions or follows satellite navigation. There is an option to transform the cabin into a mobile theater with top-of-the-range 1200W Bowers & Wilkins system.

Here is a list of technical data pertaining to the XJ. The 3.0 liter diesel model has the perfect credidentials to brag as it delivers exhilarating performance without doing much harm on mother nature ( 40.1mpg & 184g of CO2 per km).

AutoAlert: The New Jaguar XJ disguises as BMW

No, it is not the upcoming BMW 7 series facelift but a camouflage technique used by Jaguar to fool people into believing that the car is not from their company. Good try but the photographer is smart enough to know that this is the Jaguar flagship sedan set to debut on the 9th of July 2009. Here is what chief engineer of Jaguar Mike Cross has to say about the car :

"With the new XJ we've tried to balance all the driving attributes, so the
car firstly needs to drive like it looks," says Cross. "The dynamics are both
agile and comfortable, but we've also tried to make the engine and transmission
to be both agile, responsive but also smooth.

"We've got a light, stiff body and that allows us to engineer precision
in to the suspension without engineering in harshness, so you get the best of
both worlds.

"So in all ways with the new Jaguar we were trying to balance response
with smoothness, comfort with agility and in terms of how the car sounds,
there's a power sound when you exercise the car, but it's also quiet and refined
when you're cruising.

"It's quite a large car but it absolutely doesn't feel like it. It very
agile but still refined and comfortable. It's a great car to be driven in but
even better to drive."

The new Jaguar XJ will be unveiled at a glitzy London launch on 9
July.
Both short and long-wheelbase versions wil be launched together. Power
will come from a twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel and 510bhp supercharged 5.0-litre
V8.

Jaguar has also confirmed that the new car will be launched in both
short and long wheelbase versions.

All models are likely to be highly specified and customers will be able
to tailor spec and options more than on previous Jags. The new XJ also comes
with a panoramic glass roof.

Source: Autocar.co.uk

Related article : Cool pictures of Jaguar XF

AutoAlert : Photos of Aston Martin Cgynet

More detail photos of the sensational Toyota IQ based Aston Martin.

Click here to read more on the Aston Martin Cgynet along with 3 other photos.

Next Article: Jaguar XJ disguises as BMW

AutoAlert : Cool Pictures of Jaguar XF

I've recently finished an assignment that needed me to design a website to promote a product. I choose to promote the Jaguar XF. And if anyone wants to do the same please feel free to source this high resolution pictures from my blog :) Oh yeah pictures are sourced from various Jaguar official websites.

AutoAlert : Minuscule Aston Martin the Cygnet

Always wanted an Aston Martin in your garage but can't afford it? The outcome from the joint venture between Toyota & Aston Martin might very well be the solution for the masses to own a piece of this premium performance vehicle with the exception that the vehicle being only slightly bigger than the smart for two.

Based on Toyota's city car the IQ, the Cygnet will also share the identical 3-cylinder engine and unique seating layout of the IQ. Customers are expected to see & feel the significant difference once they enter the luxurious cabin blessed with high end leather and the latest in creature comfort technology. Now the biggest catch is that only existing customers of Aston Martin are eligible to purchase one for themselves :( hence the dream to own one a piece of the 90 year old engineering legacy remains a distant dream for most of us. Of course unless the CEO decides not to restrict sales to their customers when it goes into production before end of next year.

News have it that Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin chief executive discovered that 30% of the their customers also own a city car like the Smart for two or MINI meant for commuting around urban areas. So I supposed he felt that the company should be the one offering them the supermini instead of sourcing from other makers to complement the whole experience of owning an Aston Martin. Dr Ulrich further added that “The offering of a ‘Cygnet’ with a DBS, DB9 or Vantage is a unique combination of opposites and a novel transport solution allowing intelligent and sensitive mobility on an exclusive and innovative level,”. In a nutshell this premium commuter will still remain as a concept for now & I personally feel that the Aston's front Grille matches the front silhouette of the IQ. What do you think?