Bond had no need for thought. He’d seen it as a concept in Detroit and Geneva in 2006. Now that it existed, he wanted it. He spoke once more, ‘Get it.’ Then added, very quietly, ‘Please.’
Bond was right to insist. When I first saw designer Marek Reichman’s concept Rapide in Geneva, I thought it possibly the most beautiful four-door car on the planet. We weren’t allowed to touch it, let alone drive it, and if Ford still owned Aston Martin we’d probably still be waiting for it. But the marque’s new owners gave it the green light and the result is — well, possibly the most beautiful four-door car on the planet, as well as one of the fastest (188mph, 0–60 in 5.1). At £139,950 it’s not one of the cheapest but, like Mr Bond, it’s very well mannered.
The roads around Valencia were neither long enough nor empty enough to do it justice; however, as the Russian proverb has it, a mouthful of seawater gives you the taste of the ocean. The six-speed auto (with paddle shift) and six-litre V12 engine move it effortlessly from gentle cruising to eyeball-crushing acceleration. There’s no jitter in the handling, no sudden uncertainties on corners, no unprovoked aggression. But wind it up to about 4,000rpm and the exhaust valves blast shock and awe to anyone in your wake. The figures are one thing, the feel quite another; this car does all it says on the tin, and then some.
Reichman’s flowing lines make it appear to move when standing still. It’s over 16-feet-long and seven wide, including mirrors, but the swage line that runs from the front wing to the rear door deceives the eye into shortening the wheelbase. (No, I’d never heard of it either but it’s a coachbuilding term for a fold or crease; the OED broadly confirms, giving it a more ancient origin.)
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