I had the pleasure of attending the Aston Martin event at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey. It was an excellent showing. The location was great being at the Ritz, the food was scrumptious. We got to follow up the test drive with a cruise on a yacht sponsored by Sea Ray. On the boat, there were ambassadors from LVMH spirits - serving Dom Perignon and Hennessey. It was a great day.

So what did I test drive, already owning the V12 VS? Well the Rapide S for the wife and family, of course. Before the test drive, I was reviewing the stats of the Rapide and I was concerned about its heavy weight at 4400 lbs as compared to my Vantage at 3600 lbs. I thought it would feel sluggish and heavy. Boy was I wrong.
When I slid into the driver's seat, the fit and finish was all so familiar - top of the line luxury - hand stitching, and you can never get over the smell of fresh Aston leather. So I stomp on the throttle and I was thoroughly impressed by the 565 hp - Plenty of torque and power. But more impressive was the smooth shifting by the dual plate transmission - much smoother than my V12 VS. So then I take it around a corner and the car felt so balanced - almost as much as my Vantage. I walked away feeling that this would be an excellent addition to my stable. Now if I can only convince my wife that "she" needs this car....

 

 

Looks awesome, I got the invite as well but had other plans...

Curious, what was the cost?

The Rapide is a beautifully balanced machine. Heavy but the weight is in the right places, and has enough power to offset such weight.

 

I used to live in the marina. It looks like a great event.

 

No cost for the event at all....the cruise, Dom Perignon, test drive etc. were all free by Aston - was delightful.

I agree the Rapide is heavy but you don't feel the weight when driving the car.

 

The original Rapide is/was very lively and made it easy to forget the additional seats and doors (several test drives of experience). I can confidently imagine (not to the S shopping yet) that this is all very nicely amplified in the S.

Also, I'm happily moved back to So Cal. My Vantage is staying at a spa (auction block) in Florida for now but I'm looking forward to meeting some of you and your cars at events in the near future.

 

FYI there's an eurotopia drive this Saturday

 

Wow, that sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day

Btw, love the orange on your car - I didn't realize you'd done that, came out great!

 

Actually that was one of the dealer cars!
I thought about replicating this theme though, pretty flashy with the decals.
I believe the car is for sale with 4000 miles on it.

 

Oops, my bad. Isn't yours the same but without the orange?
Regardless, that came out pretty awesome - the orange is a nice touch on the black and white

 

Totally agree! Looked hot!

Yes mine is Morning Frost white with the black and CF accents. Only thing added on that car were the Orange decals...nice touch!