RideLust

If you own an Aston Martin Rapide then odds are you feel like you’re “Big Pimpin’” every time you go out for a cruise. From a visual perspective the Rapide is the best looking four-door coupe on the planet hands down. From its beautiful lines, to the elegant grill, to its 470 hp V12 engine, the Aston Martin Rapide is truly in a class of its own. How about those days though when you wish to go beyond “Big Pimpin’” and into the realm of the “Super Pimp”… what then? Well I’ll tell you what then, you go out and buy the Aston Martin Rapide Luxe, it’s got all the wonderful features of the standard Rapide, with a few more little diddies thrown in for good measure. There are some new paint choices, a new luggage set to match the cars leather interior and a rear-seat mounted DVD. So, for those of you out there looking to achieve the ultimate in elegant, powerful and now colored coordinated Pimp Status, have no fear, because your chariot has arrived.

Source: Autoblog.com

It’s got a 7.3-liter V12 that makes 750 hp, styling that would make Batman drool, a top speed of over 200 mph and a price tag of around $1.7 million. It’s the Aston Martin One-77 and it’s poised to take on the Bugatti Veyron as one of the most expensive cars on the planet earth. Here you can see the One-77 undergoing some testing and from what we can see, this car is going to be exhilarating. Aston Martin is one of those rare companies who has mastered the art of obtaining the perfect exhaust note. The One-77 sounds like a cross between a push rod V8 and a high revving V10, it’s also being driven quite aggressively which shows that this car is not just some show piece. Whether or not the One-77 will compete with such cars as the Bugatti Veyron or SSC Ultimate Aero has yet to be seen, what we do know however is that this car is taking Aston Martin into some uncharted hyper car territory.

Source: Vimeo.com

The new 2011 Aston Martin Rapide is without a doubt one of the sexiest four-doors ever created. From a visual standpoint the car is simply stunning and holds true to the muscular elegance that Aston Martin is known for. With such beauty however comes some inherent problems as Matt Farah and the guys from The Smoking Tire have come to find out. Matt and the boys decided to take the Rapide out for a day of golf, but in the process found that space wise, the Rapide really wasn’t up to snuff. While the front seats are fine for regular sized adults, the rears are nothing more than kiddy pads at most. Sure they are well sculpted and beautifully done, but as for real comfort and usage they simply can’t get the job done. The new Rapide is powered by a 475 hp V12 that propels the car along nicely. Sure you can get more power from other big sedans, but nothing will transport you with the same amount of style as the Rapide. The Rapide is not the fastest, the best handling or the most exotic and coming in at $200k, it’s certainly not the cheapest. What it is though is a beautiful grand touring four-door for those looking for the beauty and styling that Aston Martin is known for.

The Aston Martin Cygnet, which we first told you about here, has been given approval for production, but it’s not yet clear if the car will be sold in the UK, the EU , the U.S. or all three markets. The city car for the elite will be a rebadged and tweaked Toyota iQ, powered by a 1.33 liter inline four good for some 98 horsepower. Although Toyota offers a six speed manual in the iQ, it’s unclear if Aston Martin will offer a transmission choice other than the CVT.

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Do you own a 2007 or 2008 Aston Martin DB9 Coupe, DB9 Volante, V8 Vantage Coupe, V8 Vantage Roadster or DBS? If so, can I borrow it for the weekend, as long as I promise to fill it up and wash it before I give you back the keys? Oh, and you can expect to get a recall notice from Aston Martin in the coming weeks.

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If you have the price of admission for an Aston Martin One-77, the good news is that speeding tickets aren’t something you worry about. In fact, I’d be willing to bet you have at least one traffic attorney on retainer, and he’s probably the best in the world at getting your tickets tossed out of court. How much is the Aston Martin One-77? Try $1.965 million, based on current exchange rates. They’re only building 77 copies, so if you travel in those circles, you’d best be getting you order in quickly.

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Jacksonville, FL, may not be the center of the car culture universe, but we still have some interesting rides down here. My buddy Malcolm owns Automotive Addicts and sponsors a monthly Cars and Coffee style meet, and it seems to attract a different crowd every single month. Sometimes it’s Mustang filled, other times the Minis seem to bring the biggest numbers. Ferraris usually abound, as do Lamborghinis. Unlike some other Cars & Coffee events, I’ve yet to see anyone bin their car exiting the parking lot. Anyway, here are some random photos taken at this weekend’s show, which was sparsely attended due to the opening of football season and events honoring the 9th anniversary of 9/11.

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I met Annabelle Frankl in 2007 on the Bullrun Rally that ran from Montreal, Canada to Key West, Florida. She was riding along with her brother Nicolas in a then new Corvette Z06 under the guise of Team Twins. You see these are in fact fraternal siblings who both possess and unbelievable amount of skill behind the wheel of car. Along with being a wicked hot shoe Annabelle is also and automotive journalist who knows more about modern day performance cars than people who purchase them, so when she told me she has just written an article on her experience with the new Cadillac CTS-V on this years Bullrun Rally, I just has to get a copy of it for you guys to read.

So, without further adieu, here are Annabelle Frankl’s thoughts on what it’s like to wring out one of the newest performance hammers from Cadillac on one of the toughest road rallies on the planet.
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The four door coupe craze has been in full effect now for quite some time. We’ve got the Mercedes_Benz CLS, the Porsche Panamera, the new Audi A7 and the stunning Aston Martin Rapide. From a marketing standpoint these cars make perfect sense as they offer the best of both worlds for the enthusiast who wants all the performance of a modern super car, but needs the versatility of a back seat. These automobiles are beginning to garner quite a fan base and while they will never be a full replacement for a full-on two door super car, I have to say that they are coming awfully close.
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Not to be outdone by the likes of Aston Martin, BMW or Porsche, Audi has jumped into the sportback segment of the automotive market with the new A7. The concept of the sportback is simple. Take a four door sedan but streamline it so it gives off the impression that it is in fact a two door coupe. Then combine in the versatility of a hatchback and POOF… instant sportback. Porsche has the butt ugly Panamera, BMW has the 5 Series Gran Turismo and Aston Martin now has the stunning Rapide.

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