We build stunning new Rapide!

Text: Ken Gibson / Photos: Jeremy Williams

13th November 2009

	“Meticulous quality control and attention to detail means it takes a month to painstakingly hand-build each Rapide”

Meet the first Aston Martin to be built outside of the UK – and it’s been hand-finished by Auto Express! We joined the famous British car maker in Austria to help put the final touches to the stunning new Rapide.

But why is the gorgeous new four-door saloon being manufactured in Graz instead of at the firm’s state of the art headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire?

When the Rapide was first planned, there was no sign of a global recession. And with Gaydon working at full capacity, there was simply not enough space at the factory to build it.

So Aston chose Magna Steyr, a specialist car plant in Graz that already builds models for BMW and Mercedes, with it’s 240 Austrian workers preparing to build up to 2,000 Rapides a year from early 2010.

Aston has spent the last 16 months replicating its British production operation at the new dedicated factory, with a small team of Aston specialists training Magna staff – some of whom have travelled to Gaydon for first hand experience.

The irony is that Aston has been hit by the recession and production at Gaydon has now been cut back. So the Rapide could have been built in the UK – but the firm had already invested heavily in setting up the Austrian operation.

Having spent a day on the production lines at Graz, Auto Express can confirm that while the factory may be in Austria, it’s an identical replica to how Astons are built in the UK. Workers follow the same meticulous quality control and attention to detail that means it takes a month to painstakingly hand-build each Rapide.

Some 40 man hours go into producing the leather trim for each car, and it takes nearly 50 hours to apply the nine coats of paint. Helmut Wagner is in charge of Rapide production and says that the model has added some ‘glamour and excitement’ to the production lines and the local community.

He said: “Getting the Rapide has been great for Graz. There is a lot of excitement in the factory. And now we are testing the car on local roads it’s also causing a stir in the city.”

The first customers have started flying in to the factory’s special showroom to order and personalise their car. And when you see a row of Rapides on the production lines it’s one of the best sights in motoring. Hearing the incredible note created when the 6.0-litre V12 starts up is enough to make you wish you had the £150,000 to buy one!

We even helped build one of the first cars, by fitting a section of the all-important new rear seat and rear door, and fitting the final inspection badge that nestles next to the engine of every Aston Martin.

But what really made our day was when we got to ride in the back of one of the first Rapides. Because wherever the Rapide is built, one thing is for sure – it is one of the most glamorous four door cars in the world.

So what’s the new Rapide like on the move? We had a chauffeured ride in a finished car and it’s one of most glamorous ways for four people to travel in style.

The individual sculpted sports seats hug you like a bespoke suit – yet if you’re over six-foot it’s a tight squeeze. The cabin absolutely oozes class, with lovely hand-stitched leather. Boot space is a useful 300 litres, increasing to 750 litres with the rear seats folded flat.

Under the bonnet is a 6.0-litre V12, and even from the passenger seat you can tell that the Rapide is still a sporting machine doing 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds, with a top speed of 188mph. Despite being 16 feet long – nearly a foot longer than the DB9 – it’s amazingly taut, yet comfortable. No wonder there’s already a long waiting list.

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