Showing posts with label Aston Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aston Martin. Show all posts
2010 Aston Martin Rapide First Official Detail
The Aston Martin Rapide has moved into the final stages of its development programme, on course for a public debut in late 2009, with the first customer cars due to be delivered in early 2010.
First revealed as the Aston Martin Rapide Concept at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006, the Rapide is one of the most eagerly awaited cars of the year. As Aston Martin's first true four-door production sports car, the Rapide encapsulates the core values of the brand within an elegant, high-powered sports grand tourer, with four full-sized seats, generous accommodation and luggage space and trademark Aston Martin performance.
Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr. Ulrich Bez said: "The Rapide will be the most elegant four-door sports car in the world. It completes the Aston Martin range conveying our established attributes of Power, Beauty and Soul.
"In 2010 there will be an Aston Martin for every type of sports car customer regardless of the demands of their lifestyle. The Rapide is the most versatile, bringing a new benchmark of luxury and refinement to both driver and passenger."
The concept received worldwide acclaim for its design as well as strong expressions of interest from customers. Following the purchase of Aston Martin in June 2007, the production version of the Rapide was approved and development began in earnest. Underpinned by Aston Martin's VH (Vertical/Horizontal) extruded aluminium architecture, the Rapide retains the elegant, flowing proportions that are integral to every Aston Martin and remains remarkably faithful to the original design study.
The cohesive design language and elegant form of the Rapide ensure it is a perfect complement to the other cars in Aston Martin's line-up. From the outset, the Rapide was designed with no aesthetic compromise. "We wanted to make the most beautiful four-door sports car in the world," Aston Martin's Director of Design Marek Reichman stated when the concept was first shown.
The signature elements of Aston Martin's design language translate seamlessly to the four-door format, with key features such as the 'swan wing' doors - rising upwards and outwards as they swing open - facilitating access to the two beautifully trimmed individual rear seats. The bodywork flows effortlessly from front to rear, where a kicked up tail and strong rear shoulders wrap around the wheel arches to create the classic Aston Martin silhouette, enveloping the additional doors, seats for children or two adults on shorter journeys and functional luggage capacity.
Described by Reichman as a lithe 'long distance runner', compared to the sprinter-like poise of the V8 Vantage and the muscularity of the DBS, the Rapide's lines are a master class in maintaining purity of proportion and vision. Detail design is crucial, with Aston Martin's iconic side strake extended to run through the front doors before blending into the rear door, lending a sense of dynamic thrust to the Rapide's stance.
The Rapide has been subjected to Aston Martin's rigorous testing programme including extreme climate testing and dynamic performance trials at the company's new Nürburgring Test Centre to ensure it will display the brand's integral high speed abilities. The last stages of endurance testing are now underway with final sign-off expected later this year before a production car is debuted in September.
The Rapide will offer performance purity and the same level of sporting ability as all modern Aston Martins. Powered by a version of Aston Martin's 6.0 litre V12 engine producing 470bhp and 600Nm of torque and, hand built at the company's engine facility in Cologne, the Rapide's rear wheels are driven through a highly responsive Touchtronic gearbox. Performance figures have yet to be revealed, although early indications are that the Rapide will offer class-leading performance and dynamics, alongside new levels of refinement and luxury.
The Rapide will be built at a new production facility in Graz, Austria managed by the acclaimed vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr and co-ordinated by a fully integrated Aston Martin team from the UK. The new production facility is closely modelled on the Gaydon factory and will combine a sophisticated modern production line with the Aston Martin traditional hand-finishing skills, a proud blend of craft processes and attention to detail. The interior will further develop Aston Martin's skilful use of genuine high quality materials, applied appropriately and effectively to ensure that form always follows function.
"Rapide will exceed expectations to deliver elegance and practicality in a form that will allow driving enjoyment and comfort beyond anything that exists today," says Dr Ulrich Bez, "The Rapide will exist in a class all of its own, a true Aston Martin with the high performance and dynamic excellence that defines the brand, and a luxurious sporting grand tourer without equal."
2009 Aston Martin DB9 Bang & Olufsen Sound System
Aston Martin and Bang & Olufsen are proud to introduce BeoSound DB9, a bespoke audio system developed and designed exclusively as an option for the Aston Martin DB9. BeoSound DB9 marks the next chapter in the acclaimed collaboration between the two brands, which began with the BeoSound DBS in 2008.
BeoSound DB9 continues a tradition of innovation established by two brands with an unrivalled history of design and engineering excellence within their respective fields. "Aston Martin and Bang & Olufsen have achieved a reputation as leaders in both design and performance through constant innovation," said Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin's Chief Executive, "we are proud that BeoSound DB9 continues a strong tradition of technology, design and artistry."
"The BeoSound DB9 system demonstrates that consistent commitment to high-tech innovation and traditional craftsmanship skills which is a hallmark of both Aston Martin and Bang & Olufsen," said Bang & Olufsen President and CEO Karl Kristian Hvidt Nielsen.
The Aston Martin DB9 is a thoroughbred sports car with GT levels of comfort and refinement. Combining Aston Martin's unique character with an uncompromising design philosophy, the DB9 was borne out of a synthesis of traditional craftsmanship, high-tech manufacturing, modern components and use of the finest materials.
The BeoSound DB9 shares these values. The system was developed exclusively for Aston Martin to be perfectly matched to the DB9, both acoustically and physically. The unit's design follows the inherent quality and understated beauty of the car's hand-crafted interior, with smoothly contoured, aluminium loudspeaker grilles that integrate seamlessly into the fluid lines and curves of the cabin.
Turn on the BeoSound DB9 and the twin acoustic lens speakers emerge silently and swiftly from either side of the dashboard, adding a touch of theatre and technological panache that is a formidable complement to the emotive roar of the DB9's V12 engine.
The BeoSound DB9 system incorporates proprietary ICEpower® technology; a fusion of high output power and hi-fi sound quality with ultra-compact design and sleek, functional operation. The motorised tweeter units demonstrate Bang & Olufsen's patented and automatically operated ALT (Acoustic Lens Technology), with their placement enabling 180° horizontal dispersion of high frequency sounds, giving listeners an improved sense of space, staging and realism regardless of their location in the car.
In addition to the two tweeters incorporated into the ALT, the system comprises five mid-range speakers, three further tweeters and three woofers, including a powerful 200mm subwoofer mounted beneath the rear bench. In all, thirteen speakers are positioned in ten locations around the car.
The system has been acoustically tuned for the DB9 by Bang & Olufsen's skilled tonmeisters and Bang & Olufsen's advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) unit, which stage-manages the musical performance of the thirteen individual loudspeakers for the optimal in-car listening experience. The DSP also provides dynamic modelling that adapts automatically to changing road and noise conditions, enabling the occupants to concentrate on an engaging driving and listening experience. The BeoSound DB9 fitted to the DB9 Volante has been developed to suit the different acoustic characteristics of the convertible, whether open or closed.
Translating such pioneering acoustic technologies into an equally functional and elegant design language is testament to the design excellence and craft tradition of Bang & Olufsen. The BeoSound DB9 system also reflects Aston Martin's ethos of 'Power, Beauty and Soul'. The result is a system that has become an integral part of the DB9, creating an incomparable ambiance that embraces both design and performance.
No sports car manufacturer has a greater design heritage than Aston Martin. Responsible for some of the most beautiful sports cars ever made, Aston Martin imbues every model with understated elegance and graceful styling, achieved through harmonious proportions, taut surfacing, a ground-hugging stance and thorough attention to detail.
Innovation, sophistication, craftsmanship, beauty and, naturally, peerless sound quality are fundamental to any Bang & Olufsen system. Thanks to its focus on elegance and design Bang & Olufsen has become an icon of performance and styling, with a commitment to real materials and exceptional sound and picture quality. The company remains at the forefront of domestic and automotive technology.
The BeoSound DB9 embodies the art of shaping sound to the interior contours of a true performance car, focusing not only on horsepower or output power, but on the overall experience and musicality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)