Aston Martin Rapide: High-Resolution Photos of Production Model

As many of you petrol-heads may remember, late last year and in early 2009, various British magazines published an array of photos depicting the production version of Aston Martin's highly anticipated Rapide sports sedan. Well, we happened to find official, high-resolution versions of those images and so here we are to share them with you.

When compared to the Rapid concept study that was unveiled three years ago at the 2006 Detroit motorshow, the photos / CGIs of the production model reveal that Aston Martin hasn't altered the sports sedan's basic design in any way.

In fact, the only visible changes concern a few minor styling tweaks such as the stronger crease that runs from the front wing vent through both doors, the retouched rear bumper, the more production-like exterior mirrors and the new front apron that does away with the secondary air intakes.

Power for the Rapide is said to be provided by a 6.0-liter V12 engine developing somewhere around 500HP. Tempting, but when will we actually see Aston Martin's 10x-better looking Porsche Panamera rival hitting the streets? According to earlier statements from Aston Martin's execs, the Rapide should be revealed in production form in late 2009, most likely at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, with sales commencing in early 2010.