Rapide Design: Exterior

Reichman describes the 'beautiful harmony' of the line that runs through the Rapide's bodywork, giving the car the appearance of motion even while stationary, an athlete in flight, rather than crouched and coiled upon the starting blocks. 'It's not a wedge, it's graceful and flowing,' he explains, 'we decided to let the lines flow right through the body to the tail, which ends very beautifully.' In silhouette, the Rapide shares the same sinuous line as its 2-door siblings, although when compared to the poised stance of the V8 Vantage with its sprinter-like forward thrust, the Rapide is a long distance runner. Reichman believes that proportion is fundamental to how a car is perceived. "There are forms that appear at ease and forms that appear tense and uncomfortable," he says, "we wanted to make everything on the Rapide work in harmony."  Achieving this required the intuitive skills of Aston Martin's modelling team, who work with both raw clay models and advanced computer modelling. "We put character and feeling feel into the surface," says Reichman. "Our designers and modellers work with a sculptural language here at Aston Martin - the play of light on the surface are incredibly important to us."  Full-scale models are viewed in daylight and dusk conditions, for example, to ensure that the dramatic surface forms remain an integral element of each and every Aston Martin. Reichman believes that technology like the VH architecture allows him 'to keep the form language and soul of the product'.