Aston Martin RapidE – Tesla S rival from James Bond (video)

Aston Martin, James Bond's signature marque, mentioned in summer 2015—assisted by Chinese capital (specifically Shanghai-based investment group ChinaEquity)—the development of the electric RapidE model as a rival to the successful Tesla S, in this case the Executive edition P85D. Given that the production Rapide with its 6.0 V12 engine producing 350 kW has been on the market since 2010, only the development of the electric drivetrain remained, but nobody expected such a swift unveiling of a working prototype, created in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering.

If all goes well, the production car should reach the market within two years and could become the saviour of a marque that has produced only slightly more than 60,000 vehicles in its century of existence.

History of Aston Martin

The reason for the influx of Chinese capital is that the company, which this year marks 100 years since the creation of the first car bearing its famous name, is facing financial difficulties.

The first financial problems emerged after the Second World War, after which the carmaker was bought in 1947 by David Brown, whose name Aston Martin cars still bear today. This period saw the creation of the legendary DB5, driven by Sean Connery's cinematic James Bond in Goldfinger.

David Brown sold the carmaker in 1972 to Company Developments, under whose management it went into decline and was bought by Canadian George Minden and American Peter Sprague. This period produced the ultra-modern but highly controversial Lagonda saloon, designed by avant-garde designer William Towns, which achieved considerable sales success.

In 1981, the company changed owners again, and in 1987 it was bought by Ford Motor Company, which already owned Jaguar. This led to the highly successful DB7, designed by Ian Callum, whose styling cues Aston Martin cars retain to this day. The 6.0 V12 engine also arrived in 1999, becoming a great source of pride and a symbol of Aston Martin cars, followed by the Vanquish and DB9 models.

In 2007, Ford sold Aston Martin to two international investors—Investment Dar and Adeem Investment—resulting in the current highly successful range of cars, including the large GT DB9, the DBS supercar, the compact V8 (V12) Vantage, the four-door Rapide coupé, and the unique One-77.

At present, the marque is working on a radical overhaul of its range, and the situation is once again far from rosy.

RapidE electric technology

For series production, expected to total 400 units a year (roughly half in China), two high-performance variants are planned. The first, more realistic version should match the performance of the standard V12-powered Rapide S with around 400 kW, while offering a range of roughly 320 km and a price of around CZK 7 million, making it a luxury rival for the Tesla S. This model will also enable even such a small carmaker to meet EU emissions limits while retaining its naturally aspirated V12 sports models, which are not particularly suited to the test cycle…

The second variant is interesting: it should have one electric motor for each wheel and total output of 800 to 1,000 hp (588 – 736 kW). Rear-wheel drive alone would make no sense due to traction, while this solution would also enable torque vectoring. According to the marque, however, this model should have a „function“ for track driving, and should therefore be capable of a very good Nürburgring time.

The batteries in both variants are located in the centre tunnel and behind the rear seats, while the weight should not differ greatly from the combustion-engine version.

According to company chief Andy Palmer, development of this variant should only begin after the first version is launched, so it remains a considerably more distant prospect. Whether these plans are realistic will be shown by the coming months of development, but given the injection of additional capital and incentives from the British government, they could be.

RapidE presentation video

Lead photo source: www.auto.cz