During the Lancaster House event, Aston Martin and Chinese investment group, ChinaEquity, announced an agreement to explore the development of a production version of the RapidE concept. If successful, the new luxury sports car was intended to be constructed at Aston Martin’s global HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire, with plans to be brought to market in around two years (call it 2017). It went on to be displayed in support of a creative summit organised by the British government’s successful GREAT campaign to showcase the best of what the UK has to offer and encourage people to visit, do business, invest and study in the UK.

Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said at the time: “We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase of study for the project development. The exciting RapidE concept tangibly demonstrates the capability and ambition of Aston Martin towards developing low- and zero-emission sports cars.”

The original RapidE concept was developed by AML in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, an off shoot of Williams F1 at its facility in Grove, Oxfordshire. 

No technical details of the RapidE were given but a video released on the companies YouTube channel demonstrates the near silent running qualities of the concept. I did read of 800 bhp, all wheel drive and 200 mile range but I suspect that was mere speculation or wishful thinking or maybe both.

The virtually finished car, renamed the Rapide E was finally shown at various key motorsports events during the summer of 2019. 

Further dynamic enhancements centre on the V8 Vantage’s chassis, which features more developments from the V8 Vantage S. The steering was quickened and the brakes were the same as fitted to the ‘S’ with new 380mm two-piece ventilated cast-iron front discs and six piston callipers. A neat and useful new feature was Hill Start Assist (HSA) for more precise control on steep inclines. The V8 Vantage MY2012.25 also came fitted with tyres from the ‘S’ that were 10mm wider than fitted previously.

The exterior of the car is almost impossible to distinguish from the higher powered V8 Vantage S, especially if the ‘V-spoke’ wheels are fitted instead of the standard fit forged 10 spoke items. The car has received the N420 style sills although these are not quite as pronounced as those on the ‘S’ and have a noticeable upsweep ahead of the rear wheel arch. The aerodynamic splitter and rear diffuser are similar to those on the ‘S’. They were made of high quality black plastic although the carbon fibre items from the S were available as a cost option, making identification between the two models potentially even more difficult. Despite the comprehensive updates, the list price of the regular ‘non-S’ V8 Vantage coupe was kept attractive and competitive with UK cars offered from just £84,995 inc VAT.

How to identify the discerning features of the ‘non-S’ late V8 Vantage. Whilst the S and non-S are almost identical, the side sills are narrower and the front and rear lower panels are made from black plastic on the less expensive non-S version.

The regular V8 Vantage was discontinued from the range during the summer of 2016, leaving the V8 Vantage S as the entry level Aston Martin model.

With enhanced vehicle dynamics and engine performance, the Rapide S Shadow Edition claimed to provided a more engaging driving experience. The car features an uprated version of the familiar V12 engine (565 bhp) mated to the familiar 8-speed Touchtronic III Transmission, a Sports Exhaust and optional 3-stage Adaptive Damping fitted as standard.

This particular example, above, was seen at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012,  finished in Morning Frost White with Spicy Red leather interior. It is also fitted with seven-speed Sportshift II and carbon pack.

Telling the regular Vantage Roadster from the ‘S’ version is not easy, as both are available with a choice of manual or Sportshift II paddle shift transmissions and the same choice of wheel options. The regular car does not have the exclusive stitching on the door cards of the ‘S’, just has a ‘Vantage’ badge on the rear, has slightly less pronounced side sills (especially noticeable at the back of the sill) and the front splitter is not made from carbon fibre unless specified when new. To make doubly sure,  the ‘S’ has the AM15 engine, the regular Vantage has the AM14 engine.

The regular V8 Vantage Roadster was discontinued from the range during the summer of 2016.

The SP10 was rather special as it the first time that the higher performance Vantage S was made available with the six speed manual gearbox.  Back in 2011, when the V8 Vantage S was introduced, the seven speed Sportshift 2 gearbox was the only option. With the SP10 it was also possible to specify the regular Sportshift 2 gearbox as an option too.

The cosmetic specification of the SP10 is as follows.

• Ceramic Grey metallic coachwork. Onyx Black also available from 2015MY
• Black leather with Silver stitching
• Piano Black centre console
• Black leather trimmed steering wheel
• Titan Grey roof
• Gloss black painted 19 inch V spoke wheels, diamond turned
• Black painted brake calipers
• Clear rear lamp clusters
• 750W Premium Audio System

Although the SP10 was initially a special edition, production of the car continued well into 2015, such was it’s popularity.

The car was finished in unique Hackett Blue with an interior made of an Obsidian Black Semi Aniline Leather and Prince of Wales check fabric with a tight grey pattern and subtle blue overcheck in the seat and door inserts. This fabric was sourced from flannel supplier, Fox Brothers in Somerset. The facia was of unvarnished beech-wood veneer with the rotary switches knobs hand-turned in solid beech by an American artisan.

The price tag is believed to be around £195,000 (roughly £40,000 higher than the base price for the Rapide S.

The photo of this car are from the inaugural Aston Martin Heritage Trust festival in 2021.

The V8 Vantage Roadster Centenary Edition is an especially rare car. The Aston Martin Heritage Trust is only aware of four every having been built. All four were built with left hand drive and with the Sportshift II transmission option. Two of the four were the more powerful ‘S’ model.

No photographs are currently known of these cars so AML have kindly provided renderings.

A striking presence on the Aston Martin stand, the Rapide AMR provided a dynamic and visual blueprint for future AMR models. Featuring a 595 bhp version of Aston Martin’s celebrated 5.9 litre naturally aspirated V12, as already used in the Vanquish S, breathing through a new quad exhaust system. The Rapide AMR is claimed to be the world’s fastest and most thrilling four-door, capable of 210 mph. Resplendent in AMR’s signature new Stirling Green with vibrant lime green accents, riding on new 21in alloy wheels and featuring a dramatic new full height signature grille, front splitter, side sills, rear diffuser and aero flip on the rear decklid, the Rapide AMR makes a striking statement.

Extensive use of carbon fibre detailing on the exterior provide the perfect finishing touches. The interior is equally breathtaking. Lightweight carbon fibre front seats, trimmed throughout in Dark Knight Alcantara with Lime Green accents and carbon fibre waterfall, centre console and door casings, ensure the Rapide AMR is a fabulous fusion of race car attitude with a luxurious crafted twist.

Total production of the Rapide AMR was not planned to exceed 210 examples. 

The Centenary cars were limited, as fitting for the occasion to a series of just 100 examples, each finished to an exacting specification. One of the most striking feature of the Centenary Edition V8 Vantage is the use of unique ‘gradiated’ 2-tone paint scheme of Skyfall Silver with inner Meteorite Silver contrast on the bonnet of the car. The unique gradiated paint scheme is achieved by a meticulous process that adds an additional 18 man hours to the painting of the car. The darker inner colour is applied to the panels with a special “mini–jet” spray gun and once applied, the panel is then sanded using a very fine abrasive pad and a fresh coat of lacquer is applied. The panel is then finally sanded and polished to ensure that the line between the light and dark colours is totally smooth to even the lightest touch.

All the Centenary editions receive bespoke sterling silver AM wings badges to a new design featuring additional rays within the wings visible through the transparent enamel. Individually numbered sill plaques of sterling silver with an Aston Martin hallmark are also fitted.

Detailed specification of the Centenary V8 Vantage is as follows:-

• 2013MY or 2014MY V8 Vantage or V8 Vantage S
• ‘Gradiated’ 2-tone paint scheme of Skyfall Silver with Meteorite Silver across bonnet
• Also available as single tone Skyfall Silver or single tone Meteorite Silver
• 20-spoke Gloss Black Diamond Turned Wheels
• Black Textured Tailpipe
• Black Bonnet and Side Strake Meshes
• Black Front Grille
• Grey Brake Callipers
• Deep-soft Black Obsidian Leather with silver stitching
• Silver thread embroidery of Aston Martin wings in the headrests
• Grey Blend Alcantara Headlining
• Obsidian Black Carpet and Binding
• Pure Black Alcantara Seat Accent and Door Insert
• Carbon Fibre Paddleshift
• Carbon Fibre Herringbone facia
• Black Hardware Pack
• Satin Chrome Rotary Switches
• 1000W B&O sound system
• Customer Presentation Box with gifts

So far as the Aston Martin Heritage Trust register is aware, a total of only 26 V8 Vantage Centenary Edition coupes were ever built, 13 with ‘S’ spec and 13 with ‘regular’ spec. All but three had the Sportshift II gearbox option leaving only 3 with the six speed manual gearbox. The manual V8 Vantage S Centenary Coupe is therefore unique

The interior of the N430 features lightweight carbon fibre and Kevlar seats as standard which are claimed to save 20kg in weight over the regular V8 Vantage.

The key specifications for the N430 are below –

• V8 Vantage MY2015 and MY2016
• 430 bhp engine from the V8 Vantage S
• Six-speed manual gearbox with optional seven-speed Sportshift™ II automated manual transmission
• Carbon fibre and Kevlar lightweight seats
• Ten-spoke forged alloy wheels in graphite painted finish
• Choice of brake caliper finish: Yellow, Black, Silver or Red
• Sports suspension tune or optional Comfort suspension (Coupe only)
• Quick-ratio steering rack
• Coachwork in one of five special colour schemes **
• Alloro Green, (Race, inspired by the DBR1 with yellow club sport graphics pack)
• Jet Black (Stealth, with silver club sport graphics pack)
• Mariana Blue (Heritage, ,with red club sport graphics pack)
• Skyfall Silver (Trophy, with white club sport graphics pack)
• Speedway White (Speedway, influenced by US motorsports, with red club sports graphics pack)
• Optional club sports graphics packs (grille ‘lipstick’, mirror  caps, cantrails and rear diffuser), (standard in the UK)
• Dark-themed exterior details such as black front grille, headlamp bezels, exterior meshes, side window surrounds and textured tailpipe finishers
• ‘S’ side sills
• Clear rear lamps with black surrounds
• Optional carbon-fibre, front splitter, rear diffuser, side strakes, mirror caps and rear lamp infills
• Special edition engine bay inspection plaque
• Black anodised tread plates with machined carbon special edition sill plaque
• Electrically adjustable Carbon-Fibre and Kevlar® lightweight seats with memory or optional Sports seats with side airbags and optional heating and  memory
• Obsidian Black or Argento Grey full-grain leather interior with a choice of accent colour: Yellow, Black, Grey or Red
• Embroidered N430 seat logos or optional wings logo
• Black magnesium paddle-shifts (sportshift) or carbon fibre gearshift surround (manual)
• Contemporary driver instrument panel
• Black anodised rotaries
• Leather steering wheel with contrasting on-centre stitch feature (or Alcantara with matching stitch)
• Seat and door inserts in technical Plissè Alcantara (coupe only)
• Unique seat trim patterns
• Carbon fibre facia trim, Piano Black interior trim, black anodised tread plates and black pedals, optional carbon-fibre door pulls
• Optional glass switches
• 160W Aston Martin audio system with six-CD autochanger
• Optional 700W Aston Martin Premium Audio System or 1000W Bang & Olufsen BeoSound audio system with ICEpower® technology with distinctive speaker grille and lens detailing
• Rear parking sensors, optional front parking sensors, optional rear parking assist camera, optional sat-nav

The N430 became available for sale from September 2014 in most markets worldwide as both a coupe or Roadster although sadly the lightweight seats mean the North American market did not receive the car. Instead, North America (and Australia) had the similar V8 Vantage GT, in effect, an N430 without the lightweight seats. With a basic UK price including VAT of only £89,995 for the coupe, the N430 undercuts the ‘S’ by around £5,000 which has made it a very desirable motorcar. 

For the 2016 model year, the N430 received the new ‘Vanquish’ style centre console

The N430 was discontinued during late 2016 when regular ‘non-S’ V8 Vantage was discontinued. 

** As with all things Aston Martin, there are exceptions to every rule. The Aston Martin dealer, Stratstone had their own special N430 cars and there was also a small run of Ceramic Grey N430’s with Jet Black ClubSport graphics by ‘Q’.