Bertone stretches the Aston Martin Rapide
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TURIN -- Italian design house Bertone will unveil a one-off wagon-like version of the Aston Martin Rapide sports car at the Geneva auto show on March 5.
Bertone stretched the four-door sedan to create a roomier cabin and add cargo space. The Aston Martin Rapide Bertone was done for a British car collector.
The car keeps the Rapid's 476-hp 6.0-liter V-12 engine. Inside, the two rear seats fold down and are hidden by electric sliding covers to create a flat loading area.
Bertone did not say how much the unnamed collector paid for the hand-built model. A Rapide starts at 197,000 euros in Italy.
In Geneva, Bertone will also display an updated version of the Aston Martin Jet 2 shooting brake that the design house first built in 2004 using an Aston Martin Vanquish. The updated car has been built for Bertone's owner, Lilli Bertone, widow to the late Nuccio Bertone.
This year marks 60 years of cooperation between Bertone and Aston Martin. In 1953, Bertone built two one-off vehicles based on the Aston Martin DB2/4: a "barchetta" two-seat roadster racecar and a 2+2 convertible.
You can reach Luca Ciferri at lciferri@crain.com.
