Aston Martin has announced the Rapide S, soon to become the company’s most powerful four-door to date. Chief among the various tweaks and revisions is a power output increased by 17 per cent.

Rather than sitting above the existing Rapide in Aston’s portfolio, the Rapide S will take on the role of its replacement. Using the latest ‘AM11’ version of the naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12, it will produce 550bhp – a useful 80bhp more than its predecessor.

A wide-mouthed one-piece front grille and a more pronounced tail ‘flip’ are two of the more obvious visual differentiators, but Aston insists that much work has also been done under the skin. Not only is the new car 0.3 seconds quicker to 62mph (now reached in just 4.9 seconds), but it should also be a little more nimble, thanks to the engine sitting 19mm lower in the chassis and a complete overhaul of the Adaptive Damping System.

Inside, further tweaks and enhancements have been made, while there are a host of new options to give owners greater scope for personalisation and, of course, ‘Q by Aston Martin’ – the brand's personalisation design service – will happily take things further if need be.

The Rapide S will be available to order from dealers from next month, with prices released nearer the time.

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Text: Joe Breeze
Photos: Aston Martin