Spied: 2010 Aston Martin Rapide

It has now been two years since the Aston Martin Rapide concept car was first unveiled, and only this week has a near-production prototype of the car finally been spotted. Two spy photos of unknown origin surfaced online yesterday, showing a test car that is not heavily camouflaged, but is clearly still a work in progress. Given the strong interest in the Rapide, Aston Martin says it will build between 1000 and 2000 units per year, up from an original estimate of 500 or fewer. The car will be the second new model launched under Aston’s new ownership, following the DBS coupe. There were rumors recently that the British supercar maker was considering taking production of the car outside of the UK, but these remains purely speculative at this point in time. Like Aston’s other models, the Rapide is built on the company’s VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture. Despite its sporty looks, it’s roughly the size of a Mercedes S-Class.