Aston Martin Rapide Bertone Jet 2+2

The Aston Martin Rapide Bertone Jet 2+2 is a one-off shooting brake designed by car enthusiast Barry Weir and the last ever vehicle to be built by car maker Gruppo Bertone. It was shown at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.[2]

Aston Martin Bertone Jet 2+2
Overview
ManufacturerAston Martin Lagonda Limited
Gruppo Bertone
Production2013 (1 produced,while the Aston Martin Rapide 20000 made)
AssemblyGaydon, Warwickshire, England (original assembly)
Turin, Italy (coach building)
DesignerBarry Weir [1]
Body and chassis
ClassGrand tourer (S)
Body style5-door Shooting brake
LayoutFront mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
PlatformVH Generation IV
DoorsSwan
RelatedAston Martin Rapide, Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet
Powertrain
Engine5.9 L V12
Transmission6-speed ZF 6HP26 (Touchtronic II) automatic

The car was intended as a one-off special only but considering the positive response, Bertone decided to put the car into small scale production. The company went into receivership shortly after and the production run didn't come to fruition. The Bertone Jet 2+2 pays homage to the original Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet which was launched in 1961.

History

The project was undertaken in the request of renowned car collector Barry Weir in the Summer of 2012. Mr Weir designed the car on the back of a serviette as he came up with the idea of reshaping the back of an Aston Martin Rapide to turn it into a shooting brake vehicle. The rear of the car took three and a half months to design and the final design was frozen because Aston Martin's chief designer Marek Reichman urged the designers at Bertone to use the updated grille design of the Rapide for the front of the car.

The final design was shown to the design team at Aston Martin and after approval, a full size clay model was built in order to smoothen out any imperfections. After the design was finalised, the coach work was performed by hand and the car was completed in 2013. The Aston Martin Jet 2+2 was unveiled to critical acclaim at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.[3]

Specifications

The Bertone Jet features aluminium body panels shaped by hand and carbon fibre body work. The car also features a panoramic sunroof made entirely of glass and folding rear seats. A roof dimming system was said to have been in development as well as electric folding rear seats. The headroom is improved at the rear seats due to the car's shooting brake body style but the legroom remains the same because the engineers and designers did not want to change the overall proportions of the donor car. The car's mechanical components remain unchanged and it utilises the same 5.9-litre V12 engine found in a Rapide while having the same weight at 1,990 kg (4,387 lb).

The rear lights are similar to the Vanquish and a small integrated rear spoiler is installed to improve aerodynamics.[3]

References
  1. Dobie, Stephen (November 2018). "You want this one off Bertone Aston Martin and its moulds". Top Gear. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  2. "Bertone Jet 2+2 is a family-style Aston Martin Rapide".
  3. Tisshaw, Mark (16 March 2013). "Geneva motor show 2013: Bertone Jet 2+2 Aston Martin Rapide shooting brake". Autocar. Retrieved 16 March 2018.


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