Celebrating Aston Martin's centenary, Italian coach-builder Bertone have reworked the Rapide to create a Shooting Brake due in Geneva in a few weeks. The one-off was commissioned by an enthusiast, who was directly involved with the development. Mechanically, it is similar to the outgoing Rapide model, with Bertone naturally focusing on the revised exterior and highly refined interior. Bertone have released just four images but we will certainly take a much closer look in Geneva.
The reworked Rapide was not the first Aston Martin given the Bertone treatment. Others include the DB2/4 Bertone Spider and the Vanquish Bertone Jet 2 but most famous all is the DB4 GT Bertone Jet. Penned by a very young Giorgietto Giugiaro, it was based on the final DB4 GT chassis produced by Aston Martin. In more recent years, the very elegant machine was owned by a Swiss enthusiast, who showed and used it extensively. He has sadly passed away and the unique DB4 GT Bertone Jet will be offered by Bonhams in their May 18 Aston Martin Sale. The pre-sale estimate is a hefty GBP 2.8 - 3.8 million.

Enjoy the links:

2013 Aston Martin Rapide Bertone - Images, Specifications and Information

1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Bertone Jet - Images, Specifications and Information