The 2010 Aston Martin Rapide will be based on the concept shown at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, which is pictured here.

“Q, my new Aston has four doors!” “Quite right, 007. This time, M and I are going with you.” It’s no secret. James Bond’s favorite motorcar maker plans to shake up the prestige market with a stirring new sedan.

What We Know About the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide

We’ve known about this for quite some time, Mr. Bond. It’s Aston Martin’s first regular-production four-door in over 25 years. Almost sure to be badged Rapide and designated a 2010 model, the suave four-seat sports-luxury sedan should be almost identical to the like-named--and fully drivable--concept presented at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. This will be the second new Aston introduced under the auspices of the four-party consortium that took over the celebrated British firm from Ford Motor Company in spring 2007. The first was the high-performance DBS coupe that bowed several months later.

Though still a relatively small, boutique automaker, Aston is prospering famously after years of operating in the red. Many credit this turnaround to CEO Ulrich Bez, the former top engineer at Porsche who took charge in 2000. Since then, Aston sales have shot up seven-fold, with over 7000 cars delivered in 2006 alone. The Rapide is expected to accelerate this growth as a high-style, high-speed touring sedan with broader market appeal than Aston’s signature two-seaters and tight 2+2s. Luckily for the new owners, Dr. Bez and his team have agreed to stay on.

The 2010 Aston Martin Rapide is closely related to the company’s two-door DB9 and V8 Vantage coupes and convertibles. All use a mostly aluminum rear-wheel-drive architecture that Aston calls “VH” (for “Vertical/Horizontal”). Because it’s easily varied in wheelbase and other dimensions, this platform is a money-saver that allows all Astons to be built in the same factory with much of the same tooling and componentry. The VH was also a time-saver in developing the Rapide concept, which went together in a scant eight months or so.

Compared to the first “VH,” the DB9 coupe, the Rapide is some 10 inches longer in wheelbase and about a foot longer overall, but only half an inch wider and a surprisingly modest 308 pounds heavier. Despite the stretched body and extra doors, design chief Marek Reichmann has preserved the sleek grace of Aston coupes, which many judge as some of the best-looking cars around.

The Rapide concept used a tuned 480 horsepower version of the company’s 6.0-liter V12 engine. The production 2010 Aston Martin Rapide should have it too, though perhaps with further tweaking to, say, an even 500 horses. Appropriate for a sporting but posh sedan, there’s likely to be only one transmission, a rear-mounted six-speed automatic with manual shift paddles. Suspension, steering, brakes and other underskin components should also come from the DB9, though modified where needed for this longer and heavier car.

Performance? Aston isn’t saying yet, but the Rapide should be almost as fast and agile as its DB9 parent. We’d guess 0-60 mph in the low-five-second range, a top speed of around 160 mph, and unusually sharp luxosedan handling, helped by front/rear weight distribution that shouldn’t vary much from the DB9’s ideal 50/50.

A Notable Feature of the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide

Design chief Reichmann says he “wanted to make the most beautiful four-door car in the world.” He’s certainly made one of the prettiest four-door hatchbacks, the only one in the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide’s lofty price bracket until the Porsche Panamera comes out. The Rapide’s sizeable but artfully concealed rear liftgate opens onto a fairly spacious, flat-floor cargo hold. The concept interior had fold-down rear seats, so the production model should too. Most other interior hardware will come from the DB9 save a full-length center console. The concept sported twin fixed translucent roof panels made of polycarbonate and a chilled compartment in the cargo deck for 007’s bottle of Bollinger. These attention-getters probably will not make it to the showroom, but count on British-traditional leather-and-wood trim, the plushest of carpeting, and jewel-like detailing for instruments and controls.

Buying Advice for the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide

Demand is quite strong these days for sexy, speedy luxury sedans with low-six-figure prices. The Rapide is Aston’s reply to a trend initiated by the Bentley Flying Spur, the latest Maserati Quattroporte, and top-tier versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the claimed originator of the “four-door coupe” idea. The field gets more interesting with the expected 2010 debut of Porsche’s first sedan, the Panamera, plus Audi’s coupe-like A7 and a possible BMW “8-Series.” As an Aston, the Rapide is likely to be more exclusive than any of these save the Maserati, and demand will likely outpace supply, at least early on, so be prepared to pay well above sticker.

2010 Aston Martin Rapide Release Date: Aston is as British as the bulldog, so we’d expect a formal unveiling at England’s own Birmingham Motor Show in fall 2009. U.S. sales would likely begin early in calendar 2010.

2010 Aston Martin Rapide First Test Drive: Assuming the above timetable proves out, journalists would likely get to sample Rapide in summer 2009.

2010 Aston Martin Rapide Prices: Aston isn’t talking about this, either, but we’ve heard talk of around $250,000, though it could be more by announcement time if the dollar continues to weaken against Her Majesty’s pound sterling.

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