Aston Martin recently enlisted the help of an Italian styling house to design the V12 Zagato, and now it’s turned to Bertone to create a shooting-brake variant of the slinky Rapide sedan. The British car-maker and the Latin house have a lengthy history of joint projects, and the Jet 2+2, which debuts at the upcoming Geneva motor show, celebrates 60 years of collaborations between the two.
Their most recent effort was the Jet 2 concept from 2004, which involved applying the shooting brake treatment to the Vanquish of the day.
Unlike the low-volume V12 Zagato, the Jet 2+2 is strictly a one-off that was commissioned by an Aston Martin collector.
The result is certainly unique, but we’ll leave it up to you to decide if it’s an aesthetic improvement on the standard Rapide, which is arguably the best looking four-door on the market.
As evident from the accompanying pics, the biggest cosmetic surgery is to the derriere, which eschews the donor car’s fastback in favour of a wagon-like rump with a relatively vertical tailgate.
However, Bertone says it has deliberately angled the C-pillars forward to visually connect them with the wheel-arches for a sportier stance than would normally be the case with a wagon.
Meanwhile, the boomerang tail-lights with connecting LED strip draw inspiration from the latest Vanquish, giving it an edgier look than the Rapide (or even the new Rapide S, with which the Jet 2+2 will share the stage at the Geneva show).
Its maker claims the extended roofline has created more room for the rear-seat passengers or, alternatively, the rear pews can be folded flat to create a fairly generous luggage bay.
Befitting its bespoke status, the cabin of the Jet 2+2 is lathered with premium wood, aluminium and two-tone leather trim to give it the feel of a Savile Row tailored suit.
Despite the comprehensive external makeover, the car’s mechanicals are as per the standard Rapide, namely a 350kW version of the trusty 6.0-litre V12 rather than the uprated 410kW unit that propels the Rapide S.
For our full coverage head to motoring.com.au for the latest Geneva motor show news
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