2012 Aston Martin Rapide S spied on the Nurburgring

With Porsche recently bringing out the Porsche Panamera S, it was only a matter of time before Aston Martin came up with its own sportier version to keep on top of things. Here we see a test mule being pushed hard around Germany's Nurburgring to ensure it's up to the task.

From the front we can see the car will have a revised front bumper bar incorporating a sharper and lower front chin. New vents for the brakes also make their way into the front corners of the bar, while a slightly changed lower centre grille gives the S a new face.

As for the engine, word has it the power will come from an Aston Martin DBS 6.0-litre V12 engine producing around 380kW of power and 569Nm of torque. Although the engine is not a brand new item, it is considered to be more than capable of providing serious speeds to the Rapide outfit - the standard Rapide 'makes do' with a similar 6.0-litre V12 offering 350kW and it is still capable of 0-100km/h in the low five-second range.

Upgrades include a beefier brake package, including larger diametre rotors and multi-piston calipers. These hide behind new alloy wheels, although, production car wheels might be different again to these test car wheels.

To secure the Rapide S firmly onto the tarmac and keep the rear end in check under high-speed corning, Aston engineers appear to have fitted a larger rear wing to the boot lid for extra downforce.

The rear also showcases a slightly revised rear bumper bar layout with a new rear diffuser and exhaust outlet design.

Reports say the Aston Martin Rapide S will debut some time later this year. We'll keep you updated.