Why the Aston Martin Rapide S may be the world’s most beautiful sedan: Motoramic TV

Back in 2005, Mercedes rolled out the chopped-roof CLS sedan and unintentionally begat a new genre of car. Now even mainstream four-doors like the Ford Fusion are guillotining headroom in the name of style, with plunging rooflines and pillbox rear windows the new design norm. But among this ever-burgeoning crowd, one car continues to stand out as the ultimate expression of the so-called four-door coupe. The roads might be clogged with sexy sedans, but none are sexier than the Aston Martin Rapide S.

The Rapide S truly looks for all the world like a Vanquish with more rear legroom. From some angles, it’s hard to tell that it even has rear doors. But grab the handle and the short rear portals swing up and out, supported by a lower strut that enables the theatrics. Inside are a pair of what look like leather-covered race shells, the only rear seats I’ve ever seen that include a standard harness hole in the seatback. Will anyone actually mount five-point harnesses in the back of a Rapide S? Probably not, but I enjoy the suggestion that they might.