When the Rapide was delivered to my door – all five metres of it – it brought work on the building site over the road to an abrupt halt as all eyes turned. A young Claudia Cardinale spread out on the bonnet could not have stirred up greater excitement. And that was before I turned on the full throaty roar of the engine. Not that there is anything meretricious about the Rapide.

Quite the reverse. What people adore about this car is its sophistication, its elegance and its glamour. There were no wolf whistles from those builders but rather silent awe as if they were watching a beautiful sunset.

Diminutive interior
It is, though, an unusual hybrid – a sports car that is trying to build in saloon qualities with as few aesthetic compromises as possible. And the question everyone wants answered is, does it work? Can you really get four people to ride in it? The Rapide’s rear seats are certainly comfortable and hug around you, adding to the sense that you are in a cockpit.

Headroom is more than adequate, and visibility, both to the side and front, is excellent. But legroom is definitely tight. I went for a drive with four tall adults and it was cosier than anyone was prepared to put up with for long. But then something had to give and you can’t have those stunning sports car looks and acres of room in the rear cabin.

Even so, something quite remarkable happens when you fold down the back seats and the bulkhead between the boot and the passenger space: you suddenly find yourself with 750 litres of load space – which is one heck of a lot of wine to pick up on your way back home through France or Italy, and an immensely useful space for a ski holiday.

Alluring exterior
The point about the Rapide is that it is first and foremost a sports car – indeed, it has been so cleverly crafted that many people don’t realise that it has four doors. This is down to the front and rear ‘window choreography’, as Aston Martin calls it. All four doors are frameless so that front and rear window glasses meet in the middle, creating a seamless glass window frame. The B-pillar as good as disappears, giving an uncluttered curve line from front to back.

To put it rather crudely, what you are getting is an extended DB9. So the next question we need to ask is, does it drive like a DB9? And the answer to that is, almost. It’s not quite as agile as the DB9 and it can feel a little sluggish driving around town – the extra length also makes taking urban corners a tad trickier.

But the sport button sharpens the throttle response and once you’re on the open road, the car just seems to float. Steering is light and ultraresponsive, and pushing a button on the dash firms up the suspension and brings greater stability to the ride. There is never any sense of this car losing its poise. All in all, it’s one of the most exciting drives you’ll ever take.

So who should buy the Rapide? Anyone with children, for sure, and those who, like me, like to take lots of luggage when they travel. But as soon as the kids move out, be ready to replace the Rapide with the DBS, still the most beautiful car in the world.