Aston to race four-door Rapide

Aston Martin will raise a few eyebrows with the announcement that it is racing its new four-door saloon, the Rapide, in the Nurburgring 24hour race this May.

That's right, despite having the choice of the DB9, DBS or the Vantage, Aston Martin is entering its biggest and most practical model into the gruelling endurance race next month. This is not the first time a car manufacturer has entered a left-field model into a high-profile race – in 1994 Volvo entered an 850 estate into the British Touring Car Championship.

Unlike the Volvo though, the four-door Rapide will apparently race with almost the same settings as the standard road car, with Aston only making the necessary changes dictated by the race organisers.