New Aston Martin Zagato concept car
Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated multiple times over the past half-century, beginning with DB4 GT Zagato which made its public debut at the London Motor Show in October 1960. For me arguably the most beautiful car ever made!
From 1986 to 1990, the duo produced the Aston Martin V8 Zagato. The early 21st century saw limited production of the DB7 Zagato and the DB AR1 roadster. For its next trick, the Anglo-Italian partnership is treating the wild child of the current Aston Martin family, the V12 Vantage, to one of Zagato’s extreme makeovers, the results of which were revealed this year’s Villa D’Este Concours at Lake Como, Italy.
The new aluminum body panels are hand-formed in the time-honored coach building tradition. The new shape features classic Zagato styling cues such as the “double bubble” roof (originally designed to provide clearance for helmeted occupants), as well as a big-mouth grille that pays more than a little homage to the one on the DB4 GT Zagato.
It’s all wrapped up in a shade of reddish-orange similar to the one found on the Lamborghini Aventador presentation car from Geneva. Under the skin, the V12 Zagato is somewhere between race car and road car, with a rear license plate bracket street tires, and the standard V12 Vantage’s 510hp, 420 lb.-ft 6.0L V12, but a gutted interior with a full roll cage and a rear tow hook.
The competition specification is not just for show; Aston Martin is entering the V12 Zagato in next month’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Putting the V12 Zagato on the track will go a long way toward exposing the car to the public to gauge reaction, something company officials claim they want to do before making a decision on production. If the Zagato-bodied Astons of the past are any indication, we’d be shocked if at least a few hundred or so examples aren’t built and offered for sale. We’ll have to wait and see.
What do you think of the car? Let me hear your thoughts.
