Vanquish Zagato becomes reality
Unprecedented customer interest has pushed Aston Martin into a limited production run of the Vanquish Zagato Coupe.
The car, originally unveiled as a concept at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como, Italy, in May 2016, is the latest creation from its longstanding partnership with the Italian design-house Zagato.
The concept was so well received, Aston Martin has decided to build 99 at its factory in Gaydon, England. Aston Martin has not revealed a price but Auto Express is reporting it will be around £500,000 (NZ$1 million) and that all the cars have been pre-sold.
It is the fifth car to emerge from a collaboration that stretches back over five decades.
That collaboration with Zagato began with the DB4 GT Zagato racing car of 1960 – now valued at over £10 million – and includes the V8 Vantage Zagato launched in 1986, the 2002 DB7 Vantage Zagato and the V12 Vantage Zagato revealed in 2011.
Underneath the a bodywork which is entirely shaped from carbon-fibre is Aston Martin’s 6-litre V12 powertrain with a projected 0-100kmh time of 3.5 seconds.
The production version will be closely related to the concept exhibited at Villa d’Este with proportions that remain ‘‘quintessentially Aston Martin’’.
Other design details include new lights with round tail light reflectors that evoke the classic Zagato rear view, using the same ‘‘bladed’’ LED technology as the Aston Martin Vulcan, while the wing mirrors are closely related to the units developed for the One77. The Vanquish Zagato’s sculptural rear end has a close relationship to DB11’s aerodynamic profile, complete with retractable spoiler and rear hatch for easy access to the luggage compartment.
The roof features an iconic ‘‘double-bubble’’, its shallow radius dipping into the rear window glass to give the car an unmistakeable rear silhouette. This feature is a Zagato trademark since the early 1950s and originally arose from the need to accommodate racing helmets with a minimum impact on the aerodynamic profile.
Those lucky enough to afford one can expect delivery sometime in 2017.