Aston Martin has unveiled the latest in its line of cars developed in partnership with Italian design-house Zagato. The Vanquish Zagato Concept has a V12 engine that kicks out 600 PS and is said to combine Aston's sporting, dynamic and material qualities with Zagato's design language.
The ongoing collaboration between Aston and Zagato began in 1960 with the DB4 GT Zagato, of which a further four were produced in 1991, and most recently bore the V12 Vantage Zagato in 2011. Aston Martin believes that the cars produced through working with Zagato have resulted in some its "most avant-garde expressions."
"Over the years, we have developed and refined our own design language and we have always gone that little bit further with our special series cars like CC-100, One-77 and Aston Martin Vulcan," says Aston's executive vice president and chief creative officer Marek Reichman. "The Vanquish Zagato Concept shows how our two companies can come together and push the definition of Aston Martin design."
The Vanquish Zagato Concept is the fifth car that Aston Martin and Zagato have produced together. It was developed and engineered at the carmaker's headquarters in Gaydon, UK, and has the typical Aston Martin-shaped body, which is formed entirely of carbon fiber. Large one-piece panels were used to minimize the number of split lines on the body.
Part of what gives the Vanquish Zagato Concept its familiar shape is the "double-bubble" roof that dips in the middle and flows down into the rear window. Aston Martin refers to this as "a Zagato trademark since the early 1950s" and explains that it originally came about so as to accommodate the helmets of race drivers, while trying to reduce any impact on aerodynamics.
The windows are designed to wrap around the car like a visor and the lights are said to use the same LED technology as the Aston Martin Vulcan. They also include another Zagato signature in the form of round tail light reflectors.
Among the other references are wing mirrors inspired by the One-77 and a rear shape that is similar to that of the DB11. Elsewhere, a retractable spoiler and rear hatch provide access to the luggage compartment, while the interior is a mix of carbon fiber, anodized bronze and aniline leather.
The Vanquish Zagato Concept will debut this weekend at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como, Italy.
Source: Aston Martin