Automotive

Drop-dead gorgeous Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato bound for production

Drop-dead gorgeous Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato bound for production
The production Vanquish Zagato features a gaping grille that feeds a 6.0-liter V12
The production Vanquish Zagato features a gaping grille that feeds a 6.0-liter V12
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The car's cabin has been tarted up with a bit of bronze, carbon and leather
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The car's cabin has been tarted up with a bit of bronze, carbon and leather
The Vanquish Zagato Concept was demonstrated earlier this year at Lake Como
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The Vanquish Zagato Concept was demonstrated earlier this year at Lake Como 
The car's double bubble roof is a classic Zagato design cue
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The car's double bubble roof is a classic Zagato design cue
The car has been given a bit of a power boost
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The car has been given a bit of a power boost 
Aston Martin has a history of designing beautiful cars, but Zagato's input takes things to a whole new level
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Aston Martin has a history of designing beautiful cars, but Zagato's input takes things to a whole new level
Carbon fiber has been used extensively throughout the car's design
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Carbon fiber has been used extensively throughout the car's design
The Zagato Concept in profile
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The Zagato Concept in profile
Carbon fiber has been used for the body panels
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Carbon fiber has been used for the body panels
The Zagato's LED running lights are another one of the unique touches to set this apart from the standard car
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The Zagato's LED running lights are another one of the unique touches to set this apart from the standard car
Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated on five cars
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Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated on five cars 
The car's build plate, just in case you weren't sure it was special or unique
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The car's build plate, just in case you weren't sure it was special or unique 
Carbon fiber detailing is everywhere on the car's exterior
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Carbon fiber detailing is everywhere on the car's exterior 
Aston Martin will build 99 examples of the Vanquish Zagato
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Aston Martin will build 99 examples of the Vanquish Zagato
The bronze detailing around the exterior is another of Zagato's touches
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The bronze detailing around the exterior is another of Zagato's touches 
That little Z is worth its weight in gold
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That little Z is worth its weight in gold
The taillights draw on tech introduced in the Vulcan
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The taillights draw on tech introduced in the Vulcan
There are little flourishes everywhere to tell you this isn't an average Aston
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There are little flourishes everywhere to tell you this isn't an average Aston
The Zagato's interior shares its basic architecture with the Vanquish
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The Zagato's interior shares its basic architecture with the Vanquish
That Z is Zagato, not Zorro
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That Z is Zagato, not Zorro
The production Vanquish Zagato
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The production Vanquish Zagato 
Aston Martin shows off the Zagato
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Aston Martin shows off the Zagato 
The Vanquish Zagato will be built in limited numbers
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The Vanquish Zagato will be built in limited numbers
The rear of the car is designed to be reminiscent of the DB11
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The rear of the car is designed to be reminiscent of the DB11
We're hoping the Zagato actually gets a run in the wild, and isn't just locked away in collectors' halls
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We're hoping the Zagato actually gets a run in the wild, and isn't just locked away in collectors' halls
That dramatic rear diffuser is also new
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That dramatic rear diffuser is also new
The Vanquish Zagato gets on the move
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The Vanquish Zagato gets on the move 
The production version of the Vanquish Zagato
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The production version of the Vanquish Zagato
The production Vanquish Zagato features a gaping grille that feeds a 6.0-liter V12
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The production Vanquish Zagato features a gaping grille that feeds a 6.0-liter V12
View gallery - 28 images

Aston Martin can seemingly do no wrong at the moment, with a recent run of cars to make enthusiasts and collectors go weak at the knees. The magicians at Aston's Gaydon HQ look set to continue that fine form by taking the Vanquish Zagato Concept that debuted at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este last month into limited production, giving us an excuse to fawn over its carbon fiber curves again.

It's been a busy 2016 so far for Aston Martin, starting with the twin-turbo V12 DB11 and the announcement of a hypercar project being run in cooperation with Red Bull. Then came the announcement of a dogleg-manual V12 Vantage. When the drop-dead gorgeous Vanquish Zagato Concept made its debut at Lake Como many dared to dream of a production run, and now those dreams have been answered.

Aston and Zagato have a history extending back to the 1960 DB4 GT Zagato, a car now worth more than £10 million (US$14.6 million). Since then, the Italian-British alliance has created limited edition cars capable of stopping traffic in 1986, 2002 and 2011.

That dramatic rear diffuser is also new
That dramatic rear diffuser is also new

Launched earlier this year, the Vanquish Zagato is based on a regular Vanquish, but has been comprehensively reworked to improve on its credentials as a loping grand tourer. Power is never a real issue where Aston Martin's 6.0-liter V12 is concerned, but the Zagato has been given a little bump from 565 hp (421 kW) up to 592 hp (441 kW).

That bump corresponds with a 3.5 second sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph), making it 0.3 seconds quicker than the standard car. Then again, that's not exactly the point here, this is a car to be admired, and admire it we will.

We'll admire the way the car's one-piece carbon fiber panels, designed that way to remove any unsightly cutlines, flow over the haunches and meet the roofline. We'll enjoy the sweeping rear diffuser, and circular taillights using the same blade technology featured on the Vulcan. Most of all, we'll admire the double bubble roof, a staple of Zagato design which is oft copied but rarely replicated to the same effect.

The taillights draw on tech introduced in the Vulcan
The taillights draw on tech introduced in the Vulcan

Inside, the production car's is kitted out with lashings of leather, anodized bronze and carbon fiber, and the seats are finished with unique stitching and embossed headrests. The basic architecture hasn't been dramatically changed compared to the standard car, but that's no bad thing.

"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 Martin Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichmann. "The Vanquish Zagato Concept shows how our two companies can come together and push the definition of Aston Martin design."

Just 99 examples of the Vanquish Zagato will be built, with deliveries to start in the first quarter of 2017. As is so often the case with limited run cars, there's no price listed but if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it.

Source: Aston Martin

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