News>> Aston V12 Zagato Road Car

Aston Martin have signed off the road-going version of their aggressive V12 Zagato racer – production will start at Gaydon in the UK later this year and the car will be given its official European debut in the flesh at the Geneva Salon International car show next month. As well as being another excuse for Aston to produce yet more beautiful cars, it also celebrates the 50th anniversary of perhaps the most famous collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato: the DB4GT Zagato. However, this model is a wholly Aston design – the Italian coach-builder in this case lending their name rather than their expertise.  

The V12 Zagato is the ultimate extrapolation of the Vantage series: each car is hand-built, taking 2,000 man-hours from components to completion. Aston have used techniques pioneered with the One-77 in its construction – the Zagato's bonnet, signature ‘double-bubble’ roof and doors are hand-crafted aluminium, while the front and rear fenders, door sills and boot lid surround are made from carbon fibre. Four colours are available, Scintilla Silver, Alloro Green, Alba Blue and Diavolo Red, with the painting process alone taking 100 hours.

Inside, the cockpit is finished in hand-stitched leather with the Z-Zagato logo embroidered into the headrests and rear parcel shelf. Under the bonnet sits the quad-overhead camshaft, 48-valve, six-litre V12. Its 510bhp delivers 570nm of torque at 5,750rpm (maxing out at 6,500rpm) – that means 60mph arrives in 4.2 seconds and terminal velocity is 190mph. All the acronyms you'd expect are here: DSC, EBA, TC, ABS, EBD… An army of engine management and stability control systems on hand to keep you out of too much trouble – until you press that Track button, I'd expect…

The Zagato was first introduced in racing form in May 2011 at the Villa d’Este Concours, where it swept all aside to win the Concept And Prototype Class – its graceful, retro lines mated with the vicious, growling exhaust note proving a hit. The Zagato continues the Aston Martin tradition of proving road-going models by racing them first: last year we covered the team as they entered two Zagato endurance prototypes in the Nurburgring 24 Hours – one of which was the concours-winning car with an aero package bolted on! Both finished, keeping up the factory's 100 per cent finishing run in the big race.

Of course, this kind of beauty doesn't come cheap: unfortunately it never does. £330,000 – not including your government's cut – will secure you one, though the production run is limited to just 150 cars. This means the Zagato will be a rare site on the road, but hopefully we'll see one out on track during 2012. 

Jonathan Moore

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1

Please stop with those wheels. I'm sick of them, the same basic design has been used for the last 5 years on pretty much every single vehicle made. Please, make it stop!!!

They say nothing, they have nothing in common with the car, they're just 5 split spokes with a flourish at the end, always painted in that ghastly chrome and black. Please make it stop!

Dear Zagato, ask OZ to make you some real wheels instead of buying from a chinese wholesale!

2

That last shot is beautiful... such nice lines..

3

What a hideous looking spoiler!

4

Remember me the old Nissan 240Z in modern style!

5

looks like a tvr had a baby with a nissan gtr. I don't care how good the car is, things like that ruin it for some people. aston's usually have a uniqueness.

6

I love it. That is all.

8

In my opinion, better look without the spoiler

9

Noooooo it should have been left exactly how they presented it before the nurburgring race. no wing, demonic looking front and rear, simple red paint, black wheels. it was perfect !

10

I wholeheartedly agree on the wheel thing. They look like they were ordered from the tyre shop around the corner...

11

not gonna lie, if the GTR, IS-F, and new FR-S had a three-way, i imagine the offspring would look exactly like this...

12

it looks like an ft-86

13

Aren't you guys a little slow on the uptake with this story? Aston announced the road version of the V12 Zagato an entire week ago!

14

Red catfish on wheels, haha

15

gotta agree with "john best" - the spoiler is just too tvr-ish for an aston. and big mother ford starts showing - not as unique as it could/should be...

16

I was thinking the exact same thing. There are very few unique aspects of this vehicle. As for the wheels, I'm pretty certain the car manufacturers either own the aftermarket wheel companies are in cahoots with each other because it seems like it is mandatory for car manufactors to put ugly wheels on all their cars no matter what the car costs. If you think I'm crazy feel free to email with me any production wheel you like or think is popular. And placing wheels from a high end car on your GTI or any other car is only done because the donor car is crazy exspensive.

17

no ... It looks like a Totyota FT-86, and a TVR, and a GTR had a baby



I can't wait to see the new Ferrari version of the Subaru BRZ .. .. . end of uniqueness on the roads eh?





Where's my hover-car????

18

is Aston Martin being slightly optimistic about those performance figures. Only 510BHP from all those cc's, iv seen food blenders with more HP (see top gear's chevy v8) what happened to engine developement there?

19

I am loving the style of this car, hope Aston Martin goes wild with this car. It looks better with black wheels.

20

race car: hell yeah. road car: meh.

21

Doesn't feel Aston Martin to me. The hideous front end is a real let down. It looked much better before this rendition, and the interior looks like some kind of experiment one would find in a compact car from a Japanese maker. This one does not win my heart.

22

The car has a generally decent design. However, when i look at an Aston i expect to feel a certain emotion. The V12 Zagato just doesnt have that mature, intelligent, handsomeness that I've come to expect from the British. This car looks like it belongs in a Paul Walker movie. And thats the problem. No Aston Martin should ever be in a Paul Walker movie.

23

Wayyyy too small and ugly of a spoiler for a car like this. I hope most go with the wingless option as the last shot is astounding.

24

The front end is a bit of a disappointment compared to the rest of the car, but after all that big ugly grille is Zagato's trademark. Absolutely every other body panel is completely lovely. The profile and rear end are so well proportioned and aggressive, I'd be content with just looking at one of these for a while.. But why look when you have a V12 and a stick to entertain yourself with?!



Great job here. But the wing and wheels need to go.

25

The rear quarters, front end and wheels are not right... not the usual aston standard. looks like something thats been done by a junior designer lol

26

side windows have a lancia stratos look about them

27

Beautiful design.

28

yoy unen tas ai yamarch goyiiin sda gj

29

Looks like a patchwork of different things to me. Front looks okay. Aston-ish. Front fender to doors remind me of an XKR-S. Roof is definitely GTR. Rear fender buldge as CLS-ish. And the rear is as much ugly as it could be the head of a malign worm. Bin.

30

It's a nice design no doubt. Would like to see it in another color besides red.

31

This car looks like a mix between a Vantage db9, nissan gtr, toyota 2000gt, and lexus isf.

32

This car looks like a mix between a Vantage db9, nissan gtr, toyota 2000gt, and lexus isf.

33

This car looks like a mix between a Vantage db9, nissan gtr, toyota 2000gt, and lexus isf.

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