- The newest Aston Martin Zagato, a collaboration of the sports-car specialist and the Italian design house, is a new run of a special Vantage coupe originally launched in 2012.
- The Vantage V12 Zagato Heritage will be sold alongside another model, an entirely new speedster version.
- Only 18 sets will be produced, for $ 2.2 million per pair.
The collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato is a long one that has produced some truly memorable cars. Some of these have been famous for grace and elegance, others more infamous for what could be termed jaw-slackening design. And the 1960 DB4 GT Zagato and 1986 V8 Zagato probably best represent these two extremes.
In more recent years, the English sports-car maker and the Italian design house have created a series of limited run models based on production Astons, most of which have sold out. One that didn’t was the Vantage-based V12 Zagato of 2012, with only 61 of the proposed run of 150 being produced. Now ultra-wealthy collectors are going to be given a second chance, with the announcement of 19 officially sanctioned pairs of what is effectively a ‘continuation’ version of the Zagato V12 coupe, alongside an all-new Zagato V12 Speedster.
Aston Martin
Aston isn’t producing the cars itself. Instead, they will be built by R-Reforged, a subsidiary of a Swiss-German AF Racing team. This is the same company that is set to produce the Callum Vanquish 25 we told you about last year, with the Zagatos set to be built in the same newly opened factory in Warwick, U.K. Many senior staff will work on both projects, including engineering boss Adam Donfrancesco, but Ian Callum himself hasn’t had any involvement with the Zagato twins.
Created to celebrate Zagato’s 100th anniversary, the new V12 will get various mechanical upgrades over the 2012 version. The original car was based on the V12 Vantage, but this one is based on the more powerful V12 S, with a version of Aston’s sonorous naturally aspirated 5.9-liter V-12 engine, retuned to deliver 591 horsepower. R-Reforged will be offering the single-clutch automated manual transmission that the car came with when launched, and also the option of a seven-speed manual gearbox, which was offered at the end of the car’s life.
Aston Martin
R-Reforged is not putting the previous-generation Vantage back into production, so all the Zagato models will be based on modified versions of existing body shells. According to Donfrancesco, some of these are cars that have never been registered—having been put aside for modification some time ago—while others will be built using V12S donors with minimal mileages.
The car’s core aluminum structure remains unchanged, but the modification will include all-new carbon-fiber exterior body panels, whereas the earlier Zagato coupe had aluminum skin. Lacking a folding roof mechanism, the Speedster is set to be the lightest version of this generation’s Vantage, and although the company hasn’t released any performance claims yet, Donfrancesco says it will be the quickest. Anticipate a zero-to-60-mph time in the mid-three-second range and a top speed somewhere past 200 mph.
Aston Martin
While the coupe’s design stays close to that of the 2012 version and the Speedster’s “double bubble” rear deck is entirely in keeping with Zagato design, both cars will also receive technological updates. These include deployable rear wings to improve stability at speed and new center-lock 19-inch wheels.
R-Reforged says that more than half of the proposed run of cars have already been sold, with deliveries due to begin in the first quarter of next year. They’re priced at the equivalent of $ 2.2 million “ex-works” for each pair. (For reference, the 2012 coupe cost the equivalent of $ 412,000 at the time.) Still, they look like a bargain compared to Aston’s other Zagato-themed pairing, the one between the Continuation DB4 GT and the DBS GT Zagato, which will cost you $ 7.4 million. For the deepest-pocketed collectors, it will doubtless be a case of gotta catch ’em all.
