Dreams really can come true, if you have enough money. The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato wowed the crowd at the 2016 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy, but at the time Aston said it was just a concept. Yet thanks to customer prodding, the Zagato will now go into limited production, and it probably won’t be cheap.
Aston says the production decision was made due to “unprecedented customer interest,” which doesn’t seem like an exaggeration, given that it’s only been about a month since the Vanquish Zagato was first shown at Villa d’Este. Just 99 copies of the car will be made. Expect them to get snatched up quickly.
Italian coachbuilder Zagato took the already-handsome Vanquish and added a bit more flair. The sleeker bodywork is rendered entirely in carbon fiber, with large panels that eliminate body cut lines. The traditional Aston grille is enlarged into a gaping maw, with two round driving lights. The glass wraps around the body not unlike the way it would in a Le Mans prototype race car. Zagato also threw in some of its signature styling elements, including a “double bubble” roof and round taillights, which use LED “blades” adapted from the Vulcan track car.
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The collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato dates back to 1960 and the DB4 GT Zagato, an iconic model that is now worth millions of dollars. Other Aston Martin Zagato cars include the 1986 V8 Vantage Zagato, 2002 DB7 Vantage Zagato, and the 2011 V12 Vantage Zagato.
The Vanquish Zagato uses the same 6.0-liter V12 as the standard Vanquish, but with output boosted from 568 horsepower to 592 hp. That likely makes this the most powerful production version of this engine yet. The naturally aspirated V12’s days are numbered, as Aston is launching an all-new twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 in the DB11. Power is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Aston says the Zagato will do 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
Aston won’t discuss pricing for the Vanquish Zagato, but it will probably cost much more than the standard Vanquish. Deliveries begin in the first quarter of 2017.
