Limited edition V12 Zagato gets production go-ahead and Frankfurt debut

27 Aug 2011

After strong customer feedback following its award-winning Villa D’Este public debut at May’s Concours D’Elegance in Italy, and a strong performance in June’s Nurburgring 24 Hours, the new V12 Zagato is to go into production next year. The road version, to be shown for the first time at a mainstream event in mid-September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, is one of the two examples that raced in Germany, reconverted, bar its competition interior, to its Vila D’Este specification; the sister race car will be on show as raced. The pair will be star attractions alongside the One-77, new Virage and Vantage S and what is billed at the largest display of contemporary Aston Martins ever seen at a motor show.

Limited to just 150 examples, the 6.0 litre V12 Zagato shares a similar specification to the V12 Vantage and will be priced at £330,000. Developing 510bhp and 420lb/ft, the first Aston Martin to carry the Italian design house’s badge since the DB7 Vantage Zagato of 2002 – and launched 50 years on from the original DB4GT Zagato – features an aluminium and carbon fibre body. Unlike the latter, however, the V12 Zagato’s coachwork will be constructed at the company’s Gaydon, Warwickshire, headquarters where the whole car will be built. Last week Aston Martin released the first of what are described as ‘conceptual illustrations’ of the production model, which is expected to be available from next summer.