V12 Vantage Zagato makes race debut after top award

28 May 2011

Aston Martin has marked the fiftieth anniversary of the DB4GT Zagato by once again renewing its association with the famous Italian coachbuilder. Following on from the V8 Vantage Zagato of 1988 and the DB7GT Zagato fourteen years later, the V12 Vantage Zagato made its public debut at the Villa d’Este Concours D’Elegance on May 21st. It came away from the Lake Como, Italy, event with the Concourso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes, beating nine other international entrants.

Clothed with a new handcrafted, aluminium, body, formed using traditional body bucks and English wheel, the new design incorporates the Zagato trademark of a ‘double bubble’ roof. Marek Reichman, Aston’s director of design, said of the car: “The Design team at Gaydon spent time refining the concept using a mixture of the latest computer based modelling techniques along with crafting traditional clay models to give a real world idea of proportion, stance and detail”

"The V12 Zagato is an elegant yet brutal design which reflects the great balance between race performance and pure Aston Martin style. The original DB4GT Zagato was a true icon, powerful and graceful; the new design is a true representation of the spirit of DB4GT Zagato. The muscular organic forms define the thoroughbred nature of the car’s racing credentials."

Backing this up, the car, which has the same mechanical specification as the 6.0 litre V12 Vantage, and similarly produces 510bhp and 420lb/ft, made its race debut in the four hour VLN race at Nurburgring on May 28th. Although suffering teething problems, the Zagato, varying from standard only in having essential safety modifications, finished the event and, together with another example, it will contest the Nurburgring 24 Hours over June 25th/26th; two years ago, the V12 Vantage took a class win in the same race.