Revealed! Aston Martin V12 Zagato - First Look
Elegant, brutal, handcrafted…and ready to race at the ’Ring!

By Ian Adcock

May 20, 2011


Here are the official pictures of the latest collaboration between Aston Martin and Italian coachbuilder and longtime collaborator Zagato, which will be unveiled at this weekend’s Villa D’Este concours.

Work began in 2010 with initial meetings between Aston Martin and Zagato. Sketches incorporating the design DNA of both companies were discussed and a decision was made to proceed with the project.

Aston Design Director, Marek Reichman said, “The design team at Gaydon spent time refining the concept using a mixture of the latest computer based modeling techniques along with crafting traditional clay models to give a real world idea of proportion, stance and detail.
Aston Martin V12 Zagato

"The V12 Zagato is an elegant yet brutal design, which reflects the 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."

Working alongside the initial design team was a dedicated group of Aston Martin engineers led by Chris Porritt—previously responsible for the engineering of the One-77. With the skills and knowledge gained from such specialized projects, this team has worked to bring the unique design of the V12 Zagato to reality in a very short period of time.

Featuring a new handcrafted aluminum body, the V12 Zagato has a beautiful and muscular design that’s not possible using pre-formed panel techniques. Every aluminum panel was hand-formed using an English wheel and traditionally crafted body bucks. Each front wing [fender] is comprised of seven separate pieces of aluminum, combined and then hand-finished to give one flowing form. Another iconic Zagato design cue is the double-bubble roof created from five separate pieces. This illustrates further the intensity of craftsmanship involved in the construction of the V12 Zagato.
Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Designed for the focused driver, the V12 Zagato has been honed with pure driving enjoyment in mind. The V12 Zagato combines Aston Martin’s most dynamic bonded aluminum platform with the power of the 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 510 bhp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque.

The racing debut of the V12 Zagato will be at the Nürburgring on May 28, with a view to racing two of the cars at the 24-hour race on June 25. The driver team will be led for the sixth year by chief executive Dr. Ulrich Bez.

There’s no talk of cost or how many Aston Zagatos will be built, but the original run 50 years ago was limited to just 19 cars. Later models based on the DB7 were restricted to 100 of each.