4 Stunning Zagato Astons From History

DB4 GT Zagato, 1960

The DB4 GT Zagato was a road racer produced from 1960; just 19 were originally made. The point of the exercise was to make the DB4 GT lighter, more aerodynamic and faster, thus it was always far more than just a styling exercise – though the car’s muscular look has gone down in history as one of the all-time greats. It began its track career at Goodwood at the Easter meeting in 1961 when Stirling Moss brought it home third. Since then the cars known by their 1 VEV and 2 VEV numberplates especially have  ensured the model’s iconic status as one of Britain’s most beautiful and effective (not to mention valuable) GT racers, and a firm favourite at Goodwood events where any 1960s GT race would be incomplete without one.

V8 Zagato, 1986

The V8 Vantage was the supreme British supercar of the 1980s with 170mph performance and looks to match. What then was the Zagato version of this British classic all about? It was certainly supercar-fast – 185mph from the 432hp V8 – but in the minds of many it just didn’t look supercar enough. With its extreme angularity and flat panels it was very 1980s but hardly beautiful, though with its flush-fitting glass it was more aerodynamic than it looked. Buyers at the time loved it though, snapping up the 50 coupes at £87,000 each even before the car was unveiled. 37 Volantes were also made.

DB7 Zagato, 2003

Another sell-out, Zagato’s steel-bodied version of the big-selling (and Aston-saving) DB7 was built on a shortened chassis and featured Zagato design trademarks like the double-bubble roof and drop-down boot lid. Power came from the DB7 GT’s 440hp V12 married to a six-speed manual transmission and performance was right up there, with a top speed of 186mph. Production was limited to 99 cars but since the car couldn’t be homologated for the US another 99 versions of a special long-chassis Volante version, called 'DB American Roadster 1', were made and shipped across to the US – the sunnier parts, probably, since the car had no hood.

V12 Zagato, 2011

Aston design chief Marek Reichman’s first project with Zagato, the V12 Z was released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the DB4 GT Zagato and was said to be that car’s natural successor, designed as much for the track (where the car quickly proved itself in endurance racing) as the road. Like the new Vanqush Zagato, its bespoke aluminium and carbon body – complete with double-bubble roof – was unveiled at the Villa d’Este concours. Based on the V12 Vantage, the car is powered by the 6-litre V12 with 503bhp (510PS). One hundred and fifty versions were made – and quickly sold.

DB4 image courtesy of Von Rex Gray, licensed under CC BY 2.0, V8 image by 'Charles01' licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0