At the famed Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on Italy’s Lake Como, Aston Martin and Italian design-house Zagato have unveiled their latest collaboration — the Vanquish Zagato Concept — their fifth in five decades.
The collaborations have accentuated each company’s design strengths — Aston Martin’s sporting and dynamic history of working with quality materials, combined with Zagato’s signature racing-inspired design language. The four previous cars are widely regarded as Aston Martin’s most avant-garde expressions.
Already being billed as the prettiest car of 2016, the Vanquish Zagato Concept was designed by Andrea Zagato and Aston Martin’ Marek Reichman, and engineered by Aston Martin in Gaydon, England. The carbonfibre body features large panels to do away with some of the panel gaps, and the lights are all-new designs with modern LED technology housed in classic-looking components.
“Over the years, we have developed and refined our own design language and we have always gone that little bit further with our special series cars,” said Reichman, Aston Martin Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer. “The Vanquish Zagato Concept shows how our two companies can come together and push the definition of Aston Martin design.”
“We pride ourselves on our strong partnership and the creation of the Vanquish Zagato Concept was a true shared experience,” added Zagato's CEO, Andrea Zagato, “It represents the essence of an important design relationship that dates back over 50 years.”
Among the car’s features are the One-77 inspired wing mirrors, a DB11-like rear end (complete with retractable spoiler and rear hatch design) and the classic side strake that is slightly changed to add Zagato design cues. Modifications include the rippling carbonfibre body skirt that literally looks like a skirt, and greenhouse that looks like a visor.
Both are meant to promote an aggressive stance, forwarded by the boosting of the classic Aston Martin V-12 to 591 hp.
The roof features the iconic “double-bubble” that was originally used in Zagato designs to accommodate the occupants’ racing helmets, without impacting too much on the aerodynamic properties of the car.
Inside, there are traces of the classic Aston Martin attention to craftsmanship, including herringbone carbonfibre on the instrument panel trim, combining with anodized bronze and aniline leather. The seats and door trim have a unique Z-pattern (the Zagato Z, which is also stitched into the headrests).