Official: Aston Martin V12 Zagato unveiled

Just before its debut on the shores of Lake Como, Italy at the Villa D’Este Concours, Aston Martin has unveiled the new V12 Zagato, an endurance racer concept that has been excitingly been awaited until now.

Aston Martin has unveiled the first images of the V12 Zagato that revives the collaboration between the British brand and the Italian Design studio Zagato, which has produced some of the most beautiful and sought-after cars in the world. The The V12 Zagato takes the inspiration from classics such as the DB4GT Zagato, V8 Vantage Zagato and DB7 Zagato.

Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin said: “The task for us has been to create a concept that is a natural successor to those iconic cars that have gone before. Matching the technology of the age with the traditional skills vital to deliver such a bespoke and exclusive sports car will lead to a strictly limited run of road going V12 Zagatos.”

Aston Martin and Zagato started working on the V12 Zagato in 2010, first with initial meetings where sketches incorporating the design DNA of both companies were discussed. They then both gave the green light to go ahead with the project.

According to Director of Design, Marek Reichman, "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."

Led by Chris Porritt, a team of Aston Martin engineers worked alongside the initial design team. Using the skills and knowledge gained with the production of models such as the One-77, the team had a very short period of time to bring the V12 Zagato to reality.

The V12 Zagato features a new handcrafted aluminium body and a muscular design which wouldn’t be possible to achieve with the use of pre-formed panel techniques. In the V12 Zagato every aluminium panel was formed using an English wheel and traditionally crafted body bucks. A Zagato design couldn’t miss the iconic double bubble roof, which in this case was created from five separate pieces.

Under the hood, the V12 Zagato is powered by Aston Martin’s 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque.

The Aston Martin V12 Zagato will be shown for the first time at the Villa D’Este Concours on Saturday 21st May 2011