Body by Zagato, soul by Maserati

Venerable Italian styling house Zagato has created its own unique interpretation of another modern classic.

Following in the wheeltracks of last year's Ferrari 575GTZ (created as a one-off for famous Japanese car collector Yoshiyuki Hayashi), Zagato is set to unveil its remake of the Maserati Gransport Spyder -- and the end result has been dubbed the Maserati GS Zagato.

For now just these images of the GS Zagato's pert derriere have been issued, but all will be revealed when the swoopy one-off debuts at the Concours d'Elegance Villa d'Este, to be held in Cernobbio, Italy, on Friday (April 20).

The car was commissioned by Paolo Boffi -- a well-known entrepreneur in the furnishing and luxury design sector -- and Zagato responded to the challenge by looking to the 1954 Maserati A6 G Zagato for inspiration.

Like its vaunted predecessor, the new GS Zagato has all-aluminium bodywork and bears the Maserati trident on the bonnet and the 'Z' that's synonymous with the styling house on the fender.

The wheelbase has been shortened by 180mm compared with the donor car, so it's strictly a two-seater, but Zagato claims the payoff comes in the form of added torsional rigidity and tauter handling.

No details have been revealed about the GS Zagato's mechanical specs, but it's believed it retains the Gransport Spyder's 300kW 4.2-litre V8.

For those who came in late, Zagato is an illustrious Italian design studio that was established at the end of the World War I by Ugo Zagato, who applied aircraft industry construction techniques to passenger vehicles.

Zagato's cars were advanced in design and became synonymous with light weight and excellent aerodynamics. Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia immediately realised the advantages of his rakish, streamlined designs and commissioned his services.

A collaboration with Alfa saw the creation of a series of legendary racing cars, such as the Alfa Romeo 1500, the 1750 Gran Sport, and the 2300 8C.

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