GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Aston Martin reveals showroom-spec V12 Zagato

We’d already seen the race car and talked at length with Aston Martin chief designer Marek Reichman, and now the premium British sportscar manufacturer has revealed the road-going version of the stunning V12 Zagato.

The car in question will make its public debut at the upcoming Geneva motor show, with UK pricing starting at £330,000 ($486,500), but you can virtually double this figure to work out what the low-volume coupe (production limited to 150 cars) will cost here.

Production of the hand-built V12 Zagato starts in the third quarter of this year, with the first deliveries taking place in the following quarter.

As previously reported, the bespoke coupe was jointly conceived by Italian styling house Zagato and Aston Martin’s in-house design team, and the result is a car whose Italo-British parentage is clearly evident.

The two companies have been involved in collaborative projects over the past half century, with the original and most iconic being the DB4GT Zagato, and it was the 50th anniversary of the latter that provided the inspiration for the new V12 Vantage-based offering.

Although the V12 Zagato derives its styling theme from its 50-year-old ancestor, the car incorporates much of the cutting-edge materials, processes and technology pioneered in the megabuck One-77, of which just 77 examples are destined for sale.

Creating each V12 Zagato is a painstaking process that takes approximately 2000 man-hours to complete and it’s constructed from a combination of hand crafted aluminium and carbonfibre. The bonnet, signature ‘double-bubble’ roof and doors are hand-crafted aluminium, while the front and rear fenders, door sills and boot lid surround are made from carbonfibre.

The finished body is then painted in the same dedicated area as the One-77 and four unique colours have been created for the V12 Zagato – Scintilla Silver, Alloro Green, Alba Blue and Diavolo Red.

The painting process alone takes some 100 hours to complete and is followed by the marriage of the body and the drivetrain within the sports car production area. From there the V12 Zagato is transferred to the standalone facility originally built to house One-77 production, where the build is completed.

This laboratory-like space is perfectly suited to the task of creating special cars such as the V12 Zagato, and it’s here that time is lavished upon the fitment and installation of an array of bespoke components, including the side glass and the distinctive rear window, which features a curved surface that continues the sculptural lines of the ‘double-bubble’ roof.

All the exterior brightwork around the windows has a contemporary black finish to complement the exposed carbonfibre components. Fitment of the hand-crafted interior and upholstery is also completed in this dedicated build area.  

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