Zagato wheels out stunning AC 378 GT

Zagato recently collaborated with Aston Martin to conceive the stunning V12 Zagato, and now the vaunted Italian styling house has teamed up with another iconic British marque to create the equally gorgeous AC 378 GT Zagato.

Its makers say 10 pre-production cars have already been built in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where the AC 378 Zagato’s manufacturing facility is based, and said cars reportedly have two years of testing under their belt.

AC and Zagato say deliveries will start in mid-2012, although there’s no mention of pricing at this stage. A roadster version that derives its inspiration from the classic AC Cobra is also allegedly in the works.

Cloaked within the 378 Zagato’s voluptuous composite body is a steel tubular frame chassis, and under the snout lurks a GM-sourced 6.2-litre (378-cubic-inch, hence the car’s name) LS3 V8 with 323kW and 583Nm, channelled to the rear wheels by a six-speed manual gearbox.

These outputs enable the 1465kg coupe to sprint from 0-100km/h in under 4sec (claimed), while the 160km/h mark flashes past in under 10sec.

The big V8 is set well back in the chassis – resulting in near-perfect 49/51-percent weight distribution over front and rear axles respectively – and the company says prototypes have undergone heavy track testing in order to optimise performance and handling.

No images of the cockpit have as yet been released, but the cabin layout is said to complement the body’s smooth, flowing lines.

As you can see from the images, the classic Zagato design cues – double-bubble roof, long-snout/short-tail and organic curves – are all there, yet its AC heritage is also evident via the oval mouth and recessed bonnet.

Milan-based Zagato has a long history of collaborations with British manufacturers during its 93-year history, and its clients over the years include not only AC but also Aston Martin, Bentley, Bristol, Jaguar, MG, Rolls-Royce and Rover.

AC and Zagato first cooperated in 1957, creating the AC Ace Bristol Zagato one-off, a pure racing GT Berlinetta nowadays considered a classic in the AC model portfolio. It was designed with the typical Zagato double-bubble roof and equipped with a 2.0-litre six-cylinder engine.

The Ace will be on show at this year’s Pebble Beach concours, along with the AC 378 GT Zagato and the AC Ace Bristol Zagato.

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