Vanquish Zagato Concept
Vanquish Zagato Concept

Vanquish Zagato Concept

(2016)

Aston Martin and Italian design-house Zagato used the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2016, held at Lake Como in Italy, as the venue for their  latest creation from their long-standing partnership. The Vanquish Zagato Concept became the fifth car to emerge from a collaboration that stretches back over five decades, pairing Aston Martin's acclaimed sporting, dynamic and material qualities with Zagato's signature design language.

Vanquish Zagato Concept

The Vanquish Zagato Concept was designed in close collaboration between the Aston Martin Design team led by Marek Reichman and Andrea Zagato and his dedicated design team in Milan. Developed and engineered at Aston Martin’s headquarters at Gaydon, the concept features proportions that remain quintessentially Aston Martin and emphasises a dynamic, forward-looking stance. The new bodywork is entirely shaped from carbon fibre, with the split lines on the body reduced by the use of large one-piece panels. New lights include round tail light reflectors that evoke the classic rear view of a Zagato design, incorporating the same ‘bladed’ LED technology as first seen on the the Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar.

Referencing elements of the brand’s contemporary design language, Vanquish Zagato Concept features One-77 inspired wing mirrors and a sculptural rear end similar to DB11‘s aerodynamic profile, complete with retractable spoiler and rear hatch for access to the luggage compartment.  A quad-exhaust nestles in the rippling carbon fibre sills that run around the lower body, creating a pronounced line from front to rear.

The Vanquish Zagato Concept’s glasshouse wraps around the bodywork like a visor, enhancing its aggressive stance. A new evolution of the classic side strake runs from wheel arch to door just like the new DB11 and a detail originally showcased on the celebratory CC-100. A sharp crease on the rear wheel arch transforms into the rear flanks, where it meets the cascading roofline. 

The roof features the iconic ‘double-bubble’, its shallow radius dipping into the rear window glass to give the car an unmistakeable rear silhouette. A Zagato trademark since the early 1950s, originally arose from the need to accommodate racing helmets with a minimum impact on the aerodynamic profile. To match the bold new exterior, the concepts normally aspirated V12 engine has been uprated to 592 bhp along with enhanced driving dynamics.

A month following the Villa d’Este concours, AML announced that the Zagato Vanquish will go into limited production with a run of 99 cars. Production started in Autumn of 2016 and continued until the Summer of 2017. No official announcement on pricing but it is estimated the car could be around a half a million pounds. An interesting fact that AML have not made anything of, is that the Vanquish Zagato is the first Aston Martin Zagato with rear seats with the exception of the one off Centenary cars of 2013.

Many of the photos below were taken at the 2016 AMOC Autumn Concours where the concept was parked next to the unique V12 Vanquish Zagato.