What is Aston Martin Zagato?
09th May 2023
Who are Aston Martin?
To answer the question, 'What is Aston Martin Zagato?' We first have to take a look at who Aston Martin are.
Pretty obvious perhaps, but for setting the foundation, Aston Martin make some of the world's finest and most sought after sports cars. Often regarded as the coolest brand in existence, quite possibly due to the James Bond connection, cars like the DB5 have ensured Aston Martin as one of the most iconic and well-known car brands in the world.
Today, the model line-up of the Vantage, DB11, DBX and DBS do an excellent job of showcasing all the excellence of Aston Martin, whilst the likes of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll show just how good Aston Martin are on a race track, with their success in Formula 1.
And with Aston Martin's knowledge of Formula 1, the incredible Valkyrie demonstrates just how state-of-the-art the company is in terms of automotive 'Concorde' moments.
Who are Zagato?
Zagato are an Italian coachbuilder who were formed in 1919 by Ugo Zagato. They specialise in bespoke automotive bodies.
Before the forming of his company, Ugo Zagato worked in aircraft manufacturing learning about lightweight aluminium construction. He then looked to apply his expertise in the automotive world, and the rest they say, is history.
Collaborating with well known automotive manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari and Aston Martin, Zagato crafted lightweight coachbuilt bodies to ensure bespoke one-off vehicles, later making limited edition runs as demand naturally grew.
It is no surprise that Zagato built successful racing cars for manufacturers too, due to the advantage of light weight when it came to racing.
After over a century of collaborations with many of the world's best automotive manufacturers, here we will look at the special relationship Zagato has with Aston Martin.
Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
The first time Zagato were called upon by Aston Martin was with the enhancement of the DB4.
First seen in 1958, the DB4 was joined by an upgraded DB4GT - that was showcased at the 1959 London Motor Show. It featured a shorter chassis, was 85kg lighter than a regular DB4 and featured an upgraded engine sporting Weber carburettors.
A year later, at the 1960 London Motor Show, Aston Martin unveiled their first car in partnership with Zagato, therefore the DB4GT Zagato was introduced. It featured a textbook lightweight body, showcasing a more curvaceous design.
Only 19 examples of the Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato were produced. Today, this special car is amongst some of the world's most expensive cars, with past auctions seeing them exchange hands for over £10 million. A regular Aston Marin DB4 is around the £400,000 mark, showing just how sought-after Zagato versions are.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato
In the 1980s, status was everything, and money talked.
With Ferrari and Porsche both launching poster cars that would span generations, in the form of the 288 GTO and 959 respectively, Aston Martin turned to Zagato to get in on the action.
At the 1986 Geneva Motor Show, the striking Aston Martin V8 Zagato was introduced to the world, reaffirming the relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato.
The car was ten percent lighter than a regular V8 and featured a shorter body, and no rear seats. Just 50 cars were planned on being built, but 52 were actually made.
Today, these cars fetch strong money, as does anything with an Aston Martin Zagato motif.
Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato
After the V8 Vantage Zagato of the 1980s, there was a also DB7 Zagato of 2002, the Vanquish Zagato of 2004, the V12 Vantage GT3 of 2011 and DBS Zagato of 2013.
All unique and bespoke in their classy Zagato ways, but the real special treatment was reserved for when the two icons of automotive did the Vanquish 'family'.
When first announced in 2016, the Aston Martin Vanquish was given the full Zagato treatment. Already a achingly beautiful car, the Zagato version of the Vanquish gave lucky buyers further exclusivity, ensuring the finest coachbuilt details were applied to these special Zagato versions.
Shortly after, Aston Martin revealed the Vanquish Zagato would be joined by a Volante, Speedster and Shooting Brake version too.
Just 325 cars were built, of which there were 99 Coupés, 99 Volantes, 99 Shooting Brakes and just 28 Speedsters.
Future Collaborations?
At the time of writing, the last time we saw Aston Martin and Zagato collaborate was in 2019, with the DBS GT Zagato, which came as a pair with a DB4 GT Zagato Continuation - as part of the DBZ Centenary Collection.
As an important year for Aston Martin back in 2019, it was no surprise that after this launch and what with the goings on in the recent years, we have not seen anything since.
What will the future hold for Aston Martin and Zagato? Who knows, but with a history of creating some of the world's finest collaborations, we are just grateful the two got together all those years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions
As with many limited edition cars, Aston Martin Zagato models tend to fetch considerably more than regular Aston Martin models due to their exclusivity and bespoke nature. Expect to see Zagato models rising from £320,000 to over £10,000,000 in some cases.
It all depends on the specific Aston Martin Zagato model, but usually there is only a few, like the very first DB4GT Zagato in which only 19 were made, whilst the Vanquish from 2016 had 99 versions of the Coupé, 99 of the Volante, 99 of the Shooting Brake and 28 of the Speedster. Usually, from past builds it can be anywhere between 50 and 100. However, in 2013 and 2014, Aston Martin and Zagato built a few one-offs to celebrate 100 years of Aston Martin with a DBS Coupé Zagato, DB9 Spyder Zagato and Virage Shooting Brake Zagato were all built for three clients from three differnt continents - America, Asia and Europe.
As with anything made in a bespoke and exclusive manner, products of such limited production will always cost a considerable amount. Add in the fact one of the most iconic car manufacturers Aston Martin are involved, and have collaborated with a legendary coachbuilder that has been around for more than a century and it comes as no surprise these special vehicles are not cheap.
Discover Stratstone Aston Martin
With our flagship Stratstone Aston Martin retailer located on the iconic Park Lane in London, we are proud to represent this iconic brand and have been honoured to retail special Aston Martin Zagato models from this location.
If you would like to enquire about any Aston Martin, please contact your preferred Stratstone Aston Martin retailer.
Alternatively, if you enjoyed this article, why not take a look at more like this in our dedicated blog section.
Where to next?
History: Aston Martin Racing
