In 2011, Aston Martin and Zagato marked 50 years since the DB4 GT Zagato, one of the most valuable Astons ever built, with a new car. The V12 Zagato was first shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where it won the design award for concepts and prototypes. Before production began, two cars, nicknamed Zig and Zag, were raced at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and both finished.

Under the skin is the V12 Vantage, but the body is entirely new. Zagato’s styling, developed with Marek Reichman’s team at Gaydon, brings back the double-bubble roof, the short overhangs and the wide grille of the original, in hand-formed aluminium and carbon fibre. Each car took around 2,000 hours to build. Power comes from the 5,935 cc naturally aspirated V12 with 510 bhp and 570 Nm, with carbon-ceramic brakes and a proper six-speed manual gearbox.

This car is finished in Scintilla Silver, one of the four colours the V12 Zagato launched in, over Obsidian Black leather, and it has covered just 1,585 km from new. The Zagato details are everywhere: the Z badge on each front wing, the same mark stitched into both headrests, and V12 Zagato carbon sill plates. At the back, the round tail lights sit in sculpted carbon housings, and this example also has the carbon rear wing.

More were planned, but only 61 production cars were completed, which makes the V12 Zagato rarer than the One-77. It is a hand-built V12 with three pedals and a Zagato body, and cars like this are no longer made.

Now available at Tomini Classics, Dubai.