"In 2011, Aston Martin and Zagato came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the DB4 GT Zagato, unveiling the V12 Zagato at that year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and winning the Design Award for Concepts and Prototypes. Such style, exclusivity and fastidious craftsmanship ensures it will be one of the most highly coveted models in Aston Martin's 98-year history. A fabulous celebration of the iconic DB4 GT Zagato, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the V12 Zagato is the perfect inspiration for the next 50 years of Aston Martin. – Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO Aston Martin, 2011. Although the engine was mechanically the same as the V12 Vantage, extras such as the uprated suspension and rear wing helped propel the two prototype race cars to 5th and 6th in class at the 39th ADAC Nürburgring that same year.
Each car was to be individually designed for the owner, with design elements combining modern innovations and historic elements that reflected the fifty-year relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato. Loosely based on the standard V12 Vantage, the V12 Zagato features a handcrafted aluminium body with the classic Zagato ‘double bubble’ roof. A grand total of 2,000-man hours went into every vehicle, an astounding five times as long as the regular V12 Vantage. Hand assembled at Aston Martin's global headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire, the V12 Zagato was intended for discerning customers, with orders taken on a strictly 'first come first served' basis.
Despite originally hoping to make 101 examples, only 65 were ever produced: two prototype race cars; two prototype road cars; and 61 production cars. These low numbers for modern production make V12 Zagatos some of the rarest supercars of recent times and they are now regarded as one of the Aston Martin’s finest road cars.
This example is an extraordinarily rare car, indeed one of one being the second of the two prototype road cars known in Aston Martin as the ‘pre-production’ prototypes, but the only full aluminium body example. The final iteration of development for the V12 Zagato and was used for over 25,000 test miles by the factory; with some of these development miles at the Nardò Ring test track to prove the V12 Zagato’s abilities at high speed. Once the development process for the V12 Zagato was completed, this prototype was retained by the Aston Martin factory and led a quiet life with rare appearances in public until 2016 when our vendor, a valued client of Aston Martin, who had missed his opportunity in 2011/2012 to purchase one of the production cars approached the factory with his desire to own this example. An agreement was reached through which he would purchase the prototype and it would be rebuilt by the factory (Aston Martin Works) to his specification. The development miles had etched various paint chips to the body of the car and along with scuffs to the interior so a complete respray and retrim was carried out to the current owner’s personal exacting specifications. The exterior being Aston Martin Racing Green with a light tan leather interior, the process was documented and photographed for the accompanying Aston Martin Assured Provenance book as having been all carried out by the factory.
One of the many features that made the V12 Zagato special was the interior trim patterns and these are wonderfully accentuated by contrasting red stitching. Despite being rebuilt for a private customer, two visible features were retained which hint to this important car’s previous life at the factory, a fire extinguisher pull and a roll hoop behind the seats, both a reminder of the V12 Zagato’s competition history. After being rebuilt at Aston Martin Works, this prototype has covered less than 500 miles since the current, and only private, owner took delivery, so it is presented in stunning condition. In addition to its service books and provenance, this example also boasts a set of matching luggage which was made for this prototype and just serviced in April this year by Aston Martin Works.
The sister pre-production prototype was retained by one of the shareholders of the company, so this is a unique opportunity to purchase an important part of recent Aston Martin history. Despite being less than ten years old, the V12 Zagato is today regarded as one of the best products of the two companies’ partnership. This wonderful prototype will undoubtedly be welcome to some of the most important car events around the world and in years to come surely this is a shoo-in to compete at Villa d'Este as a classic, along with the world’s most iconic and important motorcars.Interested parties should note that the private registration plate shown is to be retained by the vendor and a new, age-related registration issued instead.
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