Cars

1986 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato

The Mondial (as the ‘Mondial 8’) made its entrance at the 1980 Geneva Show. It replaced the angular 208/308 GT4 series of mid-engined 2+2s and was a Pininfarina design, executed in sheet steel by Scaglietti. Power came from a transverse-mounted, two-valve, fuel-injected, 3.0-litre V8 producing a modest 214bhp.

In fact, chassis JM/EXP115 still carries its original number plate, ‘HEA 1D’ from 15 September 1966 and has just 84,000 believed-to-be-genuine miles on the clock. While most will know that the West Bromwich-based company commissioned Carrozzeria Touring to design the CV8 replacement’s all-metal body, it was to Vignale that Jensen turned when it needed early production capacity.

Panhard PMS

The car was announced to the media in January 1970 and bore Lagonda badges (on a new model for the first time since the early 1960s) - though it did retain the attractive four-headlamp chrome grille of the standard Aston Martin DBS. The idea of a full five-seater Aston Martin, able to transport Brown, a lady companion, two guests and a chauffeur had always appealed to the company’s MD.

It’s got a new ‘face’: a fresh take on Aston’s trademark grille that is larger than before, with a different radius on the curve on its upper segments. While the initial studio shots when first announced might not have shown the design at its best, in the metal, complete with number plate, it looks superb. The grille is just one part of the company’s thorough re-engineering work on the front of its cars to ensure they meet the latest EU pedestrian safety regulations.

The idea of adding extra practicality to a performance-focused car isn’t exactly a new one – Aston Martins and Ferraris were being modified by independent coachbuilders such as Harold Radford and Vignale back in the 1960s.

We know that impressions from the passenger seat are not the real thing, not like grappling with a car with your own two hands; but this model is so important that we are happy to squeeze a first driving impression from the small chance we’ve been given. Since the world premiere of the new Jaguar F-type last year in Paris, we have been waiting with bated breath, but it was only recently that an invitation to the first official press trip to Spain arrived on the editorial table.