Concours shows around the world are excellent places to see some of the finest classic machinery in all of their grandeur. High-end classics? You bet. Increasingly they are becoming places where new cars are introduced as well.
Bentley debuted the Mulsanne at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California and Infiniti took the opportunity to launch the new M. Infiniti is planning to debut its new JX crossover at the show in August as well.
The Villa D’Este Concours Show this May was the show of choice for Aston Martin’s V12 Zagato. Future classic? Oh yes, we’d say so. The stunning supercar was designed in cooperation with Italian design house Zagato.
The Z12 Zagato is an excellent fusion of British and Italian design into one vehicle. Following its introduction at Villa d’Este, a special race version took part in the grueling Nürburgring 24 Hour race. Two cars in prototype form covered 3,700 miles over 230 laps. Underneath that beautiful skin is Aston’s V12 Vantage platform and mechanicals. The body is handcrafted from aluminum and uses a design not possible to create with standard pre-form panel techniques. The level of craftsmanship is remarkable; for instance the front end alone uses seven different pieces of aluminum, formed with an English wheel and traditional body bucks.
When introduced, the V12 Zagato was officially labelled as a “concept” but Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Bez made the company’s intentions clear right from the start: “The task for us has been to create a concept that is a natural successor to those iconic cars that have gone before. Matching the technology of the age with the traditional skills vital to deliver such a bespoke and exclusive sports car will lead to a strictly limited run of road going V12 Zagatos.”
Now, Aston Martin is officially confirming the car’s production run, after “encouraging customer reaction.” Just 150 examples will be produced, and the car is going on sale right now. Price tag checks in at a cool £330,000.00 GBP (about $530,000 USD at current exchange rates). First deliveries will begin in the second half of next year.
