Car Reviews > Aston Martin > V12 Zagato > Aston Martin V12 Zagato Car Review
Prices: £330,000
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Gearbox: 6-speed paddle shift sequential manual, rear-wheel drive Power: 540bhp (estimated) 0-60 miles per hour: 3.9 seconds (estimated)
Top Speed: 180 miles per hour (race car)
Equipment: Aero package, fire extinguisher, racing tyres, car to pit radio communication, single racing seat, brakes, and suspension
This Vantage based stunner is revving up to hit the racetrack in a limited production run
The V12 Zagato stunned the crowds when making its debut appearance at Italy’s Villa d’Este Concours show two months ago back in May, and Aston Martin followed that entrance by creating a racing version to go in Nurburgring’s 24 Hours the following month. Now, Aston Martin says they are going to produce an exclusive limited run of just 150 models of the racing vehicle.
The new car is clearly modelled on the V12 Vantage, but Italian styling house Zagato has altered the design somewhat in order to celebrate the half century of the DB4GT Zagato, which was the first in a long line of their collaborations with Aston. The road model will certainly look the part too, with its design including a massive grille, aggressive rear end, and thick wheel arches. The bodywork, designed to be as eye catching as possible, was actually made entirely by hand using flat sheets of extremely light thin gauge aluminium.
When it made its first appearance at the Villa d’Este Concours show, the Zagato came with huge 20-inch alloy wheels but for the racing version it now has much slimmer 18-inch rims that suit the Yokohoma competition tyres rather more. Likewise, the Vantage road car also sports carbon ceramic brake discs which a quirk of sporting rules means that the race car must also do without, opting instead for cast iron Brembos.
Underneath the bonnet sits a newly tuned version of the 6.0-litre V12 engine so familiar from other Aston models and as a result, the racing car is much more powerful than the Vantage version, and has the audio to make it sound like it too. The car also uses a 6-speed paddle shift ASM gearbox, which is a new wrinkle in the system that was originally seen in the One-77 super car, and was worth a million pounds.
The roofline of the Zagato is somewhat rakish, with the protective roll cage’s thick tubes being rather difficult to get between. The interior has been entirely stripped for its purpose of being a racing vehicle and is laden with fuses, switches, and toggles all designed to be in easy reach of the driver, who is strapped into position by a 5-point harness. The lack of trim has its up and down side – the upside being that you get to hear that incredible engine in all its naked glory, the downside being that is does mean that that cabin gets very hot, very fast.
The Zagato is able to take corners with great skill and speed thanks to its combination of an elaborate aerodynamics package and slick tyres, yet it never feels too intimidating to drive thanks to such features as power steering, the traction and stability control systems, not to mention the anti lock brakes.
The Aston Martin V12 Zagato is of course hugely expensive, but the fact that the production is so limited gives it an exclusive quality that aficionados will find hard to resist, particularly when it is also a memorable collaboration between two big name companies and a fantastic drive in its own right.
by Autoweb