Aston Martin confirms production of two new models
Sports car manufacturer Aston Martin has confirmed it is set to put two new special edition models into production.
The Warwickshire-based manufacturer will be working with long-time collaborator Zagato on the new models.
The partnership is one of the most enduring creative collaborations in the automotive industry, stretching back almost 60 years.
Fresh from unveiling the elegant Vanquish Zagato Volante, the alliance has confirmed the Zagato range will be extended by not just the Vanquish Zagato Speedster, but it will be joined by a spectacular Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake (see below).
This will extend the Vanquish Zagato family to four models, with the total production run limited to 325 cars.
The founder member of the family, the Vanquish Zagato Coupe, commenced production late last year with the Vanquish Zagato Volante following shortly after. The limited production run of 99 cars have all been sold, with deliveries likely to be completed through 2018.
Of the two latest models, the Vanquish Zagato Speedster is set to be the rarest, with a production run of just 28 cars. Once again, all 28 have already been snapped up by eager collectors despite the as yet, unreleased price.
The Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake will enter production next year and production will be limited to 99 vehicles.
Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake
The Gaydon firm said the Speedster and Shooting Brake represented the two extremes of the Vanquish Zagato family. The former with its top-down, open air luxury and the latter, a two-seater grand tourer with extra capacity for all that essential luggage.
All four cars are based on Aston Martin’s original Vanquish S, but have been injected with Italian flair and some collectors, for whom price is not a consideration, have ordered one of each of the four models.
Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, said: “We haven’t released Zagato models as a family before, at least not in this way, but the idea is not without precedent. Think back to the DB7 Zagato and DB AR1, or the V8 Zagato Coupe and Volante, for example.
“We’ve simply taken things a few steps further.”
On the extended family, he said the firm was merely responding to the wishes of some of its more well-heeled clientele.
“Why create a family of Zagatos? Well, many of our customers want different things. Some prefer the purity of a Coupe, but others love the idea of something more extreme, like the Speedster. And yes, some of them have ordered one example of each.,” he said.
“There’s always an over-demand from our clients and patrons. We could easily fulfill demand for more cars than this, but we want Zagato to remain something very special. We’re creating collectibles, future concours cars. With only 325 cars worldwide, divided between 99 Coupes, 99 Volantes, 28 Speedsters and 99 Shooting Brakes – they are still the rarest of the rare.”
Andrea Zagato, CEO of Zagato said of the enduring creative partnership: “Zagato’s relationship with Aston Martin began with my grandfather and the DB4 GT Zagato, almost sixty years ago.
“To have a creative ‘marriage’ thrive for three generations is something as unique as the cars themselves. My family name is associated with all kinds of wonderful designs, but for many enthusiasts and collectors around the world those that combine the Z of Zagato with the wings of Aston Martin are the most special.”
