In 1960, an absolute masterpiece of the Milan Carrozzeria Zagato was created in an English-Italian collaboration: the Aston Martin DB 4 GT Zagato. 50 years later, the decision was made to launch a new creation for the anniversary: the Aston Martin V12 Vantage Zagato, which went into small series production almost exactly 12 years ago. A total of 101 units were produced at a sporty price of around 500,000 euros. But 510 bhp in an Italian dress were good arguments. One of these cars surprisingly crossed our path in Hamburg. The roof, hood and doors were handcrafted from aluminum, while the front and rear fenders, trunk lid and side sills are made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. Less weight is more. And if you look closely, you will even recognize the typical Zagato "double bubble" roof. Sprezzatura at its best!
Success for Aston Martin at the Spa 24 Hours courtesy of Comtoyou Racing! The British marque hadn't won the Belgian classic since 1948, and hadn't won a 24-hour race outright since 1959, which was the year the legendary Carroll Shelby won Le Mans with Roy Salvadori in a DBR1 (pictured above at Le Mans Classic in 2018).
Aston Martin have had success at Le Mans since, winning the GT class four times with the Prodrive-built DBR9 and Vantage GTE (pictured above at Le Mans in 2013, a tragic event for the team as Aston driver Allan Simonsen driver died in an accident early in the race). But in the races where GT3 cars are the headline, they have typically struggled to beat the powerhouse brands from Germany and Italy. Seen below is a predecessor of the new Spa winner: the 2013 V12 Vantage GT3, raced at the Nürburgring 24 Hours (pictured at Le Mans Classic in 2018).
ASTON MARTIN V12 Vantage by Aston Martin Newport Beach, CA, USA 🇺🇸
“Aston Martin Newport Beach is pleased to present one of the most bespoke V12 Vantages in the world. Delivered to an excellent client of ours, this V12 Vantage features a triple color Ion Blue, ClubSport White, and Hyper Red paint theme with Union Jack Aston Martin badges to match. ClubSport White Graphics flow throughout the exterior and finish on the rear diffuser atop Hyper Red accents. Moving inside, Navy Blue and Glacier White Leather are paired alongside Spicy Red Stitching and a plethora of Carbon Fiber. We're excited to see this V12 Vantage on the road!”