Aston Martin V12 Zagato
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The Aston Martin V12 Zagato is a British sports car/endurance racer made by
Like the
Design
Designed at the Aston Martin Design Studios in Gaydon, the chassis - engineered by a Chris Porritt-led team including veterans of Astons Martins's One-77 project - features a retuned version of the regular V12 Vantage's double-wishbone suspension.[2] The design features a new handcrafted aluminium body with the front similar to the Vantage with differences in the roof and rear section. Another difference is the endurance racing fuel tank carrying up to 120 litres of fuel.[3][4]
Production
Following a large interest by customers, Aston Martin announced they would produce a homologated version of the car, producing only a limited run of 150 at the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon.[5] Starting delivery in the second half of 2012, the Zagato was priced at around £330,000 excluding local taxes.[6] In the end, orders did not materialize at the rate envisioned and only 61 cars were actually made.[7]
Heritage Twins
In April 2020, it was publicly announced that Aston Martin had partnered with British company R-Reforged to produce 19 pairs of coupes and convertibles (38 cars in total). The cars gain center-locking 19-inch alloy wheels and a deployable rear wing over the original version. Power from the 5.9L V12 has been increased to 600 bhp. Customers can choose between an automatic transmission or a 7-speed manual.[8]
Racing history
2011
The Aston Martin V12 Zagato made its racing debut at the 53rd
Two V12 Zagatos competed in the 51st
The two V12 Zagatos affectionately nicknamed "Zig" (green car) and "Zag" (red car) competed in the 39th ADAC Nürburgring 24-hour race, held on 25–26 June. The two factory backed cars both completed the race, finishing 5th and 6th in the SP8 class.
The red car also raced at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed on 1–3 July. Driven by Aston Martin head designer, Marek Reichman, the car recorded a best time of 61.21 to finish 15th in the overall shootout.[9]
On 17 October "Zig" was part of a collaboration between Aston Martin and Toyota at the VLN9 DMV 250-Meilen-Rennen. During the race drivers of both the V12 Zagato and Lexus LFA, which included the CEO of Aston Martin and President of Toyota, had an opportunity to drive both cars.
2012
'Zig' attended VLN3 as a test for the Nurburgring 24 hours, during which the car unfortunately sustained a puncture on the first lap, however went on the finish the race without any further problems.
Previously running in green livery 'Zig' was re-painted Gulf blue and black for the Nurburgring 24hours to match its GT3 teammates. The car had an excellent race and ran faultlessly throughout driven by Aston Martin CEO
The same car also attended the Aston Martin Le Mans Festival, a support race for the Le Mans 24 hours. During the first stint had battled up to an impressive fourth position, having started from tenth, before handing over to his teammate Dr Ulrich Bez.
Gallery
References
- ^ "Aston Martin One-77 wins top design award at the Concorso d'Eleganza, Villa d'Este". AstonMartin.com. 22 May 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Aston Zagato wins Villa d'Este". Autocar. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "Aston Martin unveils V12 Zagato". AstonMartin.com. 20 May 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Aston Martin V12 Zagato wins Concorso D'Eleganza Design Award at Villa D'Este, Italy". AstonMartin.com. 22 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.
- ^ "Aston Martin limits its Zagato line to One Hundred and Fifty". CoverCars. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Aston Martin confirms production of V12 Zagato". AstonMartin.com. 7 July 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011.
- ^ "2013 Aston Martin V12 Zagato". The Bond Street Sale: Lot no. 21 (Auction Catalogue). Bonhams. 4 December 2016. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017.
- ^ "Aston Martin Vantage V12 Zagato Heritage Twins by R-Reforged announced". Autoblog. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "Goodwood Festival of Speed results" (PDF). Goodwood.co.uk. 4 July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011.