Aston Martin sketches DBS GT Zagato

ASTON Martin has released initial design sketches of its ultra-limited DBS GT Zagato and DB4 GT Zagato Continuation models, pricing the British sportscars at £6 million ($A11.1 million) apiece.

Just 19 examples of each model will be built, with deliveries expected to start in the first quarter this year for the retro DB4 GT Zagato Continuation and about 12 months later for the Superleggera-based DBS GT Zagato.

Renderings of the Zagato-fettled DBS show a significantly stylised version of the model upon which it is based, with a massive front grille, low stance, large wheels and the iconic double-bubble roof design that stretches the full length of the canopy.

Mechanical details are still under wraps, however, it is expected that it will carry over the Superleggera’s 533kW/900Nm 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine.

Sending power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed ZF torque-converter automatic transmission, the DBS Superleggera can dash from standstill to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds while on the way to its top speed of 340km/h.

The standard Superleggera was released in Australia last year, priced from $517,000 before on-road costs, replacing the V12 DB11 as the flagship Aston Martin Down Under.

Meanwhile, the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation is expected to be motivated by a straight-six engine as per the original DB4 grand tourer from 1958.

“In the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation, we have one of the world’s most beautiful and instantly recognisable pieces of car design,” Aston Martin Lagonda executive vice-president and chief creative officer Marek Reichman said.

“Creating a car fit to stand alongside it was always going to be a formidable challenge but also a great motivation.

“Both design teams at Aston Martin and Zagato have together risen to the task magnificently; taking the already fabulous DBS Superleggera and shaping something which retains its identity as an Aston Martin but expresses itself as only a Zagato can.

“Sensational-looking and extremely rare, it is the modern incarnation of a timeless icon.”

The latest partnership between Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato marks nearly six decades of collaborations between the pair, following its most recent collection based on the new-generation Vanquish.

It is unclear if any units from the latest collaboration will be allocated for Australia.