Aston Martin and Zagato render new classic

ASTON MARTIN renderings have revealed the final shape of the British company’s enormously expensive and extremely exclusive DBS GT Zagato that will be sold only as a pair with the born-again DB4 Zagato Continuation to help celebrate the Italian design house’s centenary this year.

Priced at – wait for it – £6 million ($A10.8m), the so-called DBZ Centenary Collection will be a must for any billionaire’s garage, although only 19 of the pairs will be built, starting with the classic 1960 DB4 recreation this year.

Based on Aston’s most potent model, the 533 kW V12 DBS Superleggera, the modern DBS GT Zagato will go into production next year to complete each set.

The design of the DBS GT Zagato is the work of a joint team of stylists from Zagato and Aston Martin who focused on forging a new look at some of the key components.

These include the grille which on the DBS GT Zagato is formed from 108 diamond-shaped carbon-fibre pieces that, when the car is stationary, form a flat surface but then “flutter into life as each piece opens to allow the car’s twin-turbo V12 to breathe” when the car is started.

Aston Martin Lagonda chief creative officer Marek Reichman said the design was not only focused around beauty, but drama.

“Our dynamic grille gives us an opportunity to provide the car with two very different identities,” he said. “When parked, DBS GT Zagato will almost look like it’s resting, but with the rear of the car still appearing muscular and primed for action.

“Only on start-up will the car truly become alert and ready to perform, delivering both an aural and visual treat for onlookers.”

Instead of a rear window, the black carbon-fibre roof continues to the boot, requiring a rear-view camera hooked up to a screen inside.

“Form and function are constantly in battle with one another, but this is a great example of where we have been able to utilise modern technologies to ensure no concession has been made on either side,” Mr Reichman said.

“It was important to me and our teams to deliver something as beautiful as the original DB4 GT Zagato, and I feel that we have achieved that with this model, and I can’t wait to see it in the metal.”

While the modern DBS GT Zagato can be road registered, the old-school DB4 GT Zagato is a track-only affair because it recreates the original 58-year-old design to the finest detail, meaning it does not meet modern requirements.

The handcrafted two-door coupe comes complete with a straight-six engine updated to 380kW. Originally, the 3.7-litre twin-spark engine produced 234kW.