For the last 58 years, Aston Martin and Zagato have been linked at the hip. The British sports car manufacturer and legendary Italian design house have, to date, co-developed 13 vehicle projects, including the latest Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake.
Now, in celebration of Zagato’s centenary in 2019, the premium brands have revealed their most ambitious collaboration yet. Dubbed the DBZ Centenary Collection, a pairing of classic and contemporary vehicles, will be sold in sets — and only in sets — to some very lucky car collectors. A track-only DB4 GT Zagato Continuation (modeled after the first Zagato/Aston project) and a DBS GT Zagato (based on the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera) will be packaged for £6 million (about $7.9 million) and limited to just 19 pairs.
“As an engineer, I would always say my favorite Aston Martin is the next one, but I have to say, I’m struggling to think of a finer two-car garage than this!” commented Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer.
“I’m honored and very proud that Aston Martin has chosen to celebrate our long-standing partnership with this unique DBZ Centenary Collection,” added Andrea Zagato, grandson of the design house’s founder and current head of Zagato.
Built to race against Ferrari in the 1960s, the DB4 GT Zagato’s performance prowess was matched only by its beauty. Originally, Aston Martin planned to produce 25 cars, but demand cut out at the 19th model. Each was powered by a 3.7-liter aluminum six-cylinder making 314 horsepower.
The continuation cars will be assembled by Aston Martin Works (the company’s in-house classic car restorer) to assure authenticity and meticulous craftsmanship. Like the original DB4 GT Zagatos, the continuation models will wear thin-gauge aluminum bodies covering lightweight tubular frames. Digital scans help improve the accuracy and consistency of the panels, while each application will get the hand-finished touch. Under the hood will reside a Tadek Marek-designed, straight-six engine with 380 horsepower on tap. Power will make its way to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential.
Aston Martin has yet to reveal images of the second piece to the DBZ equation, but we do have a radical design sketch to go off. The DBS GT Zagato will get a new interpretation of the iconic double-bubble roof, a unique grille, and a shortened tail. Don’t expect anything under the DBS Superleggera’s hood to change, which means 715hp and 650 lb-ft of torque are still at the driver’s disposal. Limited to just 19 models, the DBS GT will be the rarest of all modern Zagato vehicles.
Customers will start receiving deliveries of the DB4 GT Zagato at the end of 2019, with the DBS GT Zagato following at the end of 2020.
