Aston Martin has confirmed it will produce the exclusive V12 Zagato supercar next year following an ''overwhelmingly encouraging interest from customers'', says the company.
Just 150 examples will be built at Aston's Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, UK, with a price tag from £330,000 (NZ$639,000) that places it well within the famous British brand's most expensive road-going models.
Aston says the Zagato will be built in both left- and right-hand drive.
The Aston Martin V12 Zagato is the modern-day love child of Aston Martin and famed Italian coachbuilder Zagato following the Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato from the 1960s.
photo : 2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato, stuff.co.nz
The V12 Zagato made its global debut at the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como, Italy in May followed by a fourth overall placement in racing trim at the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race in June.
Based on the V12 Vantage, the hand-built V12 Zagato wears an aluminium and carbon-fibre body and features Zagato's signature double-bubble roof, muscular rear guards and prominent circular tail-lights that are reminiscent of the Ferrari 599. The sharply designed, shallow glasshouse adds to the aggressive stance.
Under the nostrilled bonnet lies a 6.0-litre V12 shared with its donor car that develops an unchanged 380kW of power and 570Nm of torque sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
Aston has yet to release details of the car's interior appointments. The stripped-out race version featured a full roll-cage that contributed to a lower kerb weight for slightly quicker performance.
"Such style, exclusivity and fastidious craftsmanship ensures it will be one of the most highly coveted models in Aston Martin's 98-year history,'' says Aston Martin's chief executive Ulrich Bez.
The Zagato design house was founded in 1919 in Milan and has applied its touch to marques Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia and Maserati. It has also built exclusive one-offs and prototypes for Ford, Jaguar, MG, Rover, Volvo, Bristol and Rolls-Royce.
