Aston Martin V8 Zagato

Aston Martin V8 Zagato

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato was an exclusive, produced in small series production sports car British- Italian origin. It was made available as a coupe and as a convertible, based on the chassis of the Aston Martin V8 and I wore a body that had been designed by Zagato in Milan.

The development story

Already in the 1950s there was a business relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato. 1960 Zagato had dressed a special copy of the Aston Martin DB4, the DB4 GT Zagato had the designation and soon became a classic of automotive engineering. On the occasion of the Geneva Motor Show in 1984, the two companies agreed to revive this tradition with a new model again.

The common child should be particularly powerful; Plan target was a top speed of 300 km / h Why was only the driving technique of the strongest V8 model, the Vantage, into consideration. In addition, the weight of the car should be reduced; finally had Zagato put on the car's aerodynamics special attention.

Zagato designed accordingly, a smooth-faced, contemporary coupé body, which bore no resemblance to the contemporary series models of Aston Martin. But the - highly stylized - traditional Aston Martin grille quoted elements. The headlights were hidden behind a glass cover, the windows were firmly glued. The side windows of the doors could be opened only in a small section. At the rear end, the rear lights of the Aston Martin Lagonda were used. New, however, was not. Zagato rather quoted in numerous details - the side profile, the design window, the line of the C-pillar - a design that Bertone had presented in 1983 under the name Delfino.

The body of the car was aerodynamically very favorable. The drag coefficient amounted initially to 0.29. As in wind tunnel tests, however, it turned out that the body strong lift at the front and rear axles produced, had front and rear spoilers be retrofitted, which increased the drag coefficient to 0.33. However, this value was still remarkable.

Aston Martin first planned the Vantage engine exclusively to provide for the Zagato model with a fuel injection system. These plans also laid Zagato based on its design, so that the hood was initially designed smooth and Streamlined. During the development of the model, however, it turned out that the fuel injection system, although brought about a higher power, but at the same time the emission behavior of highly compacted engine adversely affected, so as a result the American emission regulations could not be complied with. Instead, joined Aston Martin just before the presentation of the prototype to a carburetor system - four units of type Weber 48 -DIF - that allowed 432 PS, by the way was bulky and required a bulky bulge on the hood.

With this equipment, the Aston Martin V8 Zagato was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 1986.

The production

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato

In the summer of 1986, the production of the Zagato Coupé started. Aston Martin delivered a moving finished, provided with a motor chassis to Milan, where Zagato built the body and finishing undertook.

First test drives the trade press occupied in the summer of 1986 that Aston Martin had missed its target with respect to the maximum speed (almost ): The French magazine Sport Auto reached during a test a top speed of "only" 299 km / h; the acceleration from 0 to 97 km / h was done in 4.8 seconds.

The coupe remained until the spring of 1990 on offer. During this period 89 copies. The sales price was 156,000 dollars.

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante

One year after the Coupé Zagato presented an open version of his designs, which bore the name Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante. The vehicle was designed as a clipless Cabriolet, its fabric top - unlike the regular V8 Volante - almost completely disappeared without disturbing bulge in the vehicle hull. Apart from the styling differences were small; However, they were striking. In contrast to the Zagato coupe, the front end was fully dressed. There was neither an open grille headlights still visible; latter were hidden behind a movable flap. More significant, however, was the elimination of unattractive hump in favor of a flat hood. This had become possible because of the work for the convertible to used with for some time now equipped with a fuel injection engine of the Aston Martin V8 Saloon I ( and not that of the Vantage ). This, however, also a significant loss of power was connected. The convertible made ​​only 305 hp and reached a top speed of only 257 km / h

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 1987. He was there one of the attractions, even if the exhibition copy still wore the unattractive hump on the hood, which was known by the Zagato coupe. The Volante was only made ​​in 25 copies ( other sources speak alternatively of 37 convertibles ). Its selling price was 171,000 dollars in his imagination. Today, the Zagato Volante is a sought- classic that at extremely high prices its changing hands.

Successor

The relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato has been revived once again in 2002, as Zagato ever a closed and an open version of the Aston Martin DB7 under the name Aston Martin DB7 Zagato and Aston Martin AR Roadster clothed, were each implemented in 99 copies. At the Geneva Motor Show 2004 was then presented to the Aston Martin Zagato Roadster, a work based on the Aston Martin Vanquish as a single piece.

The baseline of the Aston Martin V8 Zagato cited the Milanese bodywork company for its 1989 imagined model Autech Stelvio, a work based on Nissan technology coupé with exceptional design details and a 3.0 - liter six-cylinder engine, which in a few hundred copies in Milan for Nissan was manufactured and sold exclusively in Japan.

Trivia

In the movie The Tall Guy Rowan Atkinson drives, a self-confessed car lover and enthusiast of the brand Aston Martin, in the role of elegant, but also dominant entertainer Ron Anderson a light blue V8 Zagato.

Competitors

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato was in terms of its conception, in its time with no real competitors. A similar concept, but with significantly more cautious implementation, can be found at most of the Bristol Beaufighter, which was also clothed by Zagato and like the V8 Zagato in its model range its manufacturer has taken the role of the uprated exclusive model.

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