“The DB4 GT Zagato is one of the true jewels of Aston Martin’s proud heritage and, paired with the new beauty that is the stunning DBS GT Zagato, the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation cars are a unique and fitting celebration of the brand’s 60-year love affair with this unmatched Italian automotive style icon,” said Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, in reference to an exceptional project by the marque. It is a statement loaded with references to Aston Martin’s celebrated heritage and is sure to arouse the interest of collectors worldwide.
Zagato, the legendary Milanese coach-building and automotive design specialist, was founded by Ugo Zagato in 1919. He began his career at Officine Aeronautiche Pomilio, and set up Zagato with the intention to transfer constructional techniques and materials used in the aeronautics industry to the automotive industry. Zagato was also instrumental in introducing aerodynamics into car design. His eldest son Elio was one of the trio that conceived the Gran Turismo category of racing, thus resulting in the creation of some of the most beautiful automobiles the world has ever seen.
Production of DB4 GT Zagato Continuation sports cars at Aston Martin Works
Aston Martin’s collaboration with the Zagato began in the 1960s with the DB4 GT Zagato, built to race against the might of Ferraris of the day. A thoroughbred based on the DB4 GT production model, the Zagato variant was evolved for the rigours of motor racing while still being blessed with a rare and incontestable beauty. Just 19 were ever built. Over the past sixty years, no less than 13 examples have come to life bearing the Aston Martin and Zagato badges. Some of the recent examples include the DBS Coupe Zagato Centennial, Vanquish Zagato and the Shooting Brake Centennial.
In September 2018, Aston Martin announced its latest collaboration with Zagato. To mark the centenary year of Zagato in 2019, the British marque would build 19 pairs of “Aston Martin DBZ Centenary Collection,” in which, each pair would consist of DB4 GT Zagato Continuation and DBS GT Zagato. The two models of the DBZ Centenary Collection will only be sold as a pair.
Based on the DBS Superleggera, the DBS GT Zagato has the same proportion and similar flow-lines as its production sibling but with a more prominent grille, distinguished headlights, a more defined hood line and wheels with gold-tinged spokes. Under the hood is a twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 engine delivering at least 715 horsepower (553 kilowatts) and 900 Newton-meters of torque.
“This is a car that is not only focused around beauty, but drama too. Our dynamic grille gives us an opportunity to provide the car with two very different identities. 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.“
Marek Reichman, Chief Creative Officer at Aston Martin Lagonda
DB4 GT Zagato Continuation pays homage to the car that is the genesis of the Aston Martin and Zagato collaboration – the DB4 GT Zagato. Each of the 19 DB4 GT Zagato Continuation cars is being built at Martin’s Heritage Division headquarters, to the “highest possible” quality using a blend of Sir David Brown-era old-world craftsmanship, with the application of modern engineering advancements and performance enhancements. Production of the brand’s “most valuable new car” to date is now in full swing, we are told. The modern production facilities and logistics mean multiple Continuation cars can be, for the first time, constructed alongside each other.
This latest continuation car follows the success of the 25 DB4 GT Continuation models that sold to collectors in 2017 and precedes what will perhaps be the most ambitious continuation to date: the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Edition cars that will come to market in 2020. Each Continuation sports car is the result of around 4,500 hours of detailed labour and meticulous handcrafting.
Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, is the historic home of the sports car maker and the place where around 13,000 cars were hand-built before production completed its move to Gaydon, Warwickshire, in 2007. It is now a heritage service and restoration facility for cars from every era of the marque’s 106 years history. In 2017, ten years after the Newport Pagnell factory closed, production returned to the site with the DB4 GT Continuation.
Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works, said: “It’s a privilege for all of us here at Newport Pagnell, as part of the Aston Martin family, to work on these remarkable ‘new old’ cars. The Continuation programme we started here with the DB4 GT Continuation in 2017, that has now spawned the iconic DB4 GT Zagato Continuation, is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to contribute to the rich history of this great British luxury sports car brand.”
“Along with the craftsmen and women who built the all-conquering DBR1 and DB3S race cars; the iconic DB4, DB5 and DB6; and the remarkable William Towns Aston Martin Lagonda super-saloon, the staff here today are making their own mark in automotive history.”
