Aston Martin adds a soft top to the stunningly beautiful new Vanquish Zagato, the Volante.

To accompany the North American debut of the Vanquish Zagato Coupe at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Aston Martin is proud to announce a striking partner for this very special car; the Vanquish Zagato Volante.

Driven by overwhelming customer interest for the previously revealed Coupe, the Vanquish Zagato Volante will be strictly built to a limited production run of 99 cars at Aston Martin's headquarters in Gaydon, England.

Vanquish Zagato Volante is the latest creation from a collaboration that reaches back over nearly six decades, beginning with the beautifully muscular DB4 GT Zagato race car of 1960 and includes the DB7 Vantage Zagato of 2002, 2011’s V12 Vantage Zagato and the most recent Vanquish Zagato Coupe announced earlier this year.

Previous Aston Martin Zagato convertibles have included the striking V8 Vantage Volante, first shown in Geneva in 1987 and the DB AR1 in 2003. Developed as an open-topped Zagato-bodied DB7 and also limited to 99 units, DB AR1 was similarly designed for the North American market and is considered today an established collectible by automotive connoisseurs worldwide.

The Vanquish Zagato Volante will be a powerful addition to the Aston Martin and Zagato lineage, embodying Aston Martin's inherent refinement and capabilities, as well as Zagato's characteristic design details. Both cars share an enhanced version of Aston Martin's iconic V12 powertrain, increasing its output to 592bhp with a projected 0-60mph time of 3.7 seconds.

The Vanquish Zagato Volante shares its proportions with the Coupe, a quintessential Aston Martin form with a classic Zagato twist, evoked by round tail light reflectors that use the same 'bladed' LED technology as the Aston Martin Vulcan supercar. The twin cowls on the rear deck blend into the leading edge of the luggage compartment, concealing a bespoke folding hood derived from the mechanism used in the Vanquish Volante. Carbon fibre sills around the lower body create a pronounced horizontal emphasis that runs from front to rear.

“Just like the Coupe, we have emphasised the way surfaces change and intersect to create a muscular form. We’ve endeavoured to create an elegant, flowing shape that really works to emphasise the car’s sculpted rear haunches” says Aston Martin’s EVP and Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman.

Inside, the Vanquish Zagato Volante continues the fine tradition of Aston Martin craftsmanship. Aston Martin's specialist 'Q' division can add further personalisation and enhancement to a cabin finished with rich and highly luxurious materials, including herringbone carbon-fibre, anodized bronze detailing and the finest Bridge of Weir leather. The Volante features the unique signature ‘Z’ quilt pattern stitch on both seat and door sections, as well as the celebrated trademark Zagato ‘Z’ embossed on the headrests and stitched into the centre console.

“The Vanquish Zagato Volante illustrates the ways in which Aston Martin design can evolve in collaboration with such a trusted and long-standing partner,' says Reichman. “Vanquish Zagato Volante continues Aston Martin's new century of innovation and creativity, strengthening the association between these great automotive marques in the process”.

Customer deliveries are set to begin in 2017.

Aston Martin today announces a limited series production of the exhilarating Vanquish Zagato Coupe.

Aston Martin today announces a limited series production of the exhilarating Vanquish Zagato Coupe; the latest creation from its long-standing partnership with the prestigious Italian design-house Zagato. 

The Vanquish Zagato Concept was unveiled to great acclaim at the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como, Italy in May 2016. Thanks to unprecedented customer interest, a strictly limited production run of 99 cars will be built to order at Aston Martin's production facility in Gaydon, England.

Vanquish Zagato is the fifth car to emerge from a collaboration that stretches back over five decades, pairing Aston Martin's acclaimed dynamic and material qualities with Zagato's signature design language. As well as spectacular sporting ability, Vanquish Zagato showcases the very best of Aston Martin’s bespoke luxury.

The collaboration with Zagato began with the beautifully muscular DB4 GT Zagato racing car of 1960 – now valued at over £10 million -, and includes the V8 Vantage Zagato launched in 1986, the 2002 DB7 Vantage Zagato and the V12 Vantage Zagato revealed in 2011.

The Vanquish Zagato is a powerful addition to that portfolio; a GT car that blends Aston Martin's inherent refinement and capabilities with Zagato's characteristic design details, born out of racing and honed over many years of creating elegant luxury sports cars. Aston Martin's 6.0L V12 powertrain has been uprated to increase its output to 600PS¹, capable of delivering a projected 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds. This added performance matched to a unique suspension setup will create a unique GT driving experience specific to the Vanquish Zagato model.

The design of the production Vanquish Zagato will be closely related to the concept exhibited at Villa d'Este. With proportions that remain quintessentially Aston Martin. The new bodywork is entirely shaped from carbon-fibre, with the split lines on the body significantly reduced by the use of large one-piece panels.

Other design details include new lights with round tail light reflectors that evoke the classic Zagato rear view, using the same 'bladed' LED technology as the Aston Martin Vulcan, while the wing mirrors are closely related to the units developed for the One-77. The Vanquish Zagato's sculptural rear end has a close relationship to DB11's aerodynamic profile, complete with retractable spoiler and rear hatch for easy access to the luggage compartment. Rippling carbon fibre sills run around the lower body to create a pronounced line from front to rear, with a quad-exhaust nestling within the curvaceous shapes.

The Vanquish Zagato’s glasshouse wraps around the bodywork like a visor, enhancing its aggressive stance. A new evolution of the classic side strake runs from wheel arch to door just like the new DB11 and a detail originally showcased on the celebratory CC-100. A sharp crease on the rear wheel arch transforms into the rear flanks, where it meets the cascading roofline.

The roof features the iconic 'double-bubble', its shallow radius dipping into the rear window glass to give the car an unmistakeable rear silhouette. A Zagato trademark since the early 1950s, originally arose from the need to accommodate racing helmets with a minimum impact on the aerodynamic profile.

Inside, the Vanquish Zagato embodies the fine tradition of Aston Martin craftsmanship, replete with many singular touches. Herringbone carbon fibre is paired with shadow and anodized bronze and optional aniline leather to give the facia, vents and rotary dials a rich material quality. The Vanquish Zagato is also defined by the unique ‘Z’ quilt pattern stitch used on the seat and door sections, as well as the celebrated trademark Zagato ‘Z’ embossed on headrests and stitched into the centre console.

The Vanquish Zagato is a significant new chapter in the history of the two marques, a truly exclusive sporting GT that promises to be an iconic and highly sought after Aston Martin. Customer deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2017.

Aston Martin and Italian design-house Zagato are proud to announce the Vanquish Zagato Concept.

Aston Martin and Italian design-house Zagato are proud to announce the Vanquish Zagato Concept, the latest creation from their long-standing partnership. The Vanquish Zagato Concept will make its global debut at the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, held at Lake Como in Italy from 21 – 22 May 2016

The Vanquish Zagato Concept is the fifth car to emerge from a collaboration that stretches back over five decades, pairing Aston Martin's acclaimed sporting, dynamic and material qualities with Zagato's signature design language.

From the iconic DB4 GT Zagato of 1960 through to the V12 Vantage Zagato of 2011, every collaboration has accentuated key aspects of Aston Martin's design journey and brought them together with Zagato's own race-inspired design language. The result is a group of four sports cars that represent some of Aston Martin's most avant-garde expressions.

The Vanquish Zagato Concept was designed in close colaboration between the Aston Martin Design team led by Marek Reichman and Andrea Zagato and his dedicated design team in Milan. Developed and engineered at Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, England the concept features proportions that remain quintessentially Aston Martin and emphasises a dynamic, forward-looking stance. 

The new bodywork is entirely shaped from carbon fibre, with the split lines on the body reduced by the use of large one-piece panels. New lights include round tail light reflectors that evoke the classic rear view of a Zagato design, incorporating the same 'bladed' LED technology as the Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar.

Aston Martin Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman said 'Over the years, we have developed and refined our own design language and we have always gone that little bit further with our special series cars like CC-100, One-77 and Aston Martin Vulcan. 

The Vanquish Zagato Concept shows how our two companies can come together and push the definition of Aston Martin design.'

'We pride ourselves on our strong partnership and the creation of the Vanquish Zagato Concept was a true shared experience,' says Zagato's CEO, Andrea Zagato, 'it represents the essence of an important design relationship that dates back over fifty years.'

Referencing elements of the brand’s contemporary design language, Vanquish Zagato Concept features One-77 inspired wing mirrors and a sculptural rear end similar to DB11's aerodynamic profile, complete with retractable spoiler and rear hatch for access to the luggage compartment.  

A quad-exhaust nestles in the rippling carbon fibre sills that run around the lower body, creating a pronounced line from front to rear.

The Vanquish Zagato Concept’s glasshouse wraps around the bodywork like a visor, enhancing its aggressive stance. A new evolution of the classic side strake runs from wheel arch to door just like the new DB11 and a detail originally showcased on the celebratory CC-100. 

A sharp crease on the rear wheel arch transforms into the rear flanks, where it meets the cascading roofline.

The roof features the iconic 'double-bubble', its shallow radius dipping into the rear window glass to give the car an unmistakeable rear silhouette. 

A Zagato trademark since the early 1950s, originally arose from the need to accommodate racing helmets with a minimum impact on the aerodynamic profile. To match the bold new exterior, the concepts normally aspirated V12 engine has been uprated to 600 PS, along with enhanced driving dynamics.

Inside, the Vanquish Zagato Concept embodies the fine tradition of Aston Martin craftsmanship, replete with many singular touches. Herringbone carbon fibre is paired with shadow and anodized bronze and aniline leather to give the facia, vents and rotary dials a rich material quality. 

The Vanquish Zagato Concept is also defined by the unique ‘Z’ quilt pattern stitch used on the seat and door sections, as well as the celebrated trademark Zagato ‘Z’ embossed on headrests and stitched into the centre console.

2015 Aston Martin Vanquish and |Rapide S get MY15 Dynamic upgrades.

• Acceleration, top speed, emissions and fuel economy improve significantly
• Debut of state-of-the-art eight-speed Touchtronic III automatic gearbox
• New engine management system, enhanced trim and specification options   

Aston Martin is today revealing details of a raft of important enhancements to two of the brand’s most popular and successful sports cars: the Vanquish ultimate GT and Rapide S four-door, four-seat, sports car.

With the arrival of 15 Model Year (15MY) cars in markets around the world over the next few months, the luxury British brand is offering not only considerably enhanced performance and much-improved fuel economy and emissions, but also an even more honed, precise and responsive driving experience.

With the debut of the new Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic gearbox in both Vanquish and Rapide S – the first time that this state-of-the-art gearbox has been incorporated into a transaxle layout – Aston Martin is improving every major area of the cars’ performance and fuel economy. The brand’s engineers have worked meticulously with technical partner, ZF, to develop the eight-speed technology and integrate it perfectly into the latest generation of the iconic and much-imitated Aston Martin VH architecture.

The 0-60 mph times for both the Vanquish and Rapide S are reduced in 15MY cars: The Vanquish drops from 4.1 seconds to just 3.6 seconds (3.8 seconds 0-100 km/h) and the Rapide S is capable of the same sprint in only 4.2 seconds (4.4 seconds 0-100 km/h) – also down by a full half second from its previous figure of 4.7 seconds. These impressive gains not only ensure the cars’ exceptional competitiveness in their respective sectors, but also confirm Vanquish as the quickest accelerating series production Aston Martin in the company’s 101-year history.

Changes to gear and final drive ratios allow the cars to be not only quicker but also more frugal, with reduced emissions too. In both sports cars the CO₂ figure drops by an average of ten per cent – down to 298 g/km for Vanquish and 300 g/km for Rapide S – while economy is boosted to 31 mpg, on average an 11% improvement, on the EU’s extra urban cycle for both the Vanquish and the Rapide S under the same stringent test conditions.

Combined with a revised final drive, the ratio changes also mean both cars are, for the first time, now capable of top speeds of 200 mph or above.

A reduction in exhaust gas back pressure as a result of ratio adjustment and other changes also benefits peak power, which rises by up to three bhp to a peak of 568 bhp (576 PS) in Vanquish, and two bhp, 552 bhp (560 PS), in Rapide S. Peak torque is up by 10 Nm, too, to 630 Nm at 5,500 rpm in all the cars.

The new eight-speed Touchtronic III automatic gearbox is not only three per cent  lighter than its predecessor, it is also packaged more efficiently occupying precisely the same space within the car yet adding two further ratios over the outgoing transmission.

Touchtronic III delivers exceptional shift speed and moves between ratios as quick as 130 milliseconds – far quicker than even the most accomplished racing driver is capable of – while better gearbox efficiency allows more power and torque to be transmitted to the road more of the time.

Ian Minards, Product Development Director at Aston Martin, explained: “We have a long and successful technical partnership with ZF and so it was a natural step for us to adapt and integrate their world class 8HP transmission in to our transaxle layout.”

Lagonda returns with super saloon, but only if your in the Middle East, how stupid is that ?

• Exclusive super saloon sees return of evocative Lagonda nameplate
• Innovative special project champions exclusivity
• Strictly limited series production from early 2015  

Aston Martin is today confirming a bespoke product programme for a new super saloon that will see the revival of the historic Lagonda nameplate in a strictly limited series.

As has traditionally been the case, the Lagonda badge will once again sit proudly on a luxurious and exclusive super saloon.

The stunning luxury super saloon revives the Lagonda ethos of ‘the finest of fast cars’ and will be offered exclusively in the Middle East, as a result of specific market demand.

The return of Lagonda follows in the wake of other headline-grabbing projects such as the One-77 hypercar, V12 Zagato and last year’s CC100 Speedster Concept – then seen as the ultimate Q by Aston Martin car – which started out simply as a centenary celebration design concept and, as a result of exceptional demand, later turned into two customer commissions.

Based on the brand’s existing flexible VH architecture, the new car draws inspiration from the highly sought-after William Towns-designed Lagonda of 1976 and features many of the same cutting edge engineering techniques seen in modern Aston Martin sports cars such as the use of carbon fibre in the body panels.

It will be hand-built by the finest craftsmen and women at Aston Martin’s modern manufacturing facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire in a dedicated building previously given over to the creation of the One-77 hypercar.

The new super saloon will be offered for sale by invitation only and, while precise pricing details remain confidential, the asking price will be commensurate with the car’s exclusivity, quality and luxurious nature. 

Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman said: “The debut of this luxury super saloon in the Middle East market will be an exciting moment not only for Aston Martin, but for discerning customers who are seeking the ultimate in luxury and personalisation.

“The new model, like its exclusive siblings the One-77 and V12 Zagato, has been created as a piece of exceptional automotive art. It has been designed and developed entirely in keeping with the spirit and ethos of previous Lagonda super saloons – notably the William Towns Lagonda – and as a tribute to this car it proudly bears the Lagonda nameplate.”

Aston Martin continues its year-long centenary party at the Goodwood Revival

Aston Martin continues its year-long centenary party in the appropriately historic surroundings of The Goodwood Revival this weekend.

The luxury British sports car maker is a main sponsor of this year’s meeting at the famous old English race circuit where examples of some of Aston Martin’s rarest and most highly-prized sports cars of the revival period – 1948-1966 – will be on show, and in action.

Among the cars set to do battle on the West Sussex track include a brace of DBR1s, numerous DB3, DB3S and DB2/4 Mk IIIs, plus the 1961 Aston Martin Project 212.

Aston Martin’s centenary will be a signature theme of the 2013 Revival with the strong association between the brand and the historic racing circuit celebrated fittingly throughout the weekend.

Aside from the numerous iconic Aston Martin racing cars in action on the Goodwood track, in meticulously authentic 1950s-style the Earls Court motor show will play host to a broad selection of Aston Martin models from across the years. Rare and exotic examples on display will include A3, the oldest surviving Aston Martin; the Atom and Bulldog concepts; a selection of Zagato models and a highly-prized One-77 hypercar.

Earls Court will also play host to Aston Martin’s ‘cars of tomorrow’ which, of course, means current sports cars including the timeless DB9 Coupe and luxurious new Rapide S.

Commenting on the brand’s extensive involvement in this year’s Revival, Aston Martin UK Marketing Manager Leighton King said: “The Goodwood Revival is always a great occasion and a real highlight of the UK motoring calendar. It seems entirely fitting, therefore, that Aston Martin plays such a significant part in this year’s Revival in this, our centenary year.”

Goodwood Revival founder the Earl of March says: "I am really delighted that Aston Martin is supporting the Goodwood Revival so enthusiastically, especially in this, its Centenary year.  Some very important moments in Aston Martin's long and glorious history have taken place at Goodwood, including the marque taking the 1959 World Sportscar Championship in a hard-fought race in the DBR1 here.  I am looking forward to seeing so many beautiful road and race Aston Martins here over the 2013 Goodwood Revival weekend."