Aston Martin V8 Zagato

Aston Martin
V8 Zagato
Production period:	1986-1990
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupé , convertible
Engines:	Petrol engine : 5.3 liters (224–322 kW)
Length:	4390 mm
Width:	1880 mm
Height:	1295 mm
Wheelbase :	2620 mm
Empty weight :	1590-1630 kg

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato is an exclusive, small series sports car of British - Italian origin. It was produced as a coupé and a convertible, was based on the chassis of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and had a body designed by Zagato in Milan .

Development history

Aston Martin and Zagato had a business relationship as early as the 1950s . In 1960, Zagato had dressed a special edition of the Aston Martin DB4 , which was called DB4 GT Zagato and which soon became a classic in automotive engineering. At the 1984 Geneva Motor Show , both companies agreed to revive this tradition with a new model.

The common child should be particularly productive; The target was a top speed of 300 km / h. Therefore, only the drive technology of the most powerful V8 model, the V8 Vantage , came into consideration. In addition, the weight of the car should be reduced; Finally, Zagato had to pay special attention to the aerodynamics of the body.

Side view

Rear view

Accordingly, Zagato designed a smooth, contemporary coupé body that bore no resemblance to the contemporary Aston Martin series models. The - strongly stylized - radiator grille alone cites traditional Aston Martin elements. The headlights were hidden behind a glass cover, the windows were firmly glued. The side windows of the doors could only be opened in a small section. The rear lights of the Aston Martin Lagonda were used at the rear . But that wasn't new. In fact, in numerous details - the side profile, the window design, the line of the C-pillar - Zagato cited a design that Bertone had already presented in 1983 under the name Delfino .

The body of the vehicle was extremely favorable aerodynamically. The drag coefficient was initially 0.29. However, when wind tunnel tests showed that the body produced strong lift on the front and rear axles, the front and rear spoilers had to be retrofitted, which increased the drag coefficient to 0.33. This value, however, was still remarkable.

Aston Martin initially planned to equip the Vantage engine with an injection system exclusively for the Zagato model. Zagato also used these plans as a basis for its design, so that the bonnet was initially designed to be smooth and streamlined. During the development of the model, however, it turned out that the injection system had a higher output, but at the same time had a negative impact on the exhaust gas behavior of the highly compressed engine, so that the American exhaust gas regulations could not be complied with. Instead, just before the prototype was presented, Aston Martin switched to a carburetor system - four Weber 48-DIF units - that enabled 432 hp, was otherwise voluminous and required a bulky bulge on the bonnet.

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato was presented with this equipment at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show .

Model variants

V8 Zagato

Production of the Zagato Coupé began in the summer of 1986. Aston Martin delivered a ready-to-drive, motorized chassis to Milan, where Zagato built the body and carried out the final production.

The first driving tests in the trade press in the summer of 1986 showed that Aston Martin had (just) missed the target it had set for itself in terms of top speed: The French magazine Sport Auto achieved a top speed of only 299 km / h in a test; the acceleration from 0 to 97 km / h was accomplished in 4.8 seconds.

The coupe remained on sale until spring 1990. During this time, 89 copies were made. The sales price was 156,000 dollars .

V8 Zagato Volante

A year after the coupe, Zagato presented an open version of its design, which was named Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante . The vehicle was designed as a strapless convertible, the soft top of which - unlike the regular V8 Volanté - disappeared almost completely into the vehicle body without an annoying bead. Apart from that, the styling differences were minor; however, they were distinctive. In contrast to the Zagato Coupé, the front section was fully clad. There was no open grille or visible headlights; the latter were hidden behind a movable flap . More significant, however, was the removal of the unattractive hump in favor of a flat bonnet. This was made possible because the factory used the engine of the Aston Martin V8 I Saloon (and not that of the Vantage), which had long been equipped with an injection system, for the convertible. However, this was also associated with a considerable loss of performance. The cabriolet only developed 305 hp and reached a top speed of just 257 km / h.

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante was presented at the 1987 Geneva Motor Show . It was one of the attractions there, even if the exhibition specimen still had the unattractive hump on the bonnet that was familiar from the Zagato Coupé. The Volante was only produced in 25 copies (other sources speak of 37 convertibles as an alternative). It was sold for $ 171,000 when it was launched. Today the Zagato Volanté is a sought-after classic that changes hands at extremely high prices.

Technical specifications

	Aston Martin V8 Zagato	Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante
Cylinder / engine type	Eight cylinders - V engine
Stroke × bore	85 × 100 mm
Displacement	5340 cc
Power at min −1	322 kW (438 PS) / 6200	224 kW (305 hp) / 5500
Torque at min -1	534 Nm / 5100	447 Nm / 4750
drive	Rear wheel
0-100 km / h	5.0 s	6.0 s
Empty weight	1590 kg	1680 kg

successor

The relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato was revived again in 2002, when Zagato dressed a closed and an open version of the Aston Martin DB7 under the names Aston Martin DB7 Zagato and Aston Martin AR Roadster , each of which was realized in 99 copies . At the 2004 Geneva Motor Show , the Aston Martin Zagato Roadster was presented, a one-off based on the Aston Martin Vanquish.

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

Trivia

In the film The Tall Guy drives Rowan Atkinson , 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

In terms of its design, the Aston Martin V8 Zagato was without any real competitors in its time. A similar concept, but with a much more cautious implementation, can only be found in the Bristol Beaufighter , which was also outfitted by Zagato and, like the V8 Zagato, took on the role of the high-performance exclusive model in the model range of its manufacturer.

literature

• Andrew Noakes: Aston Martin fascination . Parragon Publishing, Bath 2006, ISBN 1-40547-900-0

Web link

Commons : Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files