The Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este is one of the premier events in the automotive calendar. While the Grand Hotel and neighboring Villa Erba grounds predominately play host to some of the most beautiful vintage vehicles (most trailer queens worth a significant amount more than an average family home), the event also welcomes new concepts as well. This year, Aston Martin will be displaying a new Vanquish concept created in collaboration with Italian design house Zagato. It is the fifth collaboration between the two companies in as many decades.
“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,” said Aston Martin executive vice president and Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman. “The Vanquish Zagato concept shows how our two companies can come together and push the definition of Aston Martin design.”
Designed in collaboration between Reichman’s design team in Gaydon, England, and Andrea Zagato’s team in Milan, Italy, the Vanquish Zagato concept’s body is made up of large one-piece carbon fiber panels to reduce split lines. New headlamps and round tail light reflectors evoke the classic rear view of a Zagato design, incorporating the same ‘bladed’ LED technology as the Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar.
But the concept also references elements of the brand’s contemporary design language, as seen in the concept’s One-77 inspired mirrors and sculptural rear end, which is similar to the new DB11‘s profile and features a retractable spoiler and rear hatch to access the luggage compartment. The evolution of the classic side strake also runs from wheelarch to door as in the new DB11. It’s a detail originally showcased on the celebratory CC-100, which was shown in Villa d’Este in 2011.
The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Concept also includes a carbon fiber A-pillar, which gives the impression of a DLO that wraps around the front of the car. A sharp crease above the rear wheelarch accentuates the car’s purposeful hanches, which is emphasized by the tapering roofline, while a carbon fiber element runs around the lower body and quad-exhaust tips within the carbon fiber rear diffuser lend a more technical aesthetic.
The roof features Zagato’s now iconic ‘double-bubble’, its shallow radius dipping into the backlight to give the car an unmistakable DRG when seen from the rear. A Zagato trademark since the early 1950s, the double bubble aesthetic originally arose from the need to accommodate racing helmets with a minimum impact on aerodynamics.
Inside, the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato concept embodies the tradition of the British brand’s craftsmanship, replete with many singular touches. Herringbone carbon fiber is paired with shadow and anodized bronze and aniline leather to give the fascia, 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 center console.
The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato concept is the fifth car to emerge from the British carmaker’s long-standing partnership with the Italian coachbuilder, which stretches back over five decades. Other concepts include the iconic DB4 GT Zagato of 1960 as well as the V12 Vantage Zagato from 2011. Every collaboration has accentuated key aspects of Aston Martin’s sporting and material qualities with Zagato’s signature race-inspired design language. The result is a group of sports cars that represent some of Aston Martin’s most avant-garde expressions.
