Aston Martin V12 Zagato

On the shores of lofty Lake Como, in Italy, Aston Martin unveiled its new road-racer, the V12 Zagato.

With a handcrafted all-aluminium body, the V12 Vantage-based car gets a more aggressive front-end treatment and completely new, more curvacious ‘double bubble’ roofline extending to a chunky high-set rear end.

Under the bonnet is the same 380kW/570Nm 6.0-litre V12 found in the regular Vantage flagship. Aston Martin won’t reveal the road-racer version’s kerb weight, however extensive use of carbonfirbre, the stripped-out interior, plus the all-alloy body, puts best guesses at around 300kg lighter than the 1680kg V12 Vantage – making for a very handy power-to-weight ratio.

The V12 Zagato is a revivalist, modern interpretation of past classics such as the DB4GT Zagato, V8 Vantage Zagato and DB7 Zagato.

“The task for us has been to create a concept that is a natural successor to those iconic cars that have gone before,” says Aston CEO, Dr Ulrich Benz.

“Matching the technology of age with the traditional skills vital to deliver such a bespoke and exclusive sports car will lead to a strictly limited run of road going Zagatos”.

How many will be built for customers? Well, you’ll be able to count them on both hands, though you’ll also need very deep pockets. And a European passport.

The V12 Zagato will make its racing debut at the Nurburgring this weekend.