Aston Martin V12 Zagato race car

When British and Italian design studios collide, the result can often win awards - as is the case for the stunning Aston Martin V12 Zagato race car
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Is this the most beautiful concept car games ever made? According to the jury at one of the world's most prestigious car competitions, Italy's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, it most certainly is.

Voted as the preeminent concept/prototype car to be displayed at the Concorso d'Eleganza - a very posh vintage car competition that's been run since the 1920s - the Aston Martin V12 Zagato takes the best of British and Italian design and melds them together in a futuristic design that has the potential to polarise car lovers.

The Italian flair can be seen clearly in the rear end styling, with the brake lights and broad rear haunches, while Zagato decided to keep the Aston designed headlights intact, the front end still unmistakably British.

Marek Reichman, the Design Director at Aston Martin, stated: "It is an honour to win this award in Italy, where many great designs originated from, and this victory shows that Aston Martin has successfully developed their own renowned design language over the past years. The result is a car that incorporates the core values of the Zagato design language which we perfectly translated into Aston Martin's modern design DNA."

Like many automotive design and engineering studios in Italy, Zagato has been around for many decades (since the 1920s) and the Milan-based design studio is known for regularly including trademark styling cues on its cars, such as the double-bubble roofs, which can be seen on the Aston Martin V12 Zagato.

Powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine, the Zagato coupe outputs 380kW/570Nm, and though performance specs are not given, it is expected to be seriously quick thanks to a stripped out cabin that is likely to reduce the car's kerb weight. A roll cage is also included, and the gearbox is a six-speed automated manual setup.

But the new Aston Martin V12 Zagato is not just a shiny exotic car for display at gala events and car shows; it will be raced.
Aston Martin V12 Zagato to tackle Nurburgring
Plans are underway to race the Zagato, Aston Martin saying it will homologate a handful of vehicles for sale to the public as road cars. And there's a few give-aways: The race car features a large 120 litre fuel tank, a colossal rear diffuser and brakes the size of dinner plates. As such, it's first race will take place at the famous Nürburgring in Germany.

Dr Ulrich Bez, the CEO of Aston Martin, was pleased with the car taking the honours in the modern category at the Concorso d'Eleganza on the shores of Lake Como, and had this say about the car's future: "Nürburgring is where we sign-off every new model in terms of dynamics, and there can be no better place for the new V12 Zagato to be finally tested.

"The 24 hour race is the ultimate road test and a fitting introduction for the V12 Zagato," added Bez, confirming that it would be racing in the famous endurance race.

"Based on the reactions of our customers to this race car, we hope to offer a road-homologated V12 Zagato in a small, limited number as soon as possible. First feedback has been great so far, this makes us confident that this new Aston Martin V12 Zagato will be a winner of the classic car vote at Villa D'Este in fifty years time."

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