Zagato

Zagato is the modern equivalent of a coachbuilder and is based in Milan, Italy. It’s been in business since 1919, and over the years it has established itself as a creator of very dramatic looking cars. It has its own design center, and all its creations have a certain Zagato look that you can start to recognize once you’ve seen a wider selection of their cars.

This look has been continued and refined over the decades, and you can spot the visual links between their very latest creations and ones from half a century ago. They have made so many different cars, that it wouldn’t do them justice to try to pick the most notable ones from their nearly 100-year history, so in order to keep things fairly concise for the purpose of this article, I’ll be trying to pick the most striking and interesting ones from the past 20 years.

Until not too long ago, coachbuilding was thought to be a lost art. Thanks to names like Zagato, it made a comeback and now, once again, we can feast our eyes on bespoke elegant creations sculpted by the art of coachbuilding. The coachbuilder Zagato has formed bonds with many companies, one of which Iso Rivolta. In honor of this, the Italian design studio has decided to commemorate the brand by resurrecting one of its most iconic models – the 1963 A3/C. The virtual concept called Iso Rivolta Vision Gran Turismo was immortalized in the Gran Turismo video game, but how much of it has transitioned into the production car?

Ever since the Vision Gran Turismo exercise sprung to life in 2013, automakers from all over the world have taken full advantage of the opportunity to showcase their imaginations on designing revolutionary cars for Sony’s Gran Turismo video racing game franchise. We’ve seen, quite literally, 30 or more cars with the Vision Gran Turismo label, each one seemingly more audacious than the one before it. Suffice it to say; it’s been an overwhelmingly successful exercise for all parties concerned, including the latest automaker to join in on the fun: Zagato. The Italian design house will be in debuting its first stab at a VGT concept, and as far as teasers go, it’s already showing off quite a handful of jaw-dropping bits.

The concept is officially called the Zagato IsoRivolta Vision Gran Turismo Concept and, as the name implies, it’s essentially a homage to the Iso Rivolta, a sports car that was in production in the 60’s. It’s still unclear how Zagato managed to pay tribute to the old Rivolta with the concept seeing as the car is only showing a glimpse of its body. But, as far as teasing goes, this slight pulling up of the skirt reveals way more than we could have hoped. Those bulging wheel arches, in particular, not only look daunting, but they extend seamlessly straight into the front bumper on one side and into the body on the other. Harder to see from this angle is the front section of the car, though we do get to see a sharp nose, thin headlights, and a small canard just in front of wheels. The full reveal of the Zagato IsoRivolta Vision Gran Turismo Concept takes place on October 18, giving us five weeks to speculate on what kind of sexy piece of machinery is hiding underneath that cover.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Italian coachbuilder Zagato may design fewer automobiles than it used to back in the day, but that’s not to say its creations are less impressive. And we have the Maserati Monstro as proof, which the Italians are planning to reveal at the 2015 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este this summer.

The coachbuilt custom, which will hit the stage as part of Maserati’s 100th anniversary year, pays tribute to a unique race car Zagato crafted for Maserati in the 1950s. Using a 450S, one of Maserati’s most successful racers, Zagato constructed a special aerodynamic coupe drawn by Frank Costin. The car was commissioned and raced by Stirling Moss at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Although it failed to finish, the Maserati 450S Coupe Zagato became known as "il Mostro" (which translates into "the Monster") for its incredible power output. According to Maserati, it remained the most powerful front-engined race car in the world into the 1990s.

Nearly six decades later, the Mostro returns as a modern-day interpretation from the same coachbuilder that gave us the original Alfa Romeo 8C, Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, and the Alfa Romeo TZ.

Continue reading to learn more about the Maserati Mostro By Zagato.

The 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance saw the debut of the Zagato TZ3 Stradale, an extremely rare sports car designed by Italian design house Zagato to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Alfa Romeo. It was so rare that Zagato only built nine of these models, one of which, has found its way into the hands of Ferrari of Newport Beach. Naturally, the dealership is selling the model for $699,900. It’s a rather fair price for such an exclusive sports car that’s only three years old.

This particular TZ3 Stradale comes with a rather lusty Metallic Brown exterior finish to match the Chestnut leather interior. It also looks brand new, judging by how polished it is in these photos. Any dealership worth its salt would see to it that the cars they sell, especially something as rare as the TZ3 Stradale, should look the part of fresh new models. Props to Ferrari of Newport Beach on that end.

The only hesitation I have with this model is the price tag. Sure, there are only nine examples all over the world — this one is No. 7 of 9 — and it really is as good as brand new with only 317 miles on the ticker.

But it’s still one Benjamin short of $700,000. If I had that money, I’d waste no time buying it. Unfortunately, I have neither the funds nor the resources to make that purchase, so hopefully, someone with an impeccable taste in exotics can take that home with them.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2011 Zagato TZ3 Stradale.

Lamborghini and Zagato have a long history of working together, having collaborated on a handful of past one-off models, including the first Zagato-bodied Lamborghini, the 3500 GTZ. From it, a 50-year relationship was born and has culminated in the latest collaboration: the Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato.

Based on the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4, considered as the best-selling Lamborghini in history, the 5-95 Zagato is essentially a new aesthetic look of the Gallardo LP570-4, designed by Zagato to evoke an instant classic look that shows the purest expression of Zagato’s unique coach-building skills. One look at it and you can immediately tell the noticeable differences between what a Gallardo looks like and what Zagato did to the 5-95.

Unfortunately, the supercar’s look is as far as the changes are concerned. Under its hood - and pretty much all mechanical functions - is still purely Lamborghini. What that means is you still get a 5.2-liter V-10 engine that produces 570 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque.

It would’ve been nice to have seen a little performance bump but we’re not complaining on how the entire collaboration came about. That’s one nice looking Zagato-commissioned Lamborghini 5-95, if we do say so ourselves.

Updated 08/07/2014: Zagato produced its second Lamborghini 5-95 which is now ready to leave the Zagato facility in Milano on its way to meet her lucky collector. This second unit is painted in a cool pearl yellow paint. (Farhan AlBastaki)

Click past the jump to read more about the Lamborghini 5-95 By Zagato.

Bulgarian tuner, Vilner, is one of those aftermarket companies that rarely follows conformity. That’s a good thing because, in terms of being unique and against the grain, it’s one of the best in the business.

So it’s not surprising that its latest program is for a sports car that’s about 20 years old: the legendary Alfa Romeo Zagato Roadster.

The two-seat convertible was produced from 1992 until 1994 with only 284 of the 350 planned units being realized. So yeah, when it comes to Alfa Romeo exclusivity, the Zagato Roadster is head and shoulders above the rest.

In order to restore the limited edition sports car back to its shiny opulence, Vilner fully serviced the sports car, cleaning and restoring the car’s body, chassis and engine. The body of the Zagato Roadster was first dressed in a red matte finish, a shade that pays homage to Alfa Romeo’s sister brand, Ferrari.

From there, Vilner replaced all the seals that needed replacing while also creating a new hood for the sports car. Equally important was the work the Bulgarian tuner did on the sports car’s interior, rebuilding and equipping the cabin with a new dashboard, center console, steering wheel, door panels and floor mats. Even the seats were restored to their former glory, which goes to show the lengths Vilner went to bring back the iconic sports car.

Under its hood, the Zagato Roadster comes powered with a restored stock 3.0-liter V-6 engine that produces 210 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 181 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm.

The Alfa Romeo Stradale TZ3 was unveiled at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours and only nine units were going to be produced. Now Zagato has announced that the final unit will be presented by its new owner at the 18th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance field on March 10, 2013.

The last unit is owned by a Florida-based enthusiast who has chosen an Azzurro California blue color for the car’s exterior paint to match the Florida Sky. Everything else on the car is a cool combination between American underpinnings and Italian design.

On the exterior, the model pays tribute to cars like the one-off TZ3 Corsa and under the hood it uses the same engine seen in the Dodge Viper ACR: an 8.4 liter V-10 engine that delivers a total of 600 horsepower and mates to a six-speed manual gearbox. Zagato added a carbon-fiber body kit that features the Italian design house’s signature Kamm-tail (K-tail) and double bubble roof treatment.

Even if out of production for more than five years, Porsche Carrera GT remains one of the most appreciated models in Porsche’s lineup. So, it’s no wonder why a private customer asked the guys over Atelier Zagato to customize his Carrera GT to his specific needs.

When compared to a standard Carrera GT, this one-off edition received a different engine cover, racing-style rims with blue/red nuts, different exhaust pipes and rear diffuser, and some other changes. All these updates give the Carrera GT a more fluid look.

As far as we know, this one-off Carrera GT received no updates under the hood, but the standard engine is quite enough. For those of you who do not remember, the Carrera GT is powered by a 5.5-litre V-10 normal-aspiration engine that delivers a total of 612 horsepower and a peak torque of 435 pound-feet. Its top speed is an impressive 205 mph.

Hit the jump to watch this one-off Porsche Carrera GT by Zagato.

When BMW and Zagato teamed up to introduce the BMW Zagato Coupe at the 2012 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este a few months ago, nobody had any inkling that the two companies had more than just one project up their collective sleeves.

Needless to say, all of us were once again caught by surprise when BMW released a teaser photo of another concept collaboration with Zagato, which made its debut at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance.

We weren’t about to assume what this new concept would be, but we easily made out the image of a BMW roadster, which lead us to think it could be a roadster version of the Zagato Coupe we saw a few months ago.

Well, we were right about it being a roadster version of the BMW Zagato, but what we weren’t expecting was for the new Roadster to carry many characteristics that were all its own. This isn’t just a drop-top version of the Zagato Coupe, this is a whole new level of awesomeness mixed with the superb styling characteristics of BMW and Zagato.

UPDATE 09/10/2012: BMW has unveiled a new video featuring BMW’s Head of Design, Karim Habib, as he explains the design concept behind the Zagato Roadster. Enjoy!

Hit the jump for full details on the BMW Zagato Roadster.

Back in 2011, Aston Martin introduced the V12 Zagato Concept to the world, a supercar that was born from the creative minds of Aston Martin and Italian coachbuilder, Zagato. The overwhelming popularity of the concept prompted the folks over at Aston to expedite the release of the production car and lo and behold, the production car was supposed to make an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

But what we saw at Frankfurt appeared to be the same one we saw at Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este, albeit with a new trunk lid as opposed to the huge spoiler we saw before.

The ’production version’ of the V12 Zagato was one of the highlights of Aston Martin’s booth at Frankfurt, where it was joined by the pair of V12 Zagato race car variants that participated at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring - ’Zig’ and ’Zag’ - as well as the One-77 supercar and the newly released Virage and Vantage S. Now, Aston Martin has finally revealed all the goods for their exquisite super car.

UPDATE 07/23/12: Aston Martin has announced that only 101 units of the V12 Zagato will be produced, making an already exclusive car that much more limited. The number is also 49 less than what the British automaker initially suggested so keep this new update in mind when you’re thinking of making a purchase.

Hit the jump to read more on the Aston Martin V12 Zagato.

At the 2011 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Zagato teamed up with Aston Martin and to come with a very impressive V12 Zagato supercar. But this year, the Italian design company changed its course and teamed with BMW to provide an equally fabulous Zagato Coupe.

The first collaboration between the two companies was in 1939 with the creation of the first BMWs sporting tailormade Italian metalwork: a coupe based on the BMW 328 for the upcoming race season. Zagato was responsible for designing impressive cars like the BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale (1959), the BMW 700 (1959), the BMW 3200 CS Bertone (1962), and the BMW M1 (1978). The new Zagato Coupe continues this impressive tradition.

The BMW Zagato Coupe combines design cues from both companies and has been entirely hand built. You will notice that the car’s extremely long bonnet is definitely a BMW element, but the radiator grille and the headlamps have definitely received the Zagato treatment. The car features a very cool Rosso Vivace paint that ranges from something close to black all the way to a brilliant red, depending on the light.

Hit the jump to read more about the new BMW Zagato Coupe.

It’s been a while since we last heard anything about AC Cars, but they just made quite a comeback with the unveiling of the 378 GT Zagato at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Their new super car will initially be offered in Europe only, but AC plans to go worldwide soon.

AC and Zagato joined forces for the first time back in 1957 when they created the AC Ace Bristol Zagato one-off. And now their latest creation is as impressive as the first one. If the exterior design looks familiar, it’s because the AC 378 GT Zagato is based on the Zagato Perana Z-One - the concept unveiled at last year’s Geneva Show.

The 378 GT Zagato is powered by a GM sourced 6.2-liter V8 engine tuned to deliver a total of 434 HP. With a total weight of 3230 lbs, the car will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds and will be capable of hitting a top speed of 185 mph.

In Europe, the AC 378 GT Zagato will be priced at €109,990 - about $145,000 at the current exchange rates. The coupe version will be immediately followed by a roadster.

The AC 378 GT Zagato will be displayed at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours next to the classic AC Ace Bristol Zagato.

Thanks to its elegant creations, Zagato earned a strong reputation in the world of luxury and sports cars, and today is one of the world’s most appreciated designers. The Italian designer teamed up with Romano Artioli - another famous designer known as the creator of Bugatti EB110 and the Lotus Elise - to develop a new vehicle.

However, their latest creation it’s not a sports car and not even a luxury one. The new model bears the name Zagato Volpe and it’s an ultra compact city vehicle powered by electricity. In Italian Volpe means “fox", but the name it’s also an acronym that stands for Veicoli Originali Leggeri Privi di Emissioni ("original light zero-emission vehicle").

The new Zagato Volpe will be launched on the market in 2013 with a starting price of $9000. At launch, the vehicle will be offered in two versions. The first will run solely on electric power, while the second will feature a combustion engine used only to recharge the electric batteries and not to drive the wheels directly.

The highly-talked about Aston Martin V12 Zagato has been a source of great interest from all four corners of the auto industry since it was first revealed last year.

Now it appears that we’re headed closer and closer to the production version’s official world debut at the Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance this coming February 15. While it appears curious for Aston Martin to pick Kuwait to reveal their new supercar, such a decision was made in large part because it’s the only event of its type in the Middle East, which is a burgeoning market for Aston Martin.

"We are excited to show the new V12 Zagato for the first time in production form at the Kuwait Concours d’Elegance," said Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin.

"Over 50 years since the introduction of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated to create this modern interpretation which remains true to the original focus of craftsmanship, performance and exclusivity."

Aston Martin has yet to announce any modifications - if there are any - for the production version, so you can expect it to be as awesome as the dynamic concept seen in May 2011 which packed a walloping 6.0-liter V12 engine that developed 510 horsepower and 420 lb/ft of torque.

Only 150 units of the carbon and aluminum supercar will be built with an expected price tag of around £330,000 - that’s about half-a-million greenbacks - making it a hefty purchase for even the most financially-endowed auto enthusiast.

Check out Aston Martin’s press release after the jump.

There are so many auto shows throughout the course of the year that it’s hard to keep up with all of the cool concepts brought to each one. Then again, some of these concepts are so outlandish that they will never see the light of production day anyway, leaving us with the feeling of being offered a delectable chocolate cake only to be reminded of our New Year’s weight loss resolution.

Even if production chances are slim for some, concepts hold a special place in all of our hearts because of the attention to detail automakers put into them. Automakers use these concepts to put out just how much they are capable of doing and quite possibly may do on their future models.

From three different, color coordinated layers of information to V12 engines with spectacular power outputs, concepts have a way of getting underneath our skin and staying there until the production model is attained. This year, our choices are unmistakable and in no particular order: the Jaguar C-X16 Concept, the BMW i8 Concept, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept, the Chevrolet Mi-Ray Concept, and the Nissan Juke Nismo Concept.

Hit the jump for details on each of these imaginative concepts.

This week’s episode of The Car Show packed many of the things that were vacant from the last week’s episode. Yes, we said it, there was much more Car Show and a lot less filler crap.

Some of the mini segments did make their way into the show, including 0-60 (one of our favorites), Behind the Wheel, and of course, One for the Road. Aside from that, there were more celebrity appearances with two different interviews and a trip up the German Autobahn and down the Pacific Coast Highway in an Audi R8 V10 Spyder.

If anyone finds Adam Carolla the least bit annoying then you’ll be happy to know that he participates in Red Bull’s SoapBox Derby and falls a little short of the finish line. One nasty scrape later and he still finds a way to piss people off. All for the love of cars.

Hit the jump for more details on The Car Show: Season 1 Episode 8.

We haven’t even gotten around to digesting the full breadth of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato and we’re already getting a close look at the race-spec version of the new Aston supercar. Or at least something like it.

In preparation for the car’s racing debut at the Nurburgring later this week, Aston Martin gave the eager public a first-hand look at the race-spec version of the V12 Zagato. It might only be a rendering of the car, but at the very least, it gives us an idea on what to expect when the car officially makes its track debut on May 28, 2011 at the 53rd ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup VLN race.

Judging from the rendering, the race-spec V12 Zagato looks pretty much like the street-version with a couple of notable additions, including the prominent rear wing, the table-top front lip, and the black wheels.

That’s as much as Aston is willing to share for now. But at least the wait won’t be that long before we see the race-spec version in the flesh. Good timing too, considering that the 24 Hours of Nurburgring is scheduled for June 25 and 26, 2011 and Aston Martin will be fielding two V12 Zagatos in the annual endurance race.

UPDATE 07/14/2011: Aston Martin has unveiled a new official video in which they reveal the two V12 Zagato racers at the Nurburgring 24hr race. Check out the two cars as they take part in a grueling test of endurance, engineering, and driver skill. Enjoy!

Aston Martin will be celebrating the iconic DB4GT Zagato’s 50th anniversary with a new concept car developed in collaboration with the Italian design house Zagato. The concept car made its first appearance at the Villa D’Este Concours on May 21st, 2011 and will make its racing debut at Nürburgring on May 28th.

Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive said: "The DNA of both Aston Martin and Zagato has combined successfully to make some of the world’s most desirable collector cars in the past and in this special anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato it is appropriate to explore a modern collaboration. Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."

The original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato made its first appearance in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was essentially a much lighter DB4 GT that got worked on by the Italian Coachbuilder to include a 3670 cc straight-6 DOHC engine that produced 314 HP with a top speed of 154 mph.

UPDATE 07/01/2011: The V12 Zagato has finally been listed on the Aston Martin web page, giving us an official confirmation that it will soon go on sale. According to the web site, "only a strictly limited run of road going cars will be built" and we will get more details about in the next few weeks.

UPDATE 07/0711: Now this is what we’re talking about! Aston Martin has finally given the pricing for the V12 Zagato. But that’s where the good news ends, at least as far as those that will have a hard time affording it. Anybody who wants to score this limited edition piece of beauty will have to shell out £330,000, which is around $528,000 based on current exchange rates. Gulp.

UPDATE 08/12/11: Aston Martin announced today that the V12 Zagato concept next with the One-77 supercar will make their American debuts in Monterey from August 17th to 21st. The V12 Zagato will debut in the evening of Wednesday August 17th at McCall’s Motorworks Revival and Aston Martin has confirmed once again that a strictly limited production run of the V12 Zagato will commence in summer 2012.

"Guests will be given the rare opportunity to test drive our latest model range, including the new Virage and Vantage S, as well as the four-door Rapide" commented Julian Jenkins, Vice President Aston Martin the Americas. "We are very excited about the program this year including the debut of the V12 Zagato, and we look forward to welcoming current owners, new customers and automotive enthusiasts to share our celebrations at The Aston Martin Estate."

Hit the jump to read more about the new V12 Zagato endurance racer concept.

Usually we get pretty excited when it comes to one-off models and this time is certainly no different. Back in 1993, Zagato unveiled the Formula Zagato ’93 (FZ93), which would be the main inspiration for the Ferrari Enzo 10 years later. The reason this information is relevant is because the Zagato is now on sale on Mobile.de for 1 million euro, or about $1,400,000 at the current exchange rates.

The Zagato FZ93 was designed by Ercole Spada, the same man who designed the legendary Aston Martin DB4 Zagato and the iconic Alfa Romeo 155. However, despite the fact that both the Alfa Romeo and the Aston Martin models featured impressive design language, the FZ93 is considered to be one of the ugliest Prancing Horses ever with its elongated and block-like nose and disproportionate rear end. The positive thing about this vehicle is its history and its flat 12 engine with an output of 428 HP at 6750 rpm and a peak torque of 362.1 lb-ft at 5500 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox and sends the power to the rear wheels.

The XII Villa D’Este Concours d’Elegance which took place in April 2010 gave way for Andrea Zagato to present the first step of his "Project TZ" with the 2010 Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa. This project was set in motion to honor 100 years of production and the long tradition of race Alfas with Zagato bodies. Fast forward to this year’s Pebble Beach Concours and Zagato is back with the second step of the "TZ Project", the Zagato TZ3 Stradale. The Stradale will be based on a 2010 Dodge Viper by utilizing its rolling chassis, engine, gearbox, suspension, etc. It is completely road legal, but will never get to see the production block.

The original TZ3 Corsa was originally built for German Alfa Romeo Zagato collector Martin Kapp while he was attending the Zandvoort Tribute. The Stradale is in no way related to the Corsa, except for the fact that they are both part of the "TZ Project." The TZ3 Stradale features a carbon fiber body with the same dimensions and weight of the Dodge Viper. It will be powered by a 4.2 liter V8 engine.

Before the car’s official debut at the Villa D’Este, Zagato has revealed the first details on the TZ3 Stradale, a vehicle that will be limited to only 9 units worldwide.

UPDATE 04/28/2011: This review has been updated with the official images and details. Hit the jump for the full details.

UPDATE 05/02/2011: The first video of the TZ3 Stradale has been released onto the internet featuring a small test drive of the latest Zagato model. Hit the jump for the video.