Andrea Zagato, Henrik Fisker with the Aston Martin DB7 Zagato
Aston Martin DB7 Zagato
Aston Martin Vanquish
Aston Martin DB3 Zagato
August 19, 2002 - Aston Martin is presenting a special derivative of its successful DB7 at this years Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California. Designed and to be built in association with Italian coachbuilder and historic partner Zagato, the new sports car is called Aston Martin DB7 Zagato. The British sport cars maker – who has recently returned to providing supercars to secret agent James Bond – is proposing it as a special development of the DB7 to be built in limited numbers next year only.
The first idea of such a 'fuoriserie' originated there one year ago, when Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, and Andrea Zagato served on the jury of the famous concours. Strictly a two seater, the sport car banks essentially on its exclusive and positively distinctive design to set itself, and the limited number of drivers that will eventually get one, apart.
The designer of the new DB7 Zagato is renowned Nori Harada, a pupil of Ercole Spada who designed the DB4GT Zagato in the early sixties. The design of the new Aston Martin Zagato has been supervised and orientated by Henrik Fisker, Director of Design at Aston Martin, who only wanted to make sure that Zagato’s design would keep its strong identity and yet fit with the future design philosophy he is developing for Aston Martin.
With more power than the standard DB7 Vantage the Zagato version also boasts upgraded brakes, sports suspension, a revised interior and an all-new 2-seater aluminium coupe body.
Aston Martin’s project leader Claire Cook, says that a number of private presentations to some one hundred and twenty established and prospective customers, in London and its own headquarters in Bloxham have confirmed there is a lot of interest for the car. She also said that the company is ready to approve a business plan calling for a total production limited to 99 units, shortly after the Pebble Beach event.
Aston Martin said it would give the green light to the project only after 75 orders for the very special 'fuoriserie' have been confirmed. The 2003 Aston Martin DB7 Zagato will be priced at some 255,000 Euro “plus or minus 5%”. At the light of the interest expressed so far, Andrea Zagato, CEO of the extensively restructured and expanded Zagato, said he has little doubt on a decision to go ahead with production and that now the ultimate challenge for the project is to sell the entire production lot by the time the car is presented to the public at large at the 'Mondial de l’Automobile' in Paris late in September.
