Seen dancing around the Goodwood Motor Circuit in the hands of Formula 1 greats Sir Stirling Moss and Jim Clark, the Aston DB4 GT Zagato race car marked the first time that the famous British marque collaborated with the Italian design house. Debuting at the London Motor Show in 1960, Zagato’s take on the DB4 GT would wear lighter and more aerodynamic aluminium bodywork in the name of enhancing on-track performance.

The relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato has endured over the generations. This led to Andrea Zagato, the grandson of company founder Ugo, working to co-create the series of coach-built Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato models. The closed-roof concept launched in May 2016 at the pre-eminent Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este event at Lake Como before the completed coupé and convertible Volante models arrived. The following August, the two parties announced the addition of the Speedster and Shooting Brakes variants to the exclusive range.

The Speedster was by some way the rarest member of the quartet with only 28 examples built, compared to 99 units for the other three body styles, to create a total of 325 Zagato-enhanced Vanquishes. Given their rarity and desirability, all of the Speedsters were spoken for long before the cars were delivered throughout 2018. With the body panels constructed entirely from carbon fibre, the Speedster was characterised by its two so-called “Speed Humps” that formed the cowls on the rear deck. They ensured that, even in pure open-top form, there was still a nod to Zagato’s celebrated “double-bubble” roof design. The model also gained blade-style rear lights inspired by the Aston Martin Vulcan track-only car, plus three-dimensional “Z” motifs in the front grille and rear vent meshes.

Beneath the svelte skin sat the underpinnings of the Vanquish S, which meant the fitment of Aston Martin’s much-loved and long-serving 5,925-cc, naturally aspirated V-12 producing 592 brake horsepower. That brawn was directed to the rear wheels via the third generation of the Touchtronic, eight-speed, paddle-shift transmission.

While only 28 Speedsters were built, this example is rarer still as it is one of just seven cars configured for the UK in right-hand drive. First registered on 12 April 2018, it boasts only one owner from new. They, along with the “Q by Aston Martin” tailor-made programme, configured a bespoke green hue for the exterior. Meanwhile, a Bronze Metallic Bridge of Weir leather interior was complemented by Warm Charcoal colour seatbelts.

Given where the Vanquish Zagatos were first shown to the world, the cars were also fittingly equipped with the Villa d’Este pack. Accordingly, this example gained 20-inch, 15-spoke, satin black, diamond-turned alloy wheels featuring a bronze tint. The exterior here was also capped with bronzed anodised side strakes and gloss black window trim. As for the inside, the special configuration came with bronze-finished air vent bezels, plus graduated “Z” quilting motifs for the seat and door inners. This Speedster also benefits from a plaque signed by Andrea Zagato and Marek Reichmann, Aston Martin’s chief of design.

This car’s sole owner has treated it to four services all at HWM Aston Martin in Walton-on-Thames, London. The most recent was conducted in January earlier this year. At the time of cataloguing, the odometer reads just 812 miles. This Vanquish Zagato Speedster is also accompanied by a spare front and rear wheel, car cover, rain covers for the cockpit, two umbrellas fitted in the boot, battery charger, plus spare glass key.

Given just seven of the already highly exclusive Speedsters were built in right-hand drive, the sale of this example marks the opportunity to acquire an incredibly rare automobile. One that, thanks to its Zagato design, will forever turn heads and, in keeping with the concept car’s Lake Como launch eight years ago, would be a welcome entry into numerous concours d’elegance events.