In 2011, Aston Martin and Zagato came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the DB4 GT Zagato, unveiling the V12 Zagato at that year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and winning the Design Award for Concepts and Prototypes. Although the engine was mechanically the same as the V12 Vantage, extras such as the uprated suspension and rear wing helped propel the two prototype race cars to 5th and 6th in class at the 39th ADAC Nürburgring that same year.

Each car was to be individually designed for the owner, with design elements combining modern innovations and historic elements that reflected the fifty-year relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato. Loosely based on the standard V12 Vantage, the V12 Zagato features a handcrafted aluminium body with the classic Zagato ‘double bubble’ roof. A grand total of 2,000-man hours went into every vehicle, an astounding five times as long as the regular V12 Vantage.

Despite originally hoping to make 101 examples, only 65 were produced: 2 prototype race cars; 2 prototype road cars; and 61 production cars. These low numbers for modern production make V12 Zagatos some of the rarest supercars of recent times and they are now regarded as one of the Aston Martin’s finest road cars.

This example is an extraordinarily rare car in being the second of the two prototype road cars, known in Aston Martin as the ‘pre-production’ prototypes, and it is believed to be the only prototype with a full aluminium body. Essentially it was the final iteration of development for the V12 Zagato and was used for over 25,000 miles by the factory; some of these development miles were done at the famous Nardò Ring test track to prove the V12 Zagato’s abilities at high speed. Once the development process for the V12 Zagato was completed, this prototype was retained by the factory and led a quiet life with rare appearances in public.

In 2016, the current owner, a valued client of the marque who had missed his opportunity in 2011/2012 to purchase one of the production cars approached the factory with his desire to own an example. A deal was struck whereby he purchased this prototype and it was rebuilt by Aston Martin Works. The development miles had not been easy on the car’s appearance with various paint chips and marks in the interior so a complete respray and retrim was carried out to the current owner’s specifications, the exterior being Aston Martin Racing Green with a light tan leather interior. One of the many features that made the V12 Zagato special was the interior trim patterns and these are wonderfully accentuated by contrasting red stitching. In addition, a set of matching luggage was made for this prototype. Despite being rebuilt for a private customer, two visible features were retained which hint to this important car’s previous life at the factory, a fire extinguisher pull and a roll hoop behind the seats, both a reminder of the V12 Zagato’s competition history. After being rebuilt at Aston Martin Works, this prototype has covered less than 500 miles since the current, and only private, owner took delivery, so it is presented in stunning condition. In addition to its service books, it is also accompanied by a large photobook produced by Aston Martin Works showing each step of the rebuild.

The sister pre-production prototype was retained by one of the shareholders of the company so this is a unique opportunity to purchase an important part of recent Aston Martin history. Despite being less than 10 years old, the V12 Zagato is today regarded as one of the best products of the two companies’ partnership, and this wonderful prototype will undoubtedly be welcome to some of the most important car events around the world.

Please note that this lot is currently on display at CARS in Chobham at Alpha 319 Chobham Business Centre, Chertsey Road, Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8JB and can be viewed on appointment on Thursday October 29th and Friday October 30th between 9am and 5pm. Please contact our office at +44 (0) 20 7851 7070 or email Britta Buchmann at bbuchmann@rmsothebys.com to secure your appointment. Should you want more information on this lot, feel free to email jlittle@rmsothebys.com