International Aston Martin specialist, Nicholas Mee & Company, has brought to market a pair of some of the rarest Aston Martins ever built, on sale for £3,750,000. The DBZ Centenary Collection – released in 2019 and exclusively available as a set of two cars – cost £6.1m plus local taxes when new, with production limited to just 19 pairs. Celebrating the enduring relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato, in the famous Milanese coachbuilders 100th year, the Collection is a pairing that showcases the partnership’s glorious past and innovative present.
The Centenary Collection’s pairing of a classic DB4 GT Zagato Continuation model with a contemporary DBS GT Zagato provided collectors the world over a tantalising opportunity to acquire a piece of history. Only 19 of the exceedingly beautiful DB4 GT Zagato models were built in the 1960s, with the vast majority now stashed away in private collections around the world, unlikely to ever be sold.
With the Aston Martin’s DB4 GT Zagato Continuation models, collectors had the opportunity to buy one of the stunning machines directly from the factory, built to original 1960s specifications with the addition of modern engineering know how. And with their new purchase would come the DBS GT Zagato, a car only available as a part of this Collection, making it one of the rarest Aston Martins ever built.
Nicholas Mee & Company are now proud to offer a pair of these special cars for sale – both finished in the historic Aston Martin colour of Caribbean Pearl over Dark Blue hides and both in ‘as delivered’ condition, displaying delivery mileage only. It is the first time the collection has been available on the open market- all at a significant saving compared with the price at launch.
Founder of Nicholas Mee & Co, Nicholas Mee, said: “In the 40 or more years I have been dealing in Aston Martin cars, I have never seen demand for the Zagato variants dwindle. They remain irresistible; beautifully crafted, timeless in design and incredibly rare, they’re always near the top of a collector’s wish list. With the DBZ Centenary Collection we have a pair of cars that’s likely to never be repeated by Aston Martin, as it moves away from Continuation models. This is a chance to acquire both an icon and a future icon of one of the automotive industry’s most enduring and effective unions.”
The DB4 GT Zagato Continuation
Regarded by classic car collectors and automotive aficionados as one of the most beautiful Aston Martin ever created, just 19 examples were built in the early 1960’s, with international motorsport objectives. The model offered the ultimate performance available in 1960 and were campaigned in International sportscar racing, including at the Le Mans 24 hr races. Original examples have, in recent years, acquired an ‘unobtainable’ status in collector circles, with the majority of the 19 manufactured, now securely stored in investor vaults. On the very rare occasions they come up for sale – values of £8-10+ million have become established numbers in the global collector market, dependant on individual car and competition history.
Hand built, to the highest possible quality, 60 years later in 2019, by Aston Martin’s UK based Heritage centre in Newport Pagnell, the magnificent DB4 GT Zagato Continuation’s were built to the 1960s-original configuration, utilising the traditional engineering and hand building skill, combined with modern engineering advancements and performance enhancements, assembled to precise modern tolerances. The lightweight aluminium coachwork, steel chassis, mechanical components and traditional hand building skills, remained employed in the creation of the continuation DB4 GT Zagatos. Completed with all new components and to ultimate specifications corresponding to the 1960’s-built examples, production was restricted to 19 cars only.
The DBS GT Zagato
Exclusively styled and built in recognition of a 60-year collaboration with Zagato Design, incorporating many of the traditional and renowned Zagato styling features, including the signature ‘double bubble’ roof and use of lightweight carbon fibre body panels, the contemporary half of this unique pairing, the DBS GT Zagato is, by any measure, a highly dynamic modern GT and true modern classic.
Based on Aston Martin’s celebrated DBS Superleggera aluminium chassis and running gear, the DBS Zagato was powered by the Aston Martin 5.2 litre twin-turbo V12 engine, uprated to produce 760 bhp and a titanic 900nm torque, driving through a slick 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. It was equipped with all conveniences and luxury touches as the production DBS, only now with even more dominant, continent crushing performance.
Unique styling features of the DBS GT Zagato centred around the bespoke, sculpted Zagato designed carbon fibre body, with an active opening and closing front grille assembly, a full-length carbon ‘double bubble’ design roof with digital rear view camera mirror, as well as exclusive lighting equipment and a unique cabin environment with signature Zagato trim.
This beguiling combination of ingredients delivered the ultimate in DBS performance, with an increase in firepower allied with weight savings thanks to the carbon fibre body, as well as aerodynamic improvements – all wrapped up in a beautiful Zagato shape. It represents the modern zenith of the classic Zagato recipe, one employed over the decades by Aston Martin to create some of the most desirable and collectable cars ever manufactured.
With only 19 produced, the DBS GT Zagato ranks among the rarest Astons of all time – a four times rarer even than the mythical One-77, of which 77 examples rolled out of the factory. The DBS GT Zagato represents a nailed-on collector classic of the future that will hold its own even in the most rarefied of four wheeled company.
http://www.turbulence.tech