Tuesday 25th July 2017

Aston Vanquish Zagato Speedster and Volante spied

Well if you have more exclusive taste than a mere 570S Spider...

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UPDATE 26/07/17:
In one of our less perceptive moments, PH yesterday reported on two separate Aston Martins testing while suggesting it was just one. The Zagato Speedster - as seen here without a roof - is expected as a concept at Monterey. The Volante is the car with the roof that we knew about beforehand and should reach customers soon. And as we should have identified by the cars having steering wheels on different sides... Apologies! MB

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ORIGINAL STORY, AS REPORTED 25/07/2017:
The Nurburgring climate holds no mercy! If you've been to the Nordschleife you'll know that it always rains at some point, typically when you're least expecting it. And as proved by Aston Martin here, with this Vanquish Zagato Volante prototype; don't worry about the leather, pre-production cars get crushed...

Volante has a roof, Speedster seemingly not

This car follows on from last year's Vanquish Zagato coupe and joins an exclusive list of drop-top Aston Zagatos: the DB AR1, the V8 Zagato Volante of the 80s and the previous-gen Vanquish Roadster Zagato are the only three we know of.

It's also, rather interestingly, even more dramatic than the concept seen at Pebble Beach last year. Note here the more the more pronounced double bubble rear haunches, a spoiler we haven't seen before and what seems to be even more gold. Perhaps it just shines brighter in a dank Nurburg summer.

Beyond that the details are as we saw last year, with Vulcan inspired lights, new bumpers, a wider grille and more prominent rear diffuser. You're not going to miss it, basically, even in the rain and even in matt black.

After the debut of the concept at Pebble Beach in 2016, a debut of the production version is expected in California later this summer. We'd be stunned if any of the 99 are still for sale, so expect the Zagato to take its fair share of attention on the immaculately mowed lawns of Monterey.

[sh33n]

The coupe was stunning and was great to see the model at the PH meet at AML.

Really not feeling the vert though, not that my opinion matters at all on this.

[Hurracan]

WOW! They just ruined Kahn's outdated and overpriced DB9 Vengeance...! Oh no....! LOL

ONLY 5 made... NON sold!!!!

[VanquishRider]

Seems to me there are 2 different Volantes here.

1 Has the humps and 1 has a flat bootlid. Is one a permanent open top car? How many of those will be sold??? They will of course all sell out.

[Herbs]

More than a passing resemblance with a E64 6 series convertible from the 3/4 view

[SpeckledJim]

First ever AM Zagato to be better-looking than the car it is based on?

[wtdoom]

VanquishRider said:

Seems to me there are 2 different Volantes here.

1 Has the humps and 1 has a flat bootlid. Is one a permanent open top car? How many of those will be sold??? They will of course all sell out.

One is a speedster the other a volante

[Cold]

Herbs said:

More than a passing resemblance with a E64 6 series convertible from the 3/4 view

That's what it is.
I'm not sure I like this.

[dazwalsh]

Volante looks the business, although that flappy spoiler thing should be down.

The humpy looking one I'm not feeling at all.

Coupe still the most gorgeous of the 3.

[Yipper]

What has happened to the backend of new Astons. They look hideous. Does the head designer have a duckbilled platypus or big-fat-booty fetish...

[Burnham]

Not sure about those wheels....what's the deal with car manufacturers only painting a few of the spokes now? I hope its just a fad, as it doesn't look good IMO. Far too spindly.

[Number9]

Car looks OK. Number plate looks dodge

[Alex L]

Looks like the same car I spotted on the M40 on the 1st July

Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr

Edited by Alex L on Tuesday 25th July 15:41

[Djit]

Must be a wrap. Car checker says it's a Red Aston Martin. Maybe the very same one from the press shots. Model not available. The "speedster" looks out of proportion for a car based on a vanquish. Optical illusion or is it just the driver has a very big head?

[Djit]

wtdoom said:

VanquishRider said:

Seems to me there are 2 different Volantes here.

1 Has the humps and 1 has a flat bootlid. Is one a permanent open top car? How many of those will be sold??? They will of course all sell out.

One is a speedster the other a volante

Definitely two different cars...One is LHD one s RHD. Do you think the smaller "speedster" is actually a new vantage test mule? I'm probably mistaken but it looks shorter to me.

[Frances The Mute]

Alex L said:

Looks like the same car I spotted on the M40 on the 1st July

Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr

Edited by Alex L on Tuesday 25th July 15:41

Yup. It's been doing the rounds out at MIRA. I've seen it a few times over the last couple of weeks. Annoyingly, only at low speed so no aural delights...

[Matt Bird]

Djit said:

Definitely two different cars...One is LHD one s RHD. Do you think the smaller "speedster" is actually a new vantage test mule? I'm probably mistaken but it looks shorter to me.

Sorry all, what a pillock! Of course they're different...

One is a Volante and one is a Speedster, as has been alluded to. Will change the headline now!


Matt

[diehardbenzfan]

Wow, that is by far the best looking car I have seen in my life, I saw one in cobham and it blew me away, absolutely stunning

[LeighW]

diehardbenzfan said:

Wow, that is by far the best looking car I have seen in my life

[ZX10R NIN]

That is a very good looking car.

[Plug Life]

Yipper said:

What has happened to the backend of new Astons. They look hideous. Does the head designer have a duckbilled platypus or big-fat-booty fetish...

Platypi are cute!