Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato first look
Half of the DBZ Centenary Collection is that lovely DB4; the other 50 per cent is this dramatic DBS
While the focus of the Aston Martin DBZ Centenary Collection has thus far been on the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation - because why wouldn't it be - it shouldn't be forgotten that the £6m also buys a new DBS GT Zagato as well. Before now the DBS has only been seen in renderings, but here it is, in real life, for all to see in Supernova Red glory, fresh from a reveal at the Audrain's Newport Concours. (That's Newport like Rhode Island, by the way, not Newport like off J26 off the M4.)
Quite something, isn't it? Marek Reichmann said of the GT: "They (the Aston team) have taken the already fabulous DBS Superleggera and shaped it into something which retains its Aston Martin identity, yet expresses itself as only a Zagato can. It is the modern expression of a timeless icon."
You'll make your own mind up about that statement, but it's worth pointing out what makes a Superleggera into a GT Zagato. That paint is worth a mention, as it's unique to this car; the carbon accents, gold and satin black wheels and 18-carat wing badges will feature on all of them, whichever colour you choose. This being a Zagato product, there is of course that double-bubble roof, too.
The GT cabin is perhaps even more significant; here it's in 'Caithness Spicy Red' leather with satin twill carbon, though of course the choice is limitless for the customers. Every single one will also see the first application in the automotive world of "configurable carbon and metal 3D-printed interior finishes". It means the central saddle can be carbon or aluminium - par for the course, really - or Gold Stainless Steel. Yep, Gold Stainless Steel. Aston says the finish needs nearly 100 hours of print time, with "additional polishing and post-processing by skilled craftsmen to achieve a perfect lustrous finish." Sounds like an option that pretty much selects itself...
Beyond that, it's worth noting that the DBS GT Zagato gets a mild power upgrade from a Superleggera, now 770hp where it was 725. Probably not enough in percentage terms for a drastic change in performance, though for those paying millions it's nice to have that bit extra over a plain old DBS...
With the £6m pair now officially shown to the world, the next step is building and delivery. While there's no word yet on quite when those DBS Zagatos will be ready, the DB4 Continuation cars will be finished and with customers by the end of 2019. What a way to welcome in a new year!
Search for an Aston Martin DBS here
It's even worse when next to the original.
Whoever came up with this for the pairing for this expensive duo needs to be shot at Aston Martin. I'd have the old style one and send the new one to the crusher if I had so much money.
Looking at the interior, I found myself saying to a colleague, "Look at those knobs." Fortunately, it all went down without a blink, as the colleague, like me, is not British.
A magnificent creation, this car. Probably a bit too extroverted for some, eg: the razzle-dazzle of that interior, those neo-Space Age tail lamps. But I do like this car. I'd want to crisscross the Continent in it.
The enormous grille does border on a p*** take, tbh. Ah, what the heck. If I'm spending this kind of money for this sort of car, I'd pop into a clever studio and have them affix a Dyson badge, discreetly, offset, on the grille.
I wonder what this car would look like with a single round headlamp on each side
I wonder what this car would look like with a single round headlamp on each side
I don't mind it looking slightly aggressive to be honest, it is what an Aston should be in my opinion. There are some nice details here and there but it doesn't float my boat as a whole.
k me, that interior is gaudy, tasteless tat!They appear to have gone from making some of the most achingly beautiful cars on the road to some of the oddest looking cars. The new Vantage has been discussed at length on these pages. The previous model was gorgeous, the current one ……..well.
The DB11 (particularly the AMR) has real road presence, this Zagato looks like it has overdone the botox .
Also the interior does not display the class that Astons have been known for on previous models. The real shame is that everything that seems wrong with the styling of some of their cars is easily resolved as they all have lovely body proportions.
I am sure they drive wonderfully, but as Chris Harris once said, a beautiful average car will always outsell a brilliant ugly one.
Please, please, please, Aston Martin, sort out the styling and some of your interiors so that we can have both beauty and performance.
Have designers at AM been forceful with their unique vision for this car? Or have they allowed "the customer" a bit of a co-creative role?
Probably the latter, right? Red is fundamental to Chinese culture, and the interplay of red and gold, here, is not out of step with a certain embrace of a particular aesthetic.
"Oh, but we over here don't really go for things like that," we might hear. But AM reckon that they won't be selling this sort of car to "we over here".
I now see this monstrosity and feel even stronger in my conviction.
R.I.P AML
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff