The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato
 
The 1977-1989 V8 Vantage was Britain’s flagship supercar and progressed through three unofficial series. final and most powerful is now referred to as the ‘X-Pack’ (after the ‘X’ suffix in the engine number) and enjoyed 408bhp as standard. 
 
The model was well-known as the UK’s fastest production road car and a byword for Savile Row quality and British engineering. Yet by 1984 its classic lines were 17 years old and buyers of fast and expensive exotica were lining up for limited-edition models from Italy and Germany chasing the magic 300km/h. When Aston Martin Chairman Victor Gauntlett (‘VG’) and long-standing friend and investor Peter Livanos met Elio and Gianni Zagato at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show, the solution became obvious: reprise the relationship between the two companies that had created one of its most iconic – and now valuable – models, an Aston Martin carrying lightweight aerodynamic bodywork by Zagato.
 
A year later at the same event the V8 Vantage Zagato was announced. Such was the enthusiasm for the new car that only a launch party at the company’s central London showrooms and a 1/5-scale model were needed to secure 50 deposits of £15,000 on what was intended to be a £70,000 car (the price rose to £87,000 plus tax when deliveries started in 1986). A one-day private flight from Luton to Milan for the deposit-payers to see progress on their new cars – “not a lot” remembers then head of AM sales – was a sell-out and no one cancelled their order. That included the buyer who only just missed the flight and suffered VG’s insistence on punctuality…
 
The V8 Vantage Zagato was based on the chassis and running gear of the latest Vantage Saloon, but with more compact Zagato bodywork it was lighter by 168kg (370lb). The tuned engine actually predated that in the final V8 Vantage Saloon and was used to develop the definitive X-Pack configuration. Fitted to the V8 Zagato, the motor developed 432bhp (an additional 24bhp) courtesy of special 48 IDA Webers with 50mm chokes, enlarged inlet and exhaust ports and a raised compression ratio of 10.2:1. The camshafts were reprofiled and the exhaust given bigger-diameter tubing. Peak power came in at 6,000rpm, peak torque of 395lb/ft at 5,000rpm. New 16in Speedline alloy wheels carried Goodyear VR50 255/50 VR16 low-profile tyres. 
 

Much depended on the car achieving 300km/h (186mph). It became famous that Giuseppe Mittino, then the director of styling at Zagato, asked Victor Gauntlett as a joke, what if the V8 Zagato wouldn’t reach the planned-for maximum speed? Gauntlett did not answer, simply making a pistol with his thumb and index finger, clicking on his temple... 
 

Prototypes stubbornly refused to top 298.75km/h (185.63mph) on UK test tracks, but French magazine Sport Auto clocked 298.53km/h (185.8mph) on an empty piece of Autoroute, allegedly while the local police were at lunch. The 0-60mph time came up in just 4.8 seconds. The aerodynamics of the car were so effective that opening the special sliding ‘toll windows’ led to hardly any additional noise and little buffeting. 
 
When orders for the coupé were well on their way to completion, in March 1987 the company announced a V8 Zagato Volante. Note no ‘Vantage’, though six of the 25 cars built had the more powerful motor and more pleasing grille treatment. 
 
Buyers of the coupé included several in the music and entertainment business including actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson, who bought two (and raced one), the manager of Phil Collins and Genesis and the boss of Virgin Records.
 
Of the 52 coupés built, 20 were specified new in left-hand drive, though some were converted later. The colour palette was a mix of greens, dark blues and greys, with Javelin Red a popular choice for a powerful sports car with Italian connections. 
 
Only two V8 Vantage Zagato coupés were ordered in Swift Azure blue. Rowan Atkinson bought one in right-hand drive; Swiss-based Mexican collector Nicolas Zapata the other, LHD car presented today.