Beschreibung:

*Built on the last of the four prototype chassis to an exceptional specification. *One of only four with the uprated 432bhp X Pack engine from new *Present owner since 1999, magnificent provenance *Professionally restored to concours standard between 2011 and 2013 *Concorso Eleganza Villa d'Este invitee in 2016 "On the road, the Zagato eats up the long straights. Once moving its progress is magnificently effortless. Like most very fast cars, it's as if it isn't constrained by the physical laws of gravity and air resistance. Unlike most very fast cars, however, it fools its driver into thinking that its blistering, growling pace is normal, comfortable, undramatic." - Motor. The historic Aston Martin we offer, chassis number '20011', is one of the special group of four early Zagatos. Chassis numbers 20010 to 20013, all four cars finished in the striking Gladiator Red livery. '20011' was the last of the four chassis built and sent to Zagato Milano, and originally designated 20013 as confirmed by internal factory memos in the car's history file. To ensure the car's identity as the first production car for its important customer, the Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, Victor Gauntlett, had the chassis number changed to 20011 and held back for its exclusive build. With the introduction of the V8 Vantage-based Zagato in 1986, Aston Martin renewed its association with one of Italy's most illustrious carrozzeria, which had been responsible for that most celebrated and desirable of all post-war Aston Martins: the DB4GT Zagato. Neighbouring stands at the 1984 Geneva Salon facilitated the initial contact between Aston bosses Victor Gauntlett and Peter Livanos, and the Zagato brothers, Elio and Gianni, and by the following year the project had progressed sufficiently for Aston to accept deposits on the 50 production cars planned. By August 1985, all had been sold. Prospective customers were promised that this exclusive new Aston Martin would be capable of 300km/h (186mph) with a 0-60mph time of under five seconds. In June 1986 the original prototype, '20010', successfully met its design target by achieving a maximum speed of 185.63mph while on test with the French magazine Sport Auto, eclipsing the previous record held by Ferrari's 288 GTO. Maintaining stability at these speeds had necessitated the fitting of an extended front air dam and a tail spoiler. Part of Zagato's brief had been to shed some of the standard Vantage's weight, and this was achieved by shortening the car by some 10" and deleting the rear seats, thus creating the first production two-seater since the DB4GT. The weight saving was a considerable 168kg (370lb) – the equivalent of two heavy set 6ft men. As installed in the first four chassis – '20010'-'20013' – the 5.3-litre four-cam V8 was tuned to an enhanced Vantage specification, producing a mind-bending 432bhp at 6,200rpm, while production cars received the standard 580X Vantage engine producing 410bhp. The manner of its installation though, created a certain amount of controversy: the Zagato's low sloping bonnet, penned by stylist Giuseppe Mittino in the expectation of a fuel-injected engine, being interrupted by the now iconic bulge necessary to clear the Vantage's quartet of Webers. Predictably, given the success of the coupe, a Zagato Volante was not long in coming, the very first example being a converted saloon (chassis number '20042'), which debuted at the Geneva Salon in 1987. All but a handful of the Volantes were fitted with the less powerful fuel-injected V585 engine and thus lacked the bonnet bulge. In all, including the pre-production examples such as this car '20011', a total of 89 V8 Zagatos were built by the time production ceased in 1990: 51 Coupes and 38 Volantes. The first owner of this particularly rare and desirable car was Wensley Haydon-Baillie, a discerning Aston Martin marque enthusiast. In common with all Haydon-Baillie commissioned cars, chassis '20011' was delivered to an extraordinarily