2003 Aston Martin DB7 Zagato Coupe

In 1960, Zagato and Aston Martin built the DB4GT Zagato with a feather-light aluminum body. It made its debut at the 1960 London Motor Show and just 19 examples were produced. Over the next four decades, Aston Martin and Zagato would only team up twice more, once in 1985 for the V8 Vantage Zagato and again in 2002 for the DB7 Zagato. The DB7 Zagato was the result of a collaboration between Andrea Zagato and Aston Martin's then-chief designer Henrik Fisker. It made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2002. The new car retained Aston Martin's traditional grille, but it was larger than that of the standard DB7. In the back were single round taillights as well as a drop-down boot lid sloped downward from Zagato's trademark 'double bubble' roof. It rode on special five-spoke alloy wheels. Inside, the DB7 was upholstered with a special aniline leather with a quilted seat.

The DB7 Zagato had a chassis that had been shortened by 151 millimeters and a wheelbase shortened by another 60 millimeters over the standard DB7 chassis. Along with reducing weight by an additional 130 pounds, it helped reduce the car's front and rear overhangs.

The DB7 Zagato's design was instantly recognizable as both an Aston Martin and a Zagato, retaining many trademark design features from these two haloed companies. Just 99 examples were produced, sold only to Europe, Asia, and British markets.

This particular example is the 40th example of the 99 produced by the factory. The car left the factory in the same shade of green that it wears today. This is the same color of the DBR1 that took 1st overall at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was driven by Carroll Shelby. The interior of this car carries out the same theme as its exterior.

This car remains in showroom-quality condition, with just 50 miles on its odometer. Under the hood is a 5935cc V-12 engine with four overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. The 435 horsepower it produces is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission with a twin-plate racing clutch. At all four corners are Brembo disc brakes providing ample stopping power.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2015