1988 Aston Martin V8 Coupe

Aston Martin revived its partnership with Italian coachbuilder Zagato at the 1985 Geneva motor show. A year later came the V8 Vantage Zagato, which had a shortened (and lightened) V8 body and sportier coachwork that included the pronounced hood bulge and Perspex windows. The prototype example achieved a top speed of over 185 mph, making it the fastest Aston Martin to date. During its production lifespan, 89 examples of the V8 Vantage Zagato were built with 52 being coupes (including two prototypes).

Over the past 31 years, this Vantage Zagato has been in the care of just two caretakers. This was the second-to-last coupe built, and is believed to be one of three completed in 1988. It left the factory finished in Swift Azure paint and trimmed with gray Connolly leather upholstery with black piping, gray-edged black Wilton carpets, and a black Alcantara headliner.

The car was sold new in March of 1988 to Nicolas Zapata of Mexico. It was then registered in Switzerland and driven rather sparingly, accruing only 20,300 km over the next nineteen years. Mr. Zapata sold the car in April of 2007 to the current owner, also based in Switzerland. The car was shown at the 2007 British Classic Car Meeting (BCCM) St. Moritz and the 2008 Geneva Classics show, and it participated in the 2011 BCCM St. Moritz tour through the Swiss Alps.

The car is currently in unrestored condition and has 29,000 km on the odometer. It is one of 50 production coupes and one of 20 built in left-hand drive. The engine is a 5,340cc dual overhead cam V8 with four twin-choke Weber 48 IDF3/150 carburetors and produces 432 horsepower. There is a five-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel disc brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019