1987 Aston Martin V8 Coupe

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato made its introduction in 1986 at the Geneva Motor Show. It was given lightweight construction and the unique double-bubble roofline for which the Milanese coachbuilder is known. Later in the year, Sheikh Abdul al Thani of the Qatari royal family put in an order for one. The resulting vehicle was chassis number 20043, ordered in Middle Eastern left-hand-drive with manual five-speed specification. It was completed in September of 1987 and was never exported. It remained in the United Kingdom and in mid-1989, it was involved in a road accident in Spain. The car was sent back to Aston Martin Lagonda's service department where it was rebuilt, with no expenses spared.

After working with the insurance company, a decision was made to build a new car using the existing chassis number. The original X-Pack–specification engine was fully rebuilt and fitted to the new chassis, which was then sent to Milan, where a completely new body was fabricated by Zagato. Several of the end-of-production Zagato V8 Volante features were incorporated into the new 20043, including a more luxurious interior with ebony-finish trim, Alcantara headliner, and a locking center console, and a more-modern rear bumper.

The completed car was finished in Litchfield Black over Parchment leather. It was delivered in July of 1991 and was the last V8 Vantage Zagato to leave the factory. With the mileage reset, it currently shows 4,200 km on the odometer.

The car then entered an Aston Martin collection where it remained until 2017, when it was acquired by the current caretaker. The car then received a full recommissioning, which included the fitting of four new Michelin Pilot Sports tires riding on factory-supplied late V8 Vantage Ronal-style wheels. After the work was completed, the car was shown in 2018 at the Quail and was featured in the Zagato Centenary class at the 2019 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2019