World Automotive Center

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

The Aston Martin V12 Zagato was released in May 21, 2011 during the Villa D’Este Concours. It was made in collaboration with Italian car designer Zagato as celebration of their 50 years of partnership. During the last 50 years, Aston Martin’s partnership with Zagato has given birth to some of their best cars, which includes the DB7 Zagato, the V8 Vantage Zagato, and the legendary DB4GT Zagato, a car that is celebrating its 50th anniversary as well.

Planning for the production of the V12 Zagato started in 2010, integrating both Aston Martin’s and Zagato’s design principles within the car. Like the DB4GT Zagato that it is paying tribute to, the design of this car exudes both grace and power. While Zagato’s influence can still be seen in this car, a good chunk of the work on this car was performed by Aston Martin, a moving symbolism of Aston Martin’s progress in design over the years.

While the Aston Martin V12 Zagato unveiled during the Villa D’Este Concours is only a prototype, a production model of this car produced in limited numbers could be a possibility in the future. In fact, this car is scheduled to compete in the 2011 edition of the Nürburgring 24 Hour race.

All joking aside, a production variant of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato would be quite interesting. If not for a long lasting partnership between the British luxury car maker and the Italian designers, at least for the performance and market placement it will be getting.

Powered by Aston’s 6.0 liter V12 engine in a trim where it develops 520 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque you could pretty much say it shares an engine with Aston’s DBS model but the added lightness of this racing honed machine should make it faster.

Exactly how much faster remains to be determined. What is most important about the Aston Martin V12 Zagato is that it should be slotting into the British company’s lineup just above the DBS and just under the incredibly impressive Aston Martin One-77.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition

One of the foremost British automobile manufacturers of luxury sports cars, Aston Martin, has now announced the introduction of the all-new 2011 Aston Martin Carbon Edition at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show (IAA 2011).

Carrying on with the legacy of Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black that was introduced in the year 2009, the all new Carbon Edition models have been designed and developed to provide the customers with a more lightweight DBS option that will also be available in two new colors, namely Flaming Orange and Ceramic Grey, along with the traditional black body paint option.

These bespoke luxury vehicles will be given a special paint process, during which the cars will be painted with seven layers of paint that will be supplemented by a 25 hour hand flat-and-polish finish. Furthermore, for the first time in the glorious legacy of Aston Martin, the company will now be offering the customers an option to go for a satin lacquer paint finish for silk like texture.

The breathtakingly gorgeous 2011 Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition features 10-spoke gloss black diamond turned wheels, while the brake calipers will be offered in a series of color options including yellow, orange, red or grey. Also, to further accentuate the beauty of the Carbon Edition models, Aston Martin has made use of a stunning black grille, carbon fiber mirror heads, carbon rear lamp in-fills etc.

On the inside the 2011 Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition features luxurious semi-aniline leather that will be available in either obsidian black or maranello orange color schemes and as per Aston Martin, it will take more than 70 hours of hand stitching to finish the upholstery. Aston Martin has made use of carbon fiber extensively to give the vehicles more elegance and keep their weights in check. The Touchtronic II automatic gearbox’s magnesium alloy paddles are tipped in carbon fiber and the cars will also feature a carbon fiber special edition sill plaque that will be given a laser etched metal inlay.

On the technology side, the 2011 Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition has been provided with an all new Aston Martin Garmin satellite navigation system. These gorgeous and feature packed vehicles will be available for purchase in the first quarter of 2012 and the Carbon Edition will carry a starting price of $287,576 for the coupe, while the open-top Volante will come with a price tag of $302,576.

Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition

Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3

The next step to their world motorsports plans is the introduction of the 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, a car that is seen to succeed the successful DBRS9 GT3 race cars that dominated touring car races worldwide.

This car is the next step towards Aston Martin’s goal of ruling the world racing circuit once again. And now, armed with 6 years of experience campaigning with the DBR9 and the DBRS9, the V12 Vantage GT3 is expected to be much better than its predecessors. The heart of this new racer is the same 6.0 liter V12 engine found in the street version of the V12 Vantage, but it has seen its share of modifications to better withstand the demands of racing.

To increase performance and reliability, a lightweight crankshaft, new valve trains, and dry sump lubrication has been added into the engine. Ventilated disc brakes on all 4 corners are used in this car, designed to provide adequate stopping power even during endurance races. A double wishbone suspension is used for both the front and rear ends of the car.

It is scheduled to be released next year as the DBRS9s are still eligible to compete. This car is far from finished, but if there’s any indication that this car is going to be good, 2 day testing showed that it was able to cover 1000 kilometers with ease. Even better is that it is a marked improvement to the already formidable DBRS9. The 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 seems poised to take the motorsports world by storm next year.