Vanquish Volante

Segment
Compact

With the rising prominence of the turbocharged DB11, the naturally-aspirated Aston Martin Vanquish looks like it may be getting ready for retirement soon. Thankfully, design house Zagato is honoring its legacy with the drool-worthy Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante, combining stunning Italian styling with brilliant British engineering. According to renowned render artist Jan Peisert of Peisert Design, an ultra-exclusive Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Speedster is also in the works.

A European dealership informed the designer that the Zagato Vanquish Speedster will be based on the Aston Martin DB AR1 Roadster which launched in 2003 limited to 100 units and was based on the DB7 Vantage Volante. While there hasn't been an official announcement and no official images have been released, Peisert has produced a tantalizing render of what the Vanquish Zagato Speedster could look like, combining elements of the Vanquish Zagato Volante and DB AR1 Roadster. The result is simply spectacular. Unlike the Vanquish Volante, Peisert says the Speedster will strictly be a two-seater, with typical Zagato humps protruding at the back and a two-piece roof.

Power will be sourced from the same 5.9-liter V12 as the Vanquish Zagato Volante mated to an eight-speed automatic, so expect 600-horsepower on tap, a 0-62 mph time of around three and a half seconds, and a top speed of about 201 mph. While only 99 examples of the Vanquish Zagato Volante were made, the Speedster will be even rarer. Peisert says that only 28 units will be made, seven of which will be in European spec. Unsurprisingly, such exclusivity demands a high asking price: the Vanquish Zagato Speedster is said to cost 1.2 million Euros without taxes which is around $1.3 million, with deliveries set to start at the end of 2018. And we thought the Vanquish Zagato Volante was overpriced.

We didn't think the Zagato could possibly improve the lust-worthy looks of the Vanquish Volante, but the Speedster's styling looks even more sporty and aggressive assuming this render is a close approximation of the final design - saying it looks stunning doesn't really do it justice. We can't think of a better send-off for the sweet-sounding V12 Vanquish.