With a week to go before the 'baby One-77' debuts in showroom-ready trim at the Kuwait Concours d'Elegance, Aston Martin has put the finishing touches to the V12 Zagato. In early 2010, the project was agreed between Aston boss Ulrich Bez and Zagato's top man Andrea Zagato. Their respective designers were set the task of developing a production theme and it didn't take long for the British design to be chosen.

By March of the same year the main elements of the V12 project were finalized and as a result it became the first Zagato-badged car to have been designed entirely in the UK. Aston Martin design boss Marek Reichman revealed the design is '100 percent British,' although the Italian coachbuilder has worked with them closely on the production. Highlights of the V12 Zagato's design include a fresh interpretation of the double-bubble roof and a convex full-faced grille. "Zagato's Astons have always had a slightly bulging quality," said Reichman, "as if the T-shirt was a little too tight for the muscles beneath."

Many of the construction methods used on the One-77 have been adopted by Aston's engineers who have been refining its aerodynamics and structure since June. Taking 2,000 hours to build, the Vantage's aluminum VH chassis will be clad with a hand-finished hood, roof and door panels, while front & rear wings, door sills and boot surround will be carbon-fiber. Recapping the important stuff, the V12 Zagato will use the Vantage's powertrain: a 510hp normally-aspirated 6.0-liter engine mated to a manual six-speed. Standstill to 62mph is timed at 4.2 seconds and top speed is estimated at 190mph.