This story was written by my little (ok, he’s seventeen, so not so little) nephew Matt. He loves cars as much as any of us. His first car is a slightly lifted Ford F-150 that he and his father tinker with. -KK It’s early Saturday morning. The continuous growl of engines trying to find parking, the smell of coffee and cigars in the air – it’s cars and coffee time. Out of the many cars that are present, one in particular caught my eye, a slender, dark blue Aston Marin. This wasn’t just any Aston though. No, this one was special, very special. It was a Zagato. There are reportedly only 101 road versions manufactured and two track versions named Zig and Zag. There are only two have made it across the pond to the US. The Zagato was created to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato of the early 1960s. The DB4 GTZ was derived from the 1959 DB4 GT, which was introduced to compete in the GT class of the World Sports Car Championship. Unfortunately for Aston, the lighter and more powerful DB4 GTZ was unable to tame the Ferrari 250 GT SWB in the 1961 season. 
The first thing you notice on the Zagato is the larger than usual grill. Unlike the usual sleek and slender Aston grills, this one bigger with a more rounded contour. The grill gives the Zagato a more bug-like look, rather than shark-mouth look found on nearly all Astons. Nevertheless, it’s still got one sexy face. 
Under the hood, the Zagato shows its heritage with its 6.0-litre V12. That engine produces 510hp and 420ft-lb of torque. Although the Zagato weighs in at 3704 pounds, it can rocket from 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds with a top speed of 190mph. It’s not Lamborghini Aventador or Ferrari 458 fast, but it wasn’t made to be. Its creation was to honor its 1960s heritage and serve as a symbol of Aston’s attempt to conquer Ferrari. It’s a car of elegance and status. 
Notes:
- Carbon-fiber rear wing, diffuser and splitter
- Max power: 380 kW (517 PS/510 bhp) at 6500 rpm
- Max torque: 570 Nm (420 lb ft) at 5750 rpm
- Acceleration: 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.2 seconds
- Maximum speed: 305 km/h (190 mph)
- TRANSMISSION: Rear mid-mounted, six-speed manual transmission, alloy torque tube with carbon-fiber shaft Limited-slip differential
- Weight: 1680 kg (3704 lb) Front brakes: ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398 mm diameter with six-piston monobloc calipers Rear brakes: ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 360 mm diameter
All images ©2014 Hooniverse/Matt R. All Rights Reserved.
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