Zagato Rebodies DBS, DB9 to Celebrate Aston Martin’s Centenary

When you turn 100, will others build special, one-off versions of your cars with custom bodywork? We wouldn’t bet on it, but as Aston Martin celebrates its centenary, Italian design house Zagato has whipped up a pair of coachbuilt Astons in its honor. (What, you think we actually believe someone would rebody your clapped-out Ford Contour on your 100th birthday?) Since Aston Martin boasts the uncommon mixture of brand celebrity and having a wealth of cars ripe for customization, Zagato commissioned two Aston-based cars: the DBS Zagato Coupé and the DB9 Zagato Spyder.

The Zagato Coupé is, as its name suggests, based upon Aston’s now-defunct DBS, while the Spyder rides on the DB9’s bones. Both cars sport essentially the same styling, with a full-width grille that—look closely—cleverly maintains Aston’s signature grille shape, thanks to headlights that cut into the upper corners of the opening. The headlights, although slightly droopy-looking, work with the raised center portion of the hood to give the front end more than a passing resemblance to a 1980s-era V8 Vantage. The scalloped tail section of both the Coupé and the Spyder creates a complex jumble of creases and lines in the bumper and decklid, but somehow it avoids looking too busy.

In contrast to the highly detailed front and rear clips, the body’s flanks are stark save for a Rapide S–like shoulder-line crease. In fact, the way the bodywork tucks in between the wheels and the rear end sits high and pert gives both cars a slightly retro and classic look. Most cars today—Astons included—have a ground-hugging aesthetic that results in a heavy, slab-sided countenance. The Coupé wears a proper Zagato roof, a double-bubble job that’s exaggerated by the swoopy shape of the rear window, which itself incorporates a sinusoidal section that carries the double roof humps down to the trunklid. The Spyder gets a pair of fairings on its rear deck for a dose of Zagato-ness, and it also incorporates an Aston-like vent in its front fenders.

• Instrumented Test: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish
• Instrumented Test: 2014 Aston Martin Rapide S
• First Drive: 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster

Aside from making for one heck of a birthday honor, this pair of one-off Aston Martins prove Italian coachbuilding is alive and well in Milan. It helps, of course, that two very wealthy individuals commissioned the Zagato Coupé and Spyder. The former is going to a “young and prestigious Japanese entrepreneur,” while the latter has been snapped up by American collector Peter Read. Zagato has recently penned such stunners as the Aston Martin V12 Zagato and BMW Z4–based Zagato Coupé.

Source: CarAndDriver