Jul 20, 2018, 12:20 PM
V8 ZAGATO VOLANTE
Just as the production of the Vantage Zagato was getting under way, Aston Martin Lagonda bought a 50 per cent share in the Milanese carrozzeria. The two companies joined forces to develop a drophead Volante version of the Zagato Aston Martin.
A prototype Zagato Volante was unveiled at the 1987 Geneva Motor Show, and plans were announced for a production sanction of just 25 cars – but Aston Martin had already sold 25 before the model entered production the following year, resulting in a total of 37 cars being produced. Soft top apart, the Zagato Volante differed in several respects from the hard top, most noticeable in the absence of a frontal grille; the headlamps were concealed under covers too.
The engine chosen for the Volante was the normally-aspirated fuel-injection version of the V8 engine, which liminated the need for a ‘power bulge’ on the bonnet like the hard top Zagato, which was fitted with quadruple downdraught carburettors. This allowed a flat bonnet to be fitted, though power output was down by over 100 bhp. Inevitably, some Zagatos were uprated with the carburetted Vantage V8; some even had the same front end as the Coupe.
A prototype Zagato Volante was unveiled at the 1987 Geneva Motor Show, and plans were announced for a production sanction of just 25 cars – but Aston Martin had already sold 25 before the model entered production the following year, resulting in a total of 37 cars being produced. Soft top apart, the Zagato Volante differed in several respects from the hard top, most noticeable in the absence of a frontal grille; the headlamps were concealed under covers too.
The engine chosen for the Volante was the normally-aspirated fuel-injection version of the V8 engine, which liminated the need for a ‘power bulge’ on the bonnet like the hard top Zagato, which was fitted with quadruple downdraught carburettors. This allowed a flat bonnet to be fitted, though power output was down by over 100 bhp. Inevitably, some Zagatos were uprated with the carburetted Vantage V8; some even had the same front end as the Coupe.