Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato And More Cars

Aston Martin DB7 Zagato

The price of the 1960-64 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato (there were less than 25 made) is currently about $1 million to $2 million.

Why does that matter? Because up until just a few days ago, if you called Aston Martin--now a subsidiary of Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people )--and said you wanted a 2003 DB7 Zagato, you could have had one for the relative bargain of $250,000. But if you don't have your order in already, it's too late; in the less than two months since the announcement that this stunning car was going to be built in late July, all 99 samples have sold out.

If you have the bucks, never fear: These magnificent cars are sure to appear at auction soon. But we should back up and tell you the significance of the Zagato form. Henrik Fisker, lead designer for Aston Martin, worked with coachbuilder Zagato's Nori Harada, a pupil of Ercole Spada, designer of the original DB4GT Zagato in the early 1960s.

Fisker explains that the real challenge here was in using the existing cutlines (where the body panels fit together) of the present DB7, but crafting a totally unique shape to the car. Only the windshield and headlamp assemblies remain the same.

"What we wanted to do," Fisker emphasizes, "is to show our commitment to building small series of cars, and especially to show that we can make such cars by hand." To that end, the "double-bubble" roof of the Zagato is of hand-beaten metal. Some features, such as a drop-down panel trunk (it opens like the tailgate of a pickup, albeit in an oval shape) and bulbous rear fenders could literally only be formed by hand, because no current stamping machine could cost-effectively cut these forms.


The back of the Zagato features dozens of hand-sculpted shapes.

By the way, the Zagato will also feature more power than the standard DB7 Vantage, upgraded brakes, a sports suspension and a unique cabin layout. It also has gorgeous Analine leather seats made by Bridge-on-Weir in Scotland. The leather is untreated, so it feels soft, like the best club chairs. Just don't spill your cappuccino, because the fabric will stain.

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