05 Mar 04
Aston Martin stunned Geneva showgoers when it took the wraps off the Zagato Roadster and the Bertone Jet2 shooting brake - two exquisite hand-built concept cars based on the current Vanquish.
Building on an alliance forged back in the 1960s when Zagato converted the DB4, and more recently the DB7, the one-off Zagato Vanquish Roadster features an entirely redesigned tail and a novel roof arrangement.
Zagato chief designer Nori Harada and Peter Hutchinson, design manager at Aston Martin, decided on an integral hard-top roof for winter use, which can be replaced in the summer by a curvy double-bubble of hardened glass and soft material cover. The cloth top stows in the boot when not in use. The car undertook virtual wind tunnel testing at Zagato's Milan-based design centre to ensure a buffet-free cabin.
Boss Andrea Zagato said: "We tried hard to ensure the existing Vanquish front end and the new rear complemented each other. It's not a full production model but if given the go-ahead by Aston it could easily be in showrooms within 12 months." Zagato believes he would need just 100 firm orders to convince Aston Martin to greenlight the project.
The Bertone Jet2 - inspired by Nuccio Bertone's gorgeous one-off Jet of 1961 - adds four-seat practicality to the Vanquish's V12 firepower. The standard Vanquish chassis has been stretched 210mm, while the Jet2's low roofline sweeps back into a pert hatchback with almost no overhang.
The DB9-sourced interior has been reworked by Scottish designer David Wilkie, and features two rear bucket seats that fold flat to boost luggage space. The roomy cabin is swathed in green and maroon leather with Paisley-style perforations and capped with burnished pear tree wood. It may sound outlandish, but it looks the business.
"Although this is a concept car, we tried to keep our feet on the ground," says Stile Bertone boss Roberto Piatti. "Everything you see here could go into production with little if any change."
Like Zagato, Piatti believes that as very few orders would make production viable. "It's up to Betz, but if the demand is there, we will build it." Golf clubs and Labradors will never travel in finer, or faster, style...
