Critics are pretty confident that the Aston Martin Vanquish is set to be taken off the shelves in the near future. This will partly be, undoubtedly, because unlike the fast-selling DB11 it has a naturally aspirated engine, something which is quickly becoming scarce in this new turbocharged world.
Before its retirement, however, the car has at least one final fling on the cards. Remember the Vanquish Zagato Volante, created by design house Zagato? This fusion of high Italian style with the precision and flair of British engineering celebrated the vanquish and set most of the world – bar the lucky 99 that actually got their hands on one – panting with envy.
In its wake comes the even more exciting Aston Martin Zagato Speedster, which is apparently in the works already and based on the 2003 DB AR1 Roadster. This tantalising news comes courtesy of designer Jan Peisert, who has produced a mock-up of what such a car might look like. His vision of the two-seater car is simply stunning, featuring a two-piece roof and the trademark Zagato humps at the rear.
Oomph is expected to be derived from a 5.9 litre V12 – identical to the one under the hood of the Vanquish Zagato Volante – delivering about 600 horses and coupled with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Top speed should be above 200 MPH, which should satisfy even the most hardened speed freak.
If you thought the 99 Vanquish Zagato Volante owners were lucky, however, then wait til the Speedster is realised. Only 28 cars will be made, and only 7 of these will have European specifications. Mind you, the 28 will have to fork out around 1.2 million euros, plus any taxes, and have to wait until late 2018 to get their hands on their vehicle. To put that in perspective, you could have 6 Aston Martin DB11s for that price, plus extra cash for petrol, driving snacks and a camera to take a photo of your really smug face.