Aston Martin V12 Zagato

The iconic British sports car maker and the legendary Italian coachbuilder will mark the 50th anniversary of their first collaboration with a brand new study.

To honor their first joint project, the 1961 DB4GT Zagato, the two companies developed the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, a race car study that will be unveiled on May 21 at the Villa D'Este Consorod'Eleganza in Italy, where it will compete against the Ferrari Superamerica 45. But this elegant and dramatic coupe was not built for classy Concours d'Elegance events alone, as it will actually race at the Nurburgring 24 Hour event on June 25-26.

The car's design draws inspiration from older classics such as the DB4GT Zagato, V8 Vantage Zagato and DB7 Zagato. Based on the high-performance V12 Vantage, the V12 Zagato features an impressively sculpted bodywork, combining Italian elegance with British force.

Work on the project started in 2010, with the aluminum body being hand-crafted, in true coachbuilder's style. Each front wing alone contains seven separate pieces of aluminum, combined and hand-finished to obtain one flowing form. Elements like the traditional Zagato double bubble inclined roof, the dramatic air scoops in the front fenders, the recessed taillights and the sweptback rear end give the V12 Zagato an aggressive yet very distinctive look.

The endurance race car features a 6.0-liter V12 engine that produces 517 horsepower and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque, just like the V12 Vantage it's based on. However, weight reduction measures make it faster than the roadgoing version. It should sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (96 mph) in under 4 seconds. Aston Martin will field two cars at the Nurburgring 24 hour race but the really good news is the company will build a limited edition version for the road as well.