Aston Martin Vanquish Shooting Brake

By William Ratcliff

Aston Martin is a very unique brand. It mixes the American styles of grunty engine notes and muscle, and the European class and beauty. One of the most unique of their models is the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake. The Zagato tag hints to the relationship between the British automotive manufacturer Aston Martin and an Italian coachbuilding company, Zagato.

Source: Top Gear

The Vanquish was redesigned in 2012, and continued production until 2018. The Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake was late in production, 2017. Under the hood, it is the same as the Vanquish S, the production sport variant. This meant it had the AM29 V12 for 595 horsepower and torque of 465 lb-ft. Despite the different styling, the Vanquish is capable of 3.5 seconds to 62 mph (0-100 kph), and 201 miles per hour top speed. In total, 99 of these rolled into production.

Source: Wikipedia Commons

The Vanquish Zegato was available in other forms as well. This included the coupe, convertible, and speedster. The coupe and convertible also were made to a spec of 99, but the speedster only saw 28 cars. The speedster was a stylish convertible, with wing-like head-rest supports. The coupe sported the typical Zagato thick headline into the roof, fading into the rear haunches.

Notably, the Zagato has some interior and exterior styling changes. First, there is a "Mask of Zorro" like Z emblem below the Aston Martin's signature body panel streak. In the same spirit, there is a Z emblem on the head rests in the interior. The rest of the interior is plush, but not up to modern spec. Despite only being from 2017, the Zagato's interior dates to 2012. The steering wheel is a unique feature of the Vanquish in general, being a slightly squared oval with a three-spoke design.

This wasn't the first Aston Martin to have a shooting brake design. In 2004, Aston designed the Vanquish Berton Jet 2. This was a more futuristic design, with a new-age Porsche-like single taillight line.

Despite not being the first, it's still a fascinating creating from the British manufacturer. And coming in 4 body styles, the Vanquish Zagato continues the long standing relationship with Zagato design. Additionally, it creates a more spacious Aston Martin that doesn't compromise the Grand Tourer platform.

[1] Wikipedia for Aston Martin Vanquish