The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante is the newest in a long line of custom-bodied cars from the British sports car manufacturer.
It began in 1960 with the DB4 GT Zagato race car. Then there was the V8 Vantage Volante convertible, first shown in Geneva in 1987. The DB7 Vantage got the Zagato treatment in 2002. The open-topped DB AR1, also based on a DB7, debuted the year after. In 2011, Aston Martin debuted a Zagato-bodied V12 Vantage.
At this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Aston Martin showcased its new Vanquish Zagato Coupe. Now comes the convertible version, the Vanquish Zagato Volante. Like its hardtop sibling, the Volante features a gaping maw of a grille with a noticeable “Z” pattern, carbon fiber sills, and “bladed” LED taillights. The bespoke folding hood under the dual-cowl rear deck is similar to the one on the regular Vanquish Volante.
Power – 592 hp of it – comes from a modified 6.0-liter V12. Aston Martin expects the 0-60 mph dash to only take 3.7 seconds.
The cabin of the Vanquish Zagato Volante is dressed in herringbone carbon fiber, anodized bronze details, and Bridge of Weir leather. Zagato’s trademark “Z” appears on the headrests and center console. Even the seats and the doors feature a “Z”-shaped quilt pattern stitch.
Only 99 Vanquish Zagato Volantes will leave Aston Martin’s Gaydon, England factory. Delivery of them to their well-heeled buyers will kick off in 2017.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
