Rare Rides: A 2019 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake, Questionable Bespoke Luxury

Today’s Rare Ride started out in life as an already very expensive Aston Martin Vanquish. Then it was reworked in a significant way by that Italian house of all things coupe, Zagato. Surprisingly, the Italians resisted painting it Rosso Corso Collezione or whatever, as its owner demanded a nice BRG-adjacent matte color.

Let’s check out this sports wagon shaped Aston Martin.

This Zagato edit will actually mark the second instance we’ve had a customized shooting brake Aston Martin on these pages. You may recall the first example of the type, a 1998 V8 Vantage customized in Switzerland. Today’s Vanquish rolled off the assembly line in 2018 and proceeded directly to the Zagato factory north of Milan. The second-gen Vanquish went on sale in 2012, after the model was absent from the brand’s lineup between 2008 and 2011. The original Vanquish was Aston’s modern take on a big, comfortable grand tourer, and when it debuted in 2001 it was the official replacement for the dated Vantage which went away after 2000.

The second Vanquish was a replacement for the outgoing 12-cylinder DBS and used many of its styling cues as expected. It also used some more exclusive design elements from the ludicrously expensive One-77 (a separate Rare Ride). Though it looked similar, the Vanquish rode on a new third generation of Aston’s VH platform, a chassis that debuted on the DB9 in 2004. VH version three used more carbon fiber than the second version, for additional lightness and strength. Vanquish was available from the factory with two seats, or as a more GT-like 2+2. Unlike the original Vanquish, this generation was also offered in convertible form.

Earlier examples of the Vanquish used the AM28 series (the Ford Duratec one) V12, of 5.9 liters in displacement. Later cars after 2014 switched to an AM29 version of the same engine. Transmissions were automatic only and had six speeds pre-2014, and eight speeds after.

Vanquish production ended in 2018, so today’s example was one of the last off the line, and titled as a 2019 after its modifications. As its customer requested, Zagato turned the brand new coupe into a shooting brake. They tossed the trunk in favor of an all-new hatchback design. Extensive changes were made to the side and rear windows, the roof, and the entire shape of the rear end. A flat cargo floor trimmed in leather was installed behind the seats, and accessed through the fairly narrow rear hatch area.

Up front, Zagato re-trimmed the already hand-trimmed seats and did so with a cream and black color scheme. Above passengers, a blue glass panel was inset into the full length of the roof, perhaps in the name of visual interest. Your author, though supportive of shooting brakes generally, finds these modifications reside on the bad side of questionable.

Today’s Rare Ride was registered in July 2019, and since that time it’s traveled 960 miles. The listing indicates the exterior shade is Xenon Grey, but come on. This green shooting brake is on sale presently in England for $724,817, which is about 2.5 times the cost of a standard one when new.

[Images: seller]