Aston Martin V8 Zagato
1986-1990 · Aston Martin V8 Zagato — Grand Tourer, V8, designed by Zagato (Giuseppe Mittino).
The Story
The V8 Zagato revived the Aston-Zagato partnership for the 1980s – and sold out from a single styling sketch. When the two famous names were paired at the 1986 Geneva Show, all 50 coupes sold sight-unseen, with no mock-up or photos – just Giuseppe Mittino’s drawing.
The result was a short, angular, aluminium-bodied car with the V8 Vantage’s 432 bhp – a 186 mph wedge with a power-bulge bonnet. 89 were built in all (52 coupe, 37 Volante). Pure 1980s exclusivity.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Grand Tourer class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Zagato (Giuseppe Mittino)
Zagato in-house designer who penned the angular, futuristic Aston V8 Zagato (1986), resuming the coachbuilt thread of the DB4 GT Zagato. FLAG: the Alfa SZ is credited to Robert Opron, NOT Mittino. Source: Classic Driver / Grokipedia (V8 Zagato).
Studio Motors POV
The car that sold out on a sketch – peak 1980s Aston-Zagato exclusivity. The coupe is the collector’s pick.
The Engine
Aston Martin Tadek Marek V8 (5.3)
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About V8 Zagato
Worth Knowing About the V8 Zagato
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- 1. All 50 coupes sold from a single styling sketch – no mock-up, model or photographs, just the drawing.
- 2. It was designed by Zagato's Giuseppe Mittino, who studied the V8 chassis at Newport Pagnell in 1984.
- 3. The Volante (37 built) was actually less powerful than the 432 bhp coupe.
5 Fast Facts
- 1. 1986-1990; 89 built (52 Coupe + 37 Volante).
- 2. 5.3 V8 (Vantage spec): 432 bhp; 186 mph (coupe).
- 3. Designed by Giuseppe Mittino (Zagato).
- 4. Coupes sold out at the 1986 Geneva Show from a sketch.
- 5. Continues the DB4 GT Zagato coachbuild line.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
No individual owner publicly verified (89-car coachbuild).
Studio Buyer’s Brief
The 432 bhp coupe is the one to have (the Volante is rarer but softer and less powerful); originality and Zagato/Aston documentation are key. The angular alloy body is bespoke and costly to fix. A collectible 1980s coachbuild, appreciating.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Aston Martin V8 Zagato
- Class
- Grand Tourer
- Production years
- 1986-1990
- Units built
- 89 (52 Coupe + 37 Volante)
- Variants
- Vantage Zagato Coupe (~52); Volante (~37)
- Engine layout
- Front
- Engine
- V8
- Engine family
- Aston Martin Tadek Marek V8 (5.3)
- Displacement
- 5,340 cc (5.3L) V8
- Power
- 432 hp
- Torque
- 395 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 4.8 s
- Top speed
- 186 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 262 hp/tonne · 8.4 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 5-speed ZF manual
- Drivetrain
- RWD (front engine) · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 3638 lb
Questions
V8 Zagato FAQ
How were the Aston Martin V8 Zagato coupes sold out?
Aston Martin took deposits for the V8 Zagato Coupes following the 1985 Geneva announcement, with the production-ready car revealed at Geneva 1986. Reports vary on what buyers committed to (some sources say a single sketch, others say drawings plus a scale model), but the 50 coupes were spoken for early on the strength of design renderings rather than a finished prototype.
How many Aston Martin V8 Zagatos were built?
Aston Martin built 89 V8 Zagatos in total: 52 coupes and 37 Volantes, produced between 1986 and 1990. The coupe is the more powerful and purist of the two; both body styles remain collectible, with current market data not cleanly establishing one as less desirable than the other.
Who designed the Aston Martin V8 Zagato?
The V8 Zagato was designed by Giuseppe Mittino at Zagato’s Milan studio. Mittino visited Newport Pagnell in 1984 to study the V8 Vantage chassis and created an angular aluminium body featuring Zagato’s double-bubble roofline, substantially shorter and lighter than the V8 Vantage it is based upon.
What is an Aston Martin V8 Zagato worth today?
Public market data for the V8 Zagato runs below the often-quoted $350-650K range — Classic.com benchmarks are around $226,000 (Coupe) and $234,000 (Volante), with notable RM estimates around £300,000-£350,000. Higher figures are asks or exceptional cars; original specification and documented Zagato/Aston Martin provenance are the key value drivers.
How does the V8 Zagato compare to the V8 Vantage?
The Vantage Zagato Coupe and V8 Vantage shared the Vantage-spec 5.3-litre V8 and ZF five-speed manual, with the Zagato’s bespoke shorter, lighter aluminium body (by Zagato) raising top speed to approximately 186 mph and sharpening the power-to-weight ratio. The Volante Zagato used a less powerful fuel-injected V8 in standard form and isn’t equivalent to the Vantage-spec coupe/manual setup.
The Aston Martin Lineup
Explore every Aston Martin
DB4 GT Zagato ’60DB5 ’63DB6 ’65DBS (1967) ’67V8 ’69
Lagonda ’76V8 Vantage (1977) ’77
V8 Zagato ’86Virage ’89
V8 Vantage (Supercharged) ’93DB7 ’94DB7 Vantage ’99
V12 Vanquish ’01DB9 ’04V8 Vantage (2005) ’05DBS (2007) ’07V12 Vantage (2009) ’09One-77 ’09
Rapide ’10Vanquish (2012) ’12V12 Zagato ’12V12 Vantage GT12 ’15DB11 ’16Vanquish Zagato ’16Vantage ’18DBS Superleggera ’18
DBX ’20Valkyrie ’21V12 Speedster ’21V12 Vantage (2022) ’22Valour ’23Vanquish (2024) ’24Valiant ’24Valhalla ’25
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