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Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato set to dazzle Villa d'Este

Aston Martin and iconic Italian design house Zagato teamed up to create a striking carbon-fiber-bodied concept set to debut at a glitzy concours on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, this weekend. The Vanquish Zagato will be on display at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, marking the fifth time that Aston and Zagato have collaborated on a car over five decades, beginning with the DB4 GT Zagato in 1960. The Vanquish Zagato concept has taillights that use traditional Zagato styling, but also use the bladed LED technology from the Vulcan supercar. The rear styling evokes the DB11 and features a quad-exhaust system and retractable rear spoiler. A carbon-fiber sill runs around the body. The roof has a double-bubble profile that's a hallmark of Zagato design that dates to the 1950s. The cabin is loaded with more carbon fiber and leathers, and the seats have a Z quilted stitch pattern with more Zs in the headrests and the center console. Power comes from a naturally aspirated V12 uprated to 592 horsepower. "We pride ourselves on our strong partnership, and the creation of the Vanquish Zagato concept was a true shared experience," Zagato CEO Andrea Zagato said in a statement. "It represents the essence of an important design relationship that dates back over 50 years." Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato View 10 Photos Design/Style Aston Martin Coupe Performance Supercars aston martin vanquish concorso deleganza villa deste aston martin vanquish zagato

Aston Martin shows electric Rapide, production possible in two years

Aston Martin is working with investment firm ChinaEquity to bring an all-electric version of the Rapide to production by the end of 2017. Aston received 50 million British pounds ($77 million) from ChinaEquity for development, according to Automotive News Europe. The model could have as much as 1,000 horsepower, which makes sense because its powertrain will be developed by an affiliate of the Williams Formula One team. Aston Martin also says an electric variant of its DBX SUV may be in the works by 2019. The electric Rapide could also have a 200-mile single-charge range, though the car may be priced at as much as $250,000. Aston Martin first announced plans to build the model earlier this year. The automaker launched the Rapide in 2010. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

This is Aston Martin's sexy 580-hp Vanquish S Volante convertible

You might remember that we drove the Aston Martin Vanquish S earlier this month. That was the fixed top twin to this car, the S Volante, which we're getting our first look at. Since they're mechanically identical save the top mechanism, we can give you a sense of what the S Volante will be like. In a word, it'll be awesome. Remember, the Vanquish S twins are lovable dinosaurs in the powertrain department. Both feature a naturally-aspirated, 5.9-liter V12 – that means no turbochargers. It might make a healthy 580 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and an equally healthy 465 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 RPM, but it's an endangered species. It is, however, a sonorous beast with incredible throttle response (no lag!) – and it's backed up with the smooth, well-regarded ZF 8-speed transmission, just like the coupe. The similarities are fun, but the vive la difference. Especially in profile, with the top down, the Vanquish S Volante is beautiful. The small cowl humps are a racey, tasteful touch. There's almost assuredly some sort of weight penalty associated with choosing the Volante version, and there's definitely a cost penalty. The Vanquish S Volante will start at $315,775, or an $18,000 premium over the fixed-top version. From there, you can spend a lot more with various personalization options. Update: An Aston Martin representative told us there isn't an official Vanquish S Volante weight figure to release at this time. For reference, the old non-S Vanquish Volante was 232 lbs heavier than the coupe. The Vanquish S coupe weighs 3,834 lbs, so it's a save assumption that the Volante version will be slightly north of 4,000 lbs. We'll update you when an official weight figure is released. Both versions will hit US dealers in April. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante Aston Martin Convertible Luxury Performance aston martin vanquish aston martin vanquish s