Aston Zagato V12

Is this the perfect marriage between power and beauty? We got our first glimpse of Aston Martin’s jaw-dropping V12 Zagato at the Villa D’Este Concours in Italy two weeks ago, but what Aston didn’t tell us was that the story doesn’t end there.

Looking stunning in its eye-popping, Kermit-green paint, this fully fledged race car is one of two V12 Zagatos that have been track prepared. And they won’t be on parade for the spectators’ benefit, either, as both are set to compete in the gruelling Nürburgring 24-Hour race on 25-26 June.

In the build-up to their endurance test, the cars – nicknamed Zig (seen here) and Zag (a modified version of the red model seen at Villa D’Este) – will take it in turns to complete a four-hour race each at the famous German race track.

Among the drivers will be Aston CEO Dr Ulrich Bez and Richard Meaden from our sister title evo magazine. Modifications include more aggressive aerodynamics that feature a jutting front lip, a huge rear wing and diffuser.

The exact spec of the V12 Vantage 6.0-litre engine remains a secret, but the transmission is a six-speed manual. Bez has confirmed that a strictly limited run of road cars will be produced, too, costing around £200,000 – £65,000 more than the standard V12 Vantage. Although designed by Zagato, the V12 special will be built at Aston HQ in Gaydon, Warks, rather than being shipped to Italy in order to have its hand-beaten aluminium panels fitted.

Zagato TZ3 Stradale

Here's how to celebrate in style! Italian coachbuilding firm Zagato has unveilied a new addition to its TZ line up, the TZ3 Stradale, introduced as part of the firm's ongoing centenery celebrations in Alfa Romeo's honour.

While there's an Alfa badge on the bonnet, a trademark triangular front grille and swoopy styling normally associated with the Italian brand, the car is in fact American underneath. The stunning carbon-fibre bodywork hides the mechanicals from a Dodge Viper ACR - that means an 8.4-litre V10 engine with 600bhp, enough power to blast from 0-62mph in under four seconds.

It marks the fourth addition to Zagato's TZ range, which includes the TZ and TZ2 from the sixties as well as the TZ3 Corsa unveiilied last year at the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza on Lake Como, Italy.

That model was based on the Alfa 8C Competizione, but remained a one-off track-only special. The TZ3 Stradale on the other hand will be made in extremely limited numbers. Three have already been sold, for an undisclosed price, to American, Japanese and European collectors with another six still up for grabs.

BMW Zagato Coupe

BMW and Italian design house Zagato have teamed up to produce a one-off show car - the BMW Zagato Coupe.

Revealed at the Villa d'Este Concours on the banks of Lake Como, Italy, the Z4 Roadster-based model is the latest in a series of high-profile projects from Zagato, which include the £400,000 Aston Martin V12 Zagato revealed earlier this year.

The swooping bodywork is handrolled from aluminium sheet and cleverly blends the two company's design philosophies. The interior is largely carried over from the Z4, while the twin kidney grille at the front (which uses hundreds of small 'Zs' locked together to create a mesh effect) is unmistakeably BMW. The double-bubble roof, powerful haunches and aerodynamic Kamm-tail rear-end are classic Zagato cues.

Although strictly a one-off, the BMW Zagato Coupe is fully road legal and registered in Germany - it's even undergone high-speed testing. It adheres to all crash regulations and the aerodynamics have been optimed for stability at high speeds.

As for power output, BMW is staying tight-lipped about what's under bonnet, but the 335bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six from the Z4 sDrive35is seems likely.