Like all right-thinking people, we love station wagons, especially those that combine their increased utility with handsome looks. Which is why we’re particularly smitten by the production version of Aston Martin’s Zagato shooting brake, the fourth of its limited-edition, Vanquish-based Z-cars and one that is almost certainly set to be the most exclusive wagon in the world.
We’ve previously told you about Aston’s plans to round out its 325-unit Zagato family with 99 shooting brakes (along with 28 speedsters), following the 99 coupes and 99 Volante convertibles it has already produced. But while the roofless speedster was catching the headlines, the car we really wanted to see was an Aston Martin wagon, and the first images suggest that it has been worth the wait. Why aren’t all luxury grand tourers sold with a long-roof version? There’s something of the Ferrari FF and GTC4Lusso about the profile view, but we’d have to say that the Aston’s more muscular rear flanks make it even more handsome—if less practical. The Aston, like the Vanquish coupe on which it’s based, is strictly a two-seater.
Such good looks will come at a serious price, one that Aston hasn’t yet released. Back in August when the car was announced, we were told that it was still possible to order one of the shooting brakes, although all of the other Zagato limited editions had sold out. As with its siblings, the shooting brake uses a 580-hp version of Aston’s venerable naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V-12 engine. Bodywork is carbon fiber over a bonded-aluminum frame.
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Zagato has been producing its own version of Aston Martins for nearly 60 years, the first being the DB4 GT Zagato in 1960. One of those sold at auction for the equivalent of $14 million back in 2015, and while there are no guarantees that the latest versions will rise similarly in value, they are about as attractive as speculative investments come. Or, alternatively, use the shooting brake as a proper station wagon; we’d love to see how it copes with a furniture-buying trip to IKEA.
Our man on the other side of the pond, Mike Duff lives in Britain but reports from across Europe, sometimes beyond. He has previously held staff roles on U.K. titles including CAR, Autocar, and evo, but his own automotive tastes tend toward the Germanic: he owns both a troublesome 987-generation Porsche Cayman S and a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16.
