Aston Martin V12 Zagato (2012): the production car

Aston Martin has today unveiled the new V12 Zagato in final, showroom spec.

Previously, we'd seen the Zagato as a racer at the 2011 Villa d'Este concours and at the 24-hour Nurburgring race last summer.

But this is what will go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2012, costing a stout £330,000 plus local taxes. That's £405,000 to you and me.

Not a huge amount has changed in the transition from prototype racer to roadgoing show-off.

This is classic coachbuilding: Aston takes the V12 Vantage running gear and redresses it in a sharp suit, crafted by CPP in Coventry.

They're the people who also build body panels for the One-77 supercar. The Zagato wears a mix of aluminium and carbonfibre wings, bonnets and lids.

You bet. This thing sports the same 6.0-litre V12 as the V12 Vantage, so you've got a twitchy 510bhp and 420lb ft to play with. No performance figures have been issued yet, but it'll be close to the donor's 190mph and 0-62mph in 4.2sec.

The V12 Zagato is being built to mark the 50th anniversary of the lovely DB4 GT Zagato, first shown in 1961 but entering showrooms half a century ago.

However, that common Zagato name is a bit of a misnomer: the new V12 Zagato was entirely conceived and designed in the Midlands, not Milan. The Zagato name is merely a nod to the DB4 and was sanctioned by the Italian coachbuilder, even though it had no hand in its design.

Aston Martin design chief Marek Reichman says the design of 2012's Zagato matches the 'bulging' aesthetic of the 1960s original. And there's a discreet double-bubble roof too and gaping front grille to match the hairy-chested brutality of the DB4 GT Zagato.

By Tim Pollard