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Snap up the only all-aluminum Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupe in the world

Roses are red, violets are blue, and neither are remotely as beautiful as this extremely rare 2012 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupe sporting Aston Martin Racing Green. The only example of its kind, It's currently listed for sale in the U.K. Offered by Bell Sport & Classic, this V12 Zagato is the top layer of the cream of the crop. The engine plaque says the car is No. 2 of 2, but in reality, it's one of one. While the first of the two pre-production prototypes was built using part aluminum, part carbon fiber for the body, this example was built entirely out of aluminum. The two pre-pro cars were used for events, and customer viewings, and toured around the globe.  In total, a few more than 60 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupes were produced (some report 61, others say 64). It was unveiled at the 2011 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa dÂ’Este as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the DB4GT Zagato. Under the hood, it has a V12 that originally made 510 horsepower, and it shares mechanical parts from the V12 Vantage. It features several typical Zagato style characteristics, such as the double-bubble roof, wide-open grille, short body overhangs, and circular rear lighting. This example is right-hand-drive and features a manual transmission. Despite its status as a pre-production vehicle, it has been owned before. Aston Martin had possession of the vehicle until 2016, when Zagato was set to take ownership for its own collection, but "a very special Aston Martin client" finessed it away from the manufacturers. Before he took the car in, it was given a "full recommissioning." Originally Titanium Grey, it was repainted Aston Martin Racing Green, and the interior was retrimmed as well.  The 2012 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupe is currently available for purchase.  Related Video:

Watch Prodrive build an Aston Martin race car in 60 seconds

It's always fascinating to watch a racecar's production whether the construction is out of Lego blocks or a cutting-edge mix of aluminum and carbon fiber. This time-lapse clip offers a glimpse of the latter as Prodrive creates an Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE in just 60 seconds. The process took nearly three weeks in real time. Starting from just a bare shell, you first notice bits of wiring, suspension, and brakes appear on the chassis. Then the engine eventually arrives, but there's still a lot of work to do. The builders keep adding body panels and do lots of other wrenching. The process reminds us of building a plastic model kit but with much more expensive consequences if parts go missing. The #98 Vantage GTE will compete in the GTE Am class this season in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Drivers Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, and Mathias Lauda are the lucky folks who get to pilot this beauty.

Aston Martin teases the Vantage AMR with a manual gearbox

We are nigh on the debut of Aston Martin's Vantage AMR with a manual gearbox. The English carmaker teased the three-pedal sports car today, Autocar reporting we should see the genuine article sometime in the next week. We still have no idea what kind of transmission this will be — six- or seven-speed, and if a seven-speed, will it employ the motorsports-inspired dogleg setup? What we know is that this is first appearance of the hand-shaker transmission in the lineup since 2017, when Aston Martin made just 14 examples of the V12 Vantage V600. We also know a lot of work went into it. When going public last year with the fact that the manual gearbox would return, Aston Martin explained the height of the challenge involved. The Mercedes-AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 sitting in the Vantage's engine bay has never been paired with a manual gearbox, so Aston Martin has to create the software and driveline hardware from scratch to make it work. The resulting gearbox will come tuned to make drivers earn their thrills. Chief engineer Matt Becker said, "It reminds you that you have to know how to drive." As a product of the Aston Martin Racing subdivision, and with so much work involved already, the car will surely get other tweaks. The most recent AMR-designated Aston Martins, the DB 11 AMR and Rapide AMR, featured more power, hardcore chassis setups, and a kit of menacing, carbon fiber aero addenda. They also came with substantial price increases, and the Vantage AMR shouldn't disappoint there, either.