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2020 Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato revealed with 'fluttering' grille, no rear window

The 2020 Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato has finally been revealed in new renderings of the production vehicle from the British sports car builder. This is the car that's only being sold in pairs with the continuation DB4 GT Zagato, and only 19 pairs of the two models will be built. It also looks a whole lot like its predecessor, the Vanquish Zagato. It has the rocket booster taillights, exaggerated rear fenders, double-bubble roof and enormous front grille, but there are differences, some of which are particularly unique. Take the front grille, for example: Besides lacking the dual round fog lights of the Vanquish example, the DBS grille is active. According to Aston Martin, the grille is made up of 108 individual pieces of carbon fiber, and when the car is shut off, they all move to make the grille solid and flush with the body. Then when the car fires up, they all move to allow air through. The company describes it as the car appearing to "flutter" to life. Then there's the roof, which is one piece of carbon fiber that stretches from the windshield to the edge of the trunk lid. It's a gorgeous piece that adds a two-tone look and highlights the double-bubble design. It also lacks any molded-in louvers to allow rear visibility. To get around that, Aston Martin has added a rear-view camera that displays images in a screen where the mirror would go, just like GM's mirror screen. Those are the most unique design tweaks, but there are more subtle ones, too. The whole car looks lower and longer than the Vanquish, in part thanks to the DBS' leaner body. The side vents are longer. The rear taillights are smaller and incorporated into a black finish panel. There also aren't deep side skirts. Instead, the rocker panels are rounded and tucked in like on a '60s sports car. Final specifications for the DBS GT Zagato are still unclear, but the company has said that the car will be based on the DBS Superleggera. That means it will have a twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 making at least 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. That's significantly more than the Vanquish Zagato's 576 horsepower. Production begins in 2020, and pricing for this and its DB4 continuation partner is $7.9 million.

Aston Martin sold its old Vanquish tooling, but to whom?

Where do car models go when they become old? In some cases, they go to developing markets to be reborn again: Nissan built the Sentra in Mexico for ages, and old Peugeot saloons have been made in Iran for decades. Sometimes a separate company buys the tooling, which has been the case for Saab, for instance: the 9-3 and 9-5 sedans found a new life in China, albeit with new sheetmetal. These scenarios usually play out with passenger cars and trucks, and more rarely with sports cars. But for the Aston Martin Vanquish, there might be plans afoot. Aston Martin was revealed to have sold the second-generation Vanquish tooling and design drawings in June, for around $26 million. Aston didn't disclose the name of the buyer, so speculation quickly rose. Who wants to start building the V12 range-topper originally launched in 2012? Automotive News suggests the buyer could be a boutique European tuner such as Mansory, who would expand from converting cars into having bespoke products of its own. Jalopnik mentions Zagato, who has already partnered with Aston Martin and helped create the exclusive Zagato Vanquish. Whoever the buyer turns out to be, they will get 18 months of assistance from Aston Martin Consulting, as dictated in the deal. An interesting development would be if the Vanquish would be recreated as an electric supercar, if the anonymous buyer chooses not to fit their creations with Aston's V12 engines. Still, Aston won't be the first British sportscar maker to sell its tooling to another company: surely everybody remembers the time the front-wheel-drive Lotus Elan reappeared in Korea, as the Kia Elan/Vigato? Related Video:

Aston Martin to replace Rapide with DBX crossover, Lagonda sedan

Aston Martin is known best for two-door coupes and convertibles, but it has a history with other body styles. And it looks like Aston's future includes more versatile door configurations. Speaking with Car and Driver at the New York Auto Show, the company's new CEO Andy Palmer reveals a two-pronged plan to replace the four-door Rapide. One will be a new Lagonda sedan; the other a production version of the DBX crossover concept. Detailing the overall strategy for the British automaker, Palmer said, "First is replacing the entire sports car range; second is the DBX, and that appeals to a different set of audiences; and the third is the sports sedan, which will carry [the Lagonda] badge." The Lagonda, Palmer revealed, will not be the Taraf we've already seen. Although sales of that model are expanding beyond its initial Middle Eastern market, it won't be coming to North America due to US crash-testing requirements and the vehicle's short production run. The next Lagonda sedan, however, is more likely to reach these shores. The DBX meanwhile is slated to switch to four doors from the coupe-like profile of the concept, but keep similar overall dimensions and that sleek roofline – albeit modified to make it more accommodating. The crossover will also replace the concept's electric powertrain with a more conventional engine. And while we wouldn't rule out the name carrying over, we wouldn't be surprised to see the DBX adopt another handle on the road to production.