Is this the rarest Aston that will be sold this year?

By Lizzie Pope

| 22 May 2019

Classic & Sports Car – Super-rare Aston Martin prototype for sale

It’s one of only three built and one of just two right-hand drive examples – and if you have the necessary means, this prototype Aston Martin could now be yours.

Vendor Pendine Historic Cars, based at Bicester Heritage, is asking £530,000 for this high-spec, ultra-rare 1986 Aston Martin V8 Zagato, which has emerged from a private collection to be offered for sale for the first time in two decades.

And, given its rarity and the fact that it’s also the coachbuilder’s centenary year, we suspect it will attract plenty of attention.

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato coupé is a rare beast in any guise: only 52 were built and each of them was sold before production had even begun.

The car you see here, though, is on another level when it comes to rarity. Chassis 20011 is one of a trio of prototypes, made before any of the original limited production run, and it is both lighter and has a shorter wheelbase than the stock Vantage, as well as deleted rear seats.

It’s faster, too: according to the factory, it can do a sub-five-second 0-60mph dash en route to around 190mph – indeed, when new it was the fastest-ever Aston Martin.

Nor are rarity and speed the only things that makes this car so special.

Finished in Gladiator Redcar, it was commissioned by marque aficionado Wensley Hayden-Baillie, a friend of former Aston Martin Lagonda chairman Victor Gauntlett, and the car’s unique specification includes a walnut centre console, black leather-wrapped seats and steering wheel, as well as authenticity plaques.

It’s one of only four V8 Zagatos known to have been built with the 432bhp engine, and one of just two with an integral roll bar. And enthusiasts might also be pleased to see that it has a five-speed manual gearbox.

Chassis 20011 underwent a restoration between 2009 and 2013, carried out by Pebble Beach-winning specialist Auto Restorations in New Zealand.

And this isn’t the Aston’s only brush with a world-leading concours: it was invited to 2016’s Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este as well as to the first London Concours in 2017.

Today, it is listed by Aston Martin Heritage Trust as a significant car and will be sold with its original manuals, its delivery and warranty documents, plus copies of the factory memos about its build.

“Chassis 20011 is a well-known Aston Martin and is surely one of the finest examples of all of the V8 Zagatos built,” said James Mitchell, founder of Pendine Historic Cars, which is offering this V8 for sale.

“According to the current owner, who has raced and driven more V8 Zagatos than most, it drives unlike the other cars and is visceral by comparison. This is a special car which seriously deserves recognition for its place in the marque’s genesis.”

Find out more here.

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