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This is the first completed version of the glorious Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Continuation, that will form part of the Aston Martin DBZ Centenary Collection with a yet-to-be-fully-revealed DBS GT Zagato due to be released in 2020.
The beautiful DB4 GT Zagato Continuation was displayed at Aston Martin's VIP hospitality facility at the Le Mans 24 Hour race, and it is just one of 19 DB4 cars that will be built as part of the DBZ Centenary Collection. It is not, however, the first DB4 GT built since the 1960s, as a run of 25 Continuation DB4 GTs were built prior to, and then subsequently sold in, 2017.
This time around, the gorgeous DB4 GT Zagato (it's this name that makes the difference to the 2017 cars) is the culmination of around 4,500 hours of 'painstaking and meticulous artisan craftsmanship'. The display car for Le Mans is finished in Rosso Maja paint, the colour matched to original masters created by Max Meyer & ICI, the supplier for the 1960s cars. Inside, the 2019 edition has Obsidian Black leather covering the pads in carbon-fibre race seats, as well as the door cards, headliner and the rear space of the cabin. This hide is matched by black Wilton carpets bound in more Obsidian Black leather and thread.
Each of the DB4 GT Zagatos has a larger 390hp-plus, 4.7-litre version of the straight-six petrol engine that was found in the DB4 GT Continuation. Power goes to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission with a limited-slip differential and all the Zagato Continuations are track-only specification. To that end, a full FIA-approved roll cage is standard, as are correct Borrani silver-painted wheels and polished rims.
One of the reasons just 19 examples of the Continuation cars are being built is because there were only 19 of the original DB4 GT Zagatos created. Aston Martin, building the vehicle at its Heritage Division HQ in Newport Pagnell, UK, is so carefully following the path trodden by the original that the latest DB4 GT Zagatos have hand-finished aluminium body panels that are worked from flat, 1.2mm-thick sheets of the metal.
Continuation cars are becoming big business for Aston Martin and, after the 2017 run of 25 DB4 GTs and this line of 19 DB4 GT Zagatos, there's also the small matter of the DB5 'Goldfinger' Continuation vehicles to come.
Anything else?
Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and CEO, said: "The development and successful creation of this latest Continuation car is an achievement that should not be underestimated. Indeed, it could well be argued that we are making history with these new cars. Celebrating our brand's deep and enduring partnership with Zagato in this, their landmark year, by launching the DBZ Centenary Collection has been a mammoth undertaking and I'm personally extremely proud of the results in the shape of this new DB4 GT Zagato."
Paul Spires, president of Aston Martin Works, said: "Like Andy, I'm incredibly proud of what the team have achieved in making the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation a reality. After the unprecedented success of the DB4 GT Continuation cars, we are once again bringing to life the stuff of Aston Martin folklore."
Each customer that has signed up for the DBZ Centenary Collection has forked out €6.72 million (plus local taxes) for their prized possessions. They will each take delivery of their DB4 GT Zagato Continuation in the third quarter of this year, before the DBS GT Zagato to complement it arrives in the final quarter of 2020.