Here are some of Zagato's wildest designs

Aston Martin and Zagato have done it again. In 2016 they revealed the Vanquish Zagato and Vanquish Zagato Volante models, which were nice. They soon completed the family by unveiling the excellent Vanquish Zagato Speedster and Shooting Brake, which were also nice. 

Now, the pair are promising something rather delightful indeed, with the incoming DBS GT Zagato: a long, double-bubble-roofed Zagato-themed DBS Superleggera. If the first sketches are anything to go by, it'll be quite something indeed.

It's the latest in a long, fine, often wild line of Zagato-bodied creations from a company that has been modifying cars for 100 years.

Ugo Zagato himself began his coachbuilding career way back in 1919, and had a simple aim: to transfer his aeronautical nous - strong, lightweight construction - to the business of cars. And in doing so, also happened to make them look bloody amazing.

So in light of the upcoming DBS GT, here are some of Zagato’s standout moments.

Surely one of the finest collaborations since the Chuckle Brothers burst onto our screens with Chucklevision (RIP Barry).

It was in fact the first such collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato, built at the dawn of the 1960s and easily one of the most pleasing shapes we've yet seen. The 3.7-litre straight six chucked out 314bhp, propelled the car to 60mph in just over six seconds and featured in just 19 cars.

Jim Clark and Roy Salvadori even drove a GT Zagato. That's pedigree.

When this first launched way back in 2010, we became entirely besotted with its Kamm-tailed, breadvan profile. It weighs 820kg. It's powered by a dry-sumped 4.2-litre V8. It'll go from 0-62mph in less than 3.5 seconds and power up to 180mph.

Also, it's gorgeous.

The 1960s Alfa TZs were the inspiration for the gorgeous TZ3 we saw in 2010. We've gone for the second TZ2 here, because though the TZ1 is also bloody gorgeous, the 2's lines are swoopier and longer and more bloody gorgeous.

Again, it was a racing version with a racing engine, a body made of fibreglass and a production run of just 12 cars.

On the 50th anniversary of the DB4 GT, Aston unveiled its newest venture with Zagato in the shape of the beguiling V12.

It took the basic, jaw-slackening beauty of the regular Aston V12 Vantage, and added to it signature Zag' flourishes: the double bubble roof, shark-tooth grille and stubby elegance. Oh, and that 510bhp V12 was quite lovely, too.

Top Gear drives the V12 Zagato on the Furka Pass

A controversial choice for some, but for many, a necessary inclusion onto this list; there's no denying that Alfa and Zagato's wedge-shaped slice of motoring that landed at the end of the 1980s was a striking thing.

Available as either a two-door coupe or the RZ roadster, this one featured a 3.0-litre V6 powering the rear wheels. Zagato tells us this period gave birth to cars "that neither depreciated nor went out of fashion". Errr...

Zagato had never before worked on a Bentley, until 2008, when at that year's Geneva Motor Show we witnessed the birth of the Continental GTZ. Underneath it was all Bentley - that same 6.0-litre W12 churned out the same 600bhp.

But on top, well, that was something else entirely. The Conti GT's subtle lines had been transformed; the front got some subtle tweaks to the grille, the roof got that signature - but sleight - double bubble roof Zagato is so fond of. The rear is where it all gets interesting, though; bigger haunches, a redesigned tail and a longer silhouette.

BMW has a rich history of Italian coachwork decorating its machinery; the 328s from the late 1930s, the Isetta, the BMW 700, 3200 CS Bertone and of course, the iconic M1 supercar.

This Zagato then, applies the same treatment to the Z4. There's the double-bubble roof, an almost vertically cut rear end formed from a single mould, and bigger haunches. Look at the front, and the bigger cheeks that almost seem to squash the grille. It's quite something, you'll agree.

They built a Roadster version, too.

Great name, great concept. This was based on a Lamborghini Diablo VT, built by Zagato for the 1996 Geneva Motor Show with the same 492bhp V12, but minus the ABS and traction control. Because nothing screams old school like, well, screaming.

Still, it's all about design here, and as ever, the double-bubble roof is present and correct, part of a canopy that hinges forward at the front, and an engine cover that hinged back. Pity Lamborghini never put it into production. But then the company would take a very different path with the Gallardo instead...

TG's quick guide to the Lamborghini Gallardo

The first of its 95th anniversary celebratory models sees the legendary Italian coachbuilder reimagine a milestone in Lamborghini's history. It's called the 5-95, was built for a discerning collector of Zagato models and is said to express the company's philosophy of ‘functionalism and rationalism'.

It's all Gallardo underneath, complete with that 570bhp V10. So fast, then.

So good we had to include it twice. The ones that raced around the Nürburgring a few years back were nicknamed ‘Zig' and ‘Zag' (geddit?) and one even campaigned by former Aston boss Dr Ulrich Bez. They fared well in the race too, competing in 2011 and 2012, but with looks like this, nobody really cared how it performed.

We'd argue the Vanquish is worthy of inclusion on this list. It uses an uprated version of AM's familiar 6.0-litre V12 - producing 592bhp - but uses a body shaped entirely from carbon fibre.

Not only does it take in familiar Zagato design cues - the rear, the double bubble roof etc - but it also nods to Aston's special projects of the past too, including the One-77, the CC-100 and the Vulcan. Oh, and there's more than a whiff of new DB11 in that side profile too.

A Villa d'Este star in 2015, this Zagato was dubbed ‘Mostro’. It’s a track special that’s road-legal, and features a ‘MonoCell’ carbonfibre chassis coupled to steel tubing to accommodate the cabin and the subframe.

The bodywork is made entirely of carbon, and up front - but behind the front axle - sits a dry-dumped, Maserati-sourced V8 engine. No power output is given, but we can assume it has at least 460bhp.

Yoshiyuku Hayashi is a Japanese car collector, with a penchant for Ferraris – in his collection he had a 166MM, a 250 GT California Spider, a pair of Daytonas and an Enzo. Not a bad haul.

He went to Zagato and asked them to turn his 575M into a homage to the gorgeous 250 GTZ from the 1950s. Zagato fitted an all-aluminium body, two-tone paintwork, new front wings and that familiar Zagato grille. “It is a winning combination,” Zagato explained at the time, “linking the most powerful, famous engineering in the world with the most refined, fascinating sporting style, both made strictly in Italy."

Got more than a whiff of Disco Volante about it, no? This 2007 Geneva show car – one of two – celebrated 100 years of the Diatto marque. Zagato used a pair of Diatto’s ‘mechanised chassis’ and fitted a rather gorgeous body on top.

Again, it’s an all-aluminium affair, with lids moulded into a single piece to help create a smoother silhouette. The shape was meant to invoke the Diatto competition cars that used to race across Europe way back when.

It’s pronounced Zee-One, FYI. But you won’t care about the pronunciation, because frankly, it is lovely. It was the first collaboration between Zagato and South African carmaker Perana, with “full-blooded Zagato form language” on display. For that, read: bloody amazing.

It weighs just 1,195kg, has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, and features a 6.2-litre all-aluminium V8 underneath. Yep, a Corvette V8. That’s 440bhp, 0-62mph in around four seconds and oh forget the performance, just gawp at those lines.

Looks familiar, no? This AC – again, another carmaker Zagato has long collaborated with – followed up the Perana, with the same Corvette V8, similar lines, and same lightweight ethos.

Yep, bet you forgot that Zagato even dabbled with the gorgeous Porsche Carrera GT. Though here, the input was minimal. 

Unveiled in 2013, after a Swiss Porsche enthusiast presented Zagato with a few proposals for his GT, with Zagato determining more of an evolution that something completely new. The point after all, was to leave “all the Porsche Carrera GT project highlights untouched”.

This one gets a new engine bonnet and bumpers, in typical Zagato ‘double bubble’ fashion.