If produced, each car will be hand-built and include the reworked aluminum body, boosted power over the stock DB7 Vantage, upgraded brakes, retuned suspension system and restyled interior, just like the show car. A-M could produce a limited number of DB7 Zagatos according to Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO. He stated, "This could be anything between 75 and 99 cars depending on what our clients tell us." Regarding the company's decision to show the car to customers around the world to gauge their opinions he commented, "We are anticipating a really positive reaction to the car and so far we have received a lot of interest and support." The first showing was at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Depending on this interest, which is currently anything but soft in the upper end of the market, the Zagato could begin production by Q1 of 2003. The body panels would be constructed in Italy and assembled at the DB7 Vantage factory in Bloxham, England.
In Aston Martin tradition all their models can be custom ordered to individual tastes, thus this especially unique model will be no different. For the time being three exterior colors are being considered including, Mercury Grey, Zagato Nero and Aqua Verde - similar to the original 1959 car. Dark Chocolate might be currently more popular in iced coffee drinks than automotive interiors but Zagato will once again fly in the face of trends and imbue the new car with aniline leather hides of this hue.
As previously mentioned, the DB7 Zagato will get an upgrade to the standard Vantage-tuned 6.0-L DOHC, 48-valve V12, but for now Aston Martin is secretive about exact numbers. That said it should produce in substantially more than the donor cars 420-hp - probably something closer to the 460-hp Vanquish. The added power combined with a slight weight reduction should give the new car extra zip, while its shorter 2,531 mm (99.7 in) wheelbase will most likely provide a more responsive turn-in. Expect it to come with Aston's close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission with a distinct final drive ratio and even shorter gear shift lever.