Aston Martin DB9 Spyder Zagato / RM Sotheby’s
Do you remember the very stylish DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial to celebrate Aston Martin’s 100th Anniversary in 2013? Well, this car will be offered for auction organized by RM Sotheby’s on August 14-15, during the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance week.
Press release: since the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato hit the road fifty years ago, Zagato and Aston Martin have enjoyed a wonderful partnership, resulting in a number of spectacular models produced between the two. In an effort to help celebrate Aston Martin’s 100th anniversary in 2013, Zagato decided to create their own interpretation on Aston Martin’s current models; pushing the brand’s styling in a new direction while honoring some models from Aston Martin’s past.
The styling was intended to recall iconic Aston Martins from the 1970s and 1980s, such as the DBS, V8 Vantage, and V8 Virage. The snub nose penned by Zagato’s designers gives it a character all its own and a more aggressive personality, while still retaining an heir of elegance, as any Aston Martin should. Its front end design carries through to the rear, where Zagato fitted unique taillights that mimic the design of the headlights, as well as a similarly squared off tail. The interior remains instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with modern Aston Martins and has remained largely unchanged, with the exception of stainless steel trim and a green stripe, mimicking the exterior color, down the center of the front and rear seats in this example.
The Centennial Spyder Concept began life as a standard U.S. specification-2013 Aston Martin DB9 Volante. It was purchased new by its first and only owner and immediately shipped to Zagato’s facilities in Italy to be fitted with custom, one-off coachwork. The work took about a year, and in accordance with its name, the car was debuted alongside a similarly styled DBS coupe at Aston Martin’s Centenary festivities in Kensington Gardens in July of 2013, where both it and the DBS were very well-received.
Following their unveiling at Kensington Gardens, the pair of Aston Martins travelled across the Atlantic to Pebble Beach, where they were shown on the concept lawn of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. From there, the Centennial Spyder Concept would remain in California with its sole owner, and has been well-preserved and occasionally driven over the past two years.
Currently showing 2,300 miles from new, the car received a service from an authorized Aston Martin dealership at 1,200 miles and has just recently completed its second service. It is also important to note that despite its custom coachwork, the car still retains its factory warranty on all of its mechanical components until March of 2016. The Centennial Spyder Concept presents as new, and it runs and drives just as any other 2013 DB9 Volante should. Even though it is a coachbuilt one-off, it is definitely reliable and comfortable enough to be driven on a daily basis, should that be the intension of its next caretaker.
Altogether, Aston Martin and Zagato only built three vehicles to celebrate Aston Martin’s 100th anniversary; the DBS Coupe, the DB9 Spyder presented here, and a Virage Shooting Brake that was unveiled at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours in September of 2014. It is incredibly unlikely that either the Coupe or the Shooting Brake will become available for sale in the near future, making the opportunity to acquire the Centennial Spyder Concept very special indeed.
Technical details: 510 bhp, 5935 cc DOHC aluminum V-12 engine, six-speed ‘Touchtronic’ automatic transmission, four-wheel independent suspension with double wishbones and coil springs and adaptive dampers and four wheel carbon ceramic disc brakes with ABS.
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