First Coupé and Speedster, Built in the UK by R-Reforged to celebrate Zagato’s centenary
R-Reforged has revealed the first brace of cars created to celebrate Zagato’s centenary, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato Heritage TWINS by R-Reforged. Making their debut are the first pair of TWINS, which are prototypes specified by Andrea and Marella Zagato and reserved for the private Zagato collection. Exclusively available as a pair, in Coupé and Speedster form, just 19 customer sets of the desirable Aston Martin V12 Zagato Heritage TWINS by R-Reforged will be sold. Each pair will be hand assembled in R-Reforged’s new 2,800 square metre premises in Warwick, UK.
Styled at Zagato’s Milan headquarters, the iconic Italian design house has evolved the 2011 Aston Martin Vantage V12 Zagato Coupé form and created a new, pure Speedster twin. Sharper, cleaner and highly collectible – thanks to their limited run and significance in Zagato’s history – both are now fully clothed in carbon fiber. The design changes run from the nose, which incorporates a new splitter and front wings, through to the sleeker tail, now with active aero that transforms the cars’ balance but retains the defined Zagato lines whilst at rest. The TWINS can be specified as matching or individual designs, with owners already benefitting from one-to-one time with the car’s designers and engineers to personalise virtually every element.
“The essence of this project was to create a perfect ‘garage’, comprising two desirable and collectable cars; Coupé and Roadster,” says Andrea Zagato. “Limited to just 19 pairs, a significant number, recalling the year Zagato was formed, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato Heritage TWINS by R-Reforged mark a remarkable milestone for the Milanese atelier. Despite having created over 450 models since our formation, we chose Aston Martin, which has surely been our most prestigious partner over the last 50 years, to mark this celebration. The cooperation with R-Reforged ensured that we could create an instant classic.”
The 19 owners of this rare and special series, licenced by Aston Martin, will also experience the significant transformation to vehicle performance delivered through a series of meaningful engine and dynamic improvements. Pure and aggressive, the potent 5.9-litre V12 now packs close to 600bhp, up 80bhp over standard, thanks to R-Reforged’s engineers opting for the performance aluminium air intake and Titanium exhaust, accentuating arguably one of the world’s greatest engine soundtracks. The lean stance of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato Heritage TWINS by R-Reforged is enhanced by the 10 mm ride height reduction and 20 mm stretched track. At each corner sit 19” centre lock wheels forged by Formula One supplier APP Tech, with an increased offset, wrapped in Michelin’s revered Pilot Sport 4S rubber.
A comprehensive CFD programme led engineers to develop a new front splitter and active aero wing that will significantly improve balance and poise.
The superior quality of materials and attention to detail are evident in every facet of the car’s build with R-Reforged’s team leaving no stone unturned in its ambition to create cars truly worthy of marking Zagato’s centenary. R-Reforged is now able to offer a full body ‘visual carbon’ finish as a further option. The 400-hour process requires extensive and careful preparation so as not to disturb the carbon weave, before the subsequent application of a bespoke lacquer providing UV stability prior to tuning both the colour and density of the tint to any shade requested. Alternatively, the body paint colour can be matched to any sample, whether matt, satin or gloss. Ultimately, each TWIN is truly individual and bespoke for each owner.
Inside are sensory rich materials, including Bridge of Weir’s finest Grade A leather with an almost infinite range of colours, bespoke patterns and textures. Choices to-date include a mottled surface texture, just like that of a pebble, and gloss leather to complement the exterior body finish.
A closer look inside reveals further touches that underline R-Reforged’s forensic approach to the build. These include colour matching the horn push button on the steering wheel, the first time in the Vantage’s history that has been done. Other examples include a sleeker, longer windscreen for the Speedster and retooling the entire carpet boot moulding, which required a significant investment, purely because the original material and form did not meet R-Reforged’s stringent standards.
Assembled with pride in Warwick, UK, at R-Reforged’s newly expanded 2,800 square metre facility, each car takes a team of 12 craftspeople 16 weeks to assemble. All cars are extensively stripped, analysed and thoroughly refreshed before receiving over 500 new components to ensure the finished car is both aesthetically and performance wise pin sharp.
“Revealing these cars marks an incredibly special moment in both Zagato’s long history and in our own, very short journey of just three years,” says R-Universe’s CEO Thomas Mayer. “We have brought together an incredible team of engineers and craftspeople to develop and produce these beautiful, exquisitely detailed cars that amplify the design, craftsmanship, performance and ownership experience of the original.”
Underlining that ownership is about more than just buying the cars: owners will also receive a series of incredibly special tailored gifts that starts with a TWINS carbon fibre presentation case, cataloguing specification details using scale models and samples. Customers will continue to receive a stream of themed gifts, invitations and experiences throughout their ownership.
Ensuring the cars’ performance matches the build quality and finish, the prototype cars will be used to determine final geometry, damper settings and spring settings at Spain’s IDIADA test facility early in 2021. Before then, these TWINS, which are ultimately destined to reside in Zagato’s private collection, will be on display at flagship dealership Aston Martin St. Gallen in Switzerland until early in the New Year before embarking on a global tour including the US and Europe.
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