Station wagon and supercar (or super Grand Touring car) are two categories of vehicle that does not seem to be in alignment. And, to be honest, everything ever labelled a ‘station wagon’ is irrevocably unsexy. And that’s probably the whole reason why the term ‘Shooting Brake’ exists.
The really picky among you might argue that a Shooting Brake and the stereotypical wagon aren’t exactly alike, but let’s leave those differences to one side and acknowledge that the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake is perhaps the best looking car to ever adopt this body style.
First of all, it’s a spin on the Vanquish Zagato coupe that was revealed in 2017, but given more practical twist that also somehow makes the car more appealing to the eye. As always with the Italian coach builder, they have incorporated a double bubble into the roof’s curvature, one fashioned from carbon fibre and glass
The passenger cell itself has also been altered quite drastically to match the totally reconfigured rear quarter. However, unlike most Shooting Brakes with their bread van-like silhouette, the Vanquish S on which it’s based was never designed to accommodate a set of additional rear seats, and as a result this Zagato Shooting Brake still only has space for two occupants.
On the bright side, that does mean the Aston has a boot capacity to rival most SUVs - at least when measuring by pure volume. In practice, however, we suspect the odd loading aperture and designated cargo (finished in polished carbon fibre) is sandwiched between the wheel wells and still only just above the transmission.
But this is Aston Martin, love of the bespoke for the sake of being bespoke, and though there aren't any pictured, we’re sure they have pondered the idea of a matching set of very expensive set of self-branded luggage that neatly fit into the Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake.
As this car was conceived on a model from the British marque’s staunchly naturally aspirated era, the car is powered by the same naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 that powers the Vanquish S, and boasts the same 447kW output, mated to an 8-speed automatic sourced form ZF.
As is the case with all Zagato bodied Aston Martins, exclusivity is a watchword, and so only 99 units of the Vanquish Shooting Brake will ever be produced. All of which, unsurprisingly, are already spoken for.
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