V8 Volante Zagato
V8 Volante Zagato

V8 Volante Zagato

(1987 - 1989)

Following the unveiling of the first V8 Vantage Zagato with Volante coachwork at the Geneva Motor Show in 1987, AML took the  decision to produce the car as so  but to placate the owners of the original Vantage Zagato, the Volante Zagato would receive the less powerful fuel injected V585 V8 engine. And as the fuel injected engine did not have the bulky air box on top of carburettors, the Volante did not need the power bulge in the middle of the bonnet .

V8 Volante Zagato

Apart from the lack of a fixed roof, the major external change from the coupe was a new dummy radiator grill and pivoted ‘eyelids’ to cover the head lamps when they are not in use. Extra strengthening added 35kg in weight and together with the efi engine with at least 100 less brake horse power, performance only slightly ahead of the V8 Volante, with a claimed top speed of 160mph and 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds.

The car above, finished in Porsche White with contrasting grey interior and matching hood, was on sale at the Bonhams/Brooks sale at AML Works Service in May 2001. It is chassis number 10, the first car delivered to a private customer and is unusual in having the 5 speed manual gearbox – most other examples were automatic.

This unusual Volante Zagato (above) features the cleaner front grille and light arrangements of the coupe. Possibly two cars were built in this way, one was later converted to Vantage specification which probably makes this car unique. It was photographed at the 1999 AMOC Le Mans 40th anniversary meeting at Donnington Park.

Although initially AML intended to build just 25 Volante Zagatos, by the time that production ended in 1989, 37 production cars had been completed. Although most stayed true to the original V585 specification, some were later converted to Vantage specification or 6.3 litre spec by the Customer Services Division (now called Aston Martin Works) and others were uprated to 7.0 litre by RS Williams.

  • Body/Coachwork:
    • 2 door 2+0 convertible
    • Steel platform chassis with handcrafted aluminium alloy body panels by Zagato in Italy
    • Fixed headlights with flip-up covers
    • Power-operated, fully lined Everflex hood with flexible plastic rear window
  • Interior:
    • Full leather interior, designed by Zagato
    • Air-conditioning system
    • Bucket seats with tilting squabs to allow access to the rear luggage space
    • Optional Walnut centre console
  • Engine:
    • Front mounted all-alloy 90° V8, 5,340 cc, two-valves-per cylinder, twin overhead camshafts per bank.
    • Engine number prefix V585/
    • Bore 100 mm. Stroke 85 mm. Compression ratio 9.3 : 1
    • Weber-Marelli electronic fuel injection
    • Maximum power: not quoted but about 315 bhp @ 5,000 rpm
    • Maximum torque: not quoted but about 345 lb.ft @ 3,500 rpm
    • Air Injection System: twin AC Delco air pumps
  • Transmission:
    • Manual: 5 speed ZF. hydraulically operated 10½”, Borg and Beck single dry-plate diaphragm clutch
    • Automatic: Chrysler Torqueflite 3 speed automatic
    • Final drive: Salisbury hypoid bevel with Powr-Lok limited slip differential.
    • Final drive ratio: 3.058 : 1 (automatic) 3.54 : 1 (manual)
  • Steering:
    • Power assisted Adwest rack and pinion. Turning circle between curbs of about 10.5 metres
  • Wheels and tyres:
    • Bolt-on, 5 stud Speedline 16 x 8 ” light alloy wheels
    • Goodyear 255/55 VR16 radial low profile tyres
  • Suspension:
    • Front: Independent, featuring unequal transverse wishbones, coil springs and co-axial telescopic shock absorbers with an anti-roll bar
    • Rear: De-Dion tube, Watts linkage and trailing links incorporating uprated Koni co-axial spring shock absorber units
  • Brakes:
    • Front: Ventilated steel discs, 267mm (10.51″) diameter
    • Rear: Ventilated steel discs, 264mm (10.39″) diameter mounted inboard
    • Tandem master cylinders and dual vacuum servo assistance
  • Dimensions:
    • Length: 4,480 mm
    • Width: 1,860 mm
    • Height: 1,302 mm
    • Kerb Weight: 1,686 kg
    • Wheelbase: 2,610 mm
    • Front track: 1,499 mm
    • Rear track: 1,499 mm
    • Fuel tank capacity: 95.4 litres, reserve of 13.6 litres
  • Performance:
    • Acceleration: Manual 0-60 m.p.h, approx. 5.5 seconds.
    • Maximum speed: 155 mph (manual)
  • Price at launch:
    • Initially slated for sale at £125,000
    • September 1988: £160,000
    • February 1989: £175,000
    • August 1989: £190,000