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At its world premiere this weekend, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato has won the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.

Introduced as a modern interpretation of the famous Aston Martin and Zagato collaboration in the 50^thanniversary year of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, the V12 Zagato was shown for the first time at this prestigious international event sparking great interest of visitors and customers.

All visitors to the Concorso D’Eleganza were invited to cast their vote for the best concept and prototype. Among ten entries from around the world, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato was voted the best in class.

Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, said: “We are thrilled to see that this car conquered people’s hearts. With the V12 Zagato we managed to add just another successful chapter both to the history of Aston Martin and the future of our brand. This is an exciting car, powerful and incredibly beautiful.”

Marek Reichman, Design Director of Aston Martin, added: “It is an honour to win this award in Italy, where many great designs originated from, and this victory shows that Aston Martin has successfully developed their own renowned design language over the past years. The result is a car that incorporates the core values of the Zagato design language which we perfectly translated into Aston Martin’s modern design DNA.”

Dr Ulrich Bez is looking forward now to taking the car to the Nürburgring where it will have its racing debut at the 53^rd ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup VLN race in less than a week, on the 28^th May. Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Dr Ulrich Bez will lead a driver team which will eventually race two V12 Zagato cars at the Nürburgring 24 hour race on 25^th/26^th June. Dr Bez: “Nürburgring is where we sign-off every new model in terms of dynamics, and there can be no better place for the new V12 Zagato to be finally tested. The 24 hour race is the ultimate road test and a fitting introduction for the V12 Zagato”.

“Based on the reactions of our customers to this race car, we hope to offer a road-homologated V12 Zagato in a small, limited number as soon as possible. First feedback has been great so far, this makes us confident that this new Aston Martin V12 Zagato will be a winner of the classic car vote at Villa D’Este in fifty years time.”

The Jaguar XF has once again won the Best Executive Car category in the Diesel Car Magazine Awards – the fourth time the British-built Jaguar XF has scooped the award.

Commenting on the award, Ian Robertson, Editor of Diesel Car Magazine, said: “As a prestige car to please an executive owner, the Jaguar XF has it all. You get a terrific driving experience in the XF, cosseted in a cabin that is as comfortable as it is clever.”

Judged by the editorial team at Diesel Car Magazine, the award recognises the best mix of comfort, refinement, style, efficiency and performance in each class. The Jaguar XF emerged as a clear winner in the executive category.

Geoff Cousins, Managing Director, Jaguar UK, commented: “I’m proud that the XF remains as competitive today as it was when it was launched through our programme of improvements to ensure the XF retains its position at the very top of its class. To win four times is remarkable and testament to our commitment to delivering ever more refined and efficient diesel engines as well as class-leading refinement and customer care.”

The XF has enjoyed sustained popularity in the UK in a highly competitive market segment. This popularity is set to grow with the introduction of the new, 12MY XF in September equipped with a 2.2-litre diesel engine promising combined economy of 52.3 mpg while emitting 149 g/km of CO2.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato wins design award at Villa D’este, Italy

Jaguar XF wins Best Executive Diesel Award for a fourth time