Coupe Or Convertible: Take Your Pick Of Aston V8 Zagatos Up For Auction

Of all the gorgeous vehicles on which Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated over the years, the one they made in the late 1980s may not strike us today as the most beautiful. But as with so many children of the Eighties, the V8 Zagato is coming of age, and is only bound to appreciate in value as its squared-off styling returns to vogue.

They only made 89 of these between 1986 and 1990 – 52 coupes and another 37 convertibles (or Volantes, in Aston-speak). It just so happens that one example of each has been consigned to RM Sotheby’s for its upcoming sale at Villa Erba on Italy’s Lake Como during next month’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

With apologies to its fixed-roof stablemate, it’s the Volante that catches our attention more – and not just because of its yellow paintjob. The convertible was already the rarer breed, but this example happens to be one of the few converted by the factory to more potent Vantage specification (and the only one in left-hand drive).

That made it “without a doubt the fastest convertible available in its day,” reaching 62 in under five seconds and topping out over 184 mph – faster and quicker than the Ferrari 288 GTO that was just wrapping up its run at the time.

Though the roadster may fetch the higher price, the coupe on offer has had a more colorful history. One of only 15 made in left-hand-drive configuration, it was delivered new in 1987 to a sheikh on the Persian Gulf, in grey over grey, but crashed in the mid 1990s. It was subsequently returned to the factory with instructions to make it better than new. It’s now finished in a more timeless black over parchment leather, with just 2,500 miles on the clock, equipped with the 485-horsepower engine and five-speed ZF transmission.

So which would you take, the elegant coupe or the flashier convertible? Check them out in the images below by Tim Scott courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.