anticipated luxurious and sporty Aston Martin Zagato will arrive in Saud Arabia in May, Mark L. Pocock, brand manager at Aston Martin, told the Saudi Gazette during the “Test Drive The Aston Martin Line Up” event at the Rosewood Corniche hotel in Jeddah Tuesday. He said the company prepares a “celebration offer” whereby a buyer can pay 50 percent of the selling price in cash on purchase and “has to pay nothing for the 2 next years after which he can pay the remaining 50 percent.” Each Zagato is constructed from hand-crafted aluminum and carbon fiber. The test drive event is the beginning of many to come and is a way of letting people experience the brand and create more awareness of their unique products, Pocock said. The Aston Martin line up showcased the DB9, Virage, V8 Vantage S, DBS, Rapide and the V12 Vantage. The VIP guests were driven in the luxury automobiles organized by the Aston Martin team. One of the guests remarked “this event is just right for people who understand luxury and sport to come together and have a feel of the real thing. It is after all the winner of the coolest brand by the CoolBrands Council in the UK. It beat 10,000 of the best brands in the world and its great to see it in the Saudi market.” Walid Karanouh, regional manager of the Arab Motoring Magazine said there is an increasing trend and a great potential in the luxury car market as more buyers in the Kingdom are opting for a luxury experience in driving. Aston Martin design chief Marek Reichman said the design of 2012's Zagato matches the “bulging” aesthetic of the 1960s original. And there's a discreet double-bubble roof too and gaping front grille to match the DB4 GT Zagato. Underneath the Zagato-penned body, the mechanicals are identical to a V12 Vantage. Power comes from a 6.0-liter V-12, rated at 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque and mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Aston Martin claims a 0 - 60 mph time of 4.2 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 190 mph. The inside of the V12 Zagato is as exclusive as the outside, featuring Bridge of Weir leather, hand-stitched quilting and plenty of carbon fiber accents. – SG __
