Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante Confirmed for Jersey Concours d’Elegance 2026

Jersey Concours d’Elegance is pleased to announce another rare and highly distinctive entry for its 2026 event: a 1988 Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante.

With only 37 examples produced, the V8 Zagato Volante is among the most exclusive open Aston Martins of the late twentieth century. Hand-built, highly individual and unmistakably shaped, it represents a remarkable collaboration between one of Britain’s most admired performance marques and one of Italy’s most celebrated design houses.

The Aston Martin wings: a marque emblem closely associated with British grand touring, hand-built craftsmanship and enduring motoring heritage.

The car will join the curated field at People’s Park, St Helier, on Saturday 13 June 2026, as Jersey Concours d’Elegance marks 75 years since the Island’s first Concours in 1951. For visitors, it offers the opportunity to see at close quarters a car that divides opinion, invites study and rewards understanding: exactly the kind of machine that gives a Concours its character.

One of only 37 examples produced, the Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante combines open-top grand touring with Zagato’s unmistakable design language

The Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante was conceived as a modern, open-top interpretation of the DB4 GT Zagato of the 1960s, one of the most revered Anglo-Italian sports cars ever created. Like its predecessor, the V8 Zagato was built around a shortened wheelbase and clothed in lightweight aluminium bodywork. Its design was compact, muscular and purposeful, with a distinctive closed grille, concealed headlamps and sharply defined surfaces.

This was not styled by decoration. Zagato’s philosophy has always been rooted in clarity of function and the removal of excess. Founded in Milan in 1919 by Ugo Zagato, the company brought an aeronautical sensibility to automotive design, applying principles of lightness, efficiency and structural discipline to some of the most memorable cars of the last century.

The Zagato Milano badge, representing one of Italy’s most respected independent design houses and a philosophy rooted in lightness, function and necessary beauty.

That approach is often expressed through the Italian phrase “bellezza necessaria”, or “necessary beauty”. The idea is simple, but demanding: beauty should come from purpose, proportion and restraint, rather than ornament or fashion. In the V8 Zagato Volante, that philosophy can be seen in the way the car’s surfaces are drawn with confidence and economy. Nothing feels tentative. Every line appears to have been considered.

The result is a car with real presence. Its proportions are unmistakably Aston Martin, yet the detailing is unmistakably Zagato. The broad stance, sculpted bonnet, compact cabin and clean rear deck give the Volante a sense of controlled drama. It is not conventional, and it was never intended to be. Its appeal lies in its conviction.

The V8 Zagato Volante’s cabin reflects Aston Martin’s grand touring character, with traditional materials, clear instrumentation and a strong sense of occasion.

Inside, the car reflects Aston Martin’s grand touring tradition, with rich materials, clear instrumentation and the sense of occasion expected from a hand-built British convertible. The combination of performance, rarity and open-air touring gives the V8 Zagato Volante a particular place in Aston Martin history: a car for those who value design purity as much as marque heritage.

Zagato-bodied cars have long attracted collectors with an appreciation for individuality. Their owners tend to value provenance, craftsmanship and the confidence of a design house prepared to pursue its own language. From noted collectors to well-known enthusiasts, the Zagato name has consistently appealed to those who want something more considered than the familiar, and more enduring than the fashionable.

The 1988 Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante, showing its distinctive closed grille, concealed headlamps and compact, confident stance.

The arrival of the Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante at Jersey Concours d’Elegance 2026 adds further distinction to an already growing field of exceptional vehicles. It also speaks to the purpose of the event itself: to celebrate not only polished presentation, but the stories, ideas and craftsmanship behind the machines.

Jersey Concours d’Elegance 2026 takes place on Saturday, 13 June 2026 at People’s Park, St Helier, from 12 noon to 4pm. Public admission is free.

We warmly invite Islanders, visitors, collectors and enthusiasts to join us for an afternoon of automotive elegance, motoring heritage, design and community. Come and see the Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante, along with a carefully selected display of vintage, classic and performance cars, and historic motorcycles, on the grass at People’s Park.