Forza Horizon 4: Vanquishing Zagato

Last week, I got my hands on the new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and I'm starting to fall in love with the newest and the ultimate grand tourer Aston Martin ever made especially with its "showtime" undertones that gave me the jellies. Now, another Aston Martin has entered the spotlight and this time, it's the turn of its predecessor, only fancier because it's the Zagato-fied Aston Martin Vanquish.



Here's the X-file on that prize car I got from the Spring Horizon Playlist of this update; the Vanquish Zagato is one of the super rare breeds made by the partnership between Aston Martin and Zagato. Unveiled at the Concourse d'Elegance event at Lake Como, this limited-to-99-unit collectors' model is the fifth car emerged from the ongoing partnership that spans back from the DB4 GT Zagato, the barn find that you got since you first moved to Horizon UK. Although based on the Vanquish S underneath, the 6.0L V12 engine has been uprooted to produce 600PS of power, which allowed the Vanquish Zagato to get from 0-60mph in three and a half seconds, and it features a more comfort-oriented suspension setup for a more GT feel unlike most ultra-expensive sportscars.

Apart from the Coupe, the Vanquish Zagato has spawned various variants such as the open-top Volante, the Speedster, and the Shooting Brake. Combining the "family" of four Vanquish Zagato models, all 325 cars have been sold before being shown to the world.



Back in Colorado in the first Horizon adventure, I drove the Vanquish and I'm already fell in love with how much of a grand tourer this car made and in the Zagato-fied version, there's still so much things to do to catch up on the ultimate grand tourer that was now replaced by the now-ultimate grand tourer that I drove last week. The body and the engine may look and feel different from the Vanquish it was based on but it's still a Vanquish. Nothing else comes close to the real thing.



Such X-file deserves a little tryout and with that, I went to Fortune Island to unleash this V12 beauty in the dead of the night. Roll the tape.





What we learned this series update is that while the DBS Superleggera can easily eclipse the full majesty of the Vanquish Zagato in terms of performance, it's the true beauty that easily outshine the successor apart. The Vanquish truly is one of the all-time greats in Aston Martin history and the Zagato version really is the fond farewell to that car before the revival of the DBS took over the Vanquish's reins. Needless to say, I really want Aston Martin to keep making grand tourers like this and while they're hot on the heels on their first-ever crossover, their grand touring heritage their sportscars made will forever be grateful to the world over. That is the bottom line. Good bye.

GT SPORT: Zagato's VGT masterpiece

Zagato was well-known for their coach-built masterpieces only the privileged few can get through with their handcrafted arts and crafts inside and out to deliver a living work of art that matches the theme of grand touring. When Gran Turismo asked Zagato what will their Vision Gran Turismo entry be, their response is their take on an legendary icon.



And this is their result; it's called the Iso Rivolta Zagato Vision Gran Turismo concept and when it was showcased at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, it became a playable car on GT SPORT via an update. So, what is this masterpiece Zagato talked about? First, and foremost, let's talk about Iso Rivolta.

Iso Rivolta was well known among wealthy clients since the 60's and the 70's for combining European design and drive train imported from the USA, resulting to excellent and reliable sports cars. Their cars took part in well-known races in Sebring, Nurburgring, and Le Mans. Iso cars can be recognizably known by the griffin emblem and for Zagato's modern take on an legendary icon, it really harks its motor racing pedigree back to its ancestors.





First impressions can be somewhat hawkish and just by looking at the Iso Rivolta Zagato VGT, the design has a clear reminder that it reminded you of a car you saw from a certain tokusatsu show several years ago. Zagato says that this VGT machine draws inspiration from the aerodynamic designs of great prototype endurance race cars and it was virtually built using realistic volume and base measurements, delivering a striking visual appeal to a contemporary gentleman driver's sportscar. It's powered by a 4.5L engine producing 559HP of power and 428ft-lb of torque while the whole car weighs two and a half tons.

Although, there's too little to say about the conceptual take of the legendary Iso Rivolta sports cars, the one way to get to know more about this machine a little further is to drive it and to do that, since it was showcased at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, I went to Suzuka Circuit and find out how the Iso Rivolta Zagato VGT is made for.



Doing sighting laps on Suzuka, I'm starting to get bewildered by how the IsoRivolta Zagato VGT behaves on the track and because being one of the Vision GT cars that adhere nothing to regulations, it's a shame that you can't really race it on official Sport Mode races but you can really admire its uncanny dynamics and its character reeling from within. The sound of the engine and the gear change is what I like most by the way because the engine sounded like an angry muscle car while the gear change sounds like hitting with a sledgehammer in the foundry, such character for this car really means that this car works hard to deliver the sensational feeling drivers possess like how the pioneers of the past experience the glory days of motoring with their Iso Rivolta cars. While the car's characteristics made it special, it serves as a challenge for those who are unfamiliar with this car because at first, it can be downright intimidating to drive but with practice, the IsoRivolta Zagato VGT could be the no-holds-barred racing machine you can really ignite your senses at.

And with that, let me show you how I wrestle with this griffin round Suzuka. Enjoy the clip.





Although being a concept car that exists only in the world of Gran Turismo, the IsoRivolta Zagato VGT is a futuristic take of a legendary brand with such impressive motorsport pedigree and by making the most out of it on the track with nothing to hold back, the charisma and the performance is something to behold and inspire for the next generation of vehicles in the future. It really is Zagato's work of art to motivate the future of sportscars into new and exciting ways unimaginable by many.