Zagato is turning 95 this year, and like all of us hope to do when we turn 95, they're celebrating by building a one-off Aston Martin shooting brake. As you'd expect, it's pretty stunning — but, I don't think it's Shooting Brake enough. I'll explain.
The one-off is called the Aston Martin Virage Shooting Brake Zagato, one of the six-wordiest car names I can think of offhand. The fundamental design language seems to be derived from last year's Aston Martin DBS Coupe Zagato Centennial, and retains the forward-raked front and sleek lines.
The Shooting Brake was commissioned by an unknown European client, and was unveiled at the Chantilly Art & Elegance show in France, which I'm told is a real craphole.
Now, let me just make it clear that I understand the colossal hubris I'm saturated in to even suggest anything could be improved about this lovely, coachbuilt car, but screw it. I love shooting brakes in general, and I think this has to be said:
This car is not enough of a shooting brake.
It looks more like a sleek hatchback — which is fine, absolutely, but I feel like there was too much hesitancy and a lack of commitment to make the car into a shooting brake. Astons have been made into unrepentant shooting brakes for years — and they've always retained that classic shooting brake profile of the long roof and nearly vertical rear window.
I don't think something like this needs to slavishly conform to tradition, but I think a bit more of a shooting brake look would have helped. Here's my quick and dirty edit:
(my edit. and below...)
(... the original, for reference)
The thinking is, if you're going to break a car, then break it. Commit. I feel like Zagato's take was tempered with the fear that it would look too stogy, so they diluted the shooting brake profile down to the barest suggestion, and it's not quite enough.
A true Shooting Brake should pass the Two Rules Of Wagonhood. I'm not sure this one actually does.
So, unknown, wealthy guy who commissioned this, I think you should send it back to Zagato for a bit of retooling. You can use my crude sketch as a guide, no charge. I just may want to crash on your private island some day when the shit gets too real out here.
You're welcome.