Happy Anniversary, 007: 1988 Aston Martin V8 Zagato

James Bond is celebrating 50 years of cinematic existence since his 1962 debut in Dr. No and COTC is marking the occasion by spotlighting this unusual and rare Aston Martin Zagato.

Zagato has a long history with Aston Martin and Aston Martin has a long history with James Bond. But Aston was in trouble by the 1980s, as was Bond. Timothy Dalton did a great job in The Living Daylights, but by License to Kill and the fall of the U.S.S.R. the series was running out of steam. Aston Martin meanwhile, was struggling to provide a reliable and respectable supercar (or sedan for that matter, after the Lagonda debacle) to compete with the best.

So in 1986, they asked Zagato to re-body their aging V8 Vantage to reinvigorate the lineup and drum up some press coverage. The Italian coachbuilder had always been at the forefront of automotive design, celebrating and influencing trends of the moment throughout their decades of design experience.

Zagato delivered the goods, erasing the existing sheet metal in favor of a radical redesign that seems to be auditioning for the set of Blade Runner. Zagato immerses themselves in themes of the 1980s while still retaining a core Aston Martin identity. Especially brilliant is the 8-bit Tetris front end arrangement, where the rectangular headlights, turn indicators and fog lamps neatly abutt a reduced, simpliflied and modern interpretation of the Aston grille. The glass-to-glass canopy and side windows-within-a-window doubtless inspired Giugiaro's Subaru SVX.

This particular example looks perfect in Javelin Grey metallic over black leather interior. The seller says it has low miles and all service records. Although it made a splash at the 1986 Geneva motor show, with a flood of orders immediately taken, only 52 were built, and so they remain highly collectible and desirable today.

James Bond might never have driven this particular model, but it would have suited him just fine.

Available here on Car and Classic UK.

Original Paint: 1971 Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior Zagato

The GT 1300 Junior was designed by Ercole Spada (later of BMW) then working under famed Italian design house Zagato. It features some of his trademark styling cues: a large rear with some overhang to force air down for increased control and a small, forward-leaning snout with quad round headlights. Spada is a genius and the 1300 Junior was another fine peice on his resume.

It debuted at the Turin Motor Show in 1969. Only 1,108 units were ever made, and they were never officially imported and sold here.

The floorplan, driveline and suspension were borrowed from the 1300 Spider.

A 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine powered the rear wheels.

In 1972, the 1600 Zagato came out with slightly different bodywork and a larger engine.

This survivor wears one California blue plate and what the seller says is the original coat of paint, although they mention it is cracking. However, they say the floors and jacking points are all solid and rust free.

They mention the center console has been swapped for a Berlina unit, but the original piece is included.

Mechanically, they say it has a 2.0-litre engine in place of the 1.3-litre, but the original engine is available and also numbers-matching.

Zagato cars are special and collectible because they are often limited production and wear finely designed and crafted bodies. This is an opportunity to acquire one such vehicle, with a larger engine already switched in to also make it a fun driver.

Find it here on ebay with no bids starting at $28,500.