Sure, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato may have won top honors upon its unveiling at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. But it’s not just a pretty face. Aston Martin is keen to highlight that point, taking the V12 Zagato straight from the shores of Lake Como to the tarmac of the Nürburgring.

The racing version of the show car has already had two outings on the Ring in the past month or so, but those campaigns were merely in preparation for what’s in store this weekend, when a pair of Zagatos – dubbed “Zig” and “Zag” – will take on the grueling ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours.

A red example (Zag) will be piloted by the company’s CEO and Nürburgring test center director along with a pair of European automotive journalists, joining the previously-seen green car (Zig) driven by one of Aston’s top engineers, a pair of experienced race car drivers and another British fourth-estatesman. Both can be seen in the video after the jump.

We’re not clear on where that leaves the rather more attractive white and red livery depicted in the high-resolution photographs, then, but that shouldn’t stop you from checking it out in the gallery, along with the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading Aston Martin V12 Zagato returns for ultimate showdown at the Nürburgring [w/video]

Aston Martin V12 Zagato returns for ultimate showdown at the Nürburgring [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in the Mad Men days, just about everyone was either a General Motors man or a Ford man. Cadillac or Lincoln. Buick or Mercury. Nowadays it may be as much about Toyota vs Honda, but the Detroit rivalry is far from dead. Arguably more than anywhere else, it’s played out in Australia, where it’s all about GM’s Holden versus Ford…in the showrooms, on the streets and, perhaps most of all, on the race track.

While up in this hemisphere the Detroit automakers play out their rivalries in stock cars on super-speedways, Down Under it’s all about the V8 Supercars series. And this past weekend’s race at Surfer’s Paradise was one for the ages.

This year’s Gold Coast 600 drew a star-studded lineup of international racing superstars from around the world: names like Castroneves, Bourdais, Franchitti, Dixon, Salo and Villeneuve. But it was the seasoned series veterans racing against the fresh-faced newcomers who made for some of the most nail-biting action you’re ever likely to see. It was all about defending champ Jamie Whincup in the Team Vodafone Holden Commodore against young Shane Van Gisbergen in the Stone Brothers/SP Tools Ford Falcon. Watch it all unfold down to the line in the video after the jump. Thanks to all for the tips!

[Sources: Motorsport.com, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Epic showdown pits Ford rookie against GM vet in final laps of V8 Supercar race

Video: Epic showdown pits Ford rookie against GM vet in final laps of V8 Supercar race originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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