The V12 Zagato is available in in two editions depending on whether you want it for racetrack use or general road use. Power comes in at 510bhp and 420lb-ft of torque thanks to a trademark Aston V12 engine unit. This is attached to a rear mid-mounted auto manual gearbox. And with those credentials, it’s no wonder that the fantastically designed Zagato can do the 0-60mph sprint in 4.2 seconds. Astons have never been super rapid thanks to their heavy-weight nature, but the Zig and Zag (pet names from Gaydon) look like they mean business with darkened alloy wheels, a low front splitter and indented hood markings.

The roofline on the Zagato is different from say the DBS coupe which features softer gradients whereas the Zagato has a steeply raked roof, but this only adds to the character that this sexy Aston possesses.

Elsewhere on Aston’s gleaming stand we saw a pristine DBS Carbon Edition coupe. This vehicle has an all-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 48 valve, 5935 cc V12 engine which again delivers 510bhp. The paintjob on this car was particularly striking in shimmering orange and I loved it so much, I had to sit inside! Once in the driver’s seat, the tan leather adds class to the occassion and the car feels surprisingly tight with the driver sitting to the extreme left of the vehicle (the “right” side of the road).

At the Geneva Motor Show in 2009, the Perana Z-One sportscar was first shown. The project was done in partnership with Zagato, responsible for the car’s styling, and the Perana Performance Group based in South Africa.

Many cars shown by design houses like Zagato or small manufacturers are one offs never see the light of day. Or, production is planned but never happens. The Perana Z-One seemed like a very feasible project though, and PistonHeads reports the car has entered production.

Not going to enter production soon, or planned production, but as we speak. We’re always eager to welcome new sports cars, and the car is slated to make an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

Deliveries in the United Kingdom are slated to begin soon after. The Z-One is produced by Hi Tech Automotive in South Africa. Hi Tech also produces GT40 and Shelby Daytona replicas for U.S sale under the Superperformance brand.

Lee Noble reportedly was in charge of the car’s chassis setup, and he has a good car to work with. The Z-One’s overall shape and proportions were designed to give it a perfect 50/50 weight balance.

The engine is sourced from General Motors, utilizing a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 making 442 horsepower and mated to a six-sped manual transmission. That is good for a 0-60 time of 4.0 seconds. And, given the GM powerplant, you likely won’t have to rent car trailers to tow it around all the time like some of its more finicky supercar brethren.

Mole Valley Specialist Cars is the dealer of choice in the UK. Pricing is set to come in at around £70,000 GBP (around $113K USD at current exchange rates) including air conditioning, Brembo brakes, Recaro seats and a touchscreen navigation/infotainment system. The order book is also open for buyers in the United States.

From the windowline down, the Coupe Zagato is standard 500.  But Zagato restyled the upper half of the car to be more of a slick-back coupe and less of a hatchback, and the styling blends surprisingly well.  It has a touch of Renault Megane Coupe about the rear side glass, but it’s a very nice styling exercise.

The famous Zagato double-bubble roof (which is there to allow clearance for race helmets) works very well here, and the way the roof blends into a spoiler is a slick piece of work.  Is it production bound?  Who knows.  What’s important about the 500 Zagato is what’s under the hood: a Fiat TwinAir Turbo engine.  Fiat has recently started selling 500′s with 2-cylinder engines in Europe, and this concept introduces the turbocharged version of that engine.  With 105bhp out of only 875cc’s (with 155nM/114lb-ft of torque), the Zagato would probably be extremely fun to drive.  Likelihood of Fiat selling a car with an 875cc turbocharged 2-cylinder in the states?  Yeah, right – even though it makes as much power as the non-turbo 1.4L I4 we’ll be getting.

If Fiat DID produce the 500 Zagato, competition would pretty much just be the upcoming Mini Cooper Coupe (what an awkward name), the Honda CR-Z, and the Peugeot RC-Z diesel.  I feel like this more stylish configuration would go over very well in the ‘states where we value style over substance most of the time, but it remains to be seen if it’ll be made.  Still, it’s a very cool concept.

A classic car buff will recognize that profile, which takes cues from Alfa Romeo predecessors the TZ1 and TZ2. The TZ3 marks a continuation of that lineage.

The car is based upon and powered by the 8C Competizione. As expected, it best the styling of the 8C Competizione, but it isn’t designed to. Nonetheless, it is a design stunner, winning best of show in the concept class.

The TZ3 Corsa isn’t a new model line, but rather a special one-off model commissioned by German car collector Martin Kapp.

Alfa Romeo says it is a “special celebration… of the Alfa Romeo Zagato common tradition:
Scuderia Ferrari of the 20′s and 30′s, Alfa Corse of the 40′s and 50′s, Autodelta of the 60′s and 70′s, up to the latest Scuderia Zagato of the 80′s and 90′s.”

There isn’t details like specifications, but we do know the car has an aluminum body, and a tube frame, carbon-fiber chassis. Pricing? Likely in the stratosphere. So what do you think of the TZ3 Corsa now that it is revealed? Let us know in the comments.

Manufacturers are even beginning to work with the companies again, like Bentley did with the recent Flying Star shooting brake, built by Italian coachbuilding firm Carrozia Touring Superleggera. Now Alfa Romeo is announcing a new model, based on a certain Alfa Romeo.

Can you guess which one? We can – the 8C Competizione. It looks like the 8C from this top down teaser view that Zagato provided. Topping the 8C Competizione in the styling department is going to be hard – near impossible. It is just strikingly beautiful Italian design at its finest. While styling might not be able to be topped, performance can.

As such, Zagato says the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa is a race car, made to honor “the 100th anniversary of Alfa Romeo’s racing Heritage.” The TZ3 Corsa is based on a mono-shell carbon fiber tubular chassis, coupled with a tubular frame and a lightweight aluminium body. Sounds fun!

Zagato is preparing to launch the TZ3 Corsa at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este show. The show starts on April 23-25th.

Maserati returned to the US market in 2002, after leaving without saying goodbye in 1991.  They, like Alfa Romeo, were basically chased out of the US thanks to persistent rumors of suspect reliability as well as a less than favorable exchange rate which artificially inflated prices.  Many say that the reason for Maserati’s failure in the US was the Biturbo.  Let’s take a look at that car (and it’s derivatives) and return to the question of Maserati’s departure from the US later on.

Early Biturbos

The Biturbo was designed as a step “down market” for Maserati.  Under previous control by Citroen, they’d cranked out a series of achingly beautiful, if troublesome, mid-engined supercars like the Merak and Bora.  This was all part of the big plan of one Alejandro de Tomaso, who’d acquired the ailing Italian sportscar maker in 1976.  His idea was to bring the flair and excitement of the prototypical Italian supercar to the “common” man, through increased usability and a lower price tag.

The styling was the work of DeTomaso stylist Pierangelo Andreani, which would explain why it looks like every DeTomaso that wasn’t the Pantera.  What it doesn’t explain is why the Biturbo looked so eerily similar to the E30-series BMW 3-series.  See what I’m talking about?

Shown: Maserati Biturbo S and BMW (E30) 325is

Still, when the BiTurbo debuted at the 1981 Turin Auto Show, people were confused.  Considering it replaced the mid-engined V6-powered Merak, which had what we’ll call “humorous” back seats, it was a big step forward on the usability front.  The BiTurbo could actually seat 4 passengers in relative comfort, at least as long as the rear seat passengers were on the shorter side of things.  And also, the interior was absolutely to die for.  Although the only good-quality Biturbo interior picture I could find has these classy velour seats, most Biturbos came with butter-soft brown leather buckets that just looked absolutely amazing.  But I digress: on the 1-10 scale, how fantastic is this interior?

So while the outside and the general layout of the BiTurbo was conventional, under the hood it was anything but.  The engine was based on the old 2.0L V6 used in the Merak, but it was force-fed by twin Garrett turbochargers, which made it the first production road car to use a twin-turbocharger setup.  Interestingly enough, fuel management was by a single Weber carburetor, there were 3 valves per cylinder, and Maserati didn’t see fit to include an intercooler (heat exchanger) in the setup, but hey – no one gets everything right the first time, do they?

The 2.0L V6, which featured high-tech Nikasil liners (which BMW had fantastic luck with, remember?) was only sold in non-catalyst form in the Italian market, where engines over 2.0L of displacement were subject to very heavy taxes.  In export markets, the BiTurbo received a 2.5L version of the same twin-turbo carburetted 18v V6.  Horsepower for the 2.0L Italian market Biturbos was pegged at 180bhp@6000rpm, with 187 lb-ft of torque at 4400rpm.  Export-market 2.5L’s were torquier and less high-strung, with 192bhp@5500 rpm and 220lb-ft@3000rpm.  US-market cars had a catalyzed version of the 2.5L with 185bhp.

Performance was sizzling.  With a low curb weight of about 2,400lbs, the twin-turbo rocket could accelerate to 60mph in 6.5 seconds, and topped out just north of 135mph – which was pretty high-end performance by 1982 standards.  Suspension was via MacPherson struts, coil springs and an anti-roll bar in the front, and semi-trailing links with coil springs in the rear, giving the Biturbo nimble, balanced handling.

There was a Biturbo S version for 1983 as well, making 205bhp in carb’d 2.0L Italian market form (25 more than normal) and 196 in 2.5L export form – up only 11bhp thanks to the addition of a flow-choking catalyst.

Two years after the debut of the two-door BiTurbo, Maserati introduced the 400 series sedan.  Based on the Biturbo, the sedan had a longer wheelbase to accommodate the extra doors and passengers.  The official name depended on the engine equipped; Italian market sedans, with the tax-regulated 2.0L V6 were called 420, the carb’d 180bhp 2.0L V6; 420i, the fuel-injected 2.0L 190bhp V6 (1986+), or the high-output 420S, which made 210bhp with a carb.  All Italian-market 2.0L of this generation used the unsual three-valve-per-cylinder head.

In other markets, it was sold as the 425 with a 2.5L 18v V6, carb’d with no catalyst and 200bhp.  There were a total of 2,372 425′s made, including later fuel-injected and catalyst-equipped 425i models.

The next year, Maserati debuted the stunning drop-top Spider derivative at the Turin Motor Show in 1984.  It rode on a shorter wheelbase than the regular BiTurbo, and was a strict two-seat design.  It looked a bit like TVR’s of the time period, perhaps, but it was a twin-turbo Maserati convertible, by god!

The Spider originally came with the 2.0L 180bhp carb’d 2.0L 18v V6 in Italy, or the 2.5L 18v Carb’d V6, with a catalyst and 192bhp in export markets.

Over it’s lifetime, the Biturbo evolved mechanically and it’s derivatives grew laterally.  In 1986, the twin-turbocharged V6 received the benefit of fuel injection instead of the troublesome carburetor, as well as sprouting an intercooler to keep the charge air temperatures down entering the intake manifold.  The highest performing first-generation Biturbo was the Italian market Si, with it’s fuel-injected non-cat 220bhp motor.

Maserati introduced another variant on the Biturbo theme in 1986, with the 228.  The 228 was based on the long-wheelbase BiTurbo sedan platform, but was a 2-door 5-seater, meant more as a “classical GT.”  Styling was again by Pierangelo Andreani, the stylist of the original Biturbo.  Meant to follow in the footsteps of classic Maserati GT’s like the 3500GT, Mexico, and Kyalami, the 228 offered more space and grace to Maserati buyers.  Equipped with the 3v injected 2.8L motor, the 228 had a healthy 250bhp or 225bhp in catalyzed form.  Only 469 were made.

Later Biturbos

The entire Biturbo range got a mechanical update for 1988.  The export-market engine was updated to 2.8L, and for the first time came the option of dual-overhead camshafts with 4 valves per cylinder instead of 3.  Fuel injection was now standard across the line.  The Biturbo itself was no longer called the Biturbo; Italian market Biturbo’s were called 2.24v, with export market cars named 222.  Power in the 2.8L engine, now with fuel injection, was up to 225bhp with catalyst, or 279bhp in the 222 4v with catalyst.  The high-output 2.0L Italian-market V6 in the 2.24v made a respectable 245bhp, or 240 with a catalyst.

Meanwhile, the 425 sedan had a name change to 430, to reflect the increased 2.8L displacement.  Yeah, the Italians aren’t that great with numbers, I suppose.  2.8 = 3.0?  Power was up to 225bhp from 200 in the 425, and 188 in the 425i, with a standard-fit catalyst.  I know, it’s confusing.  Stay with me.  Italian-market sedans also received a power boost, from 190bhp to 220bhp.

For 1990, Maserati introduced the 222SE, as a replacement for the defunct high-performance Biturbo S.  On the outside, it featured a much smoother bodykit with integrated front foglamps, a deep front valence, and two-tone body skirts like the old S model.  Power was up to 250bhp from 225bhp in the 2.8L 3v “E” motor.

The fastest of 222 models was the rare 222 4v.  Using the 2.8L block mated to 4 valve per cylinder heads with dual overhead camshafts on each cylinder banks, as well as twin water-cooled IHI turbos and twin air-to-air intercoolers, the 222 4v made an impressive 279bhp@5,500 rpm and torqued out 319lb/ft at a low 3,750 rpm.  Mated to a 5-speed ZF manual and fitted with a standard limited-slip differential, the 222 4v could top out north of 255km/h – or almost 160mph.  Serious performance back then, especially from a small 2.8L engine.  Other standard goodies included electronically adjustable dampers, unique front fascia, and wider lightweight alloy wheels.  Only 130 222 4v’s were made over it’s 4 year production span.

I can’t go on from here without mentioning the exceedingly rare Maserati Karif.  The Karif was intended as a lightweight, hardcore 2-seat hardtop derivative of the original Biturbo structure.  It used the shorter wheelbase platform from the Biturbo Spider (which was assembled by Zagato) with a unique body, and Maserati stuffed their most powerful 2.8L V6 under the hood.  The 3-valve injected mill was good for a healthy 285bhp and 319lb/ft of torque, and in the 2,800lb Karif that was good for a 0-100km/h time of 4.8 seconds -faster than most stuff on the road back then, for sure.

The Karif was in production between 1988 and 1993, with only 222 Karif’s being produced and delivered to customers.  It was a telling sign of things to come.

It must be said, however, that the Biturbo didn’t exactly resonate with the public the way Maserati wanted it to.  They tried to build a Maserati for the “common man” but the formula gradually wondered away from that after a while – and plus, since when were Maseratis for the “common man?”

Also, they weren’t the most reliable things on the road at the time.  For one thing, hello!  They were made in Italy! Were you expecting a Mercedes Benz?  Early engines were far more failure-prone than later ones; to their credit, Maserati really did figure out the whole high-tech twin turbo V6 thing.  They even had some 2.0L Biturbos rolling around with prototype 36-valve heads – yes, that would be 6 valves per cylinder,  with seperate overhead intake and exhaust cams operating three valves apiece.  But still, despite it’s exotic heritage the Biturbo turned out to be true to it’s Italian roots  – electrical problems were rampant, they loved to overheat and blow turbos, the carburetted models needed constant adjustment and didn’t work real well as far as turbo lag was concerned, either.  They occasionally caught fire or refused to start on hot days.

So while Maserati managed to sell a total of more than 38,000 Biturbos (and derivative models) worldwide over the nearly dozen year lifespan, only less than 5,000 of those came to the US market.  Initial sales were strong; easy to understand what with the impressive performance, Maserati badge, and relatively sane $25,000 price tag.  Maserati moved 2,023 in 1984, 1,190 in 1985, and 1,298 units in 1986.  Sales fell drastically after that, ironically right about when Maserati sorted out the serious problems with the car.  1987 was so bad that no new Biturbos were imported in 1988 so that dealers could clear out there backed up inventories.  Maserati only sold 240 units in the US in 1990, it’s final year in the US before it’s return more than a decade later.  They left with their tail between their legs, sort of like Alfa Romeo did.  They’re successful now because they’re found their true target clientele, but the downmarket reach of the Biturbo basically destroyed the brand in the US.

Still, the Biturbo story doesn’t end quite here.  There were a few special offerings, as well as the continuance of the Biturbo line in Europe up to 1994.  Let’s take a look at those.

Final Biturbos and Special Biturbos

Of obvious worth to bring up here is the rare 1991 Maserati Racing.  Yes, very creative name, right?  The Racing was a limited-production 2.0L car built for the Italian market, and was basically a rolling testbed for changes and developments that Maserati would later incorporate in the Shamal and Ghibli II.  These goodies include a lightened and balanced crankshaft, sodium-filled exhaust valves, redesigned heads, lighter forged connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, and redesigned IHI turbochargers.  Power output from the little 2.0L motor was a healthy 283bhp, and the Racing was a screamer just like it’s name proclaimed.

You can see the Racing’s tweaked motor in this shot, showing off two huge vertically mounted air-to-air intercoolers.  When you’re making 142bhp/L, you do need to keep your intake charge temps low.  Only 230 Racing’s were made, making it one of the most sought-after Biturbo derivatives.

The sedans continued on as well.  The names changed again in 1990, with Italian market sedans going by 4.18v (4-door, 18-valve 2.0L) or 4.24v.  The twin-cam 4.24v made 245bhp compared to the 4.18v’s 220bhp.  Elsewhere, a 430 4v was introduced for the 1991 model year, with a 2.8L twin-cam 24v engine making 279bhp – same as in the 222 4v.  Confused yet?

The most exciting development of the Biturbo line was undoubtedly the Shamal, introduced in 1990.  It was meant as the most extreme extension of the Biturbo line, with a brand-new 32-valve dual-overhead-cam twin turbocharged V8 of 3.2L displacement.  Power peaked at 325bhp, and was transmitted to the road through a brand new Getrag 6-speed manual transmission.  0-100km/h took only 5.3 seconds, and the top speed put the Shamal squarely in supercar territory – 168+ mph flat out, if you could find a long enough stretch of road.  The interior was equally sumptuous and driver-focused.  Love those Recaros.

The final evolution of the Biturbo line was the Ghibli II.  Named after the 1967 classic model, the Ghibli showed what Maserati was really capable of.  The 2.0L Ghibli, which replaced the 2.24v, made an enormous 306bhp, the highest specific output per litre of any production car at the time.  Export market cars made do with a 286bhp 2.8L 24v motor.  Early 2.8L’s had a 5-speed manual; all other Ghibli’s had the Getrag 6-speed from the Shamal.

As if that wasn’t enough, Maserati put together 60 special Ghibli’s – called Ghibli Cups.  The 2.0L V6 was boosted to an even greater output of 330bhp@6,500 rpm, with torque still at a respectable 279lb-ft. There were also huge flared fenders, 5-spoke lightweight Speedline alloys, a ZF limited-slip differential, and many other goodies.

The Biturbo lineup (even though by then they weren’t called Biturbos) came to an end when the last Ghibli rolled off the assembly line in 1997.  They were replaced by the thoroughly modern 3200GT, which used a tuned version of the 32v Shamal engine.  While the Biturbo might not have been the best thing to grace roads when it debuted, thanks to a constant stream of revisions and updates it became what it should have been in the first place – a real Maserati.

Thankfully, Maserati survived the near-lethal hit to it’s image the Biturbo caused in the US.  If they hadn’t, who would be pedalling automotive pornography today?

Bertone,  Zagato and British sports-car manufacturer Morgan are the companies. Legendary designer Stile Bertone’s rumored debut is a highly anticipated V8-powered 2-seater in the vein of 2008′s B.A.T 11.

Speculation is that Zagato will be debuting the finalized production version of the Perana Z-One (pictured). I wonder what changes the car will get on it’s way to production.

If true, it will be the only production vehicle debuting at the show (which will also have displays from many other companies). Morgan’s is said to be a 2-seater based on the Aeromax. There is a possibility for production on that, depending on feedback.

That’s not all though, other car’s of interest include BMW’s “GINA Light” concept design study, the Infiniti Essence Concept, a driveable Aston Martin One-77 and Fisker’s Karma!

Hopefully we’ll get some nice real life pictures of the Karma in a beautiful setting. Until now it’s only been at autoshows and Fisker’s press photography isn’t all that great (not that anyone’s is really, other then for advertising).

Other then historical vehicles of course, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy only allows driveable concept vehicles from with the last 3 years. It’s a beauty contest also unique for it’s ability for show-goers to select the award for most beautiful. Sounds like it should be a really great show! Looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.

While it’s own creation (and self-branded) the Perana Z-One is a result of the design houses’s collaboration with a South African performance and production company, Perana Performance Group.

The proportions are perfect, helping to lend the V8 sportscar a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. While good looking, it’s not particularly unique in the world of automotive design.

I’m thinking more along the lines of the original Anteros (a coachbuilt vehicle based on the Corvette). To my eyes at least, this isn’t a truly Italian design. The clean flow of lines is interupted by the business of the fender vents. To me it’s just not a jaw-dropper.

The rear end tells a different story. I stand by my previous assessment that this angle is by far the car’s best view. It has a great stance and the lines work together very well. I like the rear a lot, in fact.

While Zagato isn’t my favorite of the Italian design houses (let’s be honest, they’ve designed some bizzare stuff) they are capable of great things. In my opinion, this car is the best example of what Zagato can do:

That’s the Spyker C12 Zagato, a truly amazing and beautiful design in any sense of the word. I encourage you to check it out further, you’ll be inclined to agree.

But regardless of my stance on the design, there’s no questioning the Zagato Perana Z-One looks to be a screaming deal. Word still has it that the price will be around 50,000 euros, translating to roughly £44,309.75 GBP and $62,716.89 USD at current exchange rates. Wow! That’s not much higher then the price of a Corvette.

An powerful car by a famed Italian design house for that kind of money? I supect Zagato will have no trouble selling out it’s planned 999 unit production run. How they plan to turn a profit? Now that’s a different story…..

Welcome back coachbuilding! The flexibility afforded by new technologies and processes have brought back the classic art yet again, and it really shows with cars like this new Zagato.

After recently debuting an altered Bentley Continental GTZ and collaborating with Spyker on the C12 supercar (an amazing vehicle), Zagato is ready to introduce an vehicle of it’s own.

For the Perana, the Italian coachbuilder is teaming up with Africa’s Perana Performance Group for a run of 999 vehicles.

The design is low slung and well proportioned. There is perhaps a bit too much visual clutter with all of the vents and scoops for my taste but it’s undoubtedly good looking.

The rear in my opinion is the best part of the car, as it is with the Bentley Continental GTZ (what is it with Zagato and good looking rear views?).

At a price of £50K-90K (Approx $70-120,000), the Zagato Perana Z-One looks to be an extremely good deal if true, espessially from a company like Zagato.

The Perana is RWD with an almost 50/50 weight distribution according to some reports. Rumor also has it that it will be powerd by a Corvette-sourced 6.2L LS3 V8 from General Motors producing at least 440 horsepower.

 This has me wondering if the whole car itself is based on the Corvette? I find it hard to believe they could produce a car at this price point without a basis vehicle.

Anyways, we’ll find out soon enough at the Geneva Show!