More than an old car #222: Aston Martin V8 Zagato

In my years of car spotting, I have come across various curiosities and rarities. This particular 1986 Aston Martin V8 Zagato was all the more special, especially when I never knew it existence until then! Further research revealed more info about it's history, which made it a lot more incredible to behold!

Zagato is a coachbuilding company founded by Ugo Zagato in 1919. Zagato used his knowledge of aeronautics to designed sleek, light bodies for race cars in the 1920s. The cars that he designed saw great success in racing, and his reputation grew throughout. Various manufacturers looked to Zagato for special designs and one-off creations. Zagato also expanded to make custom-built cars, and continues to exist today by producing its own cars.

Aston Martin first collaborated with Zagato in 1964, with the creation of the DB4 GT. When the Aston Martin show stand was placed near that of Zagato during the 1984 Geneva Motor Show, a proposal was raised to rekindle this partnership. Aston Martin and Zagato wanted to produce a supercar capable of taking on the fastest cars in the world: a top speed of 186 mph and a 0-60 sprint in less than five seconds was thought to be sufficient. Interestingly, before the V8 Zagato officially debuted, Aston Martin used a 1978 V8 Vantage as a test mule: most of the interior trim and rear seats were removed, and the windows were fitted with Perspex. The test mule was noted to be as fast as a standard V8 Zagato.

A styling sketch was presented in 1985 and this was surprisingly sufficient for customers to snap up all 50 units that were earmarked to be made. Deposits of £15,000 were needed from prospective customers in order to secure a car, but the initial price, quoted as £87,000, quickly rose to £95,000.

The car featured both Zagato and Aston Martin design signatures, with a hint of the famous ‘double-bubble’ Zagato trademark on the roof and the stylished angular shaped grille. Its design was stout and aggressive, and rode on unique Zagato designed Speedline 16-inch wheels. A convertible version, known as the Volante, was subsequently introduced in 1987.

Production cars were powered by a 5341 cc 580X V8 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 310 km/h with an acceleration of 5.1 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 4390 mm long and weighed 1250 kg, with a very thirsty fuel consumption of 24.5 litres / 100 km.

Production ended in 1989 with 52 saloons and 37 convertibles made, with LHD/RHD split as 32/20 for the saloons. This unit with chassis number V8ZHL20010 and registered C779 DRO is a very unique prototype: it featured a more powerful engine putting out around 430-440 bhp while standard ones were 410 bhp. It was also fitted with a special non-production exhaust system, front and rear spoilers and also did not feature a passenger side mirror as seen above. 20010 was 1 of 4 pre-production specials, all of which were finished in Gladiator Red paintwork.

On 8 July 1986, it reached a top speed of 298.75 km/h (185.8 mph) with an acceleration of 4.8 seconds [0-60 mph] on an empty highway near Paris (with the permission of French police). C779 DRO was extensively road tested by many magazines in period and was also displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1986. 

Subsequently, C779 DRO was exported to Indonesia in Oct 1986 after it finished duties as the prototype Zagato. It was refurbished with a new engine fitted, and the headlight grilles were reinstalled back. At some point in time, a Zagato decal and black roof were added (they were not original). Interestingly, C779 DRO disappeared off the radar, until it inexplicably appeared here a few years ago! The last I saw, its engine was removed (possibly being overhauled) and the car vanished again a few months later.

It is quite unbelievable that a car with so much heritage even appeared on our roads, although no V8 Zagatos were sold in Singapore back in the day. Curiously, Aston Martin did not seem to make efforts to acquire C779 DRO back. I believe you may be wondering just why and when it made its way to Singapore, although your guess is as good as mine. While I do not know if it is still locked up in a garage somewhere, it is my wish for it to be back on the road and hopefully you may see it!

 

 

More than an old car #221: Renault Megane II Sport Tourer

Once a while, I look through my ever-growing archives and struggle to think of what to post next. After some thought, I decided on this rather unique 2004 Renault Mégane II wagon, which I had never seen before until then (and also not any time soon...)! 

The Mégane II series, introduced in 2002, marked a dramatic departure from its predecessor’s conservative looks. Designed by Patrick Le Quément, the Mégane II embraced sharp angles, a unique rear end, and a higher beltline. The Grandtour wagon variant (known as the Sport Tourer in Singapore), took this avant-garde styling and stretched it into a longer, more versatile format without losing its visual appeal. It maintained the hatchback's quirky charm while offering a more practical rear cargo area, making it a solid choice for drivers who wanted utility without resorting to a bulky SUV. Interestingly, the wagon was sold in RHD for the first time.

The interior of the Mégane II wagon was thoughtfully laid out, if not luxurious. High-quality plastics, digital instrument clusters (on some trims), and well-contoured seats helped create a pleasant environment. Cargo capacity was an impressive 520 liters of boot space with the rear seats up, and more than 1,600 liters with them folded down. Safety was a standout trait for the Mégane II range, with multiple airbags, ABS, and electronic stability control contributing to its strong Euro NCAP crash ratings

Renault offered the Mégane II wagon with a range of petrol and diesel engines. This automatic unit was powered by a 1598 cc K4M i4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 180 km/h with an acceleration of 13.2 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 4500 mm long and weighed 1260 kg, with a fuel consumption of 7.7 litres/100 km.

Production of the Mégane II ended in 2008, though it continued to be manufactured in Brazil and Iran until 2012. The Sport Tourer was sold in Singapore in 2005 by Exklusiv Auto Services, where it retailed at $83,888 with COE. Local reviews noted its ride comfort and large boot space, but the transmission was noticeably jerky. 

Seeing this unit was entirely accidental: I had headed to the market for groceries when I saw this curious-looking car coming from the other direction. It took me a while to register it as a Mégane wagon for I had never come across one until that day. Fortunately, the driver had parked it a bit further away and I was able to marvel at this unique specimen. No more Mégane II wagons still exist here to the best of my knowledge. While it might not have stood out, it stands as a testament to Renault's willingness to innovate in the compact car segment. Hopefully you would be able to see another one of this rarity on our roads some day!

 

Miscellaneous classics #11: Hino Ranger FC

It has been a while since I had written about old trucks on this blog, as naturally there were so many more cars to cover. However, I had always wanted to write about this 2001 Hino Ranger FC, which I saw entirely by chance - since the majority of trucks have a lifespan of 20 years, seeing one that was older than the lifespan is always a treat!

Hino Heavy Industry Co. Ltd was spun out as an independent company in 1942, where it made various armoured carriers during the war. The 'Heavy' name was dropped and the company took its name from the location of its headquarters in Hino city (within Tokyo prefecture). Hino made both trucks and cars, but car manufacturing ended in 1969 when it amalgamated with Toyota. Establishing itself as a manufacturer of heavy vehicles, Hino entered into various partnership agreements in various countries over the years. Today, Hino trucks continue to be prevalent in Singapore and to a lesser extent, buses.

The fourth-gen Hino Ranger appeared in 1989, where it was known as the Cruising Ranger. A facelift occurred in 1994 known as the Rising Ranger, where headlights became more rounded and grille design was changed. A final facelift happened in 1999, where it was now known as the Space Ranger. Rangers came in various sizes, denoted by different alphabets; for light medium trucks, they were designated as FC, FD, FE and GD. This unit is a Rising Ranger FC (despite being manufactured in 2001), and was powered by a 5307 cc J05C i4 diesel engine. It weighed 6440 kg and had a maximum laden weight of 10100 kg.

This particular unit is currently owned by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, where it saw service as a Large Monitor Vehicle (LMV): it is equipped with a water cannon at the back. It was put into action during a large fire at an oil refinery in Pulau Bukom in 2011 and still sports the older SCDF vehicle livery. Currently, it is off the road: as a fire-fighting vehicle, it is apparently exempt from being scrapped after 20 years even though the current LMV is a newer Isuzu Forward truck.

Production of the fourth-gen Ranger FC ended in 2001, although export models and special use versions continued to be manufactured until 2004 at least. Similar Rangers of this generation also existed in Singapore, though all were gone after 20 years. It is amazing that this humble Hino Ranger has seen service through fierce fires and that SCDF has continued to preserve it till today. I am not sure when it will be coming out again, but hopefully this has been informative in the existence of this life-saving truck!