The Zagato Heritage Twins by R-Reforged use the old N/A 5.9-litre V12

The new cars, a speedster and a coupe, are licensed by, but do not come from, Aston Martin. They have been designed by the Zagato design house as rebodied versions of extant previous-generation Vantage V12s. R-Reforged, the Swiss-based company behind the project, has opened a 30,000 square foot facility in Warwick to build the cars.

Like all good twins, they are not going to be separated at birth, with a price for the pair reported to be just over £2 million if you include the local taxes. R-Reforged says the first two cars, seen here in computer graphics, will be unveiled in the flesh in the summer, with first customer cars due to be delivered later this year. R-Reforged, formed in 2018 as part of the AF Racing Group that is a project partner on the Aston Martin Valkyrie, says most of the Heritage Twins already have homes to go to.

Taking a leaf out of Aston’s book, just 19 of each car will be made, echoing the number made of the DB4 GT Zagato – the car that famously began the Aston Martin and Zagato collaboration 60 years ago.

Aston’s own tribute models, revealed last year during Zagato’s centenary, partner up a freshly-minted DB4 GT Zagato continuation with a Zagato take on Aston’s current flagship, the DBS Superleggera. At £6m plus taxes, the ultimate then-and-now tribute double act would have set you back three times the cost of the new twins.

For its celebration pairing, Re-Forged and Zagato have chosen the Vantage V12 S as their base. The design makeover into signature Zagato cars, complete with signature double bubble themes on the coupe’s roof and speedster’s back deck, involves all-new carbon-fibre bodywork. At the rear are new deployable wings to aid stability.

Both cars are powered by Aston’s 5.9-litre naturally-aspirated V12, as fitted to the now-replaced Vantage but tweaked here for 85bhp more, taking the total to 600bhp.

Andrea Zagato calls the twins “a beautiful, bespoke and intrinsic part of our history and creative association with Aston Martin” while Aston too is giving the thumbs up. Chief marketing officer Peter Freedman said: “The Aston Martin Vantage V12 Zagato Heritage Twins by R-Reforged is a fitting tribute to the Zagato centenary anniversary.”

While the newcomers do make you wonder how many more centenary specials are on their way, they do speak of the enduring appeal and demand for bespoke Astons, especially those with Zagato connections.

In recent times there has been an abundance of limited-edition models, starting with the 2016 Zagato Vanquish coupe – at the time only the fifth Aston to bear Z badges since the collaboration began in 1960 – which was swiftly followed by Z versions of the Vanquish in shooting brake, convertible and speedster forms. The even rarer and more spectacular looking Zagato DBS Superleggera was reveaed last year while only last month Aston took the covers off its own factory speedster, a raw and uncompromising pure drivers’ car, as a response to the McLaren Elva.

All rare, fast, stylish and exciting machines for sure, this new crop of modern-day collectors’ cars enriches the automotive landscape… We just hope the well-heeled enthusiasts are out there to shell out their millions to buy them…