A year later the Bristol 406 Zagato appeared. As the link explains, these were "commissioned by Bristol dealer Tony Crook" to a design by Italian coachbuilder Zagato, and fewer than ten were built.
The link (as of July 2024) mentions: "The body of the 406 Zagato is independent. It has neither stylistic nor technical references to the body of the 406 Saloon designed by Dudley Hobbs and Dennis Sevier."
I don't quite think so regarding styling references. And will explain why in the captions below.
The frontal design of the 406 is unfortunate -- especially the hole incorporating a recessed grille. Perhaps this feature inspired Crook to commission Zagato to create an improvement.
Yes, Zagato's front end is better, even though the new grille is nondescript. The Zagato is 127 mm (5.2 inches) narrower than the basic 406, so the windshields are quite similar, yet not the same.
The 406 and later models based on its basic body included a front fender-mounted spare tire. The lid covering the opening is the panel located between the front wheel and the forward cutline of the door. Its hinging is by the cutline visible immediately below the chrome strip. This feature was retained by Zagato.
Also essentially similar are the door and firewall-cowling structure, not to mention the basic side-view proportions. The passenger compartment greenhouse has a flatter roof and different aft shaping. The beltline is lowered, altering the fenderline. An oddity is the near-vertical fenderline up-kick abaft of the door. It does not improve the design.
The 406's rear design is also odd, due to the tiny tail fins.
Less fussy than the aft end of the 406. This character change contrasts considerably with the rounded, redesigned front end. Perhaps the basic proportions of the production 406 were partly to blame, and maybe Tony Crook's design taste. But the 406 Zagato styling did not speak well for that carrozzeria firm.
No comments:
Post a Comment