New Aston Martin Zagato announced

Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato have joined forces to mark the 50th anniversary of the DB4GT Zagato.

A teaser shot published by the company reveals the latest collaboration between the two companies, with the car set to make its first public appearance at the Villa D'Este Concours in Italy on May 21, followed shortly after by a racing debut at Germany's Nrburgring.

The DB4GT Zagato marked the first time Aston and Zagato had worked together, the lightweight car (of which just 19 examples were built) making its racing debut during Goodwood's 1961 Easter meeting where it finished third with Stirling Moss at the wheel.

This was followed in 1986 by the V8 Vantage Zagato and V8 Zagato Volante and in 2003 with the DB7 Zagato and American-only DB-AR1 roadster.

Aston Martin chief executive, Dr. Ulrich Bez, said: "Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."

The company's design director, Marek Reichman added: "Working with Zagato again in 2011 is inspirational for the team certainly DB4GT Zagato is one of my favourite ever designs as it is with many of the designers in our studio. We can create a truly modern Aston Martin interpretation which stays true to the historical routes of the relationship with Zagato."