Aston Martin supercar in production

West Midlands-based luxury sports car maker Aston Martin has started production of its £330,000 Zagato supercar, due to hit top showrooms later this year.

Just 150 of the exclusive cars will be built at the company's Gaydon factory, offering their lucky owners the very latest in hi-tech motoring.

Its body panels blend hand-formed aluminium with carbon fibre to create what Aston Martin says is the pinnacle of its Vantage series.

Production will start in the summer, with the aim of delivering the first cars in the autumn of this year.

Aston Martin chief executive Ulrich Bez said the car was "a celebration of both Aston Martin's heritage and its future".

He added: "Our relationship with Zagato stretches back more than 50 years. Together in that time we have created a series of very special cars. The first – the DB4GT Zagato – is a true icon: fast, beautiful and incredibly desirable. In the V12 Zagato I believe we have captured the spirit of that car and combined it with a confident twist of modernity to give it a character all of its own."

Director of design Marek Reichman and his Gaydon team of designers started work on the Zagato nearly two years ago, working with Aston's engineers and craftsmen to build a pair of concept cars in the spring of last year.

The first prototype made its world debut in May 2011 at the prestigious Villa d'Este concours, where it wowed the judges and took first place before going on to its world racing debut to complete the gruelling 24-hour endurance event at the Nurburgring in Germany.

The decision to build a limited run of V12 Zagatos was made last summer, since when Aston Martin's design team has worked on refining its aerodynamic performance and details, while engineers at Gaydon put the prototypes through rigorous development.