Over the years, British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin has joined forces with Italian coachbuilder Zagato, to produce some very special editions of its various models.

This relationship has been ongoing for the past five decades and in order to celebrate such longevity, a special Aston Martin V12 Zagato was designed and built, with a limited production run of just 101 examples planned.

With an asking price of over half a million dollars, the Aston Martin Zagato has never been more desirable or rare. And with 510bhp at its disposal, it should also be a bit of a beast.

Various sources are reporting sightings of the V12 Zagato in Europe, but since only 101 will be built, it could be tough to see it anywhere other than in the pictures snapped by lucky enthusiasts.

The earliest Aston Martin Zagato was a reworking of the DB4 GT and just 25 were built between 1960 and 1963. When the remaining examples go to auction, they regularly sell for more than $1.5 million.

In 50 years time, it is likely that the new V12 Zagato will be just as costly and it will be interesting to see how many actually survive.