The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante is arguably one of the most exclusive and beautiful modern open-top exotic cars. It’s simply gorgeous from every possible angle and has a real masterpiece under the bonnet – a 5.9-litre V12 engine with 592 bhp.

Such a massive motor needs big amounts of fresh air but, in this very special vehicle, you can’t just put a simple plastic grille to beautify the large opening in the front bumper. No, you need something equally special. And Aston Martin will be happy to sell you a grille for almost the same price Volkswagen asks for an entry-level Golf R.

The component in question is a single-piece aluminium grille that is an extra option over the vehicle’s standard black grille. Together with the matching small decorative grilles around the taillights, this aluminium grille takes no less than 3,000 hours to machine and complete. To put that number into context, an Aston Martin One-77 takes 3,000 hours to be built in its entirety. Talk about craftsmanship.

Basically, the Gaydon-based manufacturer will charge you £10 per hour for creating these grilles, which is a pretty fair per hour rate. When you do the math, however, the front bumper grille together with the two small pieces for the rear end will cost you £30,000. Bear in mind, we are talking about three exterior details of the car that don’t even have significant aerodynamic functions.

Watch the 13-minute video at the top of this page to learn more about the oldest Aston Martin dealer in the world where Mr JWW’s takes a look at a few other beautiful creations of the British marque. The second part of the clip focuses on posh, high-quality… coffee machines?!

Gallery: Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante