There have been many, random and strange automotive partnerships over the years, and the partnership between Toyota and Zagato is just such an example. The world-class automaker and Italian design house came together in the ’00s to create a truly meh vehicle; the Toyota Harrier Zagato
By the mid 2000s, what we know as the Lexus RX was also called the Toyota Harrier in Japan. By 2006, it was on its second generation and sold through one of the brand’s retail chains known as Toyopet. In 2006, Toyopet was celebrating its 50th anniversary and, wanting to do something special, Toyota approached Italian coach builder Zagato about a special edition. The two signed a deal and the result was the 2006 Harrier Zagato.
We are used to seeing Zagato work on bespoke, high-end stuff like Aston Martins, Ferraris and Lamborghinis. While those designs are usually cohesive and beautiful, the Harrier Zagato comes off a bit…rough. Up front, the facia gained an open grille with no badge, bigger front bumper and a lower lip spoiler with fog lights.
On the sides, the Harrier gained fender flares, and lower body cladding while the rear gained a roof spoiler and a slightly different rear bumper. Gold five-spoke wheels rounded out the changes. Aside from some aluminum trim, the interior was stock. Those hoping that for more power might have been letdown as the modifications were purely cosmetic. Power for the Harrier Zagato came from either a 2.4-liter I4 or a 3.5-liter V6, both standard Harrier engines. Buyers could pair that with front or all-wheel drive. You could also have it in any color you wanted as long as it was black, white or red.
Despite being based on a mass market model, the Harrier Zagato was very rare. Only 250 were ever made, though they weren’t expensive with prices ranging from $42,000-$48,000. A few of these things still exist and they’re dirt cheap if you can find them, like this example in the UK that sold for just under $5,000. Even if you don’t care for the design of the Harrier Zagato, you have to appreciate the team up. We’ll likely never see something like this from a mainstream automaker again.