Yesterday I brought you news of the Aston Martin DB11 winning the T3 ‘Design of the Year’ award and that got me thinking, ‘what is the best looking Aston Martin of all time?’. Ok, I the design award takes in to account the the way how the car was made as well as looks but I’m talking about purely looks.
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and therefore it’s a rather subjective matter so I thought I present a selection of what I feel are the best looking Aston Martins, instead of claiming one to be the outright winner. Plus it gives me an excuse to write about more than one Aston Martin, not that one needs an excuse anyway.
Aston Martin DB5
Yes, I know. It’s cliché, but with good reason. Utter the words ‘Aston Martin’ and this will be the first car to come people’s minds thanks to a inspired decision to make it the car of choice for the ultimate spy, James Bond. The car made it’s debut in Goldfinger, one of the most successful – and one of my favourite – Bond films of all time and is still used to this day, having featured in Skyfall and Spectre.
The car was most famous for its rear bulletproof shield, machine guns and of course, the ejector seat but that’s obviously not what the customer got. They were able to enjoy that simply stupendous body though, which had 4.0 litre straight-six engine hidden underneath good for 282bhp. 60mph came in 8.0 seconds and the top speed was 145mph.
Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato
Italian design house Zagato has teamed up with Aston a few times throughout the years and each time the two come together the result is a joy to behold. The Vanquish Zagato is no different and this is the first new car I’ve seen in a while that has stirred up so much desire within me. If I could have that on the condition I’d be homeless for the rest of my life I would seriously consider that proposition. Just 99 were made and they sold out quicker than you could say ‘shut up and take my money!’.
This is a car that is simply gorgeous but it actually has some design cues taken from other Astons. The first thing you’ll notice is the ‘double bubble’ roof which is one of the Zagato trademarks which originated so taller drivers would have more space when driving, plus it looks cool. The rear end is similar to the DB11, the brake lights feature the same bladed LED tech found in the Vulcan and the wing mirror design is similar to that of the ultra-exclusive One-77. So I suppose this model is like a greatest hits of Aston Martin.
Oh, power? Sorry, I was so consumed by the looks that I forgot… Under the beautiful bonnet is one of Aston Martin’s infamous 6.0 litre V12 engine that is able to push out 592bhp. It will get to 62mph quicker than the DB11 clocking in at 3.5 seconds but in doing so it means you have less time to enjoy the looks, which is a great shame if you ask me.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
No, not the most recent one, the model produced from 1977 to 1989. This is the car that was hailed by Britain’s first supercar thanks to its 170mph top speed. This power came from a 5.3 litre V8 engine shared with the god awful Lagonda, a car which looked like it was designed using only a pencil and a ruler.
Thankfully it didn’t share its looks and I love the V8 Vantage as it just looks so brutish and muscular. It’s no wonder this was another Aston to be used by 007, this time by Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights. No ejector seat this time but it did feature tyre spikes, bulletproof windows, jet engine and missiles to name a few. Sadly it meant a sorry end thanks to its self-destruct function…that’ll do no good for his no claims…
Aston Martin DBS
Yes, I know, another Bond car, this is one that featured no gadgets. Well, not unless you count the de-fib in the dash but that’s not as exciting is it? Some may prefer the standard DB9 as it’s a bit more subtle and elegant but I love the muscular and bolder look of the DBS. Powered by a 6.0 litre V12 engine (naturally) which is able to force 510bhp in to the pumped-up DB9.
62mph is over and done with in 4.3 seconds and the DBS will continue to a top speed of 191mph. It handled well too, so well that the stunt team were unable to make it roll for on the scenes in Casino Royale. Instead they had to use a pressured cannon to help initiate a roll which inadvertently beat the world record for number of rolls performed by a car. The DBS was able to muster seven, one more than the previous record set by Top Gear. Waste of a good Aston if you me…
Aston Martin Vulcan
You may have expected me to finish with the DB11 but as much as like love the design of it, it’s not one of my favourites. No, I’m ending with one of the cars i wanted to see the most at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Vulcan. A car lovingly named after the historic bomber that was retired last year.
Under the sleek, aerodynamic body sits, yes you guessed it, a V12 engine. this one is 7.0 litres though and is able to supply this track monster with a power output of 800bhp. it will devour 60mph in under 3.0 seconds and will hit speeds well over 200mph. This is a track-only car though I’m afraid and just 24 were produced with prices of a cool $2.3million….
Which Aston would I have out of these? Oh, that would be telling…