Image via Complex Original
Intro
Aston Martin is one of the last British-owned car manufacturers, as well as one of the last privately owned automakers. Jaguar and Land Rover have been sold to Indians; Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Mini are controlled by ze Germans; and MG is owned by the Chinese. But Aston Martin is under the control of Banbury-based Prodrive. If one says he is a British car enthusiast, that means he either likes fixing old Austins or he likes Aston Martins. There's good reason to be an Aston fan, too. For decades, the storied marque has created elegant and powerful sports cars and racing cars. The world's coolest public personas--from the fictional James Bond to the so-cool-he-should-be-fictional Stirling Moss--have gravitated to the brand, and it's because of these awesome automobiles.
The Coal Scuttle
25. The Coal Scuttle
Year: 1914
Made For: Race
Complex Says: This was the first Aston Martin, known as the Coal Scuttle. Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford created this vehicle for the Aston Clinton Hill Climb. Since Martin was the frontman of the organization and the race was called Aston, the company was named Aston-Martin.
DB6
24. DB6
Year: 1965-1971
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Aston rejected a few proposals before moving forward with the DB6. It turned out to be a forward-thinking, risk-taking design that, while controversial in its day, is now considered brilliant. Recently, values for the convertible Volante models have been shooting up, due to the use of one in the royal wedding.
Lagonda
23. Lagonda
Year: 1976-1990
Made For: Road
Complex Says: This is what excess looked like in 1976. Be jealous and awed.
Bulldog
22. Bulldog
Year: 1979
Made For: Concept
Complex Says: The Bulldog was an insane wedge-shaped concept powered by a 700hp 5.3L twin-turbo V8. It's a shame only one was ever made.
Rapide
21. Rapide
Year: 2010-Present
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Cars with four doors just don't look this good. They can look good, but not this good. We're thankful that Aston Martin broke that rule with the drop-dead gorgeous Rapide.
DB1
20. DB1
Year: 1948-1950
Made For: Road
Complex Says: This was the first car Aston Martin made after being purchased by David Brown. Yup, the DB naming scheme comes from the name of a guy who owned the company for a while. This car was based on the Atom prototype, which featured a three-part grille that would later morph into Aston's signature face.
V8 Zagato
19. V8 Zagato
Year: 1986-1990
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Aston Martin did fairly well during the Ford years. Strangely, though, the hood bulge here came by way of Italy. But honestly, we're suckers for anything with NACA ducts.
V8 Vantage
18. V8 Vantage
Year: 2006-Present
Made For: Road
Complex Says: The Vantage is Aston's best-selling car of all time, and there are damn good reasons for that. It's fast, it makes a noise that sounds like the doom of entire worlds, and it just looks really, really good.
V12 Vantage
17. V12 Vantage
Year: 2009-Present
Made For: Road
Complex Says: It's a simple formula that has worked for many automakers: stuff your biggest engine in your smallest car. (The Cygnet is the smallest Aston.)
DB7 Zagato
16. DB7 Zagato
Year: 2002-2003
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Some people balk at the idea of an Italian-designed Aston Martin. But those are people who don't know Aston's or Zagato's history. Every Zagato Aston has been nothing short of fantastic.
DBSC Touring
15. DBSC Touring
Year: 1966
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Zagato is the Italian design company well-known for working with Aston Martin. But Touring of Milan has put out one of Britain's finest GTs as well. What came out was a shorter, faster, sexier DB6 and an all-around fantastic sports car.
DB9
14. DB9
Year: 2003-Present
Made For: Road
Complex Says: The new generation of Aston Martin cars was spearheaded by the brilliant DB9 in 2003. It's easy to see the mark that this car left on every single model Aston Martin sells today...not counting the hilarious Cygnet.
Vanquish S
13. Vanquish S
Year: 2004-2007
Made For: Road
Complex Says: The Vanquish was a great car, but the semi-automatic gearbox was a bit off. Not that we would want any fewer than three pedals anyway. Enjoying the relationship between glorious engine and driver is what this car is all about.
DBS V12
12. DBS V12
Year: 2007-Present
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Sean Connery may have had a DB5 during his stint as Bond, but Daniel Craig was rollin' in a DBS V12. The DBS is a hotted-up DB9 that's sporting a ton of race car bits and bobs.
DB5
11. DB5
Year: 1963-1965
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Two words: James Bond. In our "best of" lists, we take it into account whether or not a car has achieved icon-status. The DB5 sure as hell has.
DB3S
10. DB3S
Year: 1953-1956
Made For: Race
Complex Says: The DB3 was too heavy and too slow to win anything, so Aston Martin replaced it with this. The DB3S was infinitely better, won dozens of races, and dominated BARC's events.
DB4
9. DB4
Year: 1958-1963
Made For: Road
Complex Says: The DB5 may get all the press because of that one famous and fictional driver named James, but by all accounts the DB4 drove better. The DB5 also owes its seductive styling to the DB4. This is easily one of the cars that had the most influence on the company.
V12 Vantage Zagato
8. V12 Vantage Zagato
Year: 2011-Present
Made For: Road/Race
Complex Says: When the V12 Vantage Zagato was announced, the first thing we noticed was that it looked dead sexy. Once we were done drooling and actually read the press release, we were in love. Here was a car that was made to be raced competitively or owned as a sports car. Zig (the green one) and Zag (the red one) haven't won any races yet, but we have no doubt that it's only a matter of time.
DBR9
7. DBR9
Year: 2005-Present
Made For: Race
Complex Says: The DBR9 has fought with the Corvette teams tooth and nail since its inception. The Aston has managed to win 12 Hours of Sebring, many races in ALMS, and the GT1 class at Le Mans. To top it all off, there's even one that's sporting Gulf Oil livery. The Corvette and the Aston may be pretty evenly matched, but the Aston does it with style and panache.
DBR1
6. DBR1
Year: 1956-1959
Made For: Race
Complex Says: The DBR1 was driven by motorsport legends like Carroll Shelby, Sir Stirling Moss, and Jim Clark. To date, it is the only Aston Martin to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright. Second place was also taken by a DBR1, while third was secured by a Ferrari 250 GT that was literally miles behind. More than 200 miles, in fact.
DB2/4
5. DB2/4
Year: 1953-1957
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Aston Martin was shocked by the fantastic sales of what was "arguably the world's first hatchback." Making six to seven Astons per week would have only been considered in dreams of the particularly wild variety up until then.
Atom
4. Atom
Year: 1939
Made For: Concept
Complex Says: On account of a certain event that happened worldwide but mostly in Europe from 1939 to 1945, the Aston Martin Atom never made it to production. The proto-space frame construction and independent front suspension were both noteworthy elements of this car, which went on to become the basis for every Aston that followed.
DB4GT Zagato
3. DB4GT Zagato
Year: 1960-1963
Made For: Road
Complex Says: The Aston Martin DB4GT was a lighter, faster version of the DB4, with a greatly improved engine. The DB4GT Zagato was lighter and faster than the DB4GT, and it looked more alluring than a supermodel wearing nothing but chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
Vantage V600 "Le Mans"
2. Vantage V600 "Le Mans"
Year: 1999-2000
Made For: Road
Complex Says: The 604hp V8 in the Vantage V600 "Le Mans" was the most powerful Aston Martin ever, until quite recently. And it wasn't afraid to show it, with race-inspired style. Each Le Mans was made on commission and bears the name of the first owner.
One-77
1. One-77
Year: 2009-Present
Made For: Road
Complex Says: Only 77 will ever be made. They cost $1.7 million each. Some crazy Saudi bought 10 of them. No two are alike. The car looks like pure sex. It has the world's most powerful naturally aspirated engine.
These are some of the reasons there has been so much obsession over this car. It is the ultimate Aston Martin, and it has been said that it and its 7.3L engine were built now because this sort of car won't be legal in the future.