2009 ASTON MARTIN DBS

The world first saw the Aston Martin in 2006’s Casino Royale as James Bond’s wheels (before the car was launched into a series of barrel rolls), but customers didn’t get their hands on production examples until 2008. 

When they did, they discovered a car that manages to combine hot rod, elegant GT and quintessentially British luxury motoring into one package. And although it was significantly more expensive than the DB9 on which it was based, the DBS managed to feel – and look – sufficiently different from its cheaper sibling.

You’ll have to forgive the scattergun approach to cabin switchgear and layout, the clunky sat nav and the irritating fly-off handbrake - but providing you can do that you’ll be able to enjoy a muscular, near-200mph car with a glorious-sounding naturally aspirated V12 engine. 

Go for a manual if you want the best experience, though – the six-speed Touchtronic II self-shifter is an automated manual rather than a torque converter or a dual-cutcher. That said, it is still significantly better than the fragile, clunky transmission fitted to the Vanquish – the DBS’s direct predecessor.