Although England-based Aston Martin is commonly associated with James Bond, its illustrious heritage stretches far beyond the silver screen. It was founded in London in 1913, and it started racing decades before Ian Fleming created James Bond. From an open-top racer to a gasoline-electric hypercar, here are the company’s greatest models.
Ulster
The Ulster wasn’t the first Aston Martin, but it was the car that established Aston’s performance reputation. It was a replica of the race car that won the 1934 Ulster Tourist Trophy, hence its name. Its 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine developed 85 horsepower and propelled the Ulster to a claimed top speed of 100mph — heady stuff for the time.
DBR1
In addition to being one of the most gorgeous cars ever produced, the DBR1 gave Aston its one and only 24 Hours of Le Mans win. In 1959, Carroll Shelby (later of Shelby Cobra fame) and Roy Salvadori drove a DBR1 to victory in the famous French race. Despite trying hard, Aston hasn’t won since, though it has won first in class a few times.
DB5
Bond. James Bond. What else do you have to say? The DB5 is inextricably linked with 007. When Sean Connery took the wheel of a DB5 in Goldfinger, he turned Aston Martin into a household name. The DB5 itself was more an evolution of the previous DB4 than a completely new model, but its celebrity status makes it the most iconic Aston by far. It’s so sought-after that Aston Martin decided to make a replica of the car, complete with Bond’s gadgets.
V8 Vantage
The original V8 Vantage was Aston’s attempt at making a supercar out of a tired model that had been on sale for years. In 1977, the company took the AM V8 and boosted its output to 375hp (later 405hp). The result was a car that could hit 170mph, an impressive figure for the time. The V8 Vantage also ended up in the James Bond movie The Living Daylights, and it’s a favorite of former Aston CEO Andy Palmer, who owns a 1980 model.
DB7
The DB7 is arguably the car that saved Aston Martin in the early 1990s. It ushered in an attractive design language that defined the firm’s cars for over 20 years, and a 5.9-liter V12 engine that is only now going out of production. All of this was choreographed by Ford, which owned Aston and Jaguar at the time, and used the latter’s engineering resources to help complete the DB7. Without it, Aston may have been consigned to the history book.
DB9
Aston kept building the DB7 for about a decade before replacing it with the DB9. Just as the DB7 defined Aston in the 1990s, the DB9 defined the company in the early 2000s. The DB9 improved upon the DB7 formula with similar styling, but fewer overt connections to Ford, which by then had sold Aston. The DB9 was incredibly long lived, staying in production from 2004 to 2016 and forming the basis for spin-off models like the DBS and the Virage.
Rapide
Entering production in 2009, the Rapide is a four-door model built on a stretched version of the VH platform used for the DB9. While some automakers might have tried to hide the shared lineage, Aston styled the Rapide to look like a stretched DB9. That made for one of the best looking four-door cars in recent memory. This triumph of style over substance (the interior isn’t exactly roomy) evolved into the Rapide S, which received a mighty V12 engine.
One-77
It may look like a DB9 with a bizarre body kit, but the One-77 was a true hypercar. Its 7.3-liter V12 produced 750hp, and its top speed checked in at 220mph. To get it into production, Aston teamed up with Multimatic, the Canadian engineering company that is now building the Ford GT. Just 77 One-77s were made, priced at over $1 million each.
V12 Vantage S
You could argue that the V12 Vantage S is the last of a dying breed. This machine is a driver’s car designed to deliver raw performance without relying on turbocharged engines and elaborate electronics. For the real purist, it’s even available with a manual transmission.
V12 Vantage S is the ultimate expression of style, sporting a sleek body that hints at what lies under the hood. If you have any doubts, the V12’s 536hp power plant will quickly put them to rest.
Vulcan
The super-sleek, futuristic-looking Aston Martin best known for optimal performance is, hands-down, the Vulcan. Only 24 lucky people claim ownership of this beast, and Aston Martin required them to take a driver-training program to learn how to manage the Vulcan’s over-the-top 7.0-liter, 820hp motor.
It’s no coincidence that this car resembles a jet on wheels because it was designed to be the fastest car on the race track and isn’t even legal for street driving. Engineers even designed the Vulcan with adjustable spoilers to apply nearly 3,000 pounds of downforce to the vehicle.
Valkyrie
The Valkyrie is Aston Martin’s latest limited-edition hypercar. While the Vulcan looked like a jet, the Valkyrie looks like a sleek alien, one of the coolest, yet strangest, cars Aston Martin has ever produced.
The Valkyrie comes with a seven-digit price tag and a 1,160hp hybrid powertrain built around a 6.5-liter V12 motor. The company is making track-only and street-legal versions of the car that differ slightly, but since they’re only producing 150 vehicles, it’s going to be tough to get your hands on one.
