Aston Martin has been making sports cars since its very inception back in 1914. It took just eight years to get into Grand Prix racing, but this sexiest of glamour labels was to take a little longer to find its perfect partner.

If winning races was something Aston Martin had already got worked out by the 1950s – with a roll of glory in places like Spa and Le Mans, the postwar era was one in which the ultimate in glamour, style and sexiness was achieved and the Aston Martin name reached new heights.

The name's Bond

This was done through the connection of the brand with the male icon of the century - James Bond. If ever anyone epitomised heroism, drama, style and the ability to invariably get the girl it was he and Aston Martin soon found it had a natural ally.

Thus in 1965 the DB5 was featured in Goldfinger, starting an association that has literally lasted a generation as the DBS made its first ever appearance in Casino Royale. The image of Aston Martin as a sexy car to go with the alpha male has stood the test of time.

Top stuff

The Vantage, meanwhile, has quickly gained a reputation for its high calibre of handling, with its new sports pack receiving an "overwhelmingly positive response of customers", the manufacturer noted. That's right, people like it. Pure and simple, yet still sexy.

Feast

And for a real car-lover's verdict, Jeremy Clarkson said of the V8 last year in the Sunday Times: "This snarling, sculptured machine is so much more than an auxiliary transport module. It's also a feast for your eyes, an electrode for your heart and a song for your soul."

You can't say much better than that. And when it comes to cool, you can't say much cooler than Aston Martin.