Aston Martin DB5, Bond's finest

Sean Connery held the 007 mantle when Bond received his first Aston DB5, though the iconic sports car has appeared in no less than five Bond films since its Goldfinger debut. But being a Bond car isn't necessarily enough to make an icon - just look at the BMW Z8. Thankfully, the DB5 was brilliant as well as stunning.

Arguably the DB5 was just a facelifted DB4 (from the days before a facelift just meant a new bumper and some LEDs in the headlamp clusters), but thanks to the aforementioned Bond association and - more importantly - its general beauty and excellence, it became an instant classic. Coupé and convertible versions were available when it was launched in 1963, and to give you an idea of how much it was worth, a new Ford Cortina cost around £675 at the time, whereas a drop top DB5 would set you back a cool £4,500. Its 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine produced 282bhp, though it still took a fairly languid (by today's standards) 8.1 seconds to hit 60mph. That was because it weighed one and a half tonnes, though the four-seater was more a cruiser than an out-and-out sports car in the same way the E-Type Jag was. Still, there were no complaints about its distinguished luxury and refinement.

Mark Nichol