Opulence, power, and exclusivity. These are just some key factors to building an Aston Martin. Yet, design seems to supersede all.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there are some exceptions to this rule of thumb. Sometimes there are automotive brands as a whole who struggle to conform to this rule, and they end up just producing beauty after beauty. In this case, we’re speaking about none other than the British automaker, Aston Martin.
Updated February 2023: Since Aston Martin’s new release of the DBS 770 Ultimate, we had to rethink what the most beautiful Aston Martin car really is. So, to keep you up to date, and shine a light on one of the most underrated car brands of the 21st century, we’ve updated this list with the best-looking Aston Martins ever.
Sure, they might have had their scarce misstep here and there with cars like the Cygnet and the Lagonda, but apart from those very select few outliers, Aston Martin has never failed to meet our expectations when it comes down to building powerful, breathtaking pieces of automotive ingenuity. No matter which generation you fall into, at some point in your life, one of your dream cars was undoubtedly an Aston Martin.
Apart from not being the most reliable European luxury cars that’ll last you a lifetime, Aston Martins are some of the most sought-after brands on planet Earth. They’re ferociously fast, unbelievably beautiful, lavishly luxurious, and are bound to increase in value over time. Here, we highlight some of Aston Martin’s most jaw-dropping designs ever, whether they be vintage, or brand-spanking new. Also, do keep in mind, this list will be in no particular order.
10 Aston Martin Vanquish
To begin our list, we have one of many beautiful Bond cars, the underrated Aston Martin Vanquish. Thus far, there were two generations of the Vanquish manufactured, but we’ll be starting off with the first generation for now.
Although these Astons proved to be part of the handful of European luxury cars we wouldn’t waste our money on, we can’t help but love its dastardly unreliable V12 powertrain, and stunning appearance. It followed suit to the DB7’s design language, only it smoothed out some edges, grew in size here and there, and was overall a much more well-rounded Aston Martin as a result.
9 Aston Martin DBR1
From the world-famous hero car, we move over to the critically-acclaimed Le Mans race car, the Aston Martin DBR1. Yes, we know including a literal race car to this list might be a tad of tomfoolery, but then again, just look at its beauty.
It had perfectly-sized curves and bulges, no roof, and a stellar color scheme that we all identify as Aston Martin Racing Green today. In spite of the DBR1’s lack of countless victories, it definitely snapped everyone’s necks when it sped past back in the day, and even still does today.
8 Aston Martin DB4 Zagato
If you’re a fan of Aston Martin, the name Zagato shouldn’t be too awfully unfamiliar to you. At its core, Zagato is an Italian coach-building company that specializes in restyling and slightly modifying existing cars into sheer perfection. The Aston Martin DB4 Zagato is an excellent example hereof.
With the likes of Britain’s timeless design, and Italy’s over-the-top eccentric nature, the DB4 Zagato came to be. Usually, cars with a droopy look to them end up looking awkward and unpleasant, but in the case of the Aston Martin DB4 Zagato, that could not be further from the truth.
7 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
The Vantage name still exists within Aston Martin’s ecosystem today, but in regard to the best-looking Vantage, there can only be one. The original. The 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. To this day, it remains one of the most underrated sports cars that are surprisingly good.
If you were to ask us, we’d argue that the V8 Vantage from the ’70s was the closest that Aston Martin ever came to a muscle car, and most probably ever will. It had the masculine presence of an American-built pony car, yet it didn’t do so at the expense of its brand’s class and grace. Before we forget, it’s also worth mentioning that Mr. Bean himself, Rowan Atkinson, owned one of these back in the day.
6 Aston Martin Vanquish
We’ve already mentioned the first-generation Vanquish, now it’s time to talk about its successor. The second generation Vanquish did exactly what the first generation set out to do. It took Aston Martin’s design philosophy at the time but modernized it.
It still had the iconic Aston grille, the stunning side profile, and the orgasmic V12 engine underneath its hood. However, its crevasses and creases were sharper, a slight wing formed at the rear, and overall, it revitalized the brand. Not to mention, the naturally-aspirated 5.9-liter V12 found in the Vanquish S churned out 580 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. In turn, this allows the Aston to dash from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds.
5 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake
Just as Zagato did with the DB4, they also had their chance to morph the Vanquish into something we never thought would come to fruition. Zagato took an already stunning car and stretched it out like a piece of tar, redesigned the rear end, and made it look like nothing else on the road – a two-door station wagon.
In the car world, this body style is usually called a shooting brake, and they’re excruciatingly rare. On paper, the Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake sounds like a horrendous medley, but in the real world, it’s the polar opposite, and it even gives some cool special edition Japanese cars a run for their money when it comes down to exclusivity.
4 Aston Martin DBS
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The DBS Superleggera often goes unnoticed nowadays since its little brother, the Vantage, and its sister SUV, the DBX steals all its shine. That said, not one of the two aforementioned looks nearly as striking as the new DBS.
The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera retains the same sophisticated nature as its ancestors, but only now it boats a twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 that pumps out 715 hp to the rear wheels. Furthermore, Aston recently unveiled the last of the DBS grand touring supercars called the Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate. Exterior-wise, there are a plethora of upgrades, but underneath the hood, things get even crazier since its V12 now makes 759 hp, but retains the same 664 lb-ft of torque.
3 Aston Martin One-77
All carmakers try to pour their whole heart and soul into one car, regardless of profits at least once. With BMW, it was the M1 and Lamborghini made the Sesto Elemento, but Aston Martin wanted to stay true to their roots, and have their car be roadworthy too. When Aston Martin tried to accomplish the same feat, they struck gold, and they called it the One-77.
The One-77 is as close as you can get to a DB9 on steroids. It’s longer, more bulbous, has teardrops flowing out of its eyes, a single connecting tail light, and a monster that inhabits it as well. The powertrain that powers the rear wheels of the One-77 is a 7.3-liter V12 that emits 750 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately, just 77 Aston Martin One-77 models were ever made…
2 Aston Martin DB9
Out of all the Aston Martins to ever exist, two of them reign above all the rest. The first is the iconic Aston Martin DB9 and the second… well, the second one we’ll talk about lastly on our list. The DB9 is the definitive 007 car, but its looks aren’t all just due to luck. No, the design behind the DB9 actually involved an unhealthy amount of mathematics – in particular, the golden ratio of phi, 1.618. But, that’s a story for another day.
We wouldn’t be doing the DB9 justice if we didn’t mention its performance version, the DBS, too. On the surface, both of these cars look very similar, although the DBS seems slightly more modern, it was only marginally faster due to them both sharing the same 5.9-liter V12. Just know that the DB9 and DBS still continue to age like fine wine.
1 Aston Martin DB5
There are very few cars that managed to gather as much admiration from the world as the Aston Martin DB5 – after all, it is James Bond’s weapon of choice. The engine that laid underneath the DB5’s hood might not have been one of the greatest inline-six engines ever made, but it sure stood its ground.
Instead of taking away the DB5’s poise, that raspy, pure tone of its 4.0-liter 281-hp straight-six contributed to its handsome presence. This will surely go down in history as one of the most beautiful cars. And, it’s also worth noting that these ’60s Aston Martin DB5s are worth an obscene amount of money today.
