3.2 Volante

STORY

The DB7 was the car that saved Aston Martin. Launched in 1994 under Ford ownership, it was conceived by Tom Walkinshaw's TWR and styled by a young Ian Callum on an evolution of the Jaguar XJS platform, giving the cash-strapped marque a beautiful, comparatively affordable grand tourer it could actually build in volume.

Early cars used a supercharged straight-six, but the model's reputation was made in 1999 by the DB7 Vantage, which introduced Aston Martin's new 5.9-litre V12, engineered with Cosworth. The V12 transformed the car's character and cemented its status as a proper modern Aston GT in coupe and Volante convertible forms.

More than 7,000 DB7s were built before production ended in 2004, making it the best-selling Aston Martin in the company's history to that point. Its commercial success funded the Gaydon factory and the VH-platform generation of cars that followed.