GT

STORY

The DB9 opened a new chapter for Aston Martin as the first car built at the purpose-built Gaydon factory and the debut of the bonded-aluminium VH ("vertical/horizontal") platform that would underpin most Astons for over a decade. Designed by Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker and launched in 2004, it replaced the DB7 with a stiffer, lighter and more advanced structure.

The company deliberately skipped the "DB8" name, fearing it would imply a V8; the DB9 instead used the 6.0-litre V12 developed from the DB7 Vantage's engine, making around 450bhp. Despite being 25 percent lighter than the DB7's bodyshell, the DB9 structure offered more than double the torsional rigidity.

Offered as a coupe and Volante convertible, the DB9 remained in production, steadily updated, until 2016. It became one of Aston's defining modern shapes and set the design template for the DBS, Vanquish, Rapide and Virage that shared its architecture.