Aston Martin DB9

As the first car to be built in Aston’s new Gaydon facility in England, the DB9 was such a huge step forward from the DB7 that Aston decided to skip the DB8 iteration altogether, thinking it might indicate an incremental change from the Jaguar XK8-based DB7 instead of the wholly redesigned car that the DB9 is.

And from a visual standpoint, the DB9 is the Aston Martin, creating the middleground balance of the platform from which other Astons like the Vanquish and the DBS draw upon. While those cars certainly have their own merits, the DB9 measured approach of sex appeal coupled with restraint resulted in a drop-dead gorgeous GT car with genuine style.