Aston's Vanquish flagship has vanished, but the gorgeous all-aluminum DB9 still continues, as a coupe or a convertible (Volante, in Aston-Martin-speak) with a pair of notional rear seats. Naturally, the interior is swathed in leather, wood and wool in the time-honoured tradition of bespoke British cars. A classic front-engine, rear-wheel driver, the DB9 has a 450-hp, 6.0-litre V12 at the sharp end that was originally created by joining a pair of Ford Duratec 3.0-litre V6s end to end (Aston is owned by Ford). A 6-speed manual or paddle-shifted 6-speed automatic is located in the stern, for ideal 50:50 weight distribution. Unlike those in many rivals, the automatic is conventional, not an automatically-shifted manual.

A gorgeous Aston for the price of an Aston

We still haven't driven one