Every Aston Martin DB Car, Ranked

On my ride into work today something amazing happened. I rode past an Aston Martin DB9 in the flesh, on the streets of New York City. One of the most timeless and elegant supercars out there, just sitting in traffic, going about its day to day.

After leaving the sleek, silver hunk of British design in the dust (thanks to the traffic, not my mediocre cycling) I got to thinking about all the other DB cars Aston Martin has made over the years.

While now, you might be able to pop out and buy the new DB11, there have been way more than 11 cars to hold the two letter title. A title that stems from the name David Brown. In 1947, Brown purchased the struggling automaker to try and revive the struggling car brand. It sort of worked, and helped create the struggling car brand you see today.

And along that 75-year history, Aston Martin has churned out 15 different cars that have each worn the DB name with pride. So, from cars in the current lineup to rare beasts from the 1960s, here's our ranking of every factory-fresh Aston Martin DB car out there.

I wonder who among us has seen the most in the flesh?

At 15 is the last generation of Aston Martin's DBS.

Unveiled in the noughties, the 2007 DBS had a top speed of 190 mph, a V12 engine and styling that sat somewhere between the company's race cars and road cars of the time.

Oh, it was also the car of choice for Daniel Craig's James Bond in both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

Only the second car to wear the DB badge, the Aston Martin DB2/4 was in production between 1953 and 1957. The DB2/4 replaced the outgoing DB2 and added larger bumpers, updated headlights and new windscreen.

With a top speed of 211 mph, the current generation Aston Martin DBS is a bit of a beast. It follows the same design language of the current DB11 but adds a bit more of everything. But in this instance, I'm not sure "more" means "better."

The O.G. Released in 1950, the DB2 was the first entirely new car to be released by Aston Martin following its sale to David Brown. As such, it was the first car to official wear the DB badge. It was also the first model to feature an early iteration of the brand's now signature front grille design.

Let's call this one a first draft of things to come. Released in 1994 (a great year) the original DB7 marked a new direction for the company. But, it was a direction that would be refined by its replacement.

Same, same but different. No, this isn't the car synonymous with James Bond, it's the model that came before it. When it was released, the model was a totally new car for the firm and every major component fitted to it had to be specially designed. It's another car that gets improved with each successive update.

Aston Martin made an SUV! What madness. Since its launch in 2020, the DBX has been slowly growing on me. Sure, it's a bit ridiculous and unnecessary. But so is every Aston Martin ever. If you have to have an SUV, this should be the only option out there.

The last in the current crop of DB cars is this, the DB11. When it launched, the grand tourer was the first car as part of Aston Martin's "Second Century" plan and was said to mark a turning point for the historic brand. It was also the first car in the firm's tie up with Mercedes and could be specced with a four-liter AMG-sourced V8.

Sure, it's basically a working show car that was exclusively driven by James Bond, but look at it! The DB10 has the face of an angry shark, which I dig. And, those bonnet vents look super sleek.

And now, we're into the really pretty cars. I dearly love every car from this point onwards.

The DB7 Vantage took everything that was great about the original DB7 and refined it. The front end was tweaked and those new, rounded lights marked a vast improvement.

The car the DB2/4 replaced was this, the DB MKIII. The car was an evolution of the outgoing model but with a refined front end and a grille design similar to the one you might see on an Aston Martin today.

The car that started this whole blog off, the Aston Martin DB9.

There's no two ways about it, this is a very, very pretty car. Produced for nine years from 2003, the DB9 was designed by Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker. It also spawned the DBR9 race car, which took two LMGT1 class wins at Le Mans.

Produced: 2003 – 2012

In my opinion, the top three here are very hard to separate.

But just missing out on the top spot was the Aston Martin DB6. An evolution of arguably the brand's most famous car, this model features a rear end that was tweaked to add a spoiler. The front and back bumpers were also altered. I really, really like this car.

The ultimate Aston Martin and the ultimate Bond car, the DB5 is arguably one of the most famous cars in the world. The design remained fairly similar to the outgoing DB4, but with a new and improved front end.

Under the hood, however, the DB5 now came with a four-liter, straight six engine that could power it onto 142mph. When new, it cost £ 4,175.

I have to go with my heart, so here we have the best Aston Martin DB car: the absolutely wonderful DBS from 1967. The original DBS is the Aston Martin I'd own if I was given the chance.

I love the '60s angular styling of the DBS, it's a real evolution of the brand's design that remains instantly recognizable as a classic Aston Martin.