Designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera but immortalised on celluloid by the fictional British secret agent James Bond in Goldfinger, the Aston Martin DB5 was built from 1963 to 1965. Just over 1000 original DB5s were produced during this time. The then-owner of Aston Martin, David Brown, lent his initials to several models during his tenure and some current models still retain the DB link.

The car’s “Superleggera” – or Superlight – bodywork comprised a hand-beaten, thin alloy skin over a slender tubular, steel framework mounted on a rigid chassis. The 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, twin-camshaft, all-alloy engine designed in-house by Tadek Marek could propel the sleek saloon to 60 mph in around eight seconds; not especially rapid by today’s standards, but in 1963 it was very impressive.

Trimmed in leather reclining seats and fitted with a ZF five-speed gearbox, electric windows and disc brakes on all four wheels, the DB5 was a luxurious, fast grand tourer which would stir but not shake you – simply perfect for a licenced-to-kill 007.