Bond's Aston Martin is voted the world's coolest car

In a motoring age favouring spoilers, kangaroo bars and other unsightly add-ons, the Aston Martin has remained true to its original design.

And yesterday the British-built sports car, which became as much a part of James Bond's image as tuxedos and blondes, was recognised as the world's coolest car. With a top speed of 160mph the six-cylinder DB5, driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger, is still the best car to be seen driving 40 years after it was launched, a poll in Top Gear magazine shows.

The DB5 is no longer in production and classic cars sell for up to £200,000. Its latest incarnation, the DB9, has already drawn a string of admirers in the industry before its launch in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, this week.

The panel of motoring experts, including the Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, were unimpressed with the "trashy" designs of Italian-built Ferrari and Lamborghini, which both failed to make the top 10 of the Cool List 2003.

The Land Rover Defender was voted second coolest. First built in 1950, it has outlasted the VW Beetle to become the world's oldest production car.