2005 Aston Martin DB9

It's achingly beautiful. Aston found no reason to start a styling revolution. The DB9, like the Vanquish, DB7, and V-8 Vantage, relies on classic proportions, long-established Aston styling cues, big 19-inch wheels, and simple sculptured forms to achieve its gorgeous looks. Less visually aggressive and more elegant than the $235,600 460-hp Vanquish, the DB9 will launch this month with the $155,000 coupe, and a couple of months later, the $170,000 Volante convertible will follow.

Happily, the DB9 driving experience matches the beauty. A welcome 5.8-inch stretch of the wheelbase means this is the first modern Aston to offer a respectably roomy driving position, with ample adjustment for the deep buckets and lovely leather steering wheel. If the rear seats remain token gestures at best, here at last is an Aston with a distinctive, special-place interior that's dominated by a sweeping central band of bamboo timber, 3-D aluminum instruments, and the rich smell of cowhide.