The Aston Martin DB5 is perhaps this British sports car manufacturer's most famous model thanks to its iconic appearance in Goldfinger alongside Sean Connery.

While it was only in production for two years between 1963 and 1965, with just over a thousand examples rolling out of the factory, it has remained an iconic representation of sporting style of the decade in which it emerged.

The DB5 was based heavily on the preceding DB4 Series V, although it did feature a number of unique elements which set it apart from its predecessor.

The 4.0 litre engine, fashioned largely from aluminium, was one of these advancements. It gave the car 282bhp and allowed it to reach a top speed of 145mph and Aston Martin was so confident in the new power plant that it adopted it as its first choice for many future models.

While its performance was impressive, the DB5 also made a big impression thanks to the luxurious nature of its interior. It had electric windows, thick woollen carpets, seats which could actually recline and a number of other advanced elements.

Early models all have a four speed manual gearbox, although a five speed replacement soon became the standard. There was also a DB5 with an automatic transmission offered.

While the DB5 was only created for a brief period, it did arrive in a couple of distinct variants. The DB5 Vantage, for example, was a high performance version of the original, of which only 65 were ever produced.

It was also possible to buy a convertible edition of the DB5 and these were denoted as Volantes, which would go on to be the name that Aston Martin applied to many of its future soft tops.

Perhaps the oddest and rarest version of the DB5 was the Shooting Brake, which was effectively an Estate car produced expressly for David Brown, the man whose initials are recognised in the DB range. He wanted room to put his dogs and hunting gear in the back, which explains the unusual setup featured.

Interestingly the famous DB5 which featured in 1964's Goldfinger was actually the first ever prototype of the car produced and it helped to make Aston Martin one of the most sought-after manufacturers around.