For all the bling of the new DBS – complete with flashing “power”, “beauty” and “soul” lights on the dashboard – Aston Martin is still a quintessentially British sports car, just with a modern twist.

The cars are designed in an eco-friendly new wood-and-glass studio in Gaydon, Warwickshire. And an adjacent factory builds them using craftsman-like touches like hand-stitched upholstery and a seven-coat, 50-hour painting and polishing process.