If you’ve ever seen Aston Martin cars, in person, on television, or on the big screen in movies driving by characters like James Bond, you’ve probably noticed the timeless and perfectly proportionate appearance that makes them look equally more like a work of art than a driveable car. Sure, there are plenty of stunning cars out there, but there is one thing that Aston Martin designers have done in their design to make them stand out.

The golden ratio

If you’re an artist, digital design, or just know anything general about aesthetics, you’ve heard of the golden ratio. The golden ratio also called the Divine Proportion, is a mathematical ratio that refers to perfect portioning and has been applied to art for centuries to create beautiful and aesthetically pleasing masterpieces.

When you look at the side profile of the DB9, you might not be actively acknowledging the exact proportions, but for some reason, you can’t help but find the car attractive.

The length of the doors with respect to the car’s overall length, how long the body lines are, and where they are placed, even the height of the windows is all determined with the golden ratio in mind. The designers spared no detail in creating these geometrically perfect cars, which is a major reason as to why they look so timeless.

Every aspect of the cars’ profiles was designed using the golden ratio. From the height of the door to the length of the front bumper that you can see past the front wheels, no detail was left unnoticed. The cars are designed so well that you could easily mistake older V8 Vantages for new ones if you weren’t looking too hard.

The interior of the cars is no different. Sitting down into an Aston Martin Vantage, you might feel more like you’ve made a nest inside of a large, expensive wristwatch. The dashboard, like the exterior of the car, is designed using the golden ratio. It’s line with high-quality leather, Alcantara and aluminum to make it feel as good to the touch as it is nice to look at.

The golden ratio isn’t just implemented in the manufacturer’s most popular sports cars, either. You can notice the divine proportions in their sedan model Rapides or even their newest SUV, the DBX. This design technique is consistently used across all of their models, regardless of year, and is what ties together the cars to give them iconic styling. The exception, perhaps, would be the Aston Martin Cygnet, but most people chose to exclude that as being a true Aston Martin anyways.