Despite being a neophyte compared to its more high-profile contemporaries, the Aston Martin DB9 has definitely made quite an impression among residents of Great Britain. At least that is what it seems after the six-year old car recently came out on top of a survey done among British drivers to determine their favorite car in the past 25 years.

While the achievement is glowing in its own right - and likewise a testament to Aston Martin's standing as one of the world's pre-eminent high-end car brands - what makes it even more impressive is the fact that, as we've mentioned, the DB9 only came around as late as 2004. Eating the DB9's dust in second place is the ever-reliable Volkswagen Golf->ke164 while taking up the third step of the podium is the Mini->ke57.

Given the fact that 25 years is an eternity for car manufacturers to make an indelible imprint in the hearts and minds of consumers makes the DB9's achievement as the car-of-choice among British drivers all the more remarkable. This is especially impressive when you consider that the Aston Martin DB9 wasn't even around when the new millennium began.

Press release after the jump

The iconic Aston Martin DB9 has been voted the nation's favourite car of the past 25 years, in a poll to discover which car is the nation's best loved motor of the '80s, '90s and noughties years by Direct Line Car Insurance to mark its 25th anniversary this week*.

One in ten Brits (10 per cent) said the Aston Martin DB9, synonymous with James Bond, was their favourite car of the past 25 years, while the Volkswagen Golf GTI, the original boy racers' favourite 'hot hatch', secured second place in the vote (5 per cent). The BMW MINI, the modern take on a long-term classic, came in third place (4 per cent).

Motorists were asked to vote for their favourite car from a list of 30 of the most iconic car models from 1985-2010, from the '80's Audi Quattro, most recently made famous for its starring role in the TV series Ashes to Ashes, to the DeLorian, the legendary car from the Back to the Future films, to the '90s everyman's classic the Ford Mondeo.

The quintessentially British Jaguar XJ was named the second most popular car by voters in the East of England and Wales.

However, while these cars are nostalgically seen as the automotive classics of the past 25 years, the majority of motoring Brits or the main driver in their household in the 1980's owned either a Ford (29 per cent) or a Vauxhall (14 per cent) in the 1980s. Nearly one in ten Brits (9 per cent) owned an Austin or a Rover back in the 1980s.

Jennifer Thomas, spokesperson for Direct Line, commented: "As a result of Britain's heritage of motoring we love cars for a wide variety of reasons, from being a classic British brand, to motorsport prowess to having modern design flair. Over the past 25 years Direct Line has insured a whole range of makes and models of cars and we're looking forward to following the motoring trends into the next decade and beyond."