Top 10 Cars of the 2012 LA Auto Show

6. Aston Martin Vanquish

It’s hard not to have a soft spot for Aston Martin’s elegant styling, even if the brand struggles with creating new designs. It’s still recognizably a Vanquish, but the brand says this is a “new breed of grand tourer.”

Sift through the stacks of promotional hyperbole and you get this: a 6.0-liter V8 with 565 hp — 45 more than the outgoing DBS. Apart from having a more muscular engine, the car also makes extensive use of carbon fiber body pieces.

The car doesn’t really break any new ground for Aston, and at $279,995 there are definitely cheaper ways to buy a car capable of 4.1-second 0-60 times. Still, there’s something special about its low-slung styling and grille that clings to its dignity despite the Ford Fusion’s best efforts.