As a child, Caroline Shinkle loved cars so much that she persuaded her father to teach her to drive at the tender age of eight. “I could barely reach the gas pedal and the clutch, but from that moment onwards I was hooked,” she remembers. “I caught the bug and started to develop my own interest in cars.”

By the time she had reached the US legal driving age, her father had purchased her first car – a 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante. Not bad for a 16-year-old. 

“It was love at first sight,” she remembers of her first set of wheels. Painted Pennine Grey, with two-tone leather, the 335bhp super charged inline-six-cylinder engine, coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox. A motor car truly fit for James Bond; and now me.” 

As a high-school student, in Michigan, Caroline certainly stood out in her DB7, driving it to school whenever she could. “The Aston defined a certain element of my high-school experience, with friends and peers still remembering the DB7,” she recalls. “Seeing those wings in the parking lot every day had a lasting effect on the other students. The DB7 became my chariot – to class, to the tennis courts and to the golf course. As captain of the golf team, I was always proud that the boot was just big enough to accommodate my clubs.”

It was style and aesthetics that initially drew Caroline to her DB7. “For me, Aston Martin epitomises elegance, power and panache,” she explains. “It was something I knew I could be proud of when cruising to school. And it was a nod to the mystique of James Bond.”

But she also loved the fact it was a manual car – unusual for the United States where most people learn to drive on an automatic. “I think manual is much more fun,” she says. “You feel much more in control. You feel like a race-car driver and I was always drawn to that. We have to save the stick!” 

Nowadays Caroline lives in New York City where she works as a corporate attorney. She keeps her DB7 in Dayton, Ohio, where she grew up, but returns to drive it as often as she can. When her demanding work schedule allows, she takes her beloved vehicle to car shows and cruise-ins all over the United States. 

She has also travelled to the UK to visit the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell, and the factory in Bloxham where the DB7 used to be manufactured. 

One year she joined the Aston Martin racing team in France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Last year she attended a rare car meet at Hampton Court Palace and the Christmas gala of the London-based Aston Martin club, Area 00. Back in New York she is a member of the New York chapter of the Aston Martin Owners’ Club. 

“Over the years, I have become even more passionate about the Aston Martin marque and the community of fellow owners,” she explains.

Driving the DB7 on American roads – road trips through the rolling hills of the Midwest are her favourite – she never fails to get a positive reaction from other road-users. “I get a lot of thumbs up, and people hanging out of their cars to get a better look and take pictures,” she says. “Sometimes people don’t know what car it is. They recognise the wings and they know it’s something special but they’re not quite sure what it is. It’s exciting to experience the interest and enthusiasm the DB7 generates, especially among the younger generation.” Caroline is convinced it’s the legacy of the James Bond movies that makes her model of Aston Martin so engaging.

Surprisingly, she has never owned another Aston Martin – only the one DB7. But she does have a wish list of other models. When it comes to classic cars, she admires the DB4 GT Zagato, while in the modern range she favours the V12 Vantage as a sports car and the DBX as an SUV. 

She has also had her head turned by the DBS Volante and the brand new Valhalla. “That’s pretty sweet,” she says of the latter. “If I could get my hands on one of those, that would be incredible.”

Until then, the DB7 will have to keep her satisfied.