The homepage is a treat for the self-indulgent as you get to start your own engine before the excursion begins (a click of the mouse, not a turn of the key), but not without feeling mildly disconcerted by the low-resolution graphics and the relatively short trip to HQ.

The “Cars” section does have a shot at reconciling the issue by describing the heritage of each vehicle in detail and also the culture that one is buying into. But these days Aston Martin is owned by Ford, and it’s simply not easy to use the web to differentiate intrinsically without a great deal of forethought and care.

No doubt fans of the company will instantly be drawn to the online shop that goes by the name of “The Collection,” or by the “Car Configurator,” which enables visitors to choose their car and color scheme and even enter a message on the personalized sill plaques before viewing the finished article in 3-D. Aston Martin Racing is also well represented, with a more or less stand-alone site, as is the “Works Service” section, which proudly states that Aston Martin will send engineers to service your car wherever you are in the world. Unfortunately, the “Approved Used” section is only of use if you happen to live in the UK, and the “Gallery” is a major letdown, with the limited number of downloads on offer being matched in perplexity only by the lone sound file of a DB9 engine—you can’t help but wonder, Why?

A visit to Astonmartin.com is neither captivating nor engaging, or fascinating or bewitching, and these qualities are important, as you can forget about buying functionality when you’re forking out US$ 250,000 on a new set of wheels.

Despite its web proposition needing an overhaul, there can be no denying the magnetism of the Aston Martin brand, given that one punter paid over US$ 2 million for the 1965 DB5 coupe featured in the movies “Thunderball” and “Goldfinger” at an auction in Arizona this year.

The current Aston Martin owners list yields no shortage of names either, with the likes of Nicolas Cage, David Beckham, and HRH the Prince of Wales providing proof positive that little boys never grow old—their toys just get more expensive.

So looking on the bright side, Aston Martin should have it cracked. It has a high-profile, exclusive brand where demand is outstripping supply, a parent company with deep pockets, and margins that most people can only dream about. Here’s hoping that the next time it reviews its web proposition, it pays the same attention to detail as it spends on its high-class cars.