A new study has revealed that the World War II Spitfire has been voted as the most iconic British vehicle of all time.

But close behind in third place was a car with strong Huddersfield links.

James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 is a true icon, a film star in the Bond movies – and the company which built it was owned by Huddersfield industrialist Sir David Brown.

He owned the giant tractor plant in Meltham and the David Brown engineering firm in Lockwood and bought the car manufacturer when it was at its prime.

Also in the top five iconic vehicles were the Italian Job Mini, the London Routemaster bus - which could soon be running services in Huddersfield - and the London black cab. The average amount that people would be would be willing to pay to fly in a Spitfire, amongst those who stated that it was their ambition to fly in one, was revealed as £370.

The research was conducted by www.intotheblue.couk , a ‘gift experience provider’ in the UK which polled 2,484 UK adults, all of whom were aged 18 and over, with an even split of male and female respondents.

The survey was conducted as part of research into the patriotism and icons associated with Britain.

All respondents were asked to detail what their most favourite iconic British vehicle was, which revealed the below top five:

1) Spitfire – 30%

2) London Routemaster bus – 24%

3) James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 – 17%

4) London black cab – 15%

5) Italian Job Mini – 10%

6) Other – 4%

Jim Maitland from intotheblue.co.uk said: “With a deep history in engineering and design, Britain has produced some of the world’s most iconic vehicles, so there could have been all manner of vehicles in this list.

“It is interesting to see that the results constitute a range of vehicles from film, war and everyday life, showcasing the wide spectrum of British engineering talent.”

“The Spitfire in its essence is seen as a symbol for our efforts in WW2 in the face of adversity, so we can really understand why so many people believe it sums up British spirit and also why so many people would love to fly in one.”