Aston Martin at the 2013 Lord Mayor's show - picture special

The parade, which departed from Mansion House, took place on Saturday

Several staging areas allowed the organisers to get the floats, horses, people and cars in order prior to beginning the parade

Briefings beforehand ensured that all understood how the event was going to proceed

The participants in the parade were slowly released from their staging areas and brought together at appropriate junctions

Predictably, torrential rain started just before the parade began in earnest

At the front of the pack of Astons was a suitably patriotic Vanquish

A pair of Rapides took part in the parade

Aston Martin was representing 'The Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers of London'

Despite the inclement conditions, the turnout was good

This was the 798th year that the Lord Mayor's show had taken place

It occupies the area between Mansion House and the Royal Courts of Justice in Aldwych

For around three hours the Astons rolled slowly through central London

Aston's new Vanquish Volante drew plenty of attention

The manufacturer has been involved in several parades this year...

... including its own centenary laps at Le Mans

The Rapide S is powered by a 550bhp V12

Aston ran the cars in a 1-2-1-2 formation, when possible

The crowds were incredibly receptive to the cars, urging them on to gun their engines

The presence of horses meant that things had to be kept relatively subdued, however

Heavy rain meant that the Volante's roof had to stay up, initially at least

The parade is put together on the day - there's no practice run

The V12-engined Vanquish Volante, on the right, has recently been launched and costs £199,995

Aston's Vanquish is capable of 0-62mph in just 4.1sec

Spectators turned out in their tens of thousands to see the parade weave through the city

The rain began to ease later in the parade, finally stopping just before the lunch break

The lunch stop at the halfway point gave people a good opportunity to get much closer to the cars

Having been idling away for over two hours now, the Astons served as very capable radiators...

... much to the relief of many cold and wet participants in the parade

Myriad positive comments were given on the quality and attention to detail in the Aston's interiors

With the sun sneaking through the clouds, the roof finally came down on the Vanquish Volante

The amount of attention the cars got was remarkable; clearly there is a lot of enthusiasm about the Aston brand

Also taking part in the parade was the British Red Cross, the Radio Taxis Group and the AA

Sand had been laid down on many of the roads to improve traction for those on foot

The Vanquish's top speed of 183bhp wasn't tested during the event

Aston Martin claims the Vanquish will average a reasonable 19.6mpg in regular use

It's a car that's designed for British roads, which many buyers no doubt appreciate

Over 7000 people participated in the parade

Hundreds of vehicles took part too, including cabs, classic cars and a traction engine

Previous centenary events for Aston this year included a huge display of historic and modern models in Kensington gardens

Six Aston Martins took part in total

Aston brought along its newest model, the Vanquish Volante, as well as...

... the standard coupé, which led the way

Despite being unrehearsed, the parade went smoothly

The members of the Guild marched with the Astons through London

Details of the show are released every year upon the election of the new Lord Mayor

Horses also played a prevalent part in the event; around 150 were involved

It's claimed to be 'the longest, grandest and most meticulously organised procession in the world'

The parade followed a loop, ending back up at Mansion House in the afternoon

All six Astons performed flawlessly, despite the lengthy crawl at very slow speeds

The drivers, Aston Martin representatives and members of the Guild lined up for a final shot before the cars were shipped back