‘I almost give a solo standing ovation in the press conference’

REVIEWING THE YEAR assumes you can remember much about it: difficult given the mad scramble with which 2018 passed. Fully-formed memories and opinion continue to elude me, so it’ll have to be snapshots.

Southern France, beginning of the year. The sky’s leaden, the ambient temperature near-freezing and the lonely, rainslicked road ahead about as inviting as solitary confinement. But in our Alpine A110, contributor Ben Barry and I couldn’t be happier. Beneath us, one of the most hotly anticipated sports cars of recent times is wasting little time in making it clear it’s sensational. Waiting for the flight home, Ben and I also waste no time – the A110 is a five-star car and a work of some genius; no arguments.

London, mid-summer. In an art gallery Singer Vehicle Design shows its latest Porsche 911 (964)-based masterpiece to a collection of close friends and clients. Front-man Rob Dickinson almost apologetically confirms that similar restorations will cost at least $1.8 million. No one bats an eyelid.

Maranello, September. At Ferrari’s annual briefing of shareholders and the press, chief technical officer Michael Hugo Leiters confirms his employer’s ongoing commitment to the V12. Having experienced the 812 Superfast on the fearsome old roads around Spa, I almost give a spontaneous one-man standing ovation in the middle of the press conference.

Just last week. I have one of my most memorable drives of the year in a £14k VW Up GTI and one of the single most impressive individuals in the industry, Carlos Ghosn, falls from grace. Fortunately, to restore some order, Porsche also unveils a new 911 that looks just like the old one.

Enjoy the issue.