Motoring review of the year 2012 We've also had a wealth of good-looking new cars to grace our roads: everything from BMW's new 3-series, to Mercedes" reworked A-class, via a bit of contentious thinking-outside-the-box, namely the Renault Twizy. To cap off an exciting year on Motoring, in September we won Motoring Section of the Year at the Headlineauto industry awards. It's an accolade we're very proud of, and reflects your continued passion and support for the section, so thank you, readers, and a happy new year to you all. Looking forward to 2013: We'll be launching the Telegraph Festival of Motoring (we're sworn to secrecy at the moment, but watch this space in January for details of this exciting new project - it involves you). Will Renault's Zoe prove to be an affordable yet practical electric car? Hmm, will I get back on a motorbike after two years of not riding? The Telegraph's great Goodwood partnerships continue with the Festival of Speed, which celebrates 20 years, and the charming period Revival. Not strictly motoring, I know, but I'd be remiss not to add the birth of my second son, due in four weeks. Our Range Rover Evoque test car is on winter tyres now, so should get me to hospital whatever the weather (fingers crossed). Andrew English, Motoring Correspondent Looking back at 2012 With most of southern Europe's car market resembling radioactive clinker, this autumn has seen a round of cutbacks, deferred model launches, plant closures and trimming of dealers that will run well into next year. Yet there have been some standout cars this year, not least the supercars. Ferrari's F12, Aston Martin's Vanquish and Bugatti's Grand Sport Vitesse were as fast as you'd expect, but the Ferrari was the most amazing. Silliest car was the Nissan Juke-R, a GT-R supercar with an SUV body. Some of the classics I drove were memorable, too. The 1955 Ferrari 410S, star of RM's Pebble Beach auction, was a thoroughbred from stem to stern and still fast enough to worry a McLaren MP4-12C that was testing the same day. Back on Earth and the hatchbacks were out in force. The new Golf and Clio were both likeable in their way, but my hatchback surprise of the year was Volvo's V40. I should also mention the Ford Focus ST, for being great fun, and the Shannon-class lifeboat (reviewed last week) for being awesome. I'm determined to take my Triking to a dry Cholmondeley Pageant of Power. Stand by to witness the hot-hatch battle between the Peugeot 208, VW Golf and Renault Clio. It's going to be great. I'll hold on tight for a supercar battle between the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 and Ferrari Enzo. It's going to be epic. Alfa's 4C, Honda's NSX, Skoda's Octavia, Toyota's fuel-cell car and Jaguar's F-type will all be put to the test. We'll be there to report on it all. Paul Hudson, Deputy Motoring Editor There are so many great cars and events that it's impossible to do them all justice, so my selected highlights of 2012 have a distinctly Italian flavour. Like my esteemed colleague, Chris Knapman, I was fortunate to drive a historic Alfa Romeo or two at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 1750 GTAm, a racing version of my 1750 GTV Alfa road car, with 220bhp thanks to a primitive mechanical fuel-injection system, was the one I'd been looking forward to - but it was eclipsed by the lightweight GTA 1300, its engine tweaked to within an inch of its life to deliver about 180bhp at 8,000rpm. Loud doesn't begin to describe the experience. Another aural treat came at the Goodwood Revival, with an astonishing gathering of Mercedes and Auto Union "Silver Arrows" racers of the Thirties. It was a great privilege to be in the assembly area with them, but their appearance on the track was a vivid demonstration of why they simply steamrollered the opposition. Few road cars pack the drama of a classic racing car at full bore, but special mention must go to the Lamborghini Aventador. The look and sound of the thing, not to mention the acceleration, are intoxicating. Of course, it's stupidly impractical but I think it's great that supercars still exist and if I had the money one of these would be at the top of my list. In orange, too. Far more sensible, not to mention affordable, is my car of the year. The Subaru BRZ is a back-to-basics coupé with 197bhp driving the rear wheels. Not much to shout about, you might think, but it's the chassis balance and precise steering that make it so rewarding at any speed. Can't wait for the open (Spyder) version of the Aventador. There will be more miles in my classic Alfa - surely we're due some consistent good weather. Will a new breed of budget cars such as the Dacia Sandero match buyers" expectations? Bring on the historic events, such as a pre-War Grand Prix race in May celebrating the 80th anniversary of the first car race at Donington Park. I can't wait to drive the Peugeot 208 GTi, a high-performance little hatch. Chris Knapman, Assistant Motoring Editor My year began in Sweden, where I learnt that if you're rich enough the motor industry has more to offer than ever before. There was Ferrari's first four-wheel-drive car, the FF, followed by a visit to Laponie Ice Driving where, if you've got a couple of thousand pounds to spare, you can learn to drift a Corvette on a frozen lake. Further proof that the wealthy have never had it so good came in the shape of the new Porsche 911 Cabriolet, my first spin in Lamborghini's mighty Aventador, Aston Martin's revised V8 Vantage and Maserati's outrageously loud GranSport Cabrio. None of those provided my most exhilarating drive of the year, though. That honour, narrowly eclipsing my first outing in a Ferrari F40, goes to a 1993 Alfa Romeo, which doesn't sound particularly auspicious until I tell you it was the 155 that Nicolo Larini took to that year's DTM touring car championship. Four-wheel drive, a 450bhp naturally aspirated V6 and the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb proved to be a wonderful combination. However, it wasn't just the fast cars that made an impression. Seat's little Mii was a delight on London's congested streets, similarly the three-cylinder Peugeot 208. I learnt that I hate caravanning, no matter how good the tow car, and had my first taste of austerity motoring in Dacia's Duster. I tanned myself in the open-top McLaren 12C Spider and then froze in an electric Renault Zoe on the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge. And now, stepping back from it all, I marvel once again at how brilliantly diverse this industry is. I vow to wipe the dust from my race licence and get back on the grid. Will the Mercedes SLS E-cell be an electric car to silence the critics? Ah, my first Formula One race. How it has not happened already I do not know. I plan to join Mr English for the battle of hot hatches. There will be a weekend away with a Ferrari 458 Spider and Mrs K. Bliss.