There's been no shortage of hot new metal this year. Here's my top ten...

1. Porsche 911 GT3

Despite the controversy surrounding its paddle shift-only gearbox, the GT3 completely blew me away. It was miles more civilized than I was expecting it to be, quite a bit faster than I thought it would be, and more exciting than ever to drive hard. Never before did £100k seem like such good value – but then the GT3 does just about everything you’d want from a sports car under one roof. I also happen to think it looks the absolute mutts nuts.

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2. Porsche 918 Spyder

Can you spot a theme developing here? I didn’t really know what to expect from the 918 Spyder to be honest, but what I got was a phenomenally good – and quite astonishingly fast – hypercar that also just happens to be capable of running on electricity alone if you so wish. The best thing about the Spyder, for me, is the fact that, at its core, it’s just a good old fashioned supercar, with proper steering, on-my-good-gawd levels of handling and grip, and a monster great 4.6-litre V8 with which to make your heart explode. The future never looked so exciting if this thing is representative of what’s to come.

3. Porsche... only joking. Tesla Model S

The Model S was/is extraordinary for all sorts of reasons, the most surprising of which is that, in the end, it’s just a very lovely car to drive, simple as that. The fact that it’s powered by batteries is almost a side issue in the event, even though this is of course the car’s raison d’etre. And the knowledge that it’ll run for at least 250 miles before requiring a recharge makes it a lot more usable in the real world as well. Easily the biggest surprise of my year.

4. Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

I spent a day with the Aston at a mostly wet Castle Combe recently and I was frankly amazed by how good it was to drive. Not just in a straight line but through corners, under brakes, going sideways; you name it, the Aston could do it. With extra cheese and chilli sauce on top. Oh yes, and the new gearbox works beautifully, so there...

5. Ferrari F12

The F12 is a freak of a car. It’s so fast, it is ridiculous. But what’s even more astonishing is how much traction and composure and balance it has, despite boasting enough raw power to pull a block of flats to pieces. But it wasn’t, for me, Ferrari’s best car of 2013 because that was...