The cars have been driven and the votes tallied in the GQ Car Awards 2018, in association with Michelin. Whilst every one of them is the best at something, what they all have in common is their ability to excite us. For 2018, GQ has assembled the biggest and best line-up of winners, ever, with thirteen of the finest futuristic supertrucks, hardcore hypercars, all-EV dream machines, killer concepts and even GQ’s own custom motorcycle.

Announced at the Corinthia Hotel, London, at the awards ceremony hosted by FIA Formula E and pit-lane presenter Nicki Shields, the winners are:

Best Interior (and possibly exterior)

Bentley Continental GT

“Bentley’s challenge was to locate the sweet spot where hi-tech intersects with fabulous luxury. Challenge met: the leather that swathes so much of the GT’s cabin has 310,675 stitches… Bentley has created a stunning environment.” 

Best Supernatural Driving Experience

Rolls-Royce Phantom

“Rolls-Royce’s millennial reboot, the company airily declared back in 2003, was ‘the last great automotive adventure.’ The all-new Phantom doubles down on that and then some – simply put, this beautiful machine does nothing less than reinvent the concept of car travel.”

Best Flightless Private Jet

Marchi Mobile Elemment

“What do you get if you cross the design features and aerodynamics of a racing car, the opulence and comfort of a superyacht and the aeronautical beauty of a luxury aircraft? The answer will probably be the Marchi Mobile’s stunning Elemment range.”

The Taking the Limo to the Next Level Award

Audi A8

“Not only is the A8 a luxury technological marvel, it’s also the first production car to feature ‘Level 3’ autonomy, which means it can take over the driving duties up to 37mph.”

The Climb Every Mountain in Luxury Award

Range Rover Velar

“That it can cruise effortlessly through any urban landscape is a given, but when called upon, it can also conquer where mountain goats fear to tread. We love the new Velar. There, we said it.”

The Best Way to Make The Jump to Light Speed (And Stop Just as Quickly)

Bugatti Chiron

“When Andy Wallace, Bugatti’s chief test driver, told GQ that, ‘It really comes alive above 150mph,’ we wondered how many clients had their own private runway to test that. Paradoxically, the Chiron is so magnificently designed, engineered and made that it’s just as impressive at 0mph.”

The Technological Hedonism Award

McLaren 570S Spider

“The 570S Spider nails one simple but surprisingly elusive thing: that the nanosecond you climb out of the car, you want to get straight back in and do whatever you were doing all over again.”

The Most Super Superfast Supercar Award

Ferrari 812 Superfast

“There are no turbos here to interrupt the combustion process and the 812’s 6.5-litre engine, even from these Italian legends, really is a masterpiece.”

Best Use of Electricty Since The Lightbulb

Jaguar E-Type Zero

“The E-Type is not only gorgeous to look at, but also good for the planet, after being retro-fitted with a zero-emissions, all-electric powertrain.”

The Vision of The Future Award

Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet

“This all-electric, hyper-modern and stunning concept car not only shows design at its most ambitious, but also that it can be purposefully playful, with the interior featuring a pulsating, fibre-cabled ‘flux capacitor.”

The Scream If You Want To Go Faster Award

Volkswagen Up! GTI

“VW’s tiny city car was designed by the man now in charge of colouring-in at Ferrari and its transition from spirited to sportiness is deftly managed. The Up! is almost Apple-like in its minimalist surfacing and detail.”

Life and Seoul of The Party Award

Hyundai i30N

“This ferociously fun five-door rocket ship has been developed on the Namyang proving ground and the Nürburgring Nordschleife and, as a result, is giving the Focus RS, the Golf GTI and the Honda Civic Type-R a serious run for your money.”

Best Custom Motorbike We Built (Ok, Commissioned) Ourselves

The GQ-Barbour International Triumph Thruxton R by Untitled Motorcycles

“The big question on GQ’s mind was: how do we decide on the best motorcycle of the year? Then we had an idea: why not build our own? A collaboration was born between GQ, Barbour International and Triumph Motorcycles. With the GQ man in mind, we wanted style, sophistication and a hint of rebellion in our bike design. But, of course, we couldn’t do that ourselves, so we gave the job to custom bike builder Adam Kay, the man behind Hampstead-based Untitled Motorcycles (UMC).”

 

Dylan Jones, Editor of British GQ commented: “People in the car industry kept telling me that they found car awards boring. Long. Tedious. Uninspiring. So, we thought we’d have a crack at producing one that wasn’t any of those things at all. We’ve been running our car awards in GQ for over a decade, both in the magazine and online, with reviews, pictures, video, and scintillating text. This year we moved to a physical event, and we are all very excited about it. Let’s hope no one thought it was boring, long, tedious or uninspiring.”

 

The winners of the GQ Car Awards 2018 were decided by the editorial team of British GQ after much deliberation and many a test lap. See the full feature, shot in the old printworks in London’s Wapping, in the March issue of British GQ, on sale Thursday 8^th February.