The past 12 months have been a confusing time for car design. Legislative back-tracking and over-ambitious sales projections gave succour to the EV naysayers and allowed big brands to row back on their plans to abandon ICE for good.
This mostly benefitted the big luxury brands, several of whom showcased impressive but archaic machines. There was also some interesting action in the restomod sphere, as small workshops discovered that big bucks could be had for meticulously built short runs of ultra-scarce cult cars.
Electric restomods also blossomed, but there was a dearth of interesting small EVs that should hopefully be fixed in 2025. In other automotive news, we also lost legendary car designers Bruno Sacco and Marcello Gandini.
Read on to discover our top ten automotive releases for 2024 (in no particular order).
01. Renault 5 E-Tech
Hailed by many as the most important small car of the year, if not the best small EV of all time, Renault’s new 5 is that rare thing, a critical hit, a successful retro design and a surefire sales success.
02. Bentley Continental GT Speed
Tradition is fused with tech underneath the revived and restyled body of Bentley’s evergreen Continental GT. We drove the debut Speed model around the Swiss Alps and marvelled at its refinement, power and style.
03. Morgan Plus Four
In sharp contrast, Morgan’s tech evolution has always been a little less over. Their Plus Four model is equally evergreen but offers a very different driving experience to the Bentley. For old-school motoring that turns every journey into an event, it made for an excellent experience.
04. TWR Supercat
The bravado return of this Jaguar-based 80s performance icon couldn’t be further removed from the company’s own re-brand. The TWR Supercat is a wide-bodied carbon-fibre re-imagining of the racing XJS.
The year was awash with other restomods, including Theon Design’s storming GBR002, a radically rebuilt Porsche 911 (964), Kingsley Re-Engineered’s classy update of the first-generation Range Rover, the KSR, HWA’s outrageous EVO (based on the original Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 EVO II) and Built by Legends’ Nissan revival, the R34 GT-R.
05. BMW i5 Touring
BMW’s new i5 Touring impressed hugely, with a tricksy interior absolutely rammed full of light, sound and graphics, proper estate car practicality and impressive dynamics.
06. Tolman 205 GTI
One of the year’s most off-the-wall restomod experiences, Tolman took Peugeot’s compact, cultish 205 GTI, and upgraded the engine and suspension. In the process, this pocket rocket became the ultimate contemporary classic.
07. Ferrari 12Cilindri
One of the most elegant Ferrari designs of recent years, the 12Cilindri swathed its big V12 with a fine grand tourer body. As well as paying homage to classic Ferraris from the past, it was an unashamed celebration of petrol power.
08. Carice TC2
The year kicked off with this Dutch delight – the Carice TC2 is a compact EV sports car with a body inspired by the classic Porsche 356.
09. Lucid Air
America’s Lucid Motors can lay a credible claim to being one of the most high-tech of all Western EV manufacturers. Its debut product, the Lucid Air saloon, impressed on every level.
10. Moke Electric
At the other end of the scale was the charming Moke Electric, a rudimentary but characterful EV that recaptured the spirit of the Sixties original. Other reborn and electrified icons included the Electrogenic DeLorean DMC-12, and Everatti’s Mercedes-Benz SL W113, while there were also fresh takes on the Fiat Topolino and even the Citroen 2CV van.
