McLAREN 720S SPIDER
From $556,000
The stunning McLaren 720S Spider was this year’s to-die-for vehicle. This convertible has the same tensed flanks and socket headlights as the coupe, but adds glazed flying buttresses flowing back from the seats and a folding glass roof that exposes the cabin, targa-style. For a $66k premium over the fixed-roof 720S, the Spider comes with an identical 537kW 4.0-litre V8 driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic. Performance is balllistic, with 100km/h arriving in 2.9s, 200km/h in a mere 7.9. Picture: Supplied

It weighs a little more than the coupe, but there’s more drama with the roof down thanks to the impressive range of growls, whistles and rifle shots. With its carbon fibre core the Spider feels drum-tight and alive, while the steering, brakes and chassis seem plugged directly into your synapses. This is an instinctive and rewarding car to drive. You could even live with it day-to-day: it pootles around town with a firm-but-padded ride, the transmission changing gears in line with the demands of stop-start traffic. The only thing that might slow you down? The admiring looks of other road users. Picture: Supplied

FORD MUSTANG BULLITT
From $73,688
An homage to a 1960s movie smacks of marketing opportunism, even though Bullitt has one of Hollywood’s most famous car chases – and star Steve McQueen drove some of the sequences himself. The similarities with today’s Mustang don’t run deep, either. It comes in the correct green, has retro-ish black alloys and quad tailpipes. Inside are sports seats, a cue ball gearshifter, numbered plaque and Bullitt motifs. What you get, though, is an impossible-to-dislike version of the recently upgraded coupe. Picture: Supplied

There’s a smidge more power – 6kW – from its 5.0-litre V8 and only a six-speed manual. It fits active magnetic dampers, LED lights and excellent digital instruments. The like-for-like premium is $10,398, although Ford says all of the 700 numbered examples were rapidly sold. Its appeal is old-school muscle car. There’s the sound and response of a naturally aspirated V8 and sweet gearbox connecting the driver directly to this throbbing heart. Ride and handling speak to your inner King of Cool: I felt like a Hollywood A-lister every time I got in it. Picture: Supplied

HYUNDAI KONA EV
From $59,990
When it comes to affordability, evidence that the industry is serious about electric vehicles is accumulating slowly. Driving range and recharging times are receding as obstacles, but price parity with internal combustion remains a distant goal. Calculate on paying about double the price of the equivalent petrol car – with enough patience, you might eventually recoup the premium through cheaper running costs. If there’s one vehicle that would tempt me to try, it’s Hyundai’s Kona EV. The battery version of this compact SUV is $10k more than Hyundai’s price-leading Ioniq electric hatchback, but it’s the most persuasive “entry-level” product so far. Picture: Supplied

Its 64kWh battery delivers 450km range – easily enough for a week of city driving – and distance-to-empty doesn’t fall alarmingly every time you accelerate. It can be home-charged overnight or plugged in for an hour at a suitable (100kW) public station. On battery management, it scores. It drives very well, with 150kW of power delivering the seductively smooth acceleration typical of EVs and, while tall, its low centre of gravity irons out bumps and keeps it composed through corners. If it was half the price, Hyundai would not be able to make them fast enough. Picture: Supplied

PORSCHE TAYCAN TURBO
From about $300k
Porsche knows its first pure electric vehicle has to be persuasive and Taycan has the credentials to put Tesla’s Model S on the back foot. Similar in concept, this 5m-long four-door is replete with evidence of development expenditure and sets out to mimic the appeal of the 911 sportscar. There are echoes everywhere, from the headlights to the driving position, although the cabin moves up a grade on presentation and technology. Taycan debuts with two pinnacle “Turbo” variants and they set the bar high on range (380km-plus), recharging (about 30 minutes on a fast-charger) and especially performance. Picture: Supplied

The Turbo S, with 560kW from two motors front and rear, blitzes off the line to reach 100km/h in 2.8s and achieve 260km/h flat-out. Moreover, it feels like it can do both things all day long. Range-to-empty, even on high-speed runs, reduces in a reassuringly linear way rather than falling precipitously as in some electric cars. Its floor is packed with a thermally managed lithium ion battery of 93.4kWh capacity run by an 800-volt system for greater efficiency. Dynamic systems proliferate, from adaptive suspension to active anti-roll bars. So it feels tight and exceptionally capable even if – at 2.3 tonnes – it’s a heavyweight among Porsches. As the first card played in an electric future, though, it’s a trump. Picture: Supplied

ALPINE A110
From $97,000
After 25 years on the shelf, Alpine has reappeared as Renault’s sportscar badge and with the A110 evokes its most famous rallying model from the 1970s. Double headlights, a bonnet spine and canopy rear glass successfully summon the original and in the metal, it’s a winner. Raw sports coupes like this are rarities now and its closest parallels come from Lotus or Alfa Romeo, with the 4C. Built in aluminium, the A110 weighs just 1.1 tonnes and even the full-fruit Premiere Edition retains a sparse, minimalist feel. Picture: Supplied

One-piece sports seats, virtual dials and a likeable steering wheel tell you it’s all about the drive. The mechanical ingredients back this up, with double-wishbone suspension and a revvy, mid-mounted 185kW 1.8-litre engine driving the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. There’s some turbo lag from low revs but it gets traction down effectively and races to 100km/h in just 4.5s. Rolling response is excellent. It’s immediately pleasing on the road, with a tight, tied-down feel and a sense, rare in modern cars, that the more time you spend in it the more of its impressive ability you’ll be able to unlock. Softish springs mean a comfortable ride. Count yourself lucky to see one; luckier to own one. Picture: Supplied

RANGE ROVER SPORT S VR
From $238,829
The Rangie Sport flagship from Jaguar Land Rover’s go-fast sub-brand makes this list thanks to a recent facelift and the fact that if I had to pick one all-rounder, this would be it. I say that knowing its performance focus compromises its offroad ability, and vice versa. Also, that there’s always a danger with Range Rover you’ll get a “Friday car”. Nevertheless, this crowning variant of a 14-model line-up invariably makes you feel good. Its bite-me looks take in darkened glass, an exposed carbon fibre bonnet and huge, glossy black alloys. Picture: Supplied

Inside there’s a command driving position in a cabin trimmed to impress, rich with leather and satin metal brightwork in a pleasingly clean layout. Best of all is its charismatic 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8. This venerable unit remains competitive with 423kW enough to propel this 2.3 tonne brick to 100km/h in 4.5s and past other road users with languid authority. There’s a visceral soundtrack and the Rangie SVR can be hustled along without getting flustered, despite the sense you’re throwing a lot of mass into every bend. However, its good behaviour defies expectations and it combines serene bitumen ability with premium-tourer refinement. There’s even dual-range all-wheel drive for serious offroading. Yeah, right.Picture: Supplied