1) Russell Carr’s top design job at Lotus
Sidelined in the loopy Dany Baha era, Lotus’s one-time chief crayon-wielder is back in charge as Hethel returns to whatever normality is.
2) Jaguar E-type
Reborn as the exquisite Eagle Low Drag coupe, then as Jaguar’s own strictly-’60s lightweight aluminium race-rep, both share matinee idol looks and Hollywood pricetags.
3) Ford Mondeo
Three ice ages after landing in US showrooms, the fourth-gen Mondeo gets to the UK. Did it swim here? Never mind the PDI check, ask your dealer for an MOT.
4) Subaru’s STi badge
Break out the boot-cuts, Subaru’s STi is back! Still a riot to drive, but it was probably exhumed only because UK sales of the lovely BRZ stiffed. Pass the Game Boy…
5) Lagonda
We’ve waited 24 years for Lagonda to follow up its last road car, and when they finally do come up with a stunner they tell us we can’t have it. Middle East only? Thanks a lot.
6) Ariel’s ace bike
Now best known for its four-wheeled Honda-powered scaffy tubes, Ariel went back to its roots (it was a bike maker in the ’50s) to create an incredible motorbike, the Ace.
Click below for the rest of CAR’s top 100 moments of 2014:
The nine best sports cars of the year
Four seismic Nurburgring laptimes
Eight cars that changed our minds about electric power
Top six people we talked about
Six wishes for 2015
Six things we said goodbye to
Top 10 motorsport moments
Seven things we never thought we’d see
Six biggest disappointments
Top five tech trends of 2014
Top 10 quotes of 2014
10 great CAR magazine features from 2014