Autocar's best of 2017: our pictures of the year

Autocar's pics of the year 2017

"It’s okay, I suppose." So mutter our photographers when asked if they’re happy with a shot. They should be, and here’s the proof: the best of this year’s work.

We look back on some of the best pieces of work produced by Luc Lacey and Stan Papior, Autocar's camera-wielding snappers, who braved sun, rain and snow to bring the very best imagery from the world of cars in 2017. We also asked Ben Summerell-Youde, our picture editor and in-house car designer, to select his favourite renderings of the year.

Scroll through the gallery to see our favourites.

Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R

“Not sure what to say about this,” says chief photographer Stan Papior of the Vauxhall VXR8, “except 576bhp creates a lot of smoke in the wrong hands.” One Mauro Calo, for the record.

Image: Stan Papior

David Brown Mini Remastered

Stan Papior used a slow shutter speed and clever flash trick to take this shot of the David Brown Mini Remastered in an underground Chelsea car park.

Image: Stan Papior

Ferrari 812 Superfast

The Ferrari 812 Superfast on the roads around Maranello.

Image: Stan Papior

Mini Countryman vs rivals

Luc used the fog to his advantage with this Mini Countryman group shot.

Image: Luc Lacey

Audi SQ7 (and a yeti)

Luc got his mate to dress up as a yeti for this shot of an Audi SQ7, for reasons still unknown to us

Image: Luc Lacey

Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge

Reading this in Romania? Don’t tell the authorities but Stan sneaked through a barrier on the Transfagarasan Pass to capture this Rolls Wraith shot in the fading light.

Image: Stan Papior

Rolls-Royce Wraith on epic road trip to Romania

Fiat’s Lingotto factory, Turin

He repeated the trick inside Fiat’s eerie yet stunning Lingotto factory in Turin, closed in 1982.

Image: Stan Papior

Changan in Chongqing, China

Here, Stan used the rain and the mist in China to make a brown SUV appear almost attractive. It was taken as part of a fascinating trip to learn about Changan's bold expansion plans.

Image: Stan Papior

Nico Rosberg at Goodwood

Nico Rosberg as he prepared to drive his Mercedes F1 W05 up the Goodwood hill.

Image: Stan Papior

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017: full report

McLaren 570S

Luc used another trade secret – mounting a pole to a car, attaching a camera to it and then driving it at 1mph – to capture the movement in this McLaren 570S shot.

Image: Luc Lacey

Renalt Megane and Ariel Nomad from atop the Cheddar Gorge

Luc risked life and limb shooting a Renault Mégane R26.R and Ariel Nomad atop Cheddar Gorge.

Image: Luc Lacey

McLaren 720S with Vickers DC10

Stan liked the colour match of this McLaren 720S and the decommissioned Vickers DC10 in this more tranquil submission here.

Image: Stan Papior

Porsche 911 GT3

A garage, a spot of lighting and a Porsche 911 GT3 is a great combination.

Image: Luc Lacey

Land Rover Discovery, Grossglockner Pass, Austria

“My jaw hung open,” says Luc Lacey of the Austrian location of his no-trickery Land Rover Discovery shot here. “It is probably the biggest highlight of the year for me.”

Image: Luc Lacey

Ariel Hipercar

Autocar was there at the start of the Ariel Hipercar project, and Luc captured the build with a slow shutter speed and clever use of flash.

Image: Luc Lacey

In-depth: Ariel launches 1180bhp Hipercar

Polestar supercar concept

Ben looked to Volvo’s Concept Coupé for the basis of his vision of the Polestar sports car - something Polestar itself ended up doing when it revealed the Polestar 1 months later.

Image: Ben Summerell-Youde

592bhp Polestar 1 launched by Volvo spin-off brand

Ferrari pick-up concept

Don’t expect Ferrari to follow suit with Ben’s vision of a Prancing Horse-badged pick-up, which Steve Cropley commissioned for one of his more star-gazing columns. That said, the firm is building an SUV (which it terms an FUV), so you never know…

Image: Ben Summerell-Youde

VW ID Buzz

Concept cars serve several roles for manufacturers. Volkswagen’s reborn Microbus might feel like it shared its origins with the Infiniti, but the ID Buzz is actually going to be put into production as part of VW’s new electric car family. Good on ’em.

First drive: Volkswagen ID Buzz concept

Infiniti Prototype 9 concept

The Infiniti Prototype 9 concept is an after-hours project made good: what started with some Infiniti designers messing around imagining what a period Infiniti racer would have looked like made it all the way to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elégance lawn.

R.S. 2027 Vision concept

Renault’s vision of a 2027 Formula 1 car was created to stir debate on the look of future F1 cars. It certainly looks better than the current crop – now it needs to sound better, too.

Mazda RX-7 concept

This reborn Mazda RX-7 was created on a whim by picture editor Ben Summerell-Youde, although Mazda is known to be considering making one for launch in 2020. Penny for your thoughts, Mazda?

Image: Ben Summerell-Youde