31. Mercedes’ medallion man

If any car symbolised the conspicuous spending power of fashionable City boys and their blonde WAGs during the most inflated days of the property bubble, then it was the Mercedes ML.

32. Stop & Start your commute with the Citroen C2

Wasn't driving over Christmas bliss? Miles of unclogged roads as people stayed at home guzzling mince pies and mulled wine rather than petrol.

33. Fiat 500 gets go faster stripes

34. Swift by name and nature

Say the word Suzuki and most people will still imagine Manga-style thrills and spills on a motorcycle.

35. Superb lives up to its name

The joke’s well and truly over for Skoda – now it’s aiming for the last laugh when it comes to luxury rivals.

36. Mini Clubman John Cooper Works

MY Uncle Tony had a Mini van in glorious matt grey and I was always jealous of the way cousin Carl was able to sit in the back

37. VW Golf as reliable as ever

If any car summed up the new über cool style-explosion which was celebrated in Calvin Harris’s paean to the 1980s, then it was the original Volkswagen Golf GTI.

38. Winning Polo is a mint little motor

For all the fancy new ideas on the motoring market, it’s a vehicle with at least one wheel in the past which has been named as this year’s European Car Of The Year.

39. Many happy returns to the Astra

For a car celebrating its 30th birthday, Vauxhall’s Astra sure looks fresh.

40. Ocavia Estate: the family car