But let’s return to relative normality for now because the good news is that despite the fact the industry is changing faster than ever, there is a slew of what you might call conventional driver’s cars heading our way in the next year. At one end there is the Hyundai i20N – its rival to the Ford Fiesta ST – a car for which I have high hopes. At the other end there is the first of the 992-series Porsche 911 GT3s. We know it will remain normally aspirated so is unlikely to make much more power than the last one, so will Weissach have found gains or savings in other areas to make it feel like a significant step forward? We should know by the spring.
BMW will also bring us a new M3 and M4. I’m not much of a fan of the current car and far prefer the cheaper and sweeter M2 Competition, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing how BMW’s first-ever M3 Touring turns out.
And I will also be fascinated to drive the new mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette and sample the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA. There are few nameplates I worship more than the GTA, so I am keen to see if Alfa can finally produce a car that can do justice to the memory of the 1960s original. Maserati should also finally show us what it’s made of when the MC20 supercar goes on sale in the summer, just in time to rival the bumper to bumper new plug-in hybrid McLaren Artura.