We have loved the GranCabrio since 2009, so replacing its glorious V8, then V6, with electric motors sounded like a nightmare. Then we drove the Folgore. It looks as gorgeous as ever, delivers an absurd 750 hp, and stays every bit the refined, elegant grand tourer. The boot is tiny and the range is short for a GT, and the weight blunts the handling, but as a beautiful way to travel with the roof down, it works.

The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Series 1 has spent decades underrated, and that was always unfair. Designed by Pininfarina, powered by the legendary Colombo V12 and reportedly used by Enzo Ferrari as his personal daily driver, it is grand touring in its purest 1960s form: beautiful, comfortable and built to be used. This low-mileage, mechanically restored example at Collection by Vermant is about as good as they come.

The 2026 Audi RS5 Avant arrived to a chorus of online complaints: a plug-in hybrid, too heavy, not playful enough. We drove it. Like the BMW M5 Touring, Audi has hidden the weight remarkably well, wrapped it in the meanest bodywork in the class, and added a genuinely clever electrified rear axle. It still cannot match a BMW M3 for pure fun, but it is the most convincing fast Audi estate in years.

The 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider is the kind of classic that stops you in your tracks. Bodied by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera and built largely by hand, it pairs breathtaking elegance with a genuinely usable, high-speed cruising character. Sometimes called a baby Ferrari 250, it is far easier to run, and this example is for sale at Collection by Vermant.

The GLB 250+ is the bigger, more practical brother of the electric CLA, and it makes a strong case. It rides beautifully, feels solid and expensive, and returns genuinely astonishing efficiency for its size, easily clearing its 606 km claim. The screens and the options list can frustrate, but as a calm, trustworthy long-distance EV, this is a true Mercedes.

The Leapmotor B10 is one of those cars that makes you question what value still means in the EV market. Because on paper, this is a relatively affordable electric family SUV from a Chinese brand that is still building its name in Europe. In reality, it feels far more mature than that description suggests.

This is a proper electric hatchback. A good-looking one too. Low, wide, clean and far more European in its proportions than many people might expect from a Chinese EV brand. There is something Volkswagen Scirocco-like in the front, a hint of Porsche Macan in the rear, and somehow it all comes together better than that sentence should suggest. The result is a car that looks surprisingly resolved. Maybe even suspiciously good.

The Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric is a small car with a big job. It has to be affordable, electric, practical, easy to drive, efficient and charming enough to make people care. That last part matters more than carmakers sometimes realise. Because small cars used to be fun. Simple, clever, colourful and full of personality. The new Twingo understands that.

The Ferrari 812 GTS is not a normal car. That sounds obvious, but it matters. Because in a world where even supercars are becoming more digital, more hybridised and more controlled, the 812 GTS still feels like something beautifully unreasonable. A front-engined Ferrari. A naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12. 800 hp sent to the rear wheels. A folding hardtop. And enough drama to make every kilometre feel like an event.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ Shooting Brake Electric is one of those EVs that quietly makes a very strong case for itself. Not because it is the fastest electric car. Not because it tries to be shocking. And not because Mercedes has reinvented the wheel. But because it gets the important things right.

The Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo is the kind of car the internet should love more. A beautiful Italian convertible. A front-mounted 3.0-litre twin-turbo Nettuno V6. 550 hp, 650 Nm, all-wheel drive, a proper eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, four seats, a fabric roof and enough elegance to make most German alternatives feel a little too serious. Maserati’s own catalogue lists the GranCabrio Trofeo at 550 hp, 650 Nm, 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 316 km/h. And yet, somehow, this car still feels underrated.

The BMW M5 Touring is one of those cars that almost feels too absurd to exist. A station wagon with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, plug-in hybrid technology, 727 hp, 1,000 Nm of torque, all-wheel drive, a usable electric range, a boot large enough for family life and enough performance to make your driving licence feel permanently endangered. On paper, it sounds like the ultimate everything-car. And in many ways, it is.