Shootout at Yas: A weekend to remember

Christmas came early for 15 unlikely souls. For most people, Christmas falls on December 25th, but if you're one of a very lucky few, it arrives around National Day instead. And so it was, I was one of the motley crew standing around in the dark outside wheels HQ, trying not to make eye contact with the policemen in their patrol car as they went past for the third time.

Wind back a few days, and that phone call. It was Amit, wondering if I'd like to help out with the car of the year shoot again? After thinking carefully for all of about two nanoseconds, I said "YES!" before he could even think about changing his mind. And so it was set, the day ringed in bright red and underlined on the calendar and with a gold star attached just to make sure.

From dawn 'til dusk
Small Cars of the Year 2010
Saloon Cars of the Year
SUVs of the Year
Sportscars of the Year
Supercars of the Year

Actually, the excitement starts long before the shoot, with the selection and judging process. Which cars have we driven during the year, what do we remember, are they actually available in the region and so on. Needless to say, put half a dozen car nuts in a room and you get a dozen opinions instantly. And then we start to discuss things.

Dejan reckons there are two kinds of car in the world, Porsche GT3s, and the rest, and he's only interested in the first kind. Amit may not be the tallest person in the world, but he has a serial weakness for large capacity motors. Tim's particular vice is a penchant for anything that goes sideways. On gravel. And preferably with a mahoosive turbo, so quite why he ended up with the Rolls is a bit of a mystery. Sony's the sensible one, in the same way the Lexux IS F is a sensible car. Imran was so attached to the Mustang, he hid the keys (in his underpants) in fear that someone would sneak into it (the car, not the underpants). And me, I just enjoy anything with petrol and a throttle in it.

As Tim said, I lucked out and fought off the ravening pack to grab the key to the R8. I've loved that car since the first blurry spy shots were leaked to an expectant world, but here it was, bright red and twice as beautiful, seductively reflecting the first rays of dawn's early light. Go on — what would it take to get you out of bed before crack of whatsit on National Day weekend? I mean, there's sleeping to be done. And stuff. But no, us hardy souls had work to do. Seriously. Why else would we be there?

In truth, the drive to Abu Dhabi was less exciting than it could have been. We were in convoy, under strict instructions to obey all speed limits (of course we do, always!) and being very careful to make sure all of our remarkable charges got to the venue unscathed. Duly delivered, we spent the rest of the day shuffling cars hither and thither, hopping from one seat to another, trying to figure out which combination of key/slot/brake pedal/pull both paddles back for neutral/push button was going to start this particular car. They were almost all different.

So, after a long and hot day on the circuit courtesy of the ineffable Peter Rae and his team, it was time to make the journey back. Having had the sublime pleasure of the R8 on the way up, what could I possibly choose for the run back?

Actually, another car that I had wanted to drive since I first set eyes on it, Fiat's tiny, jewel-like 500. Many moons ago, my first art director drove an old aircooled version of the classic, and I really wanted to see how this modern incarnation could compare.

Surprisingly well, in truth. It's a lovely piece of design, lively and frugal and great fun to fling around through the bends. It even coped remarkably well with the long slog back to Dubai, and consumed a parsimonious amount of petrol in the process.

In many ways, this was one of the most important cars of the year, proof that, in Europe at least, downsizing in the face of inexorable fuel cost increases doesn't have to mean giving up all the fun. In a city, the 500 makes great sense, and few cars leave quite the same grin on your face.

Highlight of the day? Had to be the SLS, once I'd figured out how to lower the seat and get into it. That thing sounds humongous! The Rolls is patrician, and perfect in almost every way, the IS F is just plain bonkers, and the new Mustang is a real return to form for big blue.

But the abiding memory of the day has to be the joyous howl of a free-revving V8 on song, and an empty track stretching out in front, just waiting for you to nail it. Told you Christmas came early!