MOTOR’s top 10 photos of 2018

Each year our staff photographers, Ellen Dewar, Nathan Jacobs, and Alastair Brook, capture tens of thousands of frames as we motor around the country in search of driving excellence.

We’ve picked the top ten (plus a few fine examples that were shortlisted in the gallery above) shots from the year, presented in roughly chronological order (because why not?).

So, without further ado…

PCOTY group shot, by Ellen Dewar (Feb 2018)

Okay, so this was taken in very late 2017 but it wasn’t published until this year in the February edition with the Performance Car of the Year 2018 feature.

It took Ellen more than an hour to devise the perfect layout for these PCOTY competitors, which meant plenty of running around in the cold (atop Mt Hotham, VIC) for us…

Porsche 911 GT3 in Victorian High Country, by Alastair Brook (April 2018)

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Alastair was tasked with a tricky one here, as this shoot was destined for the first redesigned issue of MOTOR back in April. The part he didn’t mind was riding shotgun in a GT3 while Editor DC gave it a good belt across Victoria.

McLaren 720S at Albert Park, by Nathan Jacobs (May 2018)

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Nathan’s ability to make a car look amazing while sitting still never ceases to impress, and this shot of the Big Mac at Albert Park during the F1 Australian GP week is proof.

Audi R8 RWS, by Alastair Brook (June 2018)

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Scott Newman, rather a fan of oversteer, drove the rear-drive Audi supercar and called it heaven-sent. It’s poetic that Alastair was able to illustrate that point so effectively.

Porsche 911 GT2 RS at The Bend Motorsport Park, by Nathan Jacobs (July 2018)

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Porsche’s fastest road car was the obvious choice for our (successful) attempt at a lap record of Australia’s newest race track. With Luffy driving and Nathan snapping, there was no way it couldn’t work out perfectly. Awesome car, awesome place, awesome photo.

Honda NSX at Gordon Dam, Tasmania, by Ellen Dewar (Sep 2018)

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Ellen had to climb a cliff to get this photo. Enough said!

Audi RS4 Avant, by Nathan Jacobs (Aug 2018)

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It can’t all be supercars at MOTOR… sometimes it’s superwagons. Audi’s RS4 looks violently contrasted to the moody setting chosen by Nathan.

Ferrari 812 Superfast at Lake Eildon, by Ellen Dewar (Oct 2018)

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This is actually Ellen’s favourite shot of the 812 Superfast, with Associate Editor Scott Newman providing the silhouette. It didn’t make it into the magazine however, as it didn’t suit the ‘mood’ of the feature. Or at least that’s what our designer Damo said.

Ford Ranger Raptor and Holden/HSV Colorado SportsCat, by Alastair Brook (Dec 2018)

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This comparison ruffled some feathers among the MOTOR faithful, but how were we supposed to hand down the verdict on ‘performance’ utes if we didn’t test them? Besides, Alastair’s photos have made it look properly awesome.

Warren Luff driving Hammerhead at WTAC, by Alastair Brook (Dec 2018)

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From the other side of Sydney Motorsport park and with a fraction of a second to get the shot, Alastair managed to snap the legendary WTAC car driven by MOTOR’s gun driver Luffy through a gap in the SMSP pitlane building.

Timing really is vital.