Britain scores impressive hat-trick at Autocar Awards 2008

Gordon Murray, the man behind the legendary McLaren F1 supercar and, this year, the far-sighted T25 microcar, won the prestigious Idea of the Year award at the Autocar Awards 2008 last night.

The evening was held at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London, where more than 400 motor industry leaders were invited to salute the biggest achievements and achievers in the car industry this year.

Another winner on the night was McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who collected the Motorsport Award in recognition of his faith in F1’s youngest ever world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Group Lotus was given the Editor’s Award for Excellence, and the Ford Fiesta was the recipient of Autocar’s Design of the Year gong.

In an Autocar Awards debut, Leighanne Earley, interior designer of the imaginative Citroën Hypnos concept, collected the inaugural gong for Automotive Leader of the Future. This award is new for 2008, and has been designed to recognise up-and-coming British talent within the car-making world.

Indian industrial magnate Ratan Tata also attended, and collected the Autocar Award for Outstanding Achievement. “It has been an amazing year for Mr Ratan Tata,” said Autocar editor Chas Hallett. “Not only did he acquire Jaguar and Land Rover and secure their future, but he also announced to the world that his company was going to mobilise millions of people by producing the world’s cheapest car, and we are looking forward to witnessing his progress.”

Summing up on the night, Hallett praised the motor industry’s never-ending quest for excellence. “The car business is often an easy target and gets unjustly blamed for many things, but it inspires and pioneers new technology, employs more than 800,000 people in the UK and generates £47 billion a year, nearly half from exports. It is – and will always be – one of the UK’s most vital industrial assets. We damage it at our peril.”

The complete list of winners at the Autocar Awards 2008 is as follows:

Idea of the Year – Gordon Murray and the T25
Design of the Year – Ford Fiesta
Concept Car of the Year – Citroën Hypnos
Car Company of the Year – Hyundai Kia
Motorsport Award – Ron Dennis
Editor’s Award for Excellence – Group Lotus
Automotive Leader of the Future – Leighanne Earley
Car Advert of the Year – Volkswagen’s ‘Polo Confidence’ ad
Safety and Technology Award – Chevrolet Volt
Autocar Award for Outstanding Achievement – Ratan Tata