Our contenders convene in a car park before heading to the track, but only three will make it to the final shootout. Matt Saunders is your guide

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN STO

MATT PRIOR

“As outrageously usable on a circuit as it is outrageously unusable on the road. Steers too lightly and a bit digitally for me, but there’s a lovely handling balance in there somewhere. Makes an epic noise, too. I’d prefer it if the wheel was actually round, but I’m sure it’s bloody great deep down. I like it a lot, and it’s my favourite Lambo for a long, long time. Not sure why it needs to be so intimidating to look at, though; you look like a bit of an idiot in it on the road, and sound like one too.”

The venue for Autocar’s Britain’s Best Driver’s Car 2021 was decided the moment the circuit manager at Anglesey said ‘yes’. Some things were easier to agree on than others in the track office and on the mountain roads of North Wales this year, but all four judges, and all gathered artistes and hangers-on, were of one mind in this respect: that there has never been a better place to conduct our annual comparison of the year’s greatest enthusiast cars than Anglesey Circuit and its nearby roads, and that rarely has there been a more varied and eclectic field of cars for comparing than we had this year.

The truth is, though, that even that happened almost by accident. The line-up for ‘BBDC21’ shifted and changed throughout the summer and was still developing – and causing yours truly to roll eyes and suck teeth – as late as two working days before the contest was due to start.

At first, the new Chevrolet Corvette C8 was in – and then it wasn’t (the car’s European press launch event in Frankfurt was only just finishing as we were setting up). The McLaren Artura was always going to make the starting grid. Until it didn’t (another poorly timed international press launch to blame). We had an outside chance, too, of a Maserati MC20 – and had it materialised, we might have had to rename the whole thing Britain’s Best Mid-Engined Masterpiece. But no.

Atom and Caterham: same question, different answers. Note wind tunnel-honed hair

SF90’s blistering pace on a circuit can almost overwhelm on the road

508 PSE was game but no M3-beater

Alfa’s overheating diff meant tyre smoke wasn’t always intended

Revised Aston is a great driver’s car; Huracán shouts a bit too loudly

In the end, nobody was more surprised than I was to see 10 of the year’s most significant sporting introductions, plus our reigning BBDC champion, all squeezed into the same Welsh car park, ready for the starting gun on that Monday morning. Our weather began warm and dry, and later on mixed in just enough dastardly drizzle to keep us honest over the Anglesey circuit’s kerbs. Our field of judges, cut down a little from its typical size, had plenty to do to get through all 11 contenders and to file their scores (as usual, out of a total 50 marks per car, half for driver appeal on the road and half for the track) on time. And, as one of them, I can tell you that it’s a dreamy, surreal mix of thrill-inspired reverie and sudden, frenzied, clock-watching haste that characterises the feel of BBDC each and every year. You’re delighted simply to be a part of it – right until somebody asks you to buy jalfrezi for 14…