...and a V6 Won!

FLASHBACK to 2006. It was the first year that we opened the Car of the Year awards up to a public vote. I was editor of Street Commodores at the time. We had a custom trophy designed and built for the purpose by Danny Hoang from Cyber Motorsports, from memory. It turned out so nicely, but given the state of decay that ran through Express Publications in the 2010s, I hate to think what happened to it.
We courted controversy by having the winner chosen by public vote. The first winner was a twin-turbo V6, which sent some of the diehard V8 guys into a tailspin. I even had one former cover car owner call me one night claiming all sorts of conspiracy theories and making personal attacks.
Frankly, the car was a pioneer and a deserved winner and life continued on.
I continued on at Express until 2010, when I went freelance – contributing to most of the Express motoring titles until the bitter end. It was sad seeing the magazines being allowed to peter out of existence, but I’ll always be grateful for the experience I gained and the people I met.