It’s that time. The end of the world year is upon us. As we shutter 2017 and open the doors on 2018, it’s time to honor the storied tradition that is the Hooniverse Car of the Year. So this is going to be the post where you toss your vote in the ring and hope your chosen vehicle rises to the top… and you also hope that the competition doesn’t happen to be a star vehicle with a massive fan base.
Either way, jump past the break and check out the nominations. Then cast your vote for the HCOTY 2017 winner at the bottom.
Then go get drunk on some delicious holiday booze…

Here are the nominees, in the order in which they were posted:

The Land Yacht
This 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser is allowing father/owner Chris Tracy to get his kids to stop staring at their devices. Instead, they’re staring at the open road, amazing trails, abandoned missile bases, and large packs of bison.

Pioneer Ford’s F-150 Lightning Tribute truck
It’s pretty damn easy to fall in love with this one. Pioneer Ford in Georgia decided it missed having a Lightning for sale on its lot. So, the team there decided to make one to call their own. Starting with a standard cab/short bed F-150, Pioneer Ford added a supercharger, Lightning badges, and custom-built wheels designed to mimic the original rollers.
The result is a 650-horsepower smoke monster, which you can buy right off the lot in Georgia.

Aussie Lifted Foz
Our resident Australian hoon Joel Strickland found an excellent example of a pedestrian vehicle being pushed to new limits. What was once a banged-up Subaru Forester has been transformed into a proper off-road machine that appears ready to blast across the Outback and straight up Uluru. This is a rad machine that is extremely worthy of appearing as a nominee this year.

The 2018 Kia Stinger
Yes, it’s a new car appearing on this list. It won’t win but it’s still an intriguing machine. This is a rear-wheel-drive (Available with AWD as well) sports sedan boasting a 365-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 engine and a rear hatch. It’s faster than a base Porsche Panamera and costs less than most of the options available to said Panamera.

Bradley Brownell’s Porsche 912E
Brad is a Porsche guy. We all know this. So it’s no surprise that he has one or two in his garage. These aren’t garage queens though, of course, as Brad owns older Porsche examples that are destined to be driven as much as possible (well, this one at least… ). Brad has put many thousands of miles on his beloved Melo Yellow, and you know that if he’s out somewhere far from home piloting this rear-engined dirt collector, he’s doing so with a big smile on his face.
You shouldn’t look up to those who collect big money Porsches… you should envy those who drive beat-to-hell examples everywhere they can.

Ferrari 308 GTB Group B Rally Car
That is a string of characters you wouldn’t expect to exist together. Yet they do, and the world is a better place because of it. Our English Gentleman Guy Chris Haining spotted this Ferrari 308 being hurtled through a rally course at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Other cars running this circuit include true old-school poster-worthy rally race cars. Yet this chap running the Ferrari you see here doesn’t realize you have to choose between being fast and looking good.
He’s decided he wants both in life… and he’s winning.

Dan Grec’s Globetrotting Jeep Wrangler
The overland community is a rabbit hole filled with high-dollar builds and amazing tales of adventure. It’s also occasionally filled with high-dollar builds… piloted by weekend warriors to the local KOA. Dan Grec proves you don’t need to have a custom-built Unimog to take on the world. He’s doing so in his modified Jeep Wrangler, and he’s using it to take on an 80,000 mile trip around Africa.
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So there you have it. That is the slate of nominees for 2017. Here’s the part where you cast your vote and help us figure out which vehicle gets to wear the fabulous crown. Vote now and rejoice in another year gone by in the comments below.
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*Polls close Sunday January 7th at Midnight.