The Images of 2008: Our Best Pictures

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. How true. Mass communication, once the province of gray, closely typed pages of august newspapers and the dulcet tones of the radio announcer, has been, since the birth of TV, an intensely visual process. And as a generation raised with TV, we intuitively understand the raw power and subtle nuance of the image.

Like a model on a catwalk, the automobile loves the camera. As someone once said, they don't write songs about washing machines. They don't take great photos of them either. But the automobile...

As a kid, I spent ages staring at pictures of cars. I could imagine exactly what it felt like to be behind the wheel, hearing the engine roar, smelling the hot oil and steel. Later, once I'd started in this business, I'd scramble to the mailroom each month to pick up my copy of CAR magazine to see the latest photos from Colin Curwood, Dougie Firth, Ian Dawson, Richard Newton, and the rest of the Brit-pack. No one took photos of cars like those guys.

During my stint as editor-in-chief of CAR, it was a privilege to work with a new generation of cutting-edge automotive photographers, including Tim Andrew, Gus Gregory, Jason Furnari, Mark Bramley, and Charlie Magee. They made my job easy. Moving to Motor Trend, I knew, would be a challenge: Much of the imagery in American auto mags seemed staid, formulaic, and boring.

From the beginning MT creative director Andy Foster and I were convinced the Brits didn't have a lock on talent and creativity; we knew there were great automotive photographers right here in America. All we had to do was find them. Some were right under our noses, like Wesley Allison, whose association with this magazine dates back to the Petersen days. It turned out his staid, formulaic, boring photos were in response to staid, formulaic, boring art direction. Others, like Evan Klein, were attracted by the dramatic change to the look and feel of Motor Trend.

I've been impressed with the American talent we've unearthed or rejuvenated over the past few years here at Motor Trend. I'm proud, too, that talented international photographers now want to see their work in the magazine. There are a lot of great images I could show you, but I've chosen just a handful from 2008, most of which are available in wallpaper form so you can decorate your desktop with them. And while a picture might tell a thousand words, there is a story behind each you may not know. Enjoy.