Went To Germany To Judge A Car I Helped Design - And One I Wish I Had Designed - The Autopian

The Autopian’s account centers on judging at the German Car of the Year event, where the author visited Germany to drive vehicles and participate in the awards process. The piece describes travel logistics around a scheduled GT Test run, timed with an England match that the author watched on a large screen after learning key details from local hotel staff. Driving focus centered on two contrasting vehicles: the Land Rover Defender Octa, first seen in 2017 with the L663 platform, and the other car selected by organizers as an opposite approach to 21st-century motoring. The author explains years of involvement with the Defender program and notes that prior company circumstances left them without tasting the work. The article blends automotive context with the trip’s broader, tournament-linked backdrop.