Forget the Beetle - meet the Lada.

There are currently three cars fighting for the "most sold model ever"-award: The Volkswagen Beetle, the Ford Model T and the Lada.

Mind you, I'm talking of cars that have kept its original design throughout its entire life span, thus excluding models such as the Toyota Corolla (with over 40 million sold world wide), the Volkswagen Golf (35 million and counting) and the Ford F-series truck (34 million, still going strong). 

The Tin Lizzie, Ford Model T, is hardly a car seen regularly these days. There are a great number of reason for this, most of all the fact that driving one is a chore, not to mention the complete lack of speed and safety. Adding to this is of course the notion that very few have survived throughout the decades.

This leaves the Beetle and the Lada. First I would like to say that the Beetle is a lovely car. Nevertheless, it has been known to crowd streets in Europe through the last fifty years to the point where most people stopped noticing it at all. The same can be said of its communist counterpart, the Lada. In the eastern bloc countries, this was the car that put an entire generation on wheels. Almost 20 million have been sold of the 2101 alone; adding to this is the bigger 2103 and the similar 2106. The total sales numbers for these three models will trump any other modern car.

And yes, I know - three models are not the same as one. But they are really quite similar, the 2101, 2103 and 2106. The main difference visually can be seen up front, where the 2101 only has two headlamps whereas the 2103 and latter 2106 have four. Some differences in size and interior occur also, but, let's face it - to the untrained eye, a Lada is a Lada. 

This square-angled people's car not only grew popular within the Soviet Union, but proved very successful also in export markets. In Norway, where this blog originates, more than 20 000 were sold during the 70s and 80s. Today though, all but a very few have disappeared. 

Some rusted to bits, others were bought back by Lada-loving russians who travelled across the border from Finland and Sweden during the 80s, scooping up the best kept examples at give-away prices. Today, only a handful can be seen on Norwegian roads.

The Beetle, on the other hand, is in no short supply. You can pick one up for less than a months pay, or you could go all-in for an early model with the oval rear window, or even a split. There is no shortage on demand. (I've heard that even 20 of the 190 first Beetles that came to Norway in 1949 still survives to this day!)

So, which one would you pick - the Beetle, or the Lada? 

I've got a taste for the latter.

2013: The Highlights

I'm doing what everybody seems to be doing this time of year; reflecting on the twelve months past.

This year, that's actually quite a task. I've had to use a couple of nights collecting the best bits from what is undoubtably the wildest year I've ever had so far. 

It has contained absolutely everything - and I mean everything - that I love about cars. From cheap runabouts with that extra little something to some of the world's most desirable and craziest four-wheeled creations, and everything in between. 

And best of all, I've got to travel around a bit these last months. That's why I start off this highlight-reel in the land of the free and home of the brave. And a Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Being the best power-to-price-ratio'd car out there, this Camaro SS has a lot going for it. 400 horses, decent handling and a brutal soundtrack. Bonus: It's priced below an Audi A3. The perfect car for a classic american road trip. That's why I went abroad and rented an SS, and had one.

Being an automotive journalist, I get to travel around every now and then and try out new cars. Not all cars are great, nor are all the pictures. But once in a while both factors tend to cross paths. Here are some new cars and pictures that stood out.

First, the Kia cee'd GT: A 200-hp hatch with a nice price tag.

Secondly, the Merc CLA. I must say I don't quite fancy this one. 

But the picture turned out OK, so there you go.

The Renault Clio RS was one of my greatest driving surprises of 2013. 

A sharp and agile car. Too bad they won't bring it to Norway.

The Golf GTI. Ahh, so many things to be said. Let's just say I like the bog standard Golf better.

The GTI is a great car, but the standard one delivers 90 percent of the driving pleasure at a fraction of the price. Oh, and one more thing: Putting electric handbrake and automatic transmission on a GTI is a mortal sin. End of discussion.

During the winter months, I got to take a much-debated electric car for a spin. While everybody was fussing over the range and economic incentives, I just felt like going berserk with it. Which was fun.

Also, I had a trip to Sweden. Those guys are not right in the head...

... moving on:

A nice trip to Maranello. Once there, I got hold of the keys to the new Ferrari F12.

Back home, on a personal note, another Italian car (though not quite as luxurious) awaited me. This lovely 1957 Fiat 1100 totally won me over, and subsequently became the third addition to my private garage, alongside a 1968 Fiat 600D and 2006 Alfa Romeo GT. 

So, three italians. How did it ever come to this?

Back in Italy to join Lamborghini's 50th anniversary celebration:

Lots of nice cars in one spot.

Mr Valentino Balboni himself, peering out of a pristine Miura.

Spanking new BMW's tend to let me down a bit due to lack of feeling and feedback whilst driving. This one didn't, though. The M6 is just brilliant.

Back to vintage cars: It's not every day you see a post-war Aston Martin Le Mans being chased at full throttle by a Bugatti 57C Ventoux. Both cars cost more than a Baltic country. The drivers don't seem to care. It just goes to show that petrolheads are petrolheads, regardless of what you drive.

On a completely different note: Here's the world's most powerful electric supercar - the Rimac Concept One. 1088 horses and fully adjustable four wheel drive. Creator Mate Rimac himself at the wheel through the streets of Norway. You'd think he'd take it easy with a priceless one-off concept car. Instead, he drove it like he stole it, doing burnouts and donuts. You just got to love it.

Not all great moments have been clad in tyre smoke. Driving a Volvo S60 T6 early one morning to a trackday, the misty light was just magic. Just had to stop for a quick session.

Handling the Audi R8 V10 Plus on a damp summers day was quite a handful. Wouldn't say no to a second go, though. A great car indeed.

As a car nut, I tend to take pictures of the cars - not the people. But I do make exceptions. When interviewing the famed Norwegian music video director Ray Kay in the hills of Hollywood, I had to resort to some "human pictures". But only with his beastly Gallardo Nera in the frame.

Later on, I got to do a more serious test of the Tesla Model S. A cross-country trip from Oslo to Trondheim and back proved quite a comfortable experience, thanks to the electric superchargers along the route. Nifty car.

Borrowed a E92 BMW M3. When doing so, burnouts happen.

Not all great driving experiences have been with pricy sports cars. One of my greatest surprises came in the shape of this Romanian SUV; the Dacia Duster.  With a feather-light weight of only 1,300 kgs, it's virtually unstoppable when the going gets rough. Put simply: Less equipment and luxury equals better driving dynamics and a lower price tag. It's pure genious, unless you're Victoria Beckham.

This time, I've truly saved the best for last.

The greatest driving experience of 2013 was this brute; the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. 671 horsepowers, 855 Newtonmetres. And a manual gearbox.

During the year I've driven cars that are more powerful. I've driven cars that have far better handling and ride. But this is still in a league of its own. No other car that I've experienced these last twelve months have made me laugh hysterically when putting the pedal to the metal. There's just a complete sense of lunacy about this thing. Why put this much power in a medieval car with live rear axle? Why give it a manual transmission, in America? 

No one knows. But they still did it. 

"Let's build a Mustang with at least two hundred horses too many! And let's not bother with the underpinnings. It's fine just the way it is. Oh, and by the way - let's do it with a manual box. Why? It would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?" 

I can't think of another modern car that's being built with this mindset. It's a thing of the past. One of the elements of which car folklore is made. There's not that many epic cars being created these days. 

This is surely one of them.

Oh, almost forgot: Happy New Year everybody!