Motor Australia's annual Performance Car of the Year has been done and dusted for 2017 and finished with a surprise result.

With a wild and varied field, twelve worthy contenders made the grade. Going toe to toe; testing their relative mettle, from outright performance, vehicle dynamics, accessibility, value and 'X Factor (or the Fizz if you're a James May fan).

It would be interesting to know how the value scale works into the pecking order when we have such extremes; from the outrageously expensive Ferrari 488GTB at a starting price of $470,000 AUD to the humble Golf GTI 40 Years edition at $49,000 AUD. Think about it; you could almost buy 10 Golfs for the price of one Fezza!

Fords new hyperhatch Focus RS landed a highly respectable podium position of third place. The other Ford entry the much loved Mustang didn't excite the judging panel so much, but its placing of eleventh may surprise some.

As for the win, all things considered, it was well deserved, especially with the all-conquering Ferrari 488 GTB expected to take out the competition but getting the silver gong. Second is a hard cross to bear for a Ferrari fan, but I give a respectful nod to the outright winner.

Did your favourite weapon make the grade? Scroll down to see.

So without further ado here are the twelve finalists in reverse order.

12. Lexus GS F

11. Ford Mustang GT

10. HSV Clubsport R8 LSA

09. VW Golf GTI 40 Years Edition

08. Nissan GT-R

07. Audi R8 V10 Plus

06.  Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe

05. Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2

04. BMW M2 Pure

03. Ford Focus RS

02. Ferrari 488 GTB

01. Porsche 911 Turbo S