I'm not the only one on staff who really loved the BMW i8. Of all the cars I drove this year, this one attracted the most attention. Literally a head-turning vehicle. As we pointed out in a story in October, this car attracted crowds in parking lots. It feels like something out of a movie, a cross between Tron and Back to the Future. It's got lightweight carbon construction, a through-the-road hybrid system, and some cool-ass doors.

A couple of people I chatted with (in a Walgreen's parking lot in northern Michigan) looked disappointed when I told them it was a hybrid. But the electric motor gives it instantaneous torque, so when you hit the 'gas' pedal this car is ready to fly. Like a spaceship or something. When we ever get those flying cars we've been promised, they'll probably look something like the i8.

It's also pretty expensive, topping $140,000. But that's what makes being in this industry so cool – getting to drive things I'd never actually be able to afford. Everyone at Autoblog geeked out over this car, so much so that we named it our 2014 Technology of the Year.