Motor Trend Names Porsche 911 Carrera S Best Driver’s Car of 2012 (See Video)

Motor Trend has named the Porsche 911 Carrera S at its Best Driver's Car of 2012.

The honor was awarded to Porsche after a variety of tests that included a 500-mile road trip, hard-canyon driving on a closed course, and the assessment of a professional driver; namely Randy Pobst, who took the Carrera for a spin at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California.

A panel of seven judges, consisting chiefly of editors from the magazine, then declared a winner. Last year's winner was the Ferrari 458 Italia.

This year, the 911 Carrera S beat out eight competitors.

The competitors and their final ranking by Motor Trend are:

2^nd Place: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Coupe

3^rd Place: Nissan GT-R Black Edition

4^th Place: Subaru BRZ

5^th Place: McLaren MP4-12C

6^th Place: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

7^th Place: Ford Shelby GT500

8^th Place: Jaguar XKR-S

9^th Place: Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

The magazine calls the winning Porsche the "best 911 yet", which is quite a compliment given that the model has been in production since 1963.

"'Best Driver's Car' is the highest honor Motor Trend gives to a performance vehicle, which is the main reason it is so coveted across the industry," Ed Loh, Motor Trend's editor-in-chief, said in a statement. "Congratulations to Porsche and its 911 Carrera S for beating out such a diverse, yet uniformly excellent field this year."

"Being named 'Motor Trend Best Driver's Car' is a testament to the work of the men and women in Weissach and Zuffenhausen who are so passionate about designing and building our sports cars," said Detlev von Platen, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. "This accomplishment shows that the 911 still has the same magic it's had for nearly 50 years, as it continues to be both a great car to drive everyday on the road and on the track."

Watch the video to see the tests being carried out: