Richard Hammond reveals his top cars of 2011

Porsche, Kia and Vauxhall have all been lauded by Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond in his top ten motors of 2011.

Writing for The Mirror, Hammond picked two cars from each manufacturer, thereby accounting for over half of his list. Models from General Motor's Chevrolet brand, France's Renault and Hyundai also got a look in.

Firstly, Hammond placed the Porsche Caymen R and Porsche 911 GTS in his top one and two spots. The high ranking position may be of interest to those thinking 'I want to sell my Porsche' for a premium, as Hammond's sweeping endorsement is sure to inflate the cars' values somewhat.

He praised the Caymen R over the S-model for its lighter weight and better handling, while the 911 GTS got props for its affordability and "sexy single-nut wheels".

The Kia Picanto was then hailed as the new Fiesta or Corsa, coming in third. Its sister car, the Rio, got the presenter's instant thumbs up too, thanks to it being made by the same man that brought the Audi TT to the motoring world.

On the Vauxhalls, Hammond said that they'd finally made them "attractive", hailing both the Astra GTC and hybrid Ampera.

"These days Vauxhall makes ?attractive cars. This is one of the best," he wrote of the Astra GTC which tussled for the best Small Family Car award in What Car?'s Car of the Year Competition earlier this year, according to Motoring.co.uk.

"It looks low yet there's room for four. The best thing, apart from its looks, is the way it drives. Its suspension was developed in Britain so it can handle our bumpy Tarmac. A VXR version is coming in 2012. Should be a belter," he quipped.

Besides the aforementioned, Hammond also included the Chevrolet Camaro, Renault Megane Trophy 265, Lamborghini Aventador and the Hyundai i40 estate, in his top 10 for 2011.

Gail Hunter, Birmingham , MG ZR TROPHY

Lee Pearce, Hertfordshire, Vauxhall Corsa