Which of these would you most like to try driving in your lifetime?

With 9 options splitting the vote almost evenly, Helicopter closed the poll with 555 votes to F1 car's 542 — an 18.8% to 18.3% margin, just 13 votes across 2,957 ballots. No option cracked a fifth of the field; third-place Hovercraft trailed by only 4.8 points, keeping six of nine choices within shouting distance of the lead.

The largest single voting bloc, the United States, actually broke for F1 car, not the winner — a preference shared by Portugal, the UK, and France, four of the top five countries. Helicopter's win came from breadth elsewhere in the field, not from its biggest audience turning out for it.

• Photo finish · Just 13 votes separate Helicopter's win from F1 car's second place
• Fragmented field · 9 options, winner took only 18.8% — a plurality, not a mandate
• Geographic dissent · Top country, the US, backed F1 car over the eventual winner