Octane May 2018

THERE IS A noticeable seasonal change to this issue of Octane. Of course, the classic car world no longer hibernates for winter as it once did – traditionally there was a shutdown between the NEC show and Rétromobile, except for those hardy rallyists who are only tempted out when the conditions are most treacherous – but lighter mornings and evenings bring a sense of springtime rebirth. Which is kind of appropriate, given some of the stories featured this month. Not only do we delve into a long-thought-destroyed Maserati Quattroporte prototype in all its barnfind glory, but we also poke around in the eerie remnants of Bertone before its historic treasure trove of models and drawings goes to new homes. There is also the rebirth of the Lister Knobbly, not only…

EVAN KLEIN ‘LA is the traffic capital of the world, but if you love cars it’s heaven. In the past week I’ve photographed the rarest of Porsches and the coolest of supercars. My ears are still ringing from the Countach’s V12.’ See how Evan captured our Group B shoot-out on PAGES 64 TO 74, and the Petersen Porsche exhibition on PAGES 128 TO 134. RICHARD HESELTINE ‘Driving the Bugatti Type 57 Atalante in Portugal represented wish fulfilment on an epic scale. I swear I can still hear the supercharger. Getting in the road-going Lister Knobbly barely a week later was another box ticked. I have now thawed out.’ Read about the Bugatti on PAGES 78 TO 84 and the Lister on PAGES 136 TO 144. MARC SONNERY ‘I first became…

 CALIFORNIAN CLASSIC car enthusiast Peter Mullin, the world’s leading collector of Art Deco automotive masterpieces and chairman of The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, is planning to open a new car museum in Britain. The £150-million, 160-acre project is projected to draw about 200,000 visitors a year and it could open as early as 2020. ‘ABOUT 30 CARS WILL BE FROM PETER MULLIN’S OWN COLLECTION, WITH THE REST LOANED BY OTHER COLLECTORS’ Provisionally titled The Mullin at Great Tew, the project is being developed on part of the former WW2 Enstone airfield and in conjunction with the Great Tew estate, a Cotswolds jewel located about 20 miles north of Oxford. Peter Mullin told Octane why he had chosen this particular site: ‘There are so many automotive businesses, including Formula…

Classic recordbreakers The Silverstone Classic has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the biggest-ever parade of McLaren cars at last year’s festival when 115 cars took to the track. The cars were gathered by the McLaren Owners’ Group to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Kiwi legend Bruce McLaren’s birth. The demonstration run was led by McLaren’s only child Amanda, who was just four years old when her father lost his life testing at Goodwood at the age of 32. Amanda McLaren is a brand ambassador for the manufacturer and race team that still bears her father’s name. This year the Silverstone Classic hopes to break another record on 20-22 July when a special parade honours the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. See…

Henry Hope-Frost 1970-2018 Journalist, commentator and broadcaster Henry Hope-Frost was best known for his pitlane interviews at Goodwood Revival but could be found on the microphone at a huge number of events each year. Hope-Frost, 47, died in a motorcycle accident on his way home from Goodwood on 8 March and leaves a wife and three children. Tributes have poured in from the world of motor sport and friends have launched a fundraising drive for his family atjustgiving.com/crowdfunding/friendsofhenryhope-frost. Marcel Martin 1929-2018 A former race director for the Le Mans 24 Hours, Marcel Martin has died at his Pau home aged 88. Martin raced twice at Le Mans himself in the 1960s – in an Abarth 1300 and a Fiat Dino – before joining the administration of the event with the…

SPEED IS THE THEME for the freshly renamed London Concours. The automotive garden party in the heart of the City of London takes place at the Honourable Artillery Company on 7-8 June and will showcase some 80 cars, ranging from the fastest on the road to some of the speediest racers ever created. Those signed-up already include the magnificent 28.5-litre Beast of Turin, Duncan Pittaway’s firebreathing Fiat S76 record car that could top the ton more than 100 years ago. It will be joined by the likes of Ferrari’s 1990s flagship F50 with its 203mph top speed and sub-4.0-second 0-60mph time. Quicker still will be the 230mph carbonfibre-bodied Pagani Huayra, but, even so, few of the modern hypercars can carry their speed with the panache of a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing,…