Octane July 2018

‘ OCTANE IS A NEW magazine for those who appreciate the world’s greatest cars. The publication effectively taps into the zeitgeist of the historic car world: the people, the events, the action, the excitement.’ That was the opening shot I wrote for the Editor’s Note in issue one, July 2003, 15 years ago. A lot can happen in 15 years and it certainly has for Octane. Magazine launches generally have an 80% failure rate and we arrived into the digital storm that is tearing print media to shreds. But we realised that the classic car world was changing fast. A tinkerer’s hobby no more, the international historic car scene was expanding into racing, rallying, concours and collecting, and the standard of restoration and preparation was improving vastly,…

STEPHEN BAYLEY  ‘I grew up in my father’s Ford V-8 Pilot. My first car was a Cortina with a bench seat. Once I drove a Mustang from LA to San Francisco and back in a day. Ford sponsored my Design Museum. The Ford F-150 is one of the world’s great vehicles. J Mays is an old friend.’ Stephen’s encounter with Mr Retro-Futurism is on PAGES 112 TO 116. HARRY METCALFE ‘Even after taking a Testarossa to the Sahara in 2015, driving a £4100 Rolls-Royce to the Arctic Circle in winter was madness. We encountered blizzards, wandering moose and daytime temperatures in the minus-20s. The best car journeys should always be memorable. This one was unforgettable.’ Arctic Rolls: PAGES 92 TO 102. GLEN WADDINGTON ‘It’s three years since I was invited…

‘FOR US IT’S ABOUT BEING BRAVE AND BELIEVING IN WHAT WE ARE DOING. OTHERS CAN MAKE COMPARISONS’ BRABHAM AUTOMOTIVE has launched a million-pound track-focused car as it embarks on an ambitious plan that should see the motorsport dynasty racing at Le Mans in 2020 and potentially launching a road car. There is a very real prospect that the entry at La Sarthe could be piloted by an all-Brabham team comprising Le Mans winner David Brabham – who will then be 54 – plus his son Sam and nephew Matthew. There is no date set for the road car, but it would be designed and built by the Adelaide team that brought the new BT62 to fruition. One of the most remarkable things about that car’s development was how it was…

Why build an unrestricted GT car? Why not? Twelve years ago I was 40 and in my racing prime, but I was thinking ‘What the hell am I going to do in ten years’ time? We’ve got this iconic name and we don’t do anything with it.’ First I had to go get the name back. I got introduced to Fusion Capital by a mutual contact who thought we shared a similar vision and it snowballed from there. What’s the next step? Our dream is racing and to build a road car, but we’re not stupid and know we have to earn the right to go to that level. The business needs to be sustainable and everything depends on how the sales go. We plan to go racing in the…

Reid Railton inked A new book dedicated to the engineering great Reid Railton has been launched at a special ceremony at Brooklands. Railton’s name dominated the Land Speed Record and Brooklands with the likes of Sir Malcolm Campbell, John Cobb and Goldie Gardner piloting his designs to success. His daughter Sally Railton Joslin was on hand as Reid Railton, Man of Speed – reviewed on page 216 of this issue – was released. Current Bloodhound SSC Land Speed Record project leader Richard Noble and chief aerodynamicist Ron Ayres were also present. Date set for awards A date and venue have been set for the eighth annual Historic Motoring Awards, presented by Octane. The star-studded event, which celebrates the cream of the classic car world whether it be events, cars or…

‘AN ARK OF KITSCH, A TRAVESTY OF TASTE, A FATUOUS FRIVOLITY, A REBUKE TO GOOD MANNERS, A BLOVIATED DISCOURSE ON VULGARITY, A CRUEL REPRIMAND TO DESIGN INTELLIGENCE. I WANT ONE!’Stephen Bayley on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan FOLLOWING ITS DRAMATIC U-turn over whether it would ever produce an SUV, Rolls-Royce has launched the £250,000 Cullinan to the inevitable brickbats and bouquets. With the tagline ‘Effortless Everywhere’, the new Rolls-Royce will be built at Goodwood and is named after the largest diamond ever discovered, which currently forms part of the Crown Jewels. Powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 giving 563bhp and 727lb ft, the Cullinan features both all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering. But it is clearly as much about luxury as it is engineering, as Rolls-Royce strives to topple Range Rover and Bentley…