Octane

new wine in old bottles

A whole new classic niche industry was kicked off by Henry Pearman at Eagle E-types when he started offering not simply restored E-types, but Jaguars consciously rebuilt as better-than-new, whether standard or modified. We are not talking continuation cars – factory or otherwise – of extreme rarities, but about applying modern skills and technology to more-mainstream greats so they could benefit from a second life even longer and more rewarding than their first. This was going way beyond ‘mere’ restoration and it caught on. It is very telling that, after the E-type, the second model to attract similar treatment was the ‘Pagoda’ Mercedes, an unparallelled all-rounder that also achieved its iconic status through popularity rather than rarity. It’s an obvious choice, really, being a stunning classic that is beloved by all…

featuring

Stephen bayley ‘Long before I knew what “design” meant, I had seen a Mercedes-Benz 230SL. You could not improve it by adding or removing a single element. Somehow, it manages to be both austere and voluptuous. Desirable, too. Now I know what “design” means, I know the Pagoda is as good as design gets.’ Stephen isn’t alone. See PAGES 68-81. matthew field ‘I first saw The Italian Job sometime back in 1985 when I was just four years old. A life-long love affair with the movie began and since then I have written two books on the subject as well as a feature-length documentary for Paramount. Thirty-four years later it is still my favourite movie!’ Read about the Italian Job cars, PAGES 108-116. JameS millS ‘I’ve attended the launches of hundreds of new cars but these three…

octane

EDITORIAL editor-in-Chief James Elliott james@octane-magazine.com deputy editor Mark Dixon mark@octane-magazine.com assoCiate editor Glen Waddington glen@octane-magazine.com art editor Robert Hefferon roberth@octane-magazine.com markets editor Matthew Hayward matthew@octane-magazine.com international editor Robert Coucher robert@octane-magazine.com editorial administrator Jane Townsend-Emms senior Contributor John Simister italian Correspondent Massimo Delbò design and sub-editing assistanCe Neil Earp, Ruth Haddock, Peter Tomalin test driver John Barker us Correspondent Winston Goodfellow ADVERTISING group advertising direCtor Sanjay Seetanah sanjay@octane-magazine.com aCCount direCtor Samantha Snow sam@octane-magazine.com speCial projeCts John Deverell john@octane-magazine.com dealer aCCount manager Marcus Ross marcus@octane-magazine.com aCCount manager Paul Landry paul@octane-magazine.com managing direCtor, advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans ADVERTISING PRODUCTION group produCtion manager Stephen Catherall stephen_catherall@dennis.co.uk produCtion manager Maaya Mistry maaya_mistry@dennis.co.uk produCtion exeCutive Sophie Griffin sophie_griffin@dennis.co.uk produCtion exeCutive Lewis Small lewis_small@dennis.co.uk PUBLISHING AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOUNDER Felix Dennis CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER James Tye MANAGING DIRECTOR – PUBLISHING Nicola Bates NEWSTRADE DIRECTOR David Barker DIRECT MARKETING MANAGER Hannah Charlton OCTANE WORLDWIDE LICENSING CONTENT MANAGER Nicole Creasey +44 (0)20 3890 3998 nicole_creasey@dennis.co.uk GERMANY Jörn Müller-Neuhaus FRANCE Yan-Alexandre Damasiewicz NETHERLANDS Ton Roks JAPAN Shiro…

ignition

Goodwood Revival 13-15 September The sundrenched 2019 Revival Meeting will live long in the memory of visitors for the ferocity of the racing, the galaxy of stars and all the theatre and attention to detail with which the event has become synonymous. There were special celebrations for Sir Jackie Stewart in the 50th anniversary year of his first F1 title, as well as the Mini, while Dane Tom Kristensen again lit up the track. One of the most popular off-track features was the painstaking re-enactment of key scenes from The Italian Job. CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE, 6-8 SEPTEMBER This spectacular event at Hampton Court Palace has cemented its status as the UK’s – and probably Europe’s – premier concours. Overall winner was a polished Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost (top right), while Octane and Evo’s People’s Choice…

coming up…

29 September Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride At events all around the world, owners of classic motorcycles head out en masse, wearing their very best strides, to raise money for prostate cancer research. gentlemansride.com 5 October Swiss Classic British Car Meeting Morges on the shore of Lake Geneva will welcome some 1600 British cars on 5 October, and will roll out the red carpet for anyone arriving in an Alvis, Bentley or Mini – three marques celebrating big birthdays this year. british-cars.ch 5-6 October Prescott Anglo-American Autumn Classic Yank tanks usually take centre stage at Prescott’s Autumn Classic, but this year British cars are invited to join the party, which will feature action on the hill, a ‘show ’n’ shine’, a wall of death, and live music. prescott-hillclimb.com 6 October Bicester Sunday Scramble The final Scramble of the year, scheduled just before Jack…

defender back with a bang

IT’S FINALLY HERE. More than three years after the last traditional Defender left the production line, Land Rover has officially launched its replacement. Packed with technology and priced to match, its unveiling at the Frankfurt motor show on 10 September sent shockwaves through the media. The new Defender has not entirely broken with the past, however. There are obvious design cues in the stepped shoulders of its rear wings, the inset bonnet and, indeed, its general profile. As with the old model, it will be available in 90 and 110in wheelbases (actually nearer 102 and 119in), the latter suspended on air bags, the former on steel coils or (optionally) air. Excitingly, for those who worry that Land Rover has forgotten its roots, there will also be a Commercial variant of the 90…