Octane July 2023

I CLEARLY REMEMBER when I first heard about Octane. It didn’t even have a name (not publicly at least) at that point. It was at a very chilly Goodwood media day in 2003 and someone asked whether I knew anything about ‘this new comic Coucher’s doing’. I hadn’t, but as someone then editing a different classic car magazine (and in advanced discussions about launching an upmarket version ‘with the porridge taken out’) I scuttled off to find Robert, who proved uncharacteristically tightlipped. ‘Wait and see, wait and see,’ he said with an enigmatic smile. We didn’t have to wait long. As Octane established itself and evolved in those early days, it soon became clear that it might have occupied the same broader ‘media space’ as the titles that had already…

JOHAN DILLEN ‘As I look at these two coachbuilt Jaguar XK120s standing in front of the magnificent Art Deco Palais 5 of the Brussels Expo, I can’t help but feel people put in more effort in those days: if not to create something beautiful, than at least something special. They really were better days.’ Special-bodied Jaguar XK120s: pages 84-92. MARK SMYTH ‘I got chatting to a chap at Concorso Villa d’Este in 2021 and he told me he had a Cisitalia 808. The story behind a car is sometimes even more fascinating than the car itself and this was just such a story. This car could so easily have become a significant part of Ford’s history.’ Cisitalia 808 Coupé: pages 112-120. CRAIG PUSEY ‘Shooting the 300 SLS, Mercedes-Benz’s own recreation of the…

Goodwood Members’ Meeting, 15-16 April The 80th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport kicked off in grand style the celebrations for the 75th year of motorsport at Goodwood. For many, star turn was a parade of GT1 cars including Aston Martin DBR9, Ferrari 550 GTS, Maserati MC12, Chrysler Viper GTS-R and Lister Storm, while Brabham BT52 and iconic racing Porsche 911s also put on mouthwatering demos. An all-Lotus Cortina grid for the Jim Clark Trophy was among the more confusing racing spectacles, but at least the progress of eventual winner Andrew Jordan was easy to follow in his green example. Off-track, the GMA T.33 Spider was unveiled by Gordon Murray, the Duke of Richmond and Dario Franchitti.…

27-28 May Masters Historic Festival The Masters circus comes to Brands Hatch, with grids for pre-’66 GTs, F1 cars from the period 1966-1985, Touring Cars and Le Mans prototypes. mastershistoricracing.com 28 May Valletta Concours Classics assemble in Malta’s capital, under the sunniest sky in Europe and against a backdrop of stunning Baroque buildings. vallettaconcours.com 28 May Bergamo Historic Gran Prix Classics roar around the Circuita della Mura, a street course that follows the ancient walls of Bergamo in northern Italy. bergamohistoricgranprix.com 28 May Ormskirk Motor Festival Cars will travel in convoy from a location in West Lancashire to Ormskirk School, where the show will be held. The event is free for spectators to attend, and the fee to enter a car is just £7.50. ormskirkmotorfest.com 1-4 June Jersey International Motoring…

A CENTURY SINCE the MG octagon badge was registered by Oxford-based Morris Garages, a brand new MG-badged roadster will go on sale in the UK. That’s in 2024. It will be launched in left-hand drive this summer. The styling nods to MG’s heritage, yet this is a product of modern times: MG will likely lay claim to the first volume-produced electric sports car and, while its design has been led in the UK by the MG Advanced Design Centre in London, it is being engineered by parent company SAIC. The MG marque has been in Chinese hands since 2005, don’t forget. Tellingly, European design director Carl Gotham refers to it as ‘our first sports car’. He’s talking of his 20-strong team, of course, London-based since 2018 though ‘the idea of…

Concours back in the City A wide range of classes for the London Concours has been revealed. The event takes place on 6-8 June at the Honourable Artillery Company, a green oasis in the heart of the City of London, and one of the most eagerly awaited groups will be Golden Age Coupés, which will pay tribute to some of the most iconic cars of the 1950s and ’60s. Jaguar E-type, Aston Martin DB5, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing and Ferrari 250GT SWB are all set to appear. Other star attractions will include a mammoth Porsche RS celebration, including a special 50-car exhibit on 7 June, plus the marking of the 60th anniversary of Lamborghini turning its hand to building road cars as well as tractors. Built To Race For The Road…