Sommaire pour February 2024 de Octane

WE’D PULLED UP at the rural Irish pub in search of a coffee during the 2016 Circuit Déja Vu and found a handful of locals propping up the bar. ‘Ah, Rosemary, what’ll you be havin’?’ said one of them without any preamble whatsoever. She’d never been there before and yet they all knew instantly who she was. Such was rally driver Rosemary Smith’s fame in her native country – and far beyond. The 2016 event, celebrating the famous Circuit of Ireland rally, was basically a nostalgic fun-run, but back in the day the Circuit was a tough event: 500 stage miles in an 1100-mile lap of the island. ‘I think I did it eight times, maybe more,’ Rosemary told me: ‘It was day and night, day and night – really…

While we’re hardly short of classic car shows in the UK, there’s something peculiarly exciting about visiting one abroad. The unfamiliar language, the different food and, yes, the choice of beers on offer are all a novelty. The biggest attraction, however, is that you’ll be introduced to a whole variety of cars (and maybe trucks, or tractors, or buses or ’bikes) that you just don’t see at home. And then there’s the added thrill of browsing the Cars For Sale section, and wondering whether maybe, just maybe, you could ditch that return ’plane or train ticket for the journey home… Better, of course, to make a road trip of it in the first place. My most memorable of several visits to Auto Moto d’Epoca in Italy was when I drove…

I have in front of me a superb Michael Furman photograph of a 1961 Chevrolet Mako Shark concept. There can be no better example of GM design capo Bill Mitchell’s aesthetic wherein he explained that a baseball will always be more interesting than a billiard ball because of its varied textures and details. The knife-sharp hipline establishes a contrast between light falling on the upper and lower parts of the astonishing silver body. Four decadently chromed exhaust downpipes gather into a striated expansion box that runs underneath the door for its whole length. At its trailing edge are two chromed finishers, cut on the oblique. You’d be cancelled for even imagining such a thing today. Instead, we have the Toyota Prius. It’s a difficult car to ignore, but well worth…

Remember your impulse control, or rather that you have one. Yes, it’s a Group B car, and this is the perfect playground in which to enjoy it, but don’t come over all Stig of the Dump Valve straightaway – not that this car has a turbocharger, you understand. Just take in your surroundings, get a feel for it. At first glance the Lancia 037 makes few concessions to user-friendliness. The vinyl-wrapped rollcage and chunky door bars leave you in no doubt that it is a competition tool, as do the black anodised aluminium dashboard, the profusion of screwheads and the exposed fuses. There are some token nods to civility: there are carpets and seats trimmed in corduroy as befits a ‘street’ version, but it doesn’t exactly scream urbanity. Ahead of…

WE MEET RAY, now in his early 70s but looking far more youthful, slim and a fair stretch over 6ft tall, in a leafy corner of a Northamptonshire industrial estate. Most of the buildings bear the RML logo – the business began as Ray Mallock Atlantic Racing in 1979, before becoming Ray Mallock Ltd in 1984, and it has gradually spread to take up three units, each of 20,000sq ft. One, however, declares itself as the home of Bizzarrini, incongruous as that may seem, but this is where the recent 24-strong run of 5300GT Corsa Revival cars was built. It’s also where you’ll find the RML Short Wheelbase, Wellingborough’s own 550 Maranello-based homage to the legendary Ferrari 250GT SWB. Both have featured in Octane (229 and 228 respectively). ‘I’m not…

ROBERT COUCHER International editor • 1955 Jaguar XK140 ANDREW ENGLISH Contributor • 1962 Norton Dominator • 1967 Triumph GT6 • 1972 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport GLEN WADDINGTON Associate editor • 1989 BMW 320i Convertible • 1999 Porsche Boxster SANJAY SEETANAH Advertising director • 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio • 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante • 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK200 MARK DIXON Deputy editor • 1927 Alvis 12/50 • 1927 Ford Model T pick-up • 1942 Fordson Model N tractor • 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in JAMES ELLIOTT Editor-in-chief • 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI • 1968 Jensen Interceptor • 1969 Lotus Elan S4 ROBERT HEFFERON Art editor • 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i JOHN SIMISTER Contributor • 1960 Singer Gazelle conv • 1961 Saab 96 • 1972 Rover 2000TC • 1989 Mazda…

NEXEN AND VICTRA. Not tyre brands I’ve heard much about, to be honest, but as they weren’t so old and had life left in the tread, their replacement hadn’t been top of the Boxster’s ‘to do’ list. But you might recall the transformation brought about by a new set of Vredesteins on my BMW last year, offering not only more grip but far, far greater refinement than what had previously been wrapped around its cross-spoke rims. And I happened to be planning a visit to see my old mate Ben Field at Vintage Tyres in Beaulieu (see last issue’s Autobiography), so, er, well… Thing is, not long before I was due to head down there, Ben called about a special offer they’re running. On the same kind of tyres that…

AT BROOKLANDS, Mercedes-Benz has gathered everything from an original 300SL Gullwing through to the latest 2023 AMG models. Is there really a common thread connecting 70 years of SLs? Only one way to find out. I start the day in the SL43, the current entry-level model. The ‘43’ equates to a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo with an F1-inspired mild-hybrid drivetrain and nine-speed auto. It’ll do the numbers, with 0-62mph in 4.9sec and a top speed of 171mph, though it feels a little subdued. Perhaps it’s the lack of aural drama you get compared with the six-and eight-cylinder AMGs of recent years: this is the first four-cylinder since the old 190SL. Handling-wise, it feels composed rather than aggressive: this is a GT, not a sports car, and even if you flick it…

HE WAS THE charismatic British rally star who was equipped with an impressive lip-warmer and car control that defied belief. Tony Pond was quick to smile and always seemed to have a quip to hand every time a microphone was thrust through the driver’s-side door at the end of a special stage. He was also capable of extracting the maximum out of cars that in some instances weren’t likely victors. It didn’t matter a jot that he never won a round of the World Rally Championship, Pond was often the underdog. It was a role in which he thrived but one that sold him short. Double World Champion Walter Röhrl said in 1986: ‘I’d rather have Tony Pond in my team than driving against me.’ As endorsements go, there was…

1983 Lotus Esprit Turbo prototype Anglia Car Auctions, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK 27-28 January, angliacarauctions.co.uk Lotus is expert in being able to make a car corner well, but it also has an arguably unrivalled ability to keep the same car’s ride comfortable and compliant. The company was experimenting with active suspension decades before most others, and this prototype was one such testbed – it’s also pre-production Essex chassis 001 – from around the same time as the ‘active’ Type 92 F1 car. It’s estimated at £90,000-120,000. 1981 Lamborghini Countach LP400 S Bonhams, Paris, France 1 February, bonhams.com The Countach went through many iterations, from early ‘Periscopio’ cars to the last Anniversary models. This LP400 S sits somwhere in the middle, and for many will represent a sweet spot, since it’s…

WHAT TO PAY Finding a Prowler in the UK is not too difficult, although you’ll always have more choice in the USA. Tidy UK cars generally range from £30,000 to £40,000, though you may find a bargain if you look for a higher-mileage or slightly unloved example. Shop around in the USA and there are plenty more cars available from around $20,000 for a decent runner, $40,000 for a lower-mileage car; special examples will command $55,000 and more. WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR Removing the front bumpers can massively transform the look of the car, but if you want originality these are very expensive to replace. If removed, the front is very susceptible to car park knocks, too, so check carefully for damage. Window regulators fail due to a design…

TOM KAHLER ‘Enjoying a passenger ride in a 1930s Aston Martin that once belonged to a spy really resonated with me. Rumour suggests it could even have sparked the James Bond books! It was a pleasure to shoot this piece of British history.’ Tom’s superb photography accompanies Mark Dixon’s feature on pages 72-80. JIM HOLDER ‘I may never meet anyone whose car means so much to them as Karl Khevenhüller or, consequently, who looks so quietly content when they’re behind the wheel. I hope the story does justice as to exactly why this car holds such a place in his heart.’ This 1904 Mercedes Simplex has been in one family from new. See pages 126-132. STEVE SAXTY ‘BMW is an enigma – we all know the cars, yet nobody had…

A RECORD 400 people, including Royalty, flocked to London’s Dorchester Hotel for the 13th annual Historic Motoring Awards presented by Octane in association with Chubb. The event’s status as the only truly international awards in the classic car world was underlined by as many as 30% of the guests coming from overseas and representing five continents. This diversity was also reflected in the winners, who hailed from as far afield as Australia and the USA. Played out under the watchful gaze of His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent and against a sensational backdrop of two imposing bespoke classic cars, the ceremony was hosted again by broadcaster, journalist and historic racer Amanda Stretton. Other notables spotted in the room included TV personalities Edd China, Paul Cowland and Sarah Crabtree, while…

Are you like me? Do you have prejudices and perceptions about certain automobiles? As much as we like to think we don’t, we all have them. The most common recent ones have to do with electric vehicles. In America at least it has become almost a political issue. If you have an electric car, then you’re a vegan who is a Democrat. And if you’re against them you’re a gun-toting Republican who loves Trump. In my case people think I don’t like Ferraris. Nothing could be further from the truth. The F40 is still one of the most exciting cars I’ve ever driven. And the 330 GTC is a car I’ve lusted after since I first saw one in 1966. Back in the day, I found most of the dealers…

Mercedes-Benz is celebrating 70 years of its legendary SL, which seems to have come around very quickly because I’m only just getting over its 60th-anniversary celebration of the evergreen sporting cruiser. In 2012 the launch was based at the louche Marbella Club – in those days the motor industry was flush with cash, so launches took place in properly exotic locations. Brooklands in Surrey (see Overdrive)? No chance – this was the luxe junket that sped from Marbs along that terrific road up through Ronda and north to Cortijo el Puntal de Teba. The roads were sublime, traffic police conspicuous by their absence. The SL is one of the most standout models in the automotive lexicon. It certainly has been a halo product for Benz for 70 years, and I…

IN MY LAST report (Octane 236) on the seemingly never-ending Carrera RS restoration, I promised to move on to the last refuge of its rust invasion: the ‘ducktail’ engine lid. While the major work on the bodyshell was underway, the engine lid had escaped attention, quietly sitting on a shelf at Steve Kerti’s Classic Fabrications down in Devon, unmarred ducktail side facing out. The lid is mainly glassfibre but the bit that isn’t is a steel frame supporting the plastic. When the lid was taken down from the shelf for a preliminary fitting, the horror of the inside trailing edge was revealed – it had mostly dissolved into a ferrous oxide soup. Fortunately, as this area is a well-recognised Porsche 911 rust trap, a replacement pressing is readily available and…

IT SEEMED A good time to take the Jaguar down to Hampshire for its pre-winter service at Jaguar specialist Twyford Moors (jagxk.com). The XK had been running fine but it needed an inspection and good spanner check, the oil, filter and fluids changing, and the driver’s-side doorcard refitting, as it was catching when the door was opened or closed. I’ve been taking the Jag to Twyford Moors since April 2009 and they’ve looked after the car bloody well; they used to be located in an old garage in Clanfield but have recently moved to new premises not far away in Havant, near Portsmouth. I always love the drive down to Havant through the countryside and when I arrived it was good to find that TM’s large two-storey building looks very…

ESTABLISHED OVER 30 years ago by Tim Fenna, Frontline Developments is already well-known for upgrading MGBs, not least the LE50 of ten years ago. With the LE60 it’s marking the MGB’s 60th anniversary, this time with V8 power instead of an MX-5 four-cylinder. Work starts with a brand new body, widened to accommodate a track increased by 6in at the front, 10in at the back. There are LED headlamps, minimal chrome, Dunlopesque alloys and all-red US-style tail-lamps, the result being a muscular 1970s look. Inside, the LE60 optimises the MGB’s comfortable driving position with Frontline’s own supportive, tailored and period-perfect bucket seats, a high-end Bluetooth stereo, and ingenious electric window switches disguised as winder handles. As you’d expect from a company with a background in bespoke builds, the trim in…

by GéGé ‘GéGé’ is how a native French speaker would pronounce the letters ‘GG’, the initials of Germain Giroud who, in 1933, borrowed money from his mother to start a toy factory in Montbrison. The GéGé brand is particularly associated with dolls but in 1954 the company launched a small range of model cars in 1:20 scale. Until then, larger toy cars were usually made of tinplate or pressed steel but the new GéGé cars had moulded plastic bodies that allowed complex curves to be represented more accurately. Unsurprisingly, the GéGé cars were based on popular French saloons, starting with the Renault Frégate and the Ford Vedette. Attention to detail was remarkable, with whitewall tyres, a lot of bright trim, full interiors and window glazing. Best of all, some versions…

£42,150,500 ($51,705,000) 1962 Ferrari 330LM / 250 GTO RM Sotheby’s, New York, USA. 13 November £15,140,500 ($18,815,000) 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04 RM Sotheby’s, Las Vegas, USA. 17 November £8,236,000 ($10,235,000) 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster RM Sotheby’s, Las Vegas, USA. 17 November £2,940,500 1997 Ferrari F50 Collecting Cars, online. 12 November £2,691,000 (€3,098,750) 1973 Ferrari Daytona Spyder RM Sotheby’s, Munich, Germany. 25 November £2,226,875 1993 Ferrari 512TR Spider RM Sotheby’s, London, UK. 4 November £2,190,000 ($2,760,000) 2006 McLaren-Mercedes-Benz MP4/21 Bonhams, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. 25 November £1,962,500 1990 Ferrari F40 RM Sotheby’s, London, UK. 4 November £1,688,000 ($2,127,500) 1993 Porsche 911 RSR 3.8 Strassenversion Bonhams, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. 25 November £1,509,000 ($1,875,000) 2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package RM Sotheby’s, Las Vegas, USA. 17 November…

‘I never wanted to see myself as a guitar collector at all,’ says Mark Knopfler – a man with a vast hoard of guitars. It’s always gratifying for one guitarist to encounter another in denial about their instrument-buying habit. To be fair, some of Knopfler’s guitars were given to him, and the former Dire Straits frontman is soon to trim his collection down to a more manageable size: 120 of his instruments will be sold by Christie’s in London on 31 January, with part of the proceeds going to charity. The auction house has been quick to draw attention to his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, estimated at £300,000-500,000, but it’s a Les Paul of a much less celebrated vintage that is likely to provoke the fiercest bidding war. This…

1979 ISUZU 117 XG COUPÉ $27,250 This is one of the later facelifted 117s, a smart-looking Giugiaro-penned coupé. It’s an original JDM car, recently imported into the US with just over 70,000km and in original condition. hymanltd.com (US) 1922 MORGAN RUNABOUT £28,895 This cute three-wheeler was bought by the current owner in the 1980s, but was fully restored by specialist Bob Angell in 2007. It’s thought to be one of only 12 surviving De Luxe models. sherwoodrestorations.co.uk 1955 CHEVROLET BEL AIR TOWNSMAN, €48,500 This is one of the Belgian-built Bel Airs, and delivered new to a Luxembourg wine merchant. Family-owned for many decades, it was restored in the late 1990s and still looks great today. thiesen-automobile.com (DE) 1974 MASERATI MERAK AUS $103,500 The 3.0-litre V6-powered Merak is a real beauty, and this…

I’VE LIVED IN the Midlands all my life, but my family was not in the motor industry. My dad Robin was actually a bank manager, but he had a massive passion for cars and I grew up surrounded by TR6s and MGBs and then Porsches. And magazines. Lots of magazines. In fact he still sends me his car magazines when he’s read them. I was car mad as a kid and wanted to get on the Transport Design course at Coventry University, but my artistic skills weren’t quite up to it, so I did automotive engineering design instead and that actually suited me far better. After graduating in 1995 I went straight into vehicle dynamics with Rover Group, doing hill descent control, traction control and ABS on Disco 2 and…

It’s funny how things change. I was thinking about this a few weeks ago when I was at McLaren’s 60th anniversary celebrations at Sonoma Raceway in California. The team – the marque – founded by Bruce McLaren put on a fantastic show, with a sister event also being staged in the UK. The venue, which was known universally as Sears Point when I was competing, always was a fantastic track in as much as it was testy and undulating. It was one hell of a challenge in a Porsche 962 with ground effects, believe me. I remember us competing there during the IMSA GTP era and you felt as though you had gone into battle after only an hour or so behind the wheel. It was a like a bumpy…

WHEN THE CLOCKS go back and UK roads start to turn a bit wintry, it’s generally a good time to park your classic in the garage, fit a trickle charger and leave it to hibernate until spring arrives. It’s what I’d advise doing, too, as cars built in the ’60s and ’70s deteriorate quickly when exposed to our salted winter roads. It’s not just the bodywork that’s at risk: it’s all the fastenings attaching suspension, subframes and engine components that cause the biggest frustration when they rust, as seized bolts make even general maintenance a right pain in the proverbial. That’s why most of my car collection doesn’t venture out between the months of November and April, which is when local councils seem to delight in sprinkling salt on our…

WATCHING SOMEONE drive off in your car is always a slightly strange feeling. Don’t worry, I haven’t sold the Honda, but rather lent it to our sister title evo for a recent ‘Icon’ feature. The Integra has long been a cult car, but is it really deserving of icon status? Obviously I think so, but it’s always nice to have your own opinion backed up by a qualified third party – in this case freelance journalist Henry Catchpole. After a bit of discussion with my former colleague, who would be writing the feature, a meeting point on the B660 was selected: an excellent stretch of road that straddles Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Honda had been sitting for a few weeks so, after a few basic checks – oil level and…

‘Co-owner Chris Rees and I will be driving the Honda Z600 to a show in Holland in 2024, and yes, choosing a flattish country was a factor in deciding where to go’ Richard Heseltine ‘I intend to keep using the Ford Model T over the winter, if only as pub transport – so I’ve ordered some LED headlight bulbs in the hope I’ll be able to see better after dark’ Mark Dixon ‘Now that my BMW 323i Top Cabrio is officially an Historic Vehicle, I look forward to occasionally driving it into London without being liable for ULEZ’ Sanjay Seetanah ‘Latest update from James Godfrey-Dunne confirms that the full body restoration of my Triumph continues apace – target is to be ready for Spa next May’ James Elliott Contact Vintage…

THE WING. It’s all about the rear wing. OK, that’s a slight overstatement, but when the mighty Ferrari PR machine namechecks the legendary F50 (the last Ferrari to sport a fixed aero appendage) in its own press material you know there’s confidence in the credentials of its latest hardcore offering. The SF90 XX Stradale is the first fully homologated street-legal Ferrari to receive the XX skunkworks treatment. Applying the engineering ethos of the elite XX Programme (set up in 2005) that spawned a series of non-homologated rolling laboratories, all of which played a part in the development of later Ferrari road cars, the limited-edition SF90 XX Stradale is an aggressive, track-biased but – crucially – road-legal evolution of Ferrari’s series-production flagship. The regular SF90 Stradale is an ultra-sophisticated hybrid all-wheel-drive…

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29 December Oldtimer Galerie, Gstaad, Switzerland 30 December Barons, Southampton, UK 2-14 January Mecum, Kissimmee, USA 13 January Barons, Southampton, UK 20-28 January Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, USA 24-27 January Mecum, Las Vegas, USA (motorcycles) 25 January Bonhams, Scottsdale, USA RM Sotheby’s, Arizona, USA 26 January Worldwide Auctioneers, Scottsdale, USA 27 January WB & Sons, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 27-28 January ACA, King’s Lynn, UK 31 January RM Sotheby’s, Paris, France 1 February Bonhams, Paris, France SWVA, Poole, UK 2 February Artcurial, Paris, France 10 February Barons, Southampton, UK 14 February Brightwells, online 14-15 February Mathewsons, online 17 February Manor Park Classics, Cheshire, UK Morris Leslie, Perth, UK 19 February Brightwells, online 24 February Dore & Rees, Shepton Mallet, UK (motorcycles) Iconic Auctioneers, Coventry, UK 29 February Bonhams, Amelia Island, USA 1…