Octane November 2016

YES, IT’S THAT TIME of year when we feel the need to wax semillyrical about car events. It’s also that time of year when there’s a need to sit down quietly, having worn out legs and shoe leather pacing between wondrous car after wondrous car (with the occasional wondrous motorcycle or aeroplane thrown in). So… there was Monterey Car Week, Salon Privé, Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance, Chantilly Arts & Elegance and Goodwood Revival – plus many, many more. Most of the events listed above are fairly costly to visit, but they shouldn’t be dismissed for that. In Monterey, there’s enough theatre in the many auctions to keep a family entertained for several hours, and the front of the Portola Hotel always attracts a crowd during the two days of…

GIJS VAN LINNIP Dutch racer Van Lennep piloted John Simister around Circuit de la Sarthe, recalling his 1974 race there in the car that adorns the cover. But there’s more to Gijs than that, not least two victories at Le Mans and one on the Targa Florio, so we asked Martin van der Zeeuw to interview him, too. Turn to pages 62-80 . BOAT PIOPLI French journalist and photographer pairing Gérald Guétat and Henri Thibault have contributed to these pages before, with a Ferrari raceboat and a pair of Maseratis for road and water. Now they’re back, this time to celebrate BMW’s centenary with a 328 roadster and a similarly powered raceboat. For the full story, turn to pages 120-126. MCLARIN CARS …or rather, the cars driven by…

EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, your correspondent walked into the circuit outfield in autumnal sunshine ahead of the hordes. Come 1pm, amid a deluge that caused flash floods at nearby coastal villages, it was almost impossible to move freely, such was the crowdscape of umbrellas. Not to mention the wet-dog odour of drenched tweed. Yet still everyone smiled. Such is the appeal of Goodwood Revival. And there was fine weather aplenty on the other two days. Yet those who braved Saturday’s squally banking were rewarded with displays of exemplary car control, not least that of Martin Hunt in his Frazer Nash Targa Florio in the Lavant Cup, who lost narrowly to the William/ Malcolm Harrison Cooper-Bristol T25. New for 2016 was the Friday dusk’s Kinrara Trophy, a highlight of which was the…

OCTANE IS TO LAUNCH a new concours event in central London next year, based in the historic gardens of the Honorable Artillery Company, in the heart of the Capital’s historic financial district. The City of London Concours will take place on 8-9 June 2017, and will feature a wide range of classic cars as well as modern supercars and coachbuilts, motorcycles and historic racers. It will be more automotive garden party than traditional concours d’élégance. The new event will be lointly organised by Octane and Thorough Events, the company behind the annual Concours of Elegance, the most recent of which took place at Windsor Castle in September this year. The venue, which has never before hosted a motoring event, has been the home of the Honorable Artillery Company since 1641.…

£5.2-million CMC business given to its employees The world-renowned restoration and Jaguar specialist Classic Motor Cars (CMC) ol Bridgnorth, Shropshire, has been given to its staff by the company’s owner. Peter Neumark, who has owned the company since its inception in 1993, said: ‘I’m nearer 70 than 60, and Nick Goldthorp, who lounded this great business with me and has been largely responsible lor where we are today, is now approaching retirement age, so we lelt we had a duty to oversee a passing ol responsibility. Who better than the worklorce themselves?’ CMC, which turned over £5.2 million last year, is now an Employee Ownership Trust, set up lor the benefit ol the 60 staff. More on www.classic-motor-cars.co.uk. Race mechanic training at Donington Park A new MIA School ol Race…

There’s a new event in town to kick off the 2017 season: Historic Motorsport International, which will take place on 23-26 February alongside the existing London Classic Car Show at the ExCel exhibition centre. The show will provide a new platlorm lor engineering and preparation experts, event organisers, promoters and suppliers. There are expected to be up to 100 competition cars lor sale lrom specialist dealers, alongside motor sport clubs and governing bodies. Alongside these will be the inaugural Historic Motorsport Conlerence, examining a range ol current hot topics. For more on both shows, visit www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk.…