Octane September 2017

FOURTEEN YEARS, 171 issues, countless press-night curries. Boy and man. But now I’m off, believe it or not, leaving Octane after all this time. It’s quite a strange feeling. Octane came about from a pub conversation, of course, and within a couple of weeks four of us – Sanjay Seetanah, Geoff Love, Robert Coucher and I – had set about raising capital to start an all-new classic car magazine. That was back in November 2002, and by April 2003 we’d launched our first issue from a small office equipped with secondhand desks, a couple of unreliable Mac laptops and the invaluable help of art director Rob Gould. It’s been a wild ride ever since, as Octane has grown in size and, I’m pleased to say, stature. We’ve driven some remarkable…

TIM ANIREW We presented photographer Tim with three very different scenarios. ‘I love the unique nature and variety of each shoot. And when they are such significant subjects, that tingle of history flavours the challenge and makes you go the extra mile.’ Enjoy his work on the Final E-type ( page 86 ), Rolls Phantom (page 96 ) and 3D Engineers ( page 152 ). NIGEL BOOTHMAN ‘Turin is fascinating for any car obsessive but it manages moments of surprising beauty amidst the industrial heritage. Gunning the Jensen Interceptor across bridges over the Po as the morning mist swirled around us is something I’ll remember for a long time.’ Nigel takes the first Interceptor back to its birthplace on pages 144 to 150. ROBERT COUCHER ‘Beautiful motor cars are…

WHILE THE SECTION of the old Brooklands circuit under the stewardship of the Brooklands Museum is in fine fettle, many other parts are in such poor condition that Historic England has placed them on its ‘Heritage at Risk’ register. They will now be protected. In an effort to arrest the decline, Historic England has joined forces with Brooklands Museum, Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey Council and hosted an event to explore ways of safeguarding those parts of the track within the boundaries of private and business properties, as well as those on wasteland. The event, held on 6 July – and which also celebrated the 110th anniversary of the first race at Brooklands – brought together owners and tenants with a responsibility for a piece of the historic site, to…

Laguna Seca smartens up its trackside act As part of the partnership between the County of Monterey and the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), work has begun to smarten up and improve the trackside facilities at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The whole site is owned by Monterey County, and in recognition of all the tourist dollars that race-goers bring to the local economy, an extensive package of updating is underway. Already many of the smaller buildings in the paddock area have been removed and/or replaced, and larger structures repainted. Soon to come are new restrooms and showers around the site, a new start/finish bridge, and the track will be resurfaced. British Motor Museum gets Arts Council England cash The British Motor Museum has become an Arts…

WE’RE EXCITED to be launching Enzo, an independent Ferrari magazine that will thrill and inform with the best features about the cars, the people and the history of the world’s most iconic car company – a company that has created some of the most desirable ever road cars, and competition cars that have won motor sport’s most coveted prizes. We’ve engaged the best writers and photographers to deliver the greatest features. Experience what it’s like to drive a 250 LM up the hill at Goodwood, delve into an insightful profile of Enzo Ferrari by renowned historian Doug Nye, and enjoy Andrew Frankel’s incisive and entertaining road test of the astonishing new 789bhp 812 Superfast. It’s on sale now and every quarter.…

‘Tomorrow you might be in a Mazda, but today you are a Ferrari driver’ Derek Bell at Goodwood to Enzo journalist Henry Catchpole, who piloted a 250 LM up the hill. ‘No production car has ever cleanly completed a bona fide barrel roll’ Stuntman Terry Grant, who has now completed exactly that in the new Jaguar E-Pace. ‘Anyone can fulfil their dreams at any age if they put their mind to it’ Rally driver Rosemary Smith, 79, after driving an 800bhp Renault Sport F1 car as part of the team’s 40th anniversary celebrations. ‘I cannot buy all the Italian cars from around the world!’ Collector Corrado Lopresto on being offered the first ever Isotta Fraschini – which he went on to buy… (See feature on page 162 .) ‘I’m…