Octane July 2021

SAINT-TROPEZ POLO CLUB HOSTED BY DEREK BELL & JODIEKIDD Join Jodie Kidd and me on the first weekend in October for the inaugural Rendez-Vous Riviera, an exclusive end of summer party at the Saint-Tropez Polo Club. Over 70 of the finest and fastest cars ever built will be on display, from the rarest and most valuable classics to the very latest hypercars. But Rendez-Vous Riviera is much more than just a car show – it’s an intimate party that celebrates style, fashion and the unique ambience of Saint-Tropez. There will be fashion shows, DJs, live music, rosé and cocktails, and exquisite food served all day, with guest numbers limited to just 600.…

THERE’S QUITE A LOT to get excited about in this issue – isn’t there always? – but for me it starts right at the beginning of the magazine. Now, no-one wants to count their chickens, and especially not after the past year of chaos, but for the first time in a very long time, our Month in Pictures section is genuinely bristling with activity. Almost enough to rival the pre-pandemic July 2019 issue, in fact, with Donington in full swing, a host of other UK circuits hosting Historic events, and the indefatigable VSCC taking to the tarmac, the hills and anywhere else you can drive a car, in a flurry of competitive events. Remember, during the height of the pandemic the Month in Pictures section of Octane shrank to just…

HENRY CATCHPOLE I still can’t quite believe that it happened. That the rain held off. That I fitted into the CLK GTR. That we managed to insure them. That they were all in silver. Not just a red-letter day, but a full-on crimson alphabet of a day if ever there was one.’ For Henry’s story and Andy Morgan’s stunning photography, turn to pages 56-68. BARRY HAYDEN ‘It’s not often you see one Zagato on the road, let alone two. So the opportunity to shoot Bentley and Aston together was a real novelty, especially seeing the open mouths of onlookers as we headed out in our unique little convoy. Double head-turners indeed.’ Aston Martin DB7 Zagato and Bentley Continental GTZ: pages 124-132. MARTIN PORT ‘I’ve always had a penchant for utilitarian…

30 May Prescott Italia Italian cars and bikes tackle the hillclimb, which hopefully will be open to spectators as well as drivers and riders. Keep an eye on the website for confirmation one way or the other. prescotthillclimb.co.uk 4-6 June Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or The Circuit Dijon-Prenois hosts the Historic racing meeting first held back in 1964. This year, grids will include ’50s Legends and the Heritage Touring Cup. peterauto.fr 4-6 June Summer Trial HERO’s beginner-friendly Summer Trial is again based in Telford, but each day the crews will venture further afield on the wonderful backroads of Shropshire and the Welsh Marches. heroevents.eu 5-6 June Bicester Heritage Scramble Bicester Heritage has supersized the scramble, which will stretch across two days for the first time. Access to the display of…

PEOPLE CAN BE a little dismissive of Holland, saying it’s flat and uninteresting. Well, they’re wrong! Dutch towns are invariably interesting, immaculate and full of friendly people. The same could be said of its national automobile museum, the Louwman Collection, near the Royal Palace at The Hague. Its story traces back to 1934 when Dodge importer PW Louwman bought a 1914 Dodge, the first car in what is one of the world’s largest private collections and the oldest personal collection open to the public in Europe. As the collection grew it also acquired important cars from other Dutch museums as they closed. The Louwman Museum was always excellent, but now, housed in a modern building, partially under a geodesic dome, it is sensational. Enter the Great Hall and you find…

EVERY MUSEUM needs an edge, but few are brave enough to allow you to drive the exhibits. That’s one of the unique selling points of a new museum, Great British Car Journey, near Belper, Derbyshire, which opened on 22 May. Delayed for a year due to Covid and illness, it houses an eclectic mix of British-made cars detailing the highs and considerable lows of the British motor industry. They’re displayed in a former wire-making factory by the River Derwent in the Derwent Mills World Heritage Site, which also provides the near-mile-long track on which the 32 driving cars can be driven with an expert instructor alongside. The museum is the brainchild of Richard Usher – former owner of Auto Windscreens and Blyton circuit – and six investors, who have put…