Inhaltsverzeichnis für November 2018 in Octane

‘THE CARS WILL BE BUILT FROM SCRATCH AT ASTON MARTIN WORKS IN NEWPORT PAGNELL. A REVOLVING NUMBERPLATE IS PROMISED’ ASTON MARTIN HAS revealed to Octane that it has already secured buyers for the entire run it is planning of ‘continuation’ James Bond DB5s. In fact, despite scepticism from some quarters, the company said it could have sold the allocation three times over. That is an astonishing result considering the cars will cost £2.75 million each and can’t be used on the road. The news that Aston was to build the Goldfinger cars with Eon Productions prompted a flurry of interest, especially when it was revealed that they would boast features designed by Oscar-winning Chris Corbould, the special effects supervisor on eight Bond movies. The cars will be built from scratch…

Brakes. Not as exciting as engines, but we can’t do without them. So when fluid starts seeping out of a braking system’s hydraulic components, something needs to be done urgently before you find your braking foot suddenly hitting the floor. But there’s a problem. Sometimes you can reclaim a hydraulic cylinder’s scored or corroded inner surface by honing, and new rubber seals will make it right again. But what if your cylinders are past the point of recovery, no-one makes new ones for your car any more and searches for new-old-stock items draw a blank? Sometimes you can adapt a part from a more modern car to fit, provided the cylinder bore is the same and you don’t mind the unoriginal look. Or you can have the original, worn one…

Theoretically, I am a former racing driver, but I tend to adopt the Frank Sinatra approach to retirement. I am not above ‘unretiring’, venturing trackside for a race or two as and when the mood strikes me. In August, for example, I raced a lovely 1965 Porsche 911 during the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix meeting at the Nürburgring. I was paired with Tom Bradshaw, whose team did a fantastic job of preparing the car. We never stood a chance of victory because our two-litre Porsche was up against opposition packing twice the horsepower. We qualified near the back, and only made it as far as midfield in the race, but it was great fun all the same. Racing a 911 again made me think of the first time I campaigned…

1. Tennis champion Margaret Court used to stay at my uncle’s house during Wimbledon, and this is her winning racket. I played with it as a teenager – it is incredibly heavy by today’s standards. 2. My father Rob wrote his Grand Prix reportsfor Road & Track atthiswalnut Queen Anne desk, which was my grandmother’s before him. Writing kept him involved in motor racing, and the Americans seemed to like his style. 3. In 1951 my father went to an auction to buy the field behind his house, in the village where I still live with my wife Penny, and he ended up buying Nunney Castle, too! Owning the castle supposedly gave him the rights to levy a toll on all the front doorsteps in the village but I’m not…

ROBERT COUCHER International editor l 1937 Bentley 4¼ l 1955 Jaguar XK140 l 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC TONY DRON Contributor l 1932 Austin Seven GLEN WADDINGTON Associate editor l 1983 Porsche 944 l 1989 BMW 320i Convertible ANDREW ENGLISH Contributor l 1960 Triumph TR3A l 1965 Aston Martin DB5 SANJAY SEETANAH Advertising director l 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio l 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante MARK DIXON Deputy editor l 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in l 1966 Ford Mustang 289 l 1991 Land Rover Discovery l 1994 Range Rover 4.0 SAMANTHA SNOW Advertising account manager l 1969 Triumph Herald 13/60 Convertible l 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300SL MARK SOMMER Art Director l 1969 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 Saloon JOHN SIMISTER Contributor l 1934 Singer Nine Le Mans l 1961 Saab 96…

HOW MANY OF you are fathers? Having become a first-time father myself recently, I felt I should encourage my son to take an interest in cars, and preferably classics. This is the official version – the truth is that I pray every night that he will grow up to be a classic-car fan, so that I get to share more time and fun with him and he doesn’t take up football instead. This is why, when my son was born, I collected him (and his very puzzled mother) from the hospital in my beloved 1985 Mercedes 240TD, putting all my faith in Lorenz’s theory of imprinting. Ever since, I’ve been waiting for the right moment to give him a ride in my Mercedes SL convertible, in the hope that a…

Apologies for the confusing picture, above. The gold Range Rover has appeared in these pages before. The blue one hasn’t, because… well, it would have been confusing. But in fact I own both of them, and they are both 1994 press launch cars – the gold one registered M231 CVC, and the blue one M238 CVC. Clearly, no sane person needs two identical Range Rovers, and I never intended to be that slightly unhinged individual. I was aware that both of them existed – they’re among just a handful of pre-production survivors – but I never thought the gold car would come up for sale. At the time, it had just been restored for CVC Register founder Julian Lamb and was making its first appearances on the show circuit. A…

i dropped the tailgate and instantly fell for the Range Rover. The E-type announced itself as something special the moment I opened the driver’s door and heard the weather seal unfurl itself with a rubbery sigh: that doesn’t happen on old cars. And one look at the Land Rover Series I had me itching for a drive. Well, that’s what I was there to do, after all! JLR Classic was showing-off its Reborn range, available to test drive together for the first time. Director Tim Hannig was on-hand to tell all about it too, and how the benefits of in-house remanufacture go way beyond being able to sell fully restored and intrinsically marque-endorsed cars. ‘By trying to restore cars, we found out what is not available. In the case of…

An invitAtion to Porsche’s 70th birthday celebrations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was not one to be turned down. With one of the most comprehensive competition car line-ups ever seen, it was always going to be spectacular, but leading the celebrations was a parade of road cars – and I had the chance to drive one. With each representing the pinnacle of a particular decade, and the mid-engined 356-1 at the head of the pack, I found myself behind the wheel of the Porsche Museum’s exceptional yellow 911 Carrera RS 2.7. Not only was this to be my first drive in the hallowed RS, but my first time behind the wheel of any classic 911. Not to mention my first time venturing onto Goodwood’s hillclimb course. No pressure then!…

It is very satisfying that what the outside world knows of the burgeoning Indian classic car scene now extends rather further than the cars of the Maharajas. This book focuses far more on everyday collectors and their cars, from 1905 Darracq to 1995 Hobbycar. There is a spread (or two) on each car, decent history, and a superb section at the back on the collectors themselves. It is well written and very nicely photographed. Fascinating.…

Formula 1 driver François Cevert was only 29 years old when he died in his Tyrrell during qualifying for the 1973 US Grand Prix. This biography first appeared as a softback in Cevert’s native French language a year later; then William Kimber released a hardback version translated into English in 1975. The book is part of a series of ten published by Kimber on the ‘greats’ of the day – Stewart, Revson, Fittipaldi et al – and has always been highly sought-after as a readable and definitive bio. It’s been easier to find in recent years, as various collectors have disposed of their libraries (or passed away), yet has retained its value. Pair this work with 2013’s Pilote de Legende: François Cevert, which is primarily a picture book, and you…

Founded back in 1859, the German firm of Märklin was a pioneer of model railways but the company also made diecast model cars from time to time. Its first vehicles date from the mid-1930s, when the Nazi regime influenced the subjects chosen, and they range from Auto Union and Mercedes racing cars to the KdF-Wagen and even an open limousine with a figure of Hitler in the back. But Märklin’s finest hour for diecast models came in the late ’50s. Usually referred to as the 8000 series on account of the reference numbers used, it was a fairly small range but included a good cross-section of cars from the emergent post-war German motor industry, such as a VW Beetle, Mercedes 300SL, Ford Taunus and Porsche 356. All of these were…

£37,650,000 ($48,405,000) 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Series 1 RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £17,112,000 ($22,000,000) 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Gooding & Co, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £16,688,000 ($21,455,000) 1963 Aston Martin DP215 Competition Prototype RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £7,618,500 ($9,795,000) 1966 Ford GT40 MkII RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £5,133,500 ($6,600,000) 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Gooding & Co, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £4,021,500 ($5,170,000) 1955 Maserati A6GCS/53 Spider by Frua Gooding & Co, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £3,893,000 ($5,005,000) 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series 2 Gooding & Co, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £3,811,500 ($4,900,000) 1957 Porsche 550A Spyder RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £3,512,000 ($4,515,000) 1956 Maserati A6G/2000 Berlinetta Zagato RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, USA. 24-25 August £3,512,000 ($4,515,000) 1998 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR…

Studies have repeatedly shown that a happy worker is a good worker, so it is hardly surprising that productivity in Zaire tanked under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko. During the Cold War he was popular with the West and with China on account of his anti-Soviet stance, but the kleptocrat described by Time as ‘the archetypal African dictator’ did little to endear himself to his own people. It is nice to imagine, then, that the spelling mistakes on this beaded belt, commissioned by the Mobutu regime as a present for Muhammad Ali, represent an act of rebellion by some Zairian craftsman; the maker didn’t much care if his President looked a prize plonker in front of ‘The Greatest’. Almost as delicious as the name-mangling is that the belt measures…

1989 Fiat Uno Turbo i.e. ¤10,900 Though it lacks the kudos of the sharp-looking 205 GTI, this Italian pocket rocket is every bit as much fun. Few remain, making this a rare delight. konzept-automobile.com (PT) 1959 Aston Martin DB4 Series 1. £499,950 Pre-production Geneva show car is one of the earliest remaining and has been in dry storage since 1980. Still highly original, but in need of some sympathetic restoration work. aston.co.uk (UK) 2000 Lotus Elise Series 1 Type 49. £29,995 F1-inspired colour scheme makes this one of the most desirable S1 Elises. This sub-10,000-mile example has sports exhaust and a quick-shift kit, but is otherwise standard. parklaneuk.com (UK) 1969 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider. $55,000 Freshly rebuilt example of the purest-looking Duetto, with a few tasteful tweaks – including desirable…

BART LENAERTS & LIES DE MOL ‘Driving two Cisitalias on the roof of Lingotto is like having Alcatraz to yourself. We hoped for a few laps on this holy ground, yet got an entire day. Italian anarchy, right? If Turin is paradise, this roof is Heaven on Earth.’ Bart’s words are accompanied by Lies’ wonderful photos on pages 120-130. PAUL CLARK ‘I first worked with Tony Dron over 35 years ago, so our reunion and interview for Octane was both a delight and a challenge: he’s a true gent, raconteur and racer, but I still count him as “my boss”. We reminisced for most of the day and I learned a lot to reinforce my own memories of great times.’ Turn to pages 114-118. MIKE DUFF ‘I grew up a…

It’s all wrong, obviously. Why deliberately make a steering wheel less strong by supporting its rim on just one spoke? How is that going to hold together over the years? But Citroën, in full function-follows-form-follows-functionmode with its 1955 DS, insisted on a minimalist, futurist look that also happened to give an airily unobstructed view of the instruments. Just as two downturned spokes would have done. And it looked wonderful. More than that, it encouraged buyers to disregard the torn shreds of the rule book, to see themselves as freethinkers. Most Citroëns stayed with some form of single-spoker right up to the early 1990s, after which the company’s PSA parent banned weirdness in case it baffled buyers. The early, super-slim spoke was the best, the broad square block of the facelifted…

A drum I have been banging for a very long time beats out the message that cars can be considered as art. In my very first book, published nearly 40 years ago, I mentioned Michelangelo and Raymond Loewy – authors, respectively, of the St Peter’s Pieta and the Studebaker Avanti – in the same paragraph. Where it was not ignored as the rambling of a hallucinating maniac, in 1979 this assertion caused spittle-flecked outrage. How right I was. It’s not that I think cars are art, just that in their sculptural presence, their ability to express and define collective yearnings, their narrative density, their emotional appeal… they have usurped the traditional role of art. Anyone who has seen the boring, posturing absurdities of the Turner Prize will agree. So do…

This elegant, classically styled men’s timepiece features a quartz movement inside a stainless steel 42mm case, and a stunning blue galvanic dial with appliqué indexes and date window, protected by a sapphire crystal. It is water resistant to 5atm and supplied on a black calf leather strap with an alligator grain finish. Raymond Weil is one of a handful of Swiss watchmakers that remain in family hands. The Toccata name reflects the Weil family’s interest in music, which has led to many of the watch collections bearing musically themed names. RAYMOND-WEIL.COM…

Engine 1796cc transversely mid-mounted four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve, MEMS engine management Power Elise: 118bhp @ 5500rpm; Exige and 340R with VHPD option: 190bhp @ 7500rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coilover telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Vented discs Weight 723kg (Elise), 785kg (Exige), 675kg (340R) Top speed 124mph (Elise), 136mph (Exige), 132mph (340R) 0-60mph 5.5sec (Elise), 4.7sec (Exige), 4.5sec (340R)…

‘It’s just a yellow Beetle, isn’t it?’ said one passer-by on our photoshoot. But this is no ordinary Beetle. It has an American accent, is dressed in racy clothes and has a bit more muscle than the usual 1972 Beetle driven by a student and sporting a Hawaiian lei garland hanging from its rear-view mirror. This is what Joe Vittone, creator of the Californian aftermarket parts company, EMPI, referred to as The Muscle Beetle or The Sports Car in a Box. ‘With EMPI’s GTV modifications, a Volkswagen can claim any mass-production sports car in the world as its peer,’ said author Sebastian Rond in Volkswagen Greats, 1970. It’s also a survivor, nearly wiped out in 2012 but saved from the scrapyard. Thus could have ended this rare car’s place in…

The AusTin seven. It’s not the first car that springs to mind as a racer, but it’s been at the heart of the 750 Motor Club for nearly 80 years and has opened the door to motorsport for hundreds of people. Inherently tuneable, yet simple and inexpensive, the Seven enabled the creation of myriad ‘Specials’ that could be taken racing with cheering competitiveness in the bleak days of early post-war Britain. It was just such a Seven that set Tony Dron on course for a competition career that would span a full 43 years from 1968 to 2011. His famously lanky 6ft 5in frame was a fixture for decades as a competitor in all kinds of motorsport events. Along with race driving, he’s carved a journalistic career that combines his…

WHAT A CONTRAST, from Thanet Classic Car Club’s ‘Classic & Chips’ on the seafront at Minis Bay in East Kent one week to Salon Privé the next. The former involved watching the sun set over the Thames estuary with a classic flashmob, the latter meant rolling the Big Healey out of the garage at 5am for the drive to Blenheim Palace. To my surprise, I was there at 8.30am and was guided to park next to a Monza Red Lancia 037 in front of the Palace Mews. Salon Privé offers a selection of grand classics and new-gen hypercars in a great location, and even the weather played ball. It’s an event to wander around, the knowledgeable participants happy to chat – such as Ed Stratton, with his Moonbeam Grey Aston…

There’s a firsT time for everything. Two of my cars have beaded-edge tyres, and up to now I’ve had their tyres put on or their tubes changed by the professionals. But, annoyed by the loss of air through the rubber valve stem on the offside rear wheel of my 1903 De Dion-Bouton, I decided to fit a new tube myself because I had a Saturday to spare. Armed with a new Blockley ‘Superior’ inner tube – with a brass valve stem that wouldn’t develop those annoying leaks – and the instructions in a 1911 Michelin Guide, I set to. I have plenty of tyre levers, but the Guide intimated that various curiously shaped tools looking like medieval torture instruments were essential to the task. Those I did not have, nor…

I’ve related the saga of my Porsche 944 and its electrical trouble, now all fixed – but what of the BMW in the meantime? As ever, it’s largely been faultless. It sailed through its MoT in the spring, didn’t complain when spring felt like an extension of winter, and complained even less when the summer sunshine finally arrived and it saw regular action as topless transport. The most memorable journey was a family trip to Goodwood Festival of Speed, four-up with the roof down across the South Downs. We convoyed with a 911, an MR2 and a Golf GTI of similar vintage and spotted a pair of Bugatti Type 37s (right) fuelling-up for their trip away from Goodwood to Prescott. But when I haven’t shared the car with my kin,…

‘INSTEAD OF BOGGING DOWN IN SOMEBODY ELSE’S SCREW-UP, HE DECLARED 1936 A LOST CAUSE AND MOVED TO A FRESH DESIGN FOR 1937’ In thIs, the very latest Grand Prix rebirth of Mercedes-Benz, the situation seems downright surreal. With the team now British-based and largely British-staffed, race reports nonetheless regularly applaud its ‘German efficiency’ and ‘Teutonic precision’. Perhaps we should just regard the comments as recognition of the brand’s earlier eras, and of the linchpin individuals of those times who made such qualities the cornerstone of every successful modern racing organisation. Inevitably it is flamboyant, theatrical, larger-than-life Alfred Neubauer who is most frequently remembered, the organisational mastermind and team manager during Mercedes’ glory days either side of the war. Neubauer might have long faded, however, without the fearsome 1930s GP monopostos,…

Connaught was a bit like Cooper: modest workshop in Surrey, success in 1950s single-seater racing, a tendency to design advanced mid-engined racers… Really? That’s one of many Well-Ididn’t-know-that nuggets in this highly detailed history of the company from Send, by the old A3, where the police used to turn a blind eye to on-road testing. In 1953, ready for the forthcoming 2½-litre GP formula, co-founder (with Kenneth McAlpine) Rodney Clarke drew such a car, with a monococque structure and Coventry Climax’s planned, but stillborn, FPE V8. As it turned out, Tony Brooks won in his first GP, at Syracuse, Sicily, in 1955 in a front-engined Connaught. And in 1957 the team folded, although the attached garage business continued to 1999. Graham Rabagliati’s research extends to every race run by every…

It takes a 240-page hardback like this to really bring home the sheer variety, imagination and, yes, brilliance of Land Rover design over the past seven decades. The dominating presence of the original Series Landies can lead to glib assumptions about ‘all Land Rovers looking the same’, but a brief flick through this book reveals what an amazing range of vehicles has been produced in those 70 years. Of course, the consumer only gets to see the tiny fraction of design concepts that actually make it into production, and one of this book’s great strengths is the insight it gives into what else was happening behind the scenes. In the late ’60s and ’70s, Land Rover designers such as Chris Wade and Steven Ferrada came up with funky re-interpretations such…

TAG HEUER is a brand name intrinsically linked with Ayrton Senna. The watchmaker famously outfitted the late racing driver with timepieces that he wore on the track during his short but magical spell as F1’s most revered (and feared) Grand Prix master. However, the Brazilian was a fan of the brand long before he became a TAG ambassador. Only one tribute watch was produced during his lifetime, the TAG Heuer 6000 Senna Limited Edition; tragically it was launched in 1994, the year of his untimely death at the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy. Just 3000 of these watches were made (1000 each of men’s, mid-size and women’s) and they are recognised by the famous ‘Senna S’ on the bottom of the case. Senna was also one of the first…

OFFICINE PANERAI LUMINOR MARINA 8 DAYS TITANIO Ciao Londra: Italian heritage marque Officine Panerai is rewarding its British admirers with a special edition of its Luminor timepiece. Available at its London boutique from October, the Luminor Marina 8 Days Titanio is limited to 100 examples. Turn the 44mm case over to discover a personalised back: a detailed engraving of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament seen from Westminster Bridge. Worn on a dark brown leather strap, the watch is fitted with the brand’s p.5000 manual-wound mechanism with an eight-day power reserve. £5900, PANERAI.COM OMEGA SPEEDMASTER DARK SIDE OF THE MOON APOLLO 8 ‘We’ll see you on the other side,’ were the famous last words by Jim Lovell to ground control as the astronaut and team headed to the moon’s…

26 September Brightwells, Leominster, UK 27-29 September Barrett-Jackson, Las Vegas, USA 28-29 September Silverstone Auctions, Southam, UK 3-6 October Mecum, Dallas, USA 4-6 October Vicari, Biloxi, USA 5 October Bonhams, Knokke-Heist, Belgium 6 October Bonhams, Birmingham, USA (motorcycles); Dan Kruse Classics, Waxahachie, USA; Vicari, Waxahachie, USA 7 October Tennants, Leyburn, UK 8 October Bonhams, Philadelphia, USA 11-12 October RM Auctions, Hershey, USA 13 October Coys, London, UK 13-14 October Bonhams, Stafford, UK (motorcycles) 17 October H&H, Duxford, UK 19-20 October Branson Auction, Branson, USA 20 October Cheffins, Cambridge, UK; Dorotheum, Salzburg, Austria; Oldtimer Galerie, Toffen, Switzerland; Osenat, Fontainebleau, France; Richard Edmonds, Allington, UK 24 October Brightwells, Bicester, UK 25-27 October Mecum, Chicago, USA 26 October SWVA, Poole, UK 27 October Barons, Sandown Park, UK; Bonhams, Padua, Italy; Mathewsons, Thornton-le-Dale, UK…

WHAT TO PAY Although prices have risen in recent years, they’re still some way behind other Jaguar saloons, making the Mk10 and 420G surprising value if you buy wisely. Early 3.8-litre cars are the rarest, especially in manual form, making the later 4.2 and 420G a cheaper prospect. Condition is the key, however, because restoration remains difficult to justify. From £10,000 to £20,000 is the prime hunting ground for a solid and presentable car, although something approaching perfection could command upwards of £40,000 today. LOOK OUT FOR… Ensure the XK engine is in good health, as rebuilds are expensive. Keep an eye on oil pressure once warmed through, and check for oil leaks from the rear main seal. A well-maintained cooling system is vital. Manual transmissions are rare, while the…

Awards finalists announced The shortlists have been announced for the 2018 Historic Motoring Awards in association with EFG Private Banking, ranging from mind-blowing restorations to the individuals and companies whose support keeps the classic car world thriving. Organisers received hundreds of nominations from experts and enthusiasts across the globe before whittling them down to the finalists for 17 categories. As Octane went to press, a committee of specialists and personalities from the classic world were selecting winners in all categories bar two: Car of the Year, which will be decided by a public vote, and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be awarded by a special jury. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony and dinner hosted by sports presenter and TV broadcaster Steve Rider at the Sheraton Grand…

The deaTh of Barrie Williams over the weekend of the Goodwood Revival came as a huge blow to the Historic racing community. The popular ace, who was just two months shy of his 80th birthday, came to prominence by winning the 1964 Welsh Rally in a Mini Cooper ‘S’ and, with Gerry Marshall and Tony Lanfranchi, was one of the mainstays of 1970s saloon car racing in Great Britain. Whizzo had been a constant star at Goodwood since the moment the circuit reopened in 1998, and his spectacular performances in Historics gave his career a second wind before he decided to hang up his helmet for good in 2017.…

Given the sometimes turbulent history over the past 1000 years between Great britain and its nearest neighbour, you’d think a tunnel linking the two would have been the last thing on both governments’ minds. but during most of the last 200 years or so this wasn’t the case at all, with the first credible Le tunnel sous la manche proposed by French mining engineer Albert mathieu-Favier as early as 1802. Almost 40 years later another Frenchman suggested a mined railway tunnel, but it was not until 1856 that a british delegation proposed such an idea to Parliament. nothing came of it, but by 1876 a joint Anglo-French group had been established to consider seriously the building of a cross-channel railway tunnel. The Anglo-French Submarine Company dug test shafts and tunnels,…

If you’re a frequent reader of this magazine then you know of my love for the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. As a young man, I was fascinated by the people who could take this nation-saving beast and put it in a car. And over 30 years ago, I read about a man named Paul Jameson who had done just that. I acquired his phone number through a friend and called him up. He said the engine was in very good shape and had come out of a 1944 De Havilland Mosquito that hadn’t seen much service. It was mounted in a 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II chassis. The two-stage supercharger was no longer on it and it was now running on a Holley four-barrel carburettor. The transmission was an early-’50s four-speed Moss…

All of a sudden, ‘Concours d’Elegance’ is the new cool in the classic car world. What used to be regarded as rather naff now epitomises the ultimate in motoring ‘lifestyle’. So here, already, we have two words to get up true enthusiasts’ noses: concours and lifestyle. Arguably the classic-car hobby began in the early 1970s. Before that it was vintage cars, often chopped and raced, but the arrival of the first classic-car magazine in 1973 sort of formalised the hobby. Cars of the 1950s and ’60s were still fun and desirable in an age when most new cars were rubbish. For decades the hobby was intent on restoring, maintaining and using classic cars, with driving enjoyment the paramount objective. Classics were often ‘improved’ by the fitment of aftermarket parts like…

It starts wIth a phone call. ‘Evan, there’s a car that’s been sitting for a long time; you should go look at it.’ It’s under a tarp at a friend’s shop. His shop is moving and the car has to go. I slowly lift the tarp, wondering what I’ll find… Sitting there, rotting on its tyres, is a 1966 Giulia Spider 1600. My heart starts to race a bit. You always dream of finding ‘that something special’. It has the original paint, it’s never been hit, the sills are solid, the interior is complete. The motor’s original, right down to the hose clamps and stickers. It needs some work but it’s all there. The clock is ticking. I race over to Guru Benny’s ’shop. We talk about the car. Benny…

JESSE CROSSE Contributor l 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 l 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth DAVID BURGESS-WISE Contributor l 1903 De Dion-Bouton l 1911 Pilain 16/20 l 1926 Delage DISS MARTYN GODDARD Photographer l 1963 Triumph TR6SS Trophy l 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII DAVE KINNEY Markets expert l 2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti DELWYN MALLETT Contributor l 1936 Cord 810 Beverly l 1946 Tatra T87 l 1950 Ford Club Coupe l 1952 Porsche 356 l 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL l 1957 Porsche Speedster l 1957 Fiat Abarth Sperimentale l 1963 Abarth-Simca l 1963 Tatra T603 SARAH BRADLEY Contributor l 1929 Ford Model A hot rod l 1952 Studebaker Champion l 1956 Chevrolet 3100 pick-up l 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner l Various motorbikes MASSIMO DELBÒ Contributor l 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 l 1972 Fiat 500L…

‘The older the car, the harder it is to fit seatbelts. With a few exceptions, fitting lap-and-diagonal belts can be impossible, though lap straps can be fitted if you can make a suitable mounting point on the chassis. Although car design progressed through the ’20s and ’30s, fitting seatbelts still presents issues. To fit a lap-and-diagonal seatbelt we would construct a steel frame that is bolted to the chassis, so we can put the mounting points where we need them. Correct positioning is vital, as a poorly fitted seatbelt could be worse than no seatbelt at all.’ Monthly advice from Stuart Quick of Quickfit Safety Belts, one of the UK’s foremost providers of classic and vintage seatbelts and racing safety harnesses. Contact +44 (0)20 8206 0101 www.quickfitsbs.cominfo@quickfitsbs.com…

‘I contemplated selling the Singer at auction. Then the engine suddenly developed a loud knock. Big end? Broken crankshaft? Abandonment issues?’ John Simister ‘Six months without the 944 led to a renewed appetite for driving it: cue nearly 1000 miles in its first week back – all trouble-free’ Glen Waddington ‘My youngest child declared on a weekend run in the Jensen that she didn’t know why, but she didn’t really like it anymore. I have failed as a parent’ James Elliott ‘The engine is now back in my Porsche 356 streamliner – with Judson supercharger – and the car has been sent to the trimmers. It’s all getting very expensive’ Delwyn Mallett…

The author of this compact-format but 192-page hardback worked at Jaguar from 1949 to 1978, bar a 1965-72 diversion. He tells a great tale of ups, downs, bosses’ personalities, time in the racing and experimental departments, encounters with union officials and the Leyland quagmire. The anecdotal detail is marvellous, from the 1957 factory fire to the money-saving trade plates used on the racing cars. Did you know the factory called the XJ6 the XJ4? Nor did I.…

CMC 614 is, by Porter Press’s definition, exceptional. Of 31 Aston Martin Ulsters, this one has raced nearly all its life and in recent years was restored back to its 1935 Le Mans livery. It’s an authoritative life story – the technical history and engineering drawings are compelling – and great value. More sumptuous photography wouldn’t go amiss and tighter sub-editing would eliminate the odd spelling inconsistency and occasionally clumsy grammar. Still a great read.…

PATEK PHILIPPE 3940G Patek created the Ref 3940 perpetual calendar with moonphases in the mid-80s during the quartz crisis, so it’s a great example of craftsmanship in the face of technological change. This salmon-pink edition, a colour long associated with Patek’s rarest timepieces, was made for Patek’s 2015 Saatchi Gallery exhibition. This one recently sold at a Phillips’ private sale in London for an undisclosed sum. ROLEX SUBMARINER A similar steel Oyster Perpetual Submariner 6538 was one of the first models worn by Sean Connery’s 007 in early James Bond films such as Dr No. This particular Submariner, from 1958, was sold in August at Fellows’ auction with its original box and papers, unusual for a vintage watch. It fetched £48,488, including buyer’s premium – an eyebrow-raising result, so perhaps…

JUST NEEDS A GOLD STRIPE Silverstone Auctions, Dallas Burston Polo Club, UK 29 September A 1965 4.2-litre Jaguar E-type coupé once owned by Touring Car great, the late Sir John Whitmore, is coming to market this month. Fresh from a thorough restoration – albeit repainted in non-original red – it’s estimated to sell for £90,000-110,000. silverstoneauctions.com WACKY ROAD RACER Bonhams, Zoute, Belgium 5 October The Arnolt Bristol Bolide has always been the most desirable car to bear ‘Wacky’ Arnolt’s name. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the rarer Bertone take on Aston’s DB2/4, some 142 were built – mostly sold in the US – and this concours example is likely to set you back £340,000-380,000. bonhams.com A NEW, FACTORY-BUILT, OLD COBRA Aguttes, Montlhéry, Paris, France 30 September An estimate…

‘I STILL DON’T KNOW THE BEST WORD TO DESCRIBE THE ROLE: CHAPERONE, ESCORT, GUIDE, ATTENDANT, MINDER…’ PEBBLE BEACH WEEK is the most hardcore car event in the world. A week bursting with over 80 events, an onslaught of diverse concours, mega-auctions, supercar gatherings, historic racing, private parties, new-car launches and more. The locals call it ‘Hell Week’. This is where Mr Concours comes in: my new consultancy to look after people who want to get the very best experience from a concours. So last month I escorted three car guys, who had never ‘done Pebble’, to the Monterey Peninsula. I still don’t know the best word to describe the role: chaperone, escort, guide, attendant, minder… From picking them up at San Francisco Airport and organising their accommodation to securing tickets…