Octane May 2021

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF the demise of the Lotus Exige and its platform-sharing siblings may not immediately dawn on everyone, but this is a big deal. A really big deal. If you think about it, Type 14 Elite and M100 aside (and the latter of those is debatable), Lotus has really only traded off two pure road-car platforms since 1962 – yes, just shy of 60 years. First there was the marvellous accidental backbone chassis that started life as a testbed for Rotoflex couplings and went on to see service through the Elans, Eclats, Excels and Esprits etc until it finally bit the dust well into the 21st Century. Hey, if it ain’t broke… While that backbone chassis was hardly new tech even on its introduction – one wonders if Lotus…

ANDY MORGAN ‘The best thing about photographing Exiges is that they are always so photogenic. I remember thinking this 20 years ago when I was asked by Lotus to shoot one for the international launch – the very same car we had on this shoot. And it really has aged so well.’ Exige, the whole story: pages 52-64. ROB WIDDOWS ‘I always enjoy talking to Nick Mason; I like his dry sense of humour and his left-field take on life. I wanted to ask him about Le Mans because I wondered why a member of one of the world’s most successful rock bands would want to risk his life on the Mulsanne in the middle of the night.’ Mason answers on pages 108-112. ASTON PARROTT ‘Being asked to photograph a…

PORSCHE RSK Testing the peak of Porsche’s racing Spyder prowess Issue 216 on sale 28 April PLUS Cadillac Sixteen, America’s multi-cylinder Art Deco masterpiece Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus 72 goes under the spotlight Supercharged works MG: on the road in the legendary Cream Cracker Unique Lancia Delta Integrale S driven (Contents may be subject to change) Have Octane delivered to your door Buying the new issue of Octane PRINT ISSUE Octane is available at the usual branches of UK shops, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and independents, as well as WH Smith high street and travel. Or you can order a copy of the latest magazine to be delivered direct to your door by visiting magsdirect.co.uk and searching for ‘Octane’. DIGITAL ISSUES Download the Octane Magazine app on Android or Apple…

With the UK’s vaccination programme in full swing, a ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown in place and, finally, some genuine optimism that this really might be the beginning of the end rather than the end of the beginning, again, here’s a taste of what we have been missing, and our friends on the other side of the Atlantic have been enjoying all the while. Both sets of pictures were taken by our man in California, Evan Klein (read all about his Audi TT in Octane Cars): the first at Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories’ irregular and informal pop-up beach meet, which attracts everything from everyday classics to pricelss exotics, plus super-rarities such as the Lancia Delta S4 Stradale. Even Audi TT designer Freeman Thomas turned up in an early green Porsche 911.…

9-11 April Oldtimer Show Five hundred vehicles spanning a century of automotive progress are displayed at the Hungarian Railway Museum in Budapest, among them some Eastern European rarities scarcely known to the average car enthusiast. oldtimershow.hu 10 April VSCC Exmoor Trial Exmoor’s thick forests and muddy fields will provide challenges and laughs in equal measure, assuming the event can take place. The VSCC plans to confirm one way or the other a month ahead of time. vscc.co.uk 10-14 April Copperstate 1000 Crews in pre-1974 sports and touring cars enjoy 1000 miles of dreamy desert roads as they motor through Arizona and beyond, following a new route each year. mensartscouncil.com 15-18 April Gran Premio Terre di Canossa Italy has more than its share of great regularity rallies, and this one takes…

THIS IS TRULY one of the world’s great museums. First, here are some facts from the Australian War Memorial that will give an insight into why the place was built and why Australians consider it an essential part of their lives to visit it. Add to that thousands of foreign visitors and you have a top attraction. Australia has always rallied to ‘the call of the Empire’ as far back as the Boer War, where over 500 Australians lost their lives. World War One saw 61,600 fail to return home, and in World War Two 39,655, or 10% of the number that enlisted, died. Nearly 1000 more were killed in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan. Many had never heard of the places where they would die, either in battle or from…