Octane July 2019

WE ALL HAVE our favourite motorsport images. My top three are pretty clichéd, but that is simply testament to how amazing they are. The first is Fangio in the Maserati 250F at Rouen in 1957, the second is Jim Clark drifting 2 VEV at Goodwood in 1961, and the third is the most dramatic start imaginable to an endurance race. It shows Pedro Rodríguez and Jo Siffert at the Spa 1000km in 1970, charging away from the field, diving into Eau Rouge for the very first time in their Porsche 917Ks, wheelarches rubbing, no quarter given, a mere 999km to go. Siffert, sharing with Lancashire hotshot Brian Redman, went on to win while Rodríguez and Leo Kinnunen retired after 40-odd laps, but not before the young Mexican had set an…

DEAN SMITH ‘As if suffering from hereditary high blood pressure weren’t bad enough, this month Octane demanded that I dangle my camera 50ft above a vehicle insured for £28m for the cover photo. Scary, unnerving, ludicrous – and so, so worth it.’ Dean’s superb pictures accompany our Porsche 917 STORY ON PAGES 60-70 . PAUL FEARNLEY ‘Drivers of Porsche’s iconic 917 were a breed apart. Just ask Jo Ramírez, mechanic to Jo Siffert during the 1971 World Sportscar Championship. I did. But, to be certain, I also spoke with seven of the magnificent men who ran 240mph at Le Mans. Lap after lap. At night. And in the rain.’ Heroic stuff, all revealed on PAGES 72-78 . JONATHAN FLEETWOOD ‘Being on the water has held a special joy for me…

Benjafields 100 13-14 April The Benjafields Racing Club pushed the boat out for its centenary celebrations of the Bentley marque. The weekend started with more than 20 vintage Bentleys meeting in central London and driving through the Capital before heading to Silverstone. At the circuit, the Formula Vintage meeting hosted a Bentley-only race featuring 40 pre-war cars and a Le Mans-style start. It was reckoned to be the largest-ever grid solely of pre-war Bentleys. DRIVE IT DAY, 28 APRIL Bicester Heritage is one of the favourite venues for the UK classic car hobby’s annual day of celebration. This year it welcomed 1500 cars including one of just 25 continuation D-types (above), a Group C Jaguar XJR-12 and genuine Group 4 Lancia Stratos. Hagerty insurance ran a rally to the meet.…

30 May – 2 June Jersey International Motoring Festival Sprints, parades and hillclimbs are all on the menu for the Motoring Festival, a celebration of Jersey’s famous post-war road race. jimf.je 31 May – 2 June Greenwich Concours d’Elegance The rare concours that’s worth more than a day of your time, this event is actually two concours held back-to-back: on Saturday the field is of American cars and motorcycles, which make way on Sunday for foreign machines. greenwichconcours.com 1-2 June Coventry MotoFest MotoFest seems to get bigger every year, but the price of admission has happily stayed the same: nowt. Special celebrations this year include a projected 1000 Citroëns on parade to honour the French marque’s centenary. coventrymotofest.com 1-6 June Rallye des Princesses This year Zaniroli’s ladies-only rally takes crews…

WHERE ELSE COULD you see thoroughbred pig racing alongside some of the world’s finest motor cars, or a dog and duck show next to rare vintage ’planes? We can’t think of anywhere other than at Heveningham Concours, the world’s friendliest event of its type. Indeed the world’s only event of its type. And this unique Concours is returning to Suffolk’s finest Georgian mansion, Grade I listed Heveningham Hall, for a fourth weekend of family fun on 22-23 June. While 5000 acres of Capability Brown parkland host a very English country fair – aerobatic displays, main ring events and endless other attractions – the automotive stars are displayed to the rear of this 18th Century Palladian masterpiece. Their ‘stage’ is a series of dramatic grass terraces designed by renowned landscape architect…

MOST VISITORS to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum are used to seeing icons of fashion, as current exhibitions of Christian Dior and Mary Quant illustrate. But this November, for the first time in its 120-year history, the museum will play host to a stunning display of cars, 15 examples telling the tale of automotive design and its impact on both the built and the natural environment. It is subtitled ‘Accelerating the Modern World’. You can read more about some of the highlight cars in the panel on the right, yet the exhibition will include far more than wheeled sculpture – there will also be 250 related objects and artworks that demonstrate the impact of the car. Introducing the V&A’s plans at the appropriate location of Bibendum (the former Michelin HQ),…