Octane February 2021

FOR ME, the Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheelbase has always been The One, the single money-no-object car that I would own to do everything from popping to the shops to serious racing. Sure, the GTO is rarer and rawer, but for that reason it suits my needs less well when I am sent out for a pint of milk. Some, including me, would argue that in all its sleek self-assurance rather than big-hipped aggression, the Lusso is better-looking than the SWB, but they are very different cars to drive. Yes, I am aware of how privileged I am to be able to make such a comparison, but the fact is that the SWB is considerably more tactile and agile. At the beginning of my career, I drove a gorgeous blue lightweight…

VSCC Winter Driving Tests Frazer Sloan’s 1½-litre Dorman sidevalve-powered Palladium Victory 12hp tourer (above) made its competition debut at the Vintage Sports-Car Club’s driving tests at Bicester Heritage on 5 December. It is one of just three known survivors of the 280 12hps produced by the Putney, London, marque that operated for over 20 years from 1912. The event attracted 87 entries, 50 of them in the ‘modified sports cars’ class, including overall winner George Diffey (Austin Seven). The Malcolm Elder Trophy went to Robert Lees (Ford Model A) in the Touring Cars class, while Edmund Burgess (Bugatti T13, above right) won the Standard Sports Cars class, and Clive Hamilton-Gould (Morris Minor tourer) triumphed in Cyclecars, Oddities and LCES. Camilla Fraser’s Austin Seven fabric saloon (bottom right) stood out among the…

21-24 January Cavallino Classic Known as a Ferrari gathering, this Palm Beach event also features a concours open to other marques and action at Palm Beach International Raceway. cavallinoclassic.com 30 January – 3 February Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique There will be no ‘concentration leg’ for this event in 2021, meaning that crews will start from Monte Carlo rather than from a selection of cities around Europe. The challenge will be as formidable as ever, however, with regularity sections, freezing weather and 1000m-plus peaks standing between crews and the finish line. acm.mc 5-6 February Per Ardua Ad Infinitum Competitive one-and-a-half-day event. Starting at lunchtime on the Friday and going into the evening. heroevents.eu 7-11 February Winter Challenge to Monte Carlo Pre-1986 cars tackle a 2000km route that winds from Troyes, two hours south-east of Paris, all the way to Monte Carlo via some brilliantly tricky roads. heroevents.eu 13…

APRIL 2021 14-25 April TVR tour of Spain Costs £3125 for a car and two people including ferries, dinner, bed and breafast at hotels, and exclusive trackday. driveespana.com 15-18 April Gran Premio Terre di Canossa This Italian run takes crews across the Apennines and through some of the country’s most absurdly attractive locations. There’s a ‘culinary itinerary’ to match. granpremioterredicanossa.it 16-18 April La Jolla Concours d’elegance This California seaside concours at La Jolla (hugging the coast north of San Diego) has a location to rival any in the world – and an equally compelling field of cars and motorcyles. Best of Show in 2019 was a 1935 Duesenberg. lajollaconcours.com 16-18 April London Classic Car Show Now in its seventh year, The London Classic Car Show is a key event for owners, collectors, experts and enthusiasts. For 2021 it will be held in a safe Covid-compliant…

TBC February Winter Challenge France hero-era.com 17 February – 8 March New Zealand Road Classic A wonderful discovery of nature at its best. From the lakes and volcanic activities of the North Island to the mountain roads, the ocean drive and the fjords of the South Island. Some of the most amazing scenic and winding roads in the world will be experienced by just 25 cars. destination-rally.com 25-26 February Per Ardua Ad Infinitum Wales hero-era.com 12 March HERO Challenge 1 hero-era.com 25-27 March Rally the Globe Generations Rally rallytheglobe.com TBC April A Novice Trial For less experienced crews. hero-era.com TBC April Flying Scotsman hero-era.com 21-30 April London to Lisbon hero-era.com 24 April – 5 May Carrera Espana rallytheglobe.com 28 April – 26 May Trans Africa Rally From Cape Town to Durban, an adventure rally for hardened drivers. A month-long rally covering 7766km of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini. Accommodation in the best African hotels and lodges. Amazing animal viewing. Includes…

6 JUNE 1944. A pivotal day in world history and one that must never be forgotten. It was a day when thousands of Allied troops took the war to Germany. Had the day gone badly, the future didn’t bear thinking about. The D-Day Story Museum in Southsea, on the Hampshire seafront, is hard to miss thanks to its magnificent new attraction, Landing Craft Tank 7074 ship (LCT7074). Standing outside the entrance, it is claimed to be the last surviving LCT from D-Day. Built in Hebburn, it went first to Great Yarmouth, where the crew practised landings, before moving to Felixstowe. There, it took on board ten tanks of the 7th Armoured Division and nine of those tanks made it ashore in Normandy as part of the D-Day landings. These LCTs were…