Octane February 2024

IN HIS AS-EVER brilliant column this month, Jay Leno asks: ‘Do you have prejudices and perceptions about certain automobiles?’ Guilty as charged, m’lud. Scores, in fact, but probably top of the heap is an entire marque – Lamborghini. And I’m not even sure why. I mean, I love that Ferruccio started a car company ‘out of frustration with’ (ie, to piss off) Enzo Ferrari, though he was neither the first nor the last to do so. Similarly, I love the 350GT, 400GT, Espada and Islero, and one of the nicest classics I ever drove was a Urraco P300 owned and maintained (and gently modified) by an aircraft engineer. I have briefly adored the Miura and Countach while mentally struggling with the conundrum that they are simultaneously the ultimate driver’s car…

TOM KAHLER ‘Enjoying a passenger ride in a 1930s Aston Martin that once belonged to a spy really resonated with me. Rumour suggests it could even have sparked the James Bond books! It was a pleasure to shoot this piece of British history.’ Tom’s superb photography accompanies Mark Dixon’s feature on pages 72-80. JIM HOLDER ‘I may never meet anyone whose car means so much to them as Karl Khevenhüller or, consequently, who looks so quietly content when they’re behind the wheel. I hope the story does justice as to exactly why this car holds such a place in his heart.’ This 1904 Mercedes Simplex has been in one family from new. See pages 126-132. STEVE SAXTY ‘BMW is an enigma – we all know the cars, yet nobody had…

To take advantage of this month’s special offer and get three issues of Octane for £5, either visit octane.co.uk/subscribe or call +44 (0)330 333 9491 and quote code DDEC23 Buying your issue of Octane – new and old 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. You can order the latest magazine or a back issue, 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 and you will be able to enjoy the new issue. Alternatively you can source the digital edition via either Zinio or Readly. SUBSCRIBE You can find superb offers on print (order…

Velocity Invitational, 10-12 November Star turn at the fourth annual Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway was McLaren F1 ace Lando Norris. He was joined by CEO Zak Brown, as well as Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, David Malukas and Tony Kanaan from the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team, and NEOM McLaren Extreme E driver Tanner Foust. Their mounts included Niki Lauda’s 1984 World Championship-winning MP4/2A-1, Lewis Hamilton’s MP4/23A-05 and Ayrton Senna’s MP4/6-10. The event also featured the reveals of McLaren’s limitededition ‘3-7-59’ 750S and the new Ford GT MkIV by Ford Performance and Multimatic. Some 20,000 people flocked to the California track for the three-day feast of racing that featured ten grids, including Can-Am, historic F1, plus a tantalising Mustang vs Mini enduro. Elsewhere there were ride-alongs, a Sprint car exhibition and…

1 January 2024 Brooklands New Year’s Day Classic Gathering The UK’s biggest New Year’s Day meet, with more than 1000 classic cars, live music and a barbecue. brooklandsmuseum.com 1 January Vintage Stony Despite the name, this event in Stony Stratford attracts mid-century and modern classics as well as vintage cars and bikes. vintagestony.co.uk 5-24 January New Zealand Road Classic Crews in pre-1981 cars will cover almost 3000 miles on this tour of New Zealand’s two main islands. destination-rally.com 7 January Bicester Heritage January Scramble Petrolheads blow away the cobwebs at the first Scramble of the year, enjoying a display of classic vehicles and poking around the workshops of the many specialists based at Bicester Heritage. bicesterheritage.co.uk 8-21 January Pura Vida Tour Timed to coincide with the dry season, this two-week…

7-9 March WinteRace A field of 70 pre-2000 cars; an expertly plotted, 420km route through the Dolomites and part of Austria; and lots of snow. winterace.it 13 March – 7 April Seoul to Tokyo Following a four-day visit to South Korea’s bustling capital, crews will journey east and then south to Busan, where they’ll catch a ferry that will take them to Nagasaki to begin the second leg of the trip – just as Japan’s iconic cherry trees are blossoming. bespokerallies.com 22-24 March Generations Rally Designed to introduce youngsters to the joys of endurance rallying, this event – based in Cheshire but running through Shropshire and North Wales – is open to multi-generation crews in pre-1986 cars. rallytheglobe.com 23 March Zoute Family Rally There are both Regularity and Touring classes…