Octane的November 2025目录

To take advantage of our special offer and get three issues of Octane for £5, either visit octane-magazine.com/subscribe or call +44 (0)20 3966 6695 BUYING YOUR ISSUE OF OCTANE – NEW AND OLD Print issues Octane is available at the usual branches of UK shops, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and independents, as well as WH Smith Travel. You can order the latest magazine or a back issue, delivered direct to your door, by visiting octane-magazine.com 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 and digital at octane-magazine.com/subscribe. Order before 10 October to start with issue 270.…

In all the excitement of dashing about these past few months, it is only in the dog days of summer that I have stopped to think about a seismic event that occurred in June 1975. I say that with a heavy dose of irony, but it was a big deal for me. I cannot believe that it has been 50 years since I won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. When you are a racing driver – a sportsperson of any description – you are constantly looking forward. You celebrate success, but momentarily. You are already thinking ahead to the next contest, which is how it should be. Don’t rest on your laurels and all that. Having hung up my helmet as a professional driver 20…

ONE OF THE problems that car designers have when visiting a motor show is talking to other designers. Not about the weather but about each other’s work. Former students in senior positions at well-known car companies still enjoy the validation of the Prof, hoping to hear me say ‘Well done’ or ‘That has come out well, despite the CEO.’ I have a tendency to comment bluntly if I think something is derivative, or that the designers have lost control of surfaces and detailing. Occasionally a few good friends used to sit around after hours and discuss a famous designer who seemed to have lost the plot. Some of us still do this, particularly online. There was always a general opinion that Giorgetto Giugiaro had produced very good work, mostly his…

‘DID I HAVE A CHOICE?’ splutters Chris Haynes in mock indignation when I ask him whether he had an interest in cars as a child. Well, sometimes the enthusiasm of the father is not passed down to his offspring… but, as it happens, Chris and his elder brothers Marc and John – always known as ‘J’ to distinguish him from their dad – all inherited that gene. Just as well, since all three have been closely involved with their father’s legacy, the Haynes Motor Museum that was set up 40 years ago. ‘I was 12 when the museum was founded in 1985,’ explains Chris. ‘The success of the Haynes Manuals had allowed my father to build up a significant car collection, which was dotted in sheds and barns all over the…

JAMES ELLIOTT Editor-in-chief 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI 1968 Jensen Interceptor 1969 Lotus Elan S4 ROBERT COUCHER Founding editor • 1955 Jaguar XK140 GLEN WADDINGTON Associate editor 1989 BMW 320i Convertible 1999 Porsche Boxster SANJAY SEETANAH Advertising director 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK200 MARK DIXON Contributing editor 1927 Alvis 12/50 1927 Ford Model T pick-up 1942 Fordson Model N tractor 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in ROBERT HEFFERON Art editor • 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i DAVID LILLYWHITE Editorial director • 1971 Saab 96 MATTHEW HOWELL Photographer 1962 VW Beetle 1600 1969 VW/Subaru Beetle 1982 Morgan 4/4 BEN BARRY Contributor • 2007 Mazda RX-8 MASSIMO DELBÒ Contributor 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 1972 Fiat 500L 1975 Alfa Romeo GT Junior 1979/80 Range Rovers 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL…

MANY TIMES OVER the past few years I’ve attended trade meetings, visited shows or held an impromptu conversation with someone else in the classic car world to discuss the same subject: how do we encourage greater numbers of young enthusiasts to join us? It’s a tricky subject; when I was in my twenties and thirties, 105/115-series Alfa Romeos (then my models of choice) were plentiful and cheap. I remember buying a cracking 1600 GT Junior for £2000 in the early 2000s, driving it daily for a couple of years, fixing the head gasket after a particularly spirited track-day at Goodwood, and then proudly selling it on for about double the original purchase price, the costs of my motoring having been covered. Another time, I bought most of a Sprint GT…

Just before dawn on 28 April 1789, William Bligh, captain of HMS Bounty, was yanked out of bed, tied up and dragged topside by an armed gang led by officer Fletcher Christian. The most famous mutiny in history had started. The ship was around 1300 nautical miles west of Tahiti, where the crew had spent months gathering breadfruit plants intended to feed enslaved workers in the British West Indies. Bounty’s voyage from England to the South Pacific had been an arduous one, and many of the crew had come to hate Bligh, an awful leader who routinely humiliated his men. When he impugned Christian’s character by accusing him of theft, Christian reached the end of his tether. He and his gang bundled Bligh and 18 ‘loyalists’ (most simply wanted to…

Lotus broke the mould, quite literally, with the 1957 Earls Court Motor Show launch of its first ‘proper’ road car, albeit one developed with motorsport in mind. The precocious Type 14 Elite, with its integral chassis-less glassfibre monocoque, was also even more elite than its name suggested. You couldn’t actually buy one before the end of 1958, and then the £1951 sticker price was substantially more than a Jaguar XK150’s. With hindsight, there’s an argument that Lotus should have charged even more. The Elite’s impressive power-to-weight ratio and wind-cheating form propelled it beyond 110mph, thanks to 75bhp from its lightweight aluminium Coventry Climax 1216cc inline four. Braking was by discs all-round, suspension fully independent. As Autocar noted: ‘The road manners of the Elite come as near to those of a…

I’VE JUST MOVED down to Devon and I’m spending a bit of time exploring the south-west in a Jeep Wrangler I’ve been loaned, which is great. I love working with brands that have a connection with exploration and adventure, which Jeep obviously has, and of course it’s quite a rugged vehicle! It’s lovely to drive – I haven’t had the roof off yet because it rains quite a lot down here. In my twenties I just drove around in my mum’s Fiat Punto. Then I joined the Army and bought an Audi A4, which almost every officer at Sandhurst had. The car park was full of them. In the Army I was in the Parachute Regiment, so we spent most of our time jumping out of planes. There wasn’t a…

MASSIMO DELBÒ ‘Driving a Countach is always emotional, but driving it by Lake Maggiore is the cherry on the cake. What will remain with me from that day is the crowd clapping as the Countach passed them by. Not bad for a car that was designed in 1971.’ This very special example proved the Countach’s 195mph claim. See pages 54-64. STEVEN BENNETT ‘This is a significant Porsche 911 by any measure: first recorded prototype LWB car, first with fuel injection, lost and then found in a barn in Scotland. But ultimately, for me, it was occupying the very seat where Jo Siffert had once sat that made it very special indeed.’ Porsche 911 E prototype: pages 100-106. EVAN KLEIN ‘Cars are giant emotional purchases. The outside gets you in, and once you’re…

The announcement that former McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt is to take the motoring reins at auction house Bonhams Cars is just one of two huge moves in the UK classic car auction scene, with a third one imminent but under wraps. While rumours abound that James Knight, the department talisman for decades and more recently a consultant, has resigned for pastures new, it was natural for Bonhams to find a new figurehead. And there are few people more experienced in UK motoring than Flewitt, who, before his eight-year stint at the helm of McLaren, had already served in high-ranking roles at Ford, Volvo, and Rolls-Royce & Bentley. After leaving McLaren in 2021 Flewitt worked as a consultant to the likes of Vertical Aerospace, Ricor Global Limited, and Halcyon and Longbow…

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Burgo Partridge was the son of a junior member of The Bloomsbury Group. I have been reading his classic 1958 A History of Orgies. Here he describes the 18th Century ‘posture girls’ whose vocation was to stand naked and simply be admired by salacious men. I am told something similar exists in Japan today: women strippers do not jiggle about, but present themselves stationary for examination by men using magnifying glasses. And that’s the totality of the transaction. By the time you read this, I will have been to the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court and the Concorso d’Eleganza at Varignana, outside Bologna. Here, the cars are separated from the act of driving and presented rather as Mr Partridge’s posture girls. Of course, I’ll fly to Bologna. And, ironically,…

It is a beautiful day on the shores of Lake Maggiore, although a summer storm is bruising the sky as I drive out in this 1986 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole. If every Countach is a special car, this one – chassis number FLA 12894 – is more special than most, though its unusual past is unknown to the people whose heads are turned by it on the refined Stresa promenade. Even though I try to keep a low profile, the vision of this Countach thrills the crowd. Phones are held aloft to capture the moment, an Audi RS driver waves while turning ahead of me and gives me the thumbs-up, and a group of gentlemen simply erupt in applause as I pass. And this is 2025 – things could all…

1 CHECK WHETHER IT’S OPEN Between November and April, chances are the Stelvio will be closed because of snow and ice. Even if you are there between May and October, weather conditions can close the pass. Also, there are days when the pass is closed for special events such as cycle races. Check with local sites (such as www.bormio.eu/en/alpine-passes) for information. 2 TRAVEL EARLY By 10am on most days, the pass will be filled with a caravan of slow-moving traffic. Get there at daybreak, especially on a weekday, and you are more likely to find it peaceful and quiet. 3 DON’T EAT AT THE TOP The top of the Stelvio is a tourist trap. Travel a bit farther down the slope on the southern side and you’ll find good roadside hostelries…

A LOT HAS happened to the RS since my last update, which was over a year ago. At that point the bodyshell was freshly painted and waiting for fitting-up with all the bits that had been previously removed – literally everything except the wiring loom, which had been carefully wrapped but left in-situ, although obviously not connected to anything. Dash and instruments are now back in, as are headlining, glass and upholstery. A new carpet set – inevitably, as it’s for an RS, in a different and more expensive ‘salt and pepper’ weave – is waiting to go in. I mentioned brake calipers and whether to refurbish or fit new pattern parts in the last report and I’ve opted for new ones and relegated the originals to the spare parts…

A CERTAIN WELL-KNOWN online auction site (other well-known auction sites are available) can feel a little like the horological equivalent of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. So many appealing little faces, so many tugs on the heartstrings to pluck one from the pack and offer it a good home. For those afflicted with a love of cars as well as watches, it’s doubly dangerous. Add the uniquely obsessive desire for Italian machinery and you’re almost certain to be making space in the watchbox for a new arrival. This is what happened to Mark Webb when he spotted a slightly tired-looking double-register chronograph looking back at him from his screen. As a nailed-on Lancista, he’d seen a couple of things everyone else had missed. While almost anyone would recognise a Heuer…

28 September Artcurial, Vernon, France Hampson, Tattenhall, UK 2-4 October Mecum, Indianapolis, USA 3 October Bonhams, Newport, USA Ewbank’s, Send, UK 8-9 October RM Sotheby’s, Hershey, USA 8-10 October Mathewsons, online 9-11 October Vicari, Biloxi, USA 10 October Broad Arrow Auctions, Knokke-Heist, Belgium 11 October Aguttes, Brussels, Belgium Barons Manor Park Classics, Southampton, UK RM Sotheby’s, Zurich, Switzerland 12 October Bonhams, Knokke-Heist, Belgium 15 October H&H Classics, Buxton, UK 16-19 October Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, USA 17-18 October Branson Auction, Branson, USA Manor Park Classics, Runcorn, UK 18 October Cheffins, Cambridge, UK Oldtimer Galerie, Toffen, Switzerland RM Sotheby’s, Munich, Germany 23 October Charterhouse, Sparkford, UK 25 October WB & Sons, Killingworth, UK 29 October Brightwells, online 29 October – 1 November Mecum, Fort Worth, USA 30 October SWVA, Poole, UK 31 October…

1932 Aston Martin International £160,000 This rather pretty Aston was the final International built by the factory. Restored in the early 1990s by Ecurie Bertelli, it has won several concours since. ecuriebertelli.com (UK) 1972 Jeepster Commando €24,900 These cool-looking Jeeps were assembled in Spain, differing slightly from the US cars. This immaculate example was kept by the first owner until 2021. autosalon-valencia.com (ES) 1972 BMW 2000 tii Touring $29,900 This 28,575km car is a relatively fresh import to the US, after spending time in Germany and Norway, where the Inka Orange paint was recently refinished. highoctaneclassics.com (US)…

I really enjoyed the Gordon Murray issue (Octane 267) for a couple of reasons. One, he’s one of my heroes; two, I own a number of the cars he was principally responsible for; and three, he visited me at my garage, which was one of the thrills of my lifetime. Over 30 years ago I bought one of the first cars he developed, the Rocket, built by the Light Car Company along with Chris Craft, and powered by a Yamaha Genesis five-valve 1000cc motorcycle engine that produced 147bhp and weighed only 835lb. Amazingly, it came with a 12-speed gearbox. Actually, it’s a six-speed sequential with a two-speed (plus reverse – bikes don’t get one) final drive. It debuted in 1991 and cost as much as a Porsche 911. You see…

Observing that ‘every car enthusiast should own an Alfa Romeo’ has become a cliché among motoring journalists. Let me conflate that view and own up to having owned four: a 1959 101-series Giulietta Sprint, a 1964 105-series Giulia saloon, a late-1970s Alfasud and an Alfa Sprint of the same era. This month’s Buying Guide features the Alfetta GTV, a model I haven’t owned, though I’ve driven a few. When at varsity, years ago, a friend had one and he’d let me take him home when he’d had too many beers. Where I grew up, Alfa Romeos were regarded as a bit racy. The types who drove them were alpha males with a bit too much ready cash and slightly-too-tight trousers. Ford Cortina and Mercedes-Benz drivers kept well clear of them.…

Having expressed doubts about the Countach’s performance in Fast Lane magazine, of which I was the editor at the time, I was invited to the factory in 1986. After a flat-out drive through France and Italy (you could do that then) I spent three days in and around Sant’Agata, Lamborghini’s hometown. Day One began with the typical Italian welcome. PR boss Daniele Audetto: ‘Hello Peter, nice to see you. We expect you next week.’ I produced a sheaf of faxes proving it was the agreed day. I toured the factory that morning. In the afternoon it was the max test. For insurance reasons I was assigned a ‘test driver’, who said ‘My name is Piero’. After several bends on a narrow road leading to the autostrada we slowed, entering a…

‘It’s like a fine piece of furniture,’ said Lee Anderson Sr as his 1924 8.0-litre Hispano-Suiza H6C ‘Type Sport’ was voted Best of Show at the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. ‘When we get it home, we’re going to put it in the living room and sit in it.’ The mahogany body of his Hispano had proved a crowd-pleaser at the Concours and obviously bedazzled the judges, too, for the car was up against stiff opposition – a 1933 S-Type 4½-litre Invicta with Corsica drophead coupé coachwork, a two-seater 1939 Maybach SW38 Spohn Sport and a 1956 Maserati 200SI Fantuzzi open sports racer – but, even as the finalists lined up at the foot of the final ramp, the Hispano towered, literally and physically, above the rest. Let’s get one…

FOR A LONG time I was wary of working on braking systems, and I suppose that’s a sensible stance: best to leave alone if you’re not confident of doing things properly. After help from a capable friend some years ago, I put that fear behind me and now find it a satisfying job. Aside from the occasional visual inspection, and a replacement set of rear discs and pads a couple of years ago, I’ve had little cause to touch the Honda’s excellent set-up. However, with the fronts getting a bit noisy, and the pedal losing a bit of bite, I’ve been collecting parts for a full refresh for a while. Last time I was under the car I also noticed that the rubber flexi hoses looked past their best. I…

‘My 2004 Phantom has been in and out of “the shop”, as Americans say, for most of the last month having niggles addressed. Nothing serious, just… electronic nonsense, really’Rowan Atkinson ‘After 40 years in our ownership, the Triumph Herald has been sold to a Scot who owned an identical example when he was 17 and wanted to relive his youth’Sanjay Seetanah ‘Because I haven’t used the Alvis 12/70 much recently, I’ve decided it may be better off in the hands of another enthusiast and so I’ve taken the difficult decision to sell it’Berthold Dörrich ‘I mentioned last month that I was thinking of buying another classic as a daily driver, should my “modern” car, the 2006 Volvo XC70, suddenly die. Well, it did – and I have. Full story in…

GRAND PRIX DRIVERS ARE an elite bunch. Naturally, there is a pecking order, but alongside the big stars – the legends we lionise – there are those whose names are not uttered with reverence but who deserved better. Bald statistics offer a skewed picture of a driver’s talent, that’s for sure. Some mobile chicanes have lucked-in and claimed glory while other, conspicuously more talented, drivers have fallen short, sometimes for reasons beyond their control. Peter Arundell is a case in point. On paper, he achieved relatively little. He started a mere 11 points-paying Grands Prix, which surely marks him out as being just another also-ran, but consider this: the Team Lotus man finished third on his World Championship debut at Monaco in 1963. Yes, it was a race of attrition,…

ALTHOUGH THE LEONIDAS trademark was registered in 1902, the firm it evolved from started back in the middle of the 19th Century in St Imier. It was a natural choice for ‘racing watches’ simply because the maker had been producing chronographs since the 1920s, first for horseracing, then aviation and finally for the circuit. Despite looking like a basic coulisse (lever, rather than column wheel) movement, the watches are actually very well-finished indeed and even the bridge edges are bevelled. This one is just 35mm in diameter, but beware if you see an oversize version as some are frankenwatches, powered by Valjoux 76 movements.…

IN 2015, PORSCHE released the performance version of the 981 Cayman. Powered by the 3.8-litre engine from the 911 S, mid-mounted and detuned so it didn’t embarrass its big sibling, the track-focused GT4 also benefited from 991 GT3-derived brakes and suspension, and a lowered, aggressive body with a front splitter, underbody and rear spoiler for significant downforce. However, the GT4 isn’t as uncompromising as the GT3 and, although its long-geared manual gearbox takes a little getting used to, it is almost as comfortable on long drives as it is on the track. Its 2019 successor, the 718 GT4, offers a bigger engine, around 50% more downforce and updated infotainment – but the original is lighter, has more direct steering and feels more special. As a result, values of the 981…

HOW HAVE YOU got to where you are today? I was an engineer on deep-draught merchant ships before becoming a classic car collector, racer and trader. Is the market strong? The cycles go back to the ’80s, each boom stronger than the last. The current market seems to be headed on at least a three-year up cycle. What road cars are currently in demand? Late 1980s to 2000 Ferraris and Porsches with manual ’boxes: 550 Maranello, 964RS, 964 Turbo 3.6 and suchlike. What’s the next big thing? Some Mercedes-AMGs seem most recently to have started to outpace their original low selling price. What’s shockingly good value at the moment? Alfa Romeos, from pre-war 6C 2500 variants and early post-war models such as the 1900C, CS and CSS variants and most…