Table of contents for October 2018 in Octane

THE SIX-STRONG shortlist for the Historic Motoring Awards Car of the Year has been announced – and the winner will be decided by your votes. The cars on the shortlist are the most important to have emerged, re-emerged, come to prominence, or had the biggest impact on historic motoring in the past year. The candidates were arrived at after protracted and heated discussions between the Octane team and a panel of trusted experts. Voting is open now at historicmotoringawards.co.uk and will close on 25 September. The winner will be revealed at a glittering evening ceremony in London on 25 October, taking place in the ballroom of the Art Deco Sheraton Grand London Park Lane Hotel. Now in their eighth year, the Historic Motoring Awards are presented by Octane, held in…

A registration number is a car’s unique name. Displaying it in the right style is vital to the car’s visual integrity, but classic-car owners often get it wrong. British numberplates had digits 3½in high when the numbering system had no more than six digits, as on the 1955 LandRoverof Octane’sMarkDixon, above. In 1963 the seven-digit system arrived, which required the digits to shrink to 3 1/8in tall. From 1965 all local authorities were on seven digits, but any car could use the new digits from 1963. Reflective numberplates arrived in 1968 and became compulsory for new cars from 1973, although that date is now moving forwards to coincide with the rolling 40-year tax-free status. There is nothing illegal about using 31/8in digits on a pre-1963 car, but it looks wrong.…

Creating an ‘ultimate’ hypercar is the dream of many a well-funded enthusiast, and the rise in credibility of electric powertrains is bringing in new players. The latest of these is the Shul Inspire Gran Turismo (topmost photo), masterminded by Chunky Vazirani and intended to embody Indian values of non-aggression. It uses a gas-turbine engine to power a generator, a system similar to that of Jaguar’s C-X75. The other is the Milan Red from Austria (lower pic), the idea of Markus Fux, who plans to build 99 of them at nearly £2m each. It features a 6.2-litre, 1325bhp, quad-turbo V8 built by motorsport engineering company AVL, the first roadgoing use of carbonfibre suspension wishbones and a top speed predicted to be over 250mph. ‘It’s a car that serves only one purpose:…

One car I have always been fascinated by is the chain-gang Frazer Nash, made by the company that later imported Porsches to the UK. My first encounter with one was about 20 years ago. I was walking down a London street when I saw one go by and, as luck would have it, it broke down right in front of me. It was being driven by a young man named Ben, who I believe was moving it for one of the big auction houses. I helped him push it, we finally got it going and he drove off. Ben told me they were quite rare and hardly ever left England. ‘IT WAS COMPLETELY WORN OUT. DO NOT BELIEVE THOSE TV SHOWS IN WHICH PEOPLE RESTORE A CAR IN TEN DAYS’…

As co-columnist Derek Bell related last month, a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo has smashed the Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap record of 6m 11.13sec set by Stefan Bellof in a Porsche 956 Group C car way back in 1983. That it has stood for 35 years is impressive, given how so many automotive engineers are obsessed with their mechanical babies’ pace around the 12.94 miles of the ‘green hell’, but two-times Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard managed an astonishing time of 5m 19.546sec in the new Porsche. So Porsche eats Porsche, and the record stays in the trophy cabinet. ‘WHEN A 356’S FANBELT BROKE YOU HAD TO BE QUICK TO SWITCH OFF, OR THE ENGINE SEIZED. WE LOST TWO’ Such records hardly mattered when the first car to be built by Porsche’s own…

I THINK THE 1980s will always, even if only ironically, be known as The Design Decade. To me, at any rate, it certainly was. I rode shotgun on a sleek, high-speed, well-designed bandwagon driven by Sir Terence Conran, the man who (I think quite correctly) believed that universal happiness could be sourced in a better salad bowl. Terence, now 86, has owned no fewer than 13 Porsche 911s. The decade began with an experiment of ours called The Boilerhouse Project in The Victoria & Albert Museum, where an exhibition on Coca-Cola as a megabrand outraged art-world traditionalists but became one of the V&A’s most successful-ever shows. It ended with the opening of our Design Museum. It’s not for me to say whether the popularity of The Boilerhouse and The Design…

Those Tiny pistons and conrods came into their own when the National Motor Museum Trust, a charitable organisation operating from Beaulieu that has raised the money to preserve this historic car for future generations, hit on a novel way to help raise funds towards the rebuild. Doug Hill explains: ‘Rick Hall was insistent that the V16 had new rods, which pushed the cost up to more than we had. So we decided with Chris Bennett of TMB to have the old ones made into clocks.’ The Trust commissioned TMB Art Metal to take the original parts removed from the historic motor and craft them into very special timepieces. The clocks, made by Christopher Ward with faces to mimic the BRM’s gauges for oil pressure and temperature, are set into the…

ROBERT COUCHER International editor • 1937 Bentley 4¼ • 1955 Jaguar XK140 • 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC TONY DRON Test driver • 1932 Austin Seven GLEN WADDINGTON Associate editor • 1983 Porsche 944 • 1989 BMW 320i Convertible ANDREW ENGLISH Contributor • 1960 Triumph TR3A • 1965 Aston Martin DB5 SANJAY SEETANAH Advertising director • 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio • 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante MARK DIXON Deputy editor • 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in • 1966 Ford Mustang 289 • 1991 Land Rover Discovery • 1994 Range Rover 4.0 SAMANTHA SNOW Advertising account manager • 1969 Triumph Herald 13/60 Convertible • 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300SL MARK SOMMER Art Director • 1969 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 Saloon JOHN SIMISTER Contributor • 1934 Singer Nine Le Mans • 1961 Saab…

MOeT HEAaTENING incident of the past month came, somewhat perversely, at the funeral of long-time friend David Evans. I cannot think of anyone more dedicated to the grassroots classic car hobby than BMW 2002tii and Citroën GSA owner David, so it was no surprise that his funeral attracted plenty of enthusiasts. Naturally, we all had to turn up in classics and I decided on the Jensen because David liked it the most of my cars. I knew that because he often told me it deserved a better owner! It was while I was standing outside Eltham Crematorium with these enthusiasts, waiting for the ceremony to start, that it was mentioned that there was a fast-spreading puddle of fuel under the Jensen. Oh dear. A little later, having listened to some…

AN ASTON MARTIN was always on my list of dream cars, yet I never expected to actually own one. However, I’ve now had the DB7 for seven years. How did that happen? I recently attended my local Aston Martin Owners Club meeting by the Thames in Maidenhead, and conversations with other owners inevitably led to how they came to buy their Astons. The usual reply was that they had always aspired to own one, and that they had to make a leap of faith with the purchase. As a rule, Astons are not affordable cars, and I met one young man at the meeting who had re-mortgaged his house so that he could buy a DB6 to restore. Owners are aware of the budget required to own and maintain such…

First things first: THIS IS A SPOOF. ‘Roy Lanchester’ is the alias of Richard Porter, former Top Gear scriptwriter and the genius behind website sniffpetrol.com. So what we have here is the parody bio of a motoring journo of the old school, out for everything he can blag. Inevitably, it’s something of an ‘in’ joke but there are lots of good lines. Our fave? ‘They say that if you can remember the late ’80s in car journalism, you probably weren’t on the Peugeot 405 launch in Tangiers…’…

Although it’s the story of a great American race car, author Richard Falconer is a Brit – his day job is as an architect – who became interested in Chaparrals after buying the remains of a Chaparral 1, chassis 005, back in 1974. He put the knowledge he’d gained about the marque during its restoration to good use by writing this definitive history, released in 1992. The publisher, MBI, was taking something of a gamble with a book on such a niche subject but their confidence was rewarded with strong sales, and it was among the first in a long-running series that encompassed other great marques such as Scarab and Ford’s GT40. Containing interviews with Jim Hall and key Chaparral figures, great photos from the Dave Friedman collection, plus appendices…

1950S OMEGA YELLOW GOLD SEAMASTER Competitively priced at £1609, this 1950s Omega Seamaster is powered by a manually wound movement. The yellow gold 34mm case and sloped lugs are matched with the rich golden tone of its tropical dial, which was originally silver-coloured. It’s almost as though it was meant to look like this. ROLEX AIRKING SUPER PRECISION Dated to c1971, this Rolex Oyster Perpetual Airking Super Precision with 34mm stainless steel case and self-winding (1530) movement has recently been serviced. Its exceptional dial – a beige golden tropical dial with a white polka dot-like texture – has been kept intact, to many a collector’s delight. Yours for £3806. LONGINES CONQUEST Launched in 1954, Longines’ Conquest models are design classics. This 36mm stainless-steel example from c1960 is priced at £2452.…

FACTORY-SPEC FERRARI Historics at Brooklands, Weybridge, Ue 22 September, historics.co.uk With so many classic Ferrari 250s now masquerading as more desirable models, this first-series 1958 250 GT Pininfarina Coupé looks an absolute peach. It has matching numbers, 83,500km on the clock, was first registered in Geneva, was restored in Stuttgart in 2010 and came to the UK two years later. Since then it has covered just 300 miles. A CAR FOR A CHAMPION Brightwells, Leominster, Ue 6 September, brightwells.com If you fancy being James Hunt on a budget this 1988 Mercedes 560 SEC is just the ticket: the 1976 F1 World Champion bought it new (yes, James Simon Wallis Hunt is on the paperwork). This one was for sale a couple of years ago and has close to 150,000 miles…

PORSCHES IN PLATINUM Prices from £425 robinbark-motorart.com Inspired by the iconic 356 and 911, the 70th Anniversary ‘Platinum Editions’ (of 50 pieces each) are cast in solid aluminium, hand-polished and finished in platinum. Measuring 130mm in length, each piece is signed, numbered and presented in a bespoke wooden box. Polished aluminium and nickel editions are also available, from £225. See Robin’s work on his website and at the Goodwood Revival (Stand 43). WOODFORD RL 7000 TILT TRAILER From £12,790 woodfordtrailers.com High-quality covered trailer, fitted with high-impact aerodynamic composite bodyshell, suitable for race events, trackdays and general haulage. Woodford makes automotive transportation a hassle-free experience with practicality and convenience in mind. Access has never been easier from all sides thanks to wide-opening door bays that ensure you can strap…

GREG MOSS ‘Photographing off-road racers in the California desert is hot, exhausting and intimidating, especially for a pasty Englishman. For the locals it’s a giant playground. Jumping in your V8-powered buggy and heading out to the dunes is a way of life on the West Coast.’ Read all about Greg’s adventure on PAGES 158-164. PAUL HARDIMAN ‘I’ve always liked nuts and bolts and physics, and the more intricate the engineering the more fascinating it is to investigate. Rick Hall told me all about the BRM V16 and its foibles for another story nine years ago – but this time I was actually able to handle one of the tiny pistons and rods that came out of it.’ Turn to PAGES 132-142. DELWYN MALLETT ‘The Shell History of Motor Racing documentaries…

Bicester expansion Bicester Heritage has revealed plans for a new 344-room hotel, and also declared its intention to build motor lodges. The Dexter Moren-designed hotel, shown in an artist’s impression above, has been inspired by surrounding buildings and will house motoring exhibitions in a huge atrium. The announcement says the hotel plan is the next step in Bicester’s drive to ‘create the world’s leading automotive resort’, which seems a change in focus for the former RAF site. Holding out for HERO The Historic Endurance Rally Organisation (HERO) and the Endurance Rally Association (ERA) have struck a deal for the former to take over the latter’s events. HERO pledges that the ERA events will remain in the spirit created by founder Philip Young. HERO will run around 25 events, with the…

It’s the 1960s. Wire wheels are out: too fiddly, too expensive, not strong enough. Fast cars have moved to alloys, and makers of mainstream motors want a piece of the sporty-looking action. Enter an idea licensed from the US’s Motor Wheel Corporation by Rubery Owen, maker of wheels, petrol tanks and all kinds of automotive pressings. Its initials plus ‘style’ named a wheel pressed like any mundane hubcap-wearer but oozing spoked, sculpted sophistication. Those spokes – four for a four-stud wheel (plus mini-spokes in between), five for a five-stud – were picked out in silver on, usually, a black background, with silver rims. For grander applications, chrome ousted the silver. Rostyles were an instant hit, lending racy cool to MGBs, Cortina 1600Es, Rover P5Bs and many more, including a tiny…

You’ve probably read about the new ‘Lancia Stratos’ being built on a Ferrari F430 base and, if you have been paying attention to your monthly Octane, you’ll be aware of the ARES Panther. This is the car that ARES Design, run by Dany Bahar (ex-Ferrari and Lotus) and technical director Matteo Vezzani, announced early in the year as a re-make of De Tomaso’s mid-engined Pantera, using a Lamborghini Huracán as the starting point and carbonfibre for the panels (so no pushrod Ford V8). Things have come along since then and the plan is to build 21 production cars starting in October, each costing ¤515,000 although all have now been reserved by buyers. The V10 engine has been enlarged from 5.2 to 5.6 litres and delivers 650bhp with, ARES hints, more…

Autonomous racing cars, a fearless aviator strapped to a jet-pack, mega-buck hypercars, men with odd monikers steering their cars sideways with tyres aflame, and a whole lot more: the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed was unlike any other motoring event I have attended. It has changed out of all recognition since the inaugural meeting was staged a quarter of a century ago. I have lost count of how many Festivals I have participated in since then, and what began as a celebration of historic machinery has morphed into something which spans just about every conceivable facet of automotive worship. ‘THE 962’S WICK WAS TURNED ALL THE WAY UP. TAMING 700BHP ON OLD RAIN TYRES CERTAINLY CAUSED MY EYES TO WIDEN’ Some bemoan the change of emphasis. I don’t see it…

1. We moved to Cobham in 2000 and started a Conservation and Heritage Trust. For the past 12 years our heritage day has had a fundraising plastic duck race; we race 8000 of them down the River Mole. 2. My wife Joyce and I enjoy horticulture – she looks after the garden and I grow fruit and veg. I won this trophy last year for growing the best onions in Cobham! 3. When the speedo failed on our 403 a week before my wife rallied it on the London-Lisbon, I contacted Bristol and Brian Morelli had one on the shelf that had been there since 1953. It cost me £40. That was the magic of Bristol and why we have had a 411 (I did 150,000 miles in that one),…

OVER GOUJONS OF SOLE in a London restaurant, Lord Foster of Thames Bank, OM, hands me a fat grey folder with ‘Foster + Partners’ on the front in foil-blocked silver. The distinctive alternative to an ampersand betrays something of his personal style: neat, reductive, smart, to-the-point. His eyes twinkle and he returns to the fish. Simple statements are best. Norman Foster is the best-known (and, to many of us, ‘the best’) architect in the world. Frank Gehry might rival him in the sort of celebrity measured in clicks or old-world column inches, but Gehry’s great achievements have more to do with the history of public relations than the history of architecture. Foster is a different kettle of goujons. He is a building designer of original genius, a fastidious and consistent…

The Sandmaster of 1970 was one of the first purpose-built off-road racers, mostly based on stock Beetle parts. Bobby Ferro won the Baja 1000 and 500 in it three times, but in 1974 it was virtually destroyed in a crash. Current owner Darin Necessary found it a few years ago, restored it and plans to enter it in the NORRA off-road races. ‘It’s pretty crazy, really small and really fast, but there’s not a lot of suspension so it’s easy to get in over your head.’ This Budweiser-liveried Chenowth buggy scored 22 desert wins from 1980 to 1983, driven by Roger Mears. Its current owner, ex-bike racer ‘Stormin’ Norman Francis, restored it in just five weeks for his team. It runs a 2275cc flat-four with 192bhp and 187lb ft. Francis…

JESSE CROSSE Contributor • 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 • 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth DAVID BURGESS-WISE Contributor • 1903 De Dion-Bouton • 1911 Pilain 16/20 • 1926 Delage DISS MARTYN GODDARD Photographer • 1963 Triumph TR6SS Trophy • 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII DAVE KINNEY Markets expert • 2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti DELWYN MALLETT Contributor • 1936 Cord 810 Beverly • 1946 Tatra T87 • 1950 Ford Club Coupe • 1952 Porsche 356 • 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL • 1957 Porsche Speedster • 1957 Fiat Abarth Sperimentale • 1963 Abarth-Simca • 1963 Tatra T603 SARAH BRADLEY Contributor • 1929 Ford Model A hot rod • 1952 Studebaker Champion • 1956 Chevrolet 3100 pick-up • 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner • Various motorbikes MASSIMO DELBÒ Contributor • 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 • 1972 Fiat 500L…

‘The 541 (1954-59) and C-V8 (1962-66) are both four-seaters that make great family classics, but rear belts were never an option, so we’ve developed a method of securely fitting rear automatic seatbelts. The glassfibre construction means locating suitable anchorage points is more of a challenge, but late 541s and C-V8s come with factory front static lap and diagonal seatbelts, so it’s easier to fit automatics. The Interceptor had front automatic seatbelts; we have plenty of experience retro-fitting them with rear ’belts, which is relatively straightforward.’ Monthly advice from Stuart Quick of Quickfit Safety Belts, one of the UK’s foremost providers of classic and vintage seatbelts and racing safety harnesses. Contact +44 (0)20 8206 0101 www.quickfitsbs.cominfo@quickfitsbs.com…

‘The classic car population in Kent has clearly exploded, because I can’t even get an entry into the Herne Bay Classic Motor Show this year with the ’Healey’ Martyn Goddard ‘A recent hip replacement has kept me out of my Abarths for fear of dislocation. Thankfully, flexibility now appears to have returned. Tally Ho!’ Delwyn Mallett ‘Don’t tell my wife, but I’ve just bought another classic Alfa that’s been laid-up in a garage since 1982. And there’s no rust! I’ll make full disclosure next month’ Evan Klein ‘The Singer Le Mans to-fix list has grown to include low oil pressure, a massive engine oil leak and a major vibro-massage from the propshaft’ John Simister…

Best described as a softback book in magazine format, The Key is a new venture from The Classic Car Trust, a body of influential collectors, experts and aficionados. The Key is published once a year, is edited by a former director of Ferrari’s PR, and has contributors that include John Lamm and Donald Osborne, plus Octane’s Massimo Delbò – which suggests that it’s definitely worth taking seriously. There are certainly some fascinating features in its 168 pages. One of the most intriguing is a chart of the world’s top 100 car collectors, based not only on the value of their cars, but also on what they give back to the classic car movement. Then there are interviews with people ranging from Pebble Beach supremo Sandra Button to FIA president Jean…

For those that are a little mystified by this book’s title, the next line – Peter Brock’s Group 7 USRRC sports car – should help clarify. Or, as John Simister exclaimed the moment he saw the cover: ‘Oh, the Cooper Cobra; Revell made a kit of it, along with the Chaparral 2C.’ Indeed it did. As you might imagine, having heard the word Cobra, this 1964 racer was designed by Peter Brock (of Daytona Cobra fame) and was based on a Cooper Monaco, rebodied and with the same 289ci Ford V8 as powered the Shelby. Lang? As is the wont with many race cars, this one became known by its sponsor’s name, in this case brewery heir Craig Lang. The car, actually the second Lang Cooper, the original having been…

1956 Ford Convertible BY BENBROS The Matchbox series from 1953 spawned many imitators, though few could match Lesney’s original products for quality. First to offer a direct challenge was a small firm founded in East London in the late 1940s by brothers Nathan and Jack Benenson, under the Benbros trademark. Having noted Matchbox’s packaging style, Benbros made its boxes look like TV sets, the status symbol of the day, and called the toys the ‘TV Series’. They were soon replaced by brighter red-and-yellow boxes and the series was renamed ‘Mighty Midgets’. Early subjects included horse-drawn carts, a fire engine, Foden timber transporter, military vehicles, then Land Rovers and other trucks, but, other than a trio of veterans, there were few cars. Only one was British, a Wolseley 6/80 police car,…

NO DOUBT ABOUT ITa this new £565 DS (which stands for Double Security) looks great on the wrist. It’s a re-issue of one of the Swiss brand’s earliest dive watches from the late 1960s. Certina has a long history of tool watches linked with high-profile underwater expeditions. In one example, Certina dive models were worn by US Navy aquanauts taking part in the Sealab-II project of 1965, which tested human effectiveness in an under-sea research station. From their submersible, the marines were also aided by a bottlenose dolphin that they trained to ferry supplies between the habitat and the surface. This is just one story that adds to the romance of the brand. But this DS PH200M speaks for itself with its striking retro look, the result of its cool…

£10,081,500 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Bonhams, Goodwood, UK. 13 July £4,593,500 1932/34 Alfa Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix Monoposto Bonhams, Goodwood, UK. 13 July £3,809,500 1957 BMW 507 Roadster Bonhams, Goodwood, UK. 13 July £2,779,500 (€3,143,440) 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 Se Roadster Artcurial, Le Mans, France. 7 July £2,045,500 2012 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Coupé Bonhams, Goodwood, UK. 13 July £2,017,500 1931 Bentley 4½ eitre Supercharged Tourer Bonhams, Goodwood, UK. 13 July £1,961,500 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon Bonhams, Goodwood, UK. 13 July £896,000 (€1,013,200) 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Se Gullwing Artcurial, Le Mans, France. 7 July £864,500 (€977,440) 1975 eamborghini eP400 Countach Artcurial, Le Mans, France. 7 July £860,625 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 Se Roadster Silverstone Auctions, Silverstone, UK. 21 July…

To the consternation of those who had spent years trying to emulate it, George Harrison once declared his early-Beatles sound to be ‘crap’. ‘A Gretsch guitar and a Vox amp, and I didn’t like it. But […] we were lucky to have anything when we started out.’ By 1963 restrictions on imports from the USA had been lifted but the UK was hardly awash with quality electric guitars, so George was understandably intrigued when offered the use of this Maton Mastersound MS-500, an Australian-made rarity that happened to be on the wall at Barratts in Manchester on the day that Harrison’s Gretsch Country Gentleman was brought in for repairs. He played it at shows during the summer of ’63, and at a photocall at The Cavern in Liverpool on 3…

Goodwood Track Day As Octane wenttopress, there were still a few spots leftonthe Octane TrackDay, but you’ll have to be quick if you want to join members of the editorial team and readers on the event. It takes place at Goodwood Motor Circuit on 31 August and is a great day out, whether you want to exercise your car or get some last-minute laps in prior to the Revival Meeting, which takes place the next weekend. It costs £299 per car and driver (additional drivers are £150 apiece) and includes breakfast, lunch and tea.See octanetrackdays.co.uk. Octane on tour… Readers still have the chance (just)tojoin Octane onits annual tour to the magnificent Concours of Elegance, which this year is being held once more at Hampton Court Palace. The tour is on…

First, some figures: 1227.99km/h, or 763.035mph. or Mach 1.02. If you’ve driven a land vehicle at this speed, you’ve broken the sound barrier. the first to do so, with the results above, was royal Air Force Wing commander AndyGreen,driving thrust SSc. Conceived by previous world Land Speed record holder and entrepreneur richardNoble, thrust SSc wasa remarkable machine. It was designed by ron Ayers, former chief aerodynamicist at british Aerospace, and his talented team of engineers. they specified a pair of rolls-royce Spey Mk202 turbofan jet engines, which together produced over 44,000lb of thrust, equivalent to 92,400bhp, mounted in a wheeled and steerable structure resembling an aeroplane minus its wings. The team had many engineering hurdles to jump. Aerodynamics were the main problem as Mach 1 approached, while composite rubber and…

What has gone wrong with the Germans? True, they have often suffered a reputation for coarseness. The Emperor Charles V, discussing levels of national sophistication not irrelevant today, said: I speak French to my mistress, Italian to my courtier and German to my horse. During the Great War, the French called the Kaiser ‘le chef des barbares’. But the Germans have – or had – a superb record in design. Nineteenth-century pedagogues developed the idea of Hauptformen. It’s untranslatable, but means approximately ‘significant form’: that’s to say there is an ideal shape for any product. This belief fed directly into art education and Bauhaus doctrine. The Bauhaus had as its logo a sphere, a cube and a cone. ‘THE DESIGN DISCIPLINE THAT ONCE INFORMED BMW HAS DISSIPATED INTO MEANINGLESS MODEL…

This elegant, classically styled men’s timepiece features a quartz movement inside a stainless steel 42mm case, and a stunning blue galvanic dial with appliqué indexes and date window, protected by a sapphire crystal. It is water resistant to 5atm and supplied on a black calf leather strap with an alligator grain finish. Raymond Weil is one of a handful of Swiss watchmakers that remain in family hands. The Toccata name reflects the Weil family’s interest in music, which has led to many of the watch collections bearing musically themed names. RAYMOND-WEIL.COM…

Engine 1966cc, rear-mounted air-cooled flat-four, DOHC per bank, dry sump, two Solex 40 PII-4 twin-choke carburettors Power 130bhp @ 6200rpm eorque 119lb ft @ 4600rpm eransmission Four-speed manual transaxle, rear-wheel drive Steering ZF worm-and-peg Suspension Front: torsion leaves, parallel paired trailing links, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: torsion bars, swing axles, telescopic dampers Brakes Discs Weight 1012kg eop speed 124mph 0-60mph ‘Under 10sec’…

It was the tagline in the advert that caught our eye. ‘A pre-war Alfa for a fraction of the price!’ was the gist, and closer examination of the pictures revealed that it was indeed a remarkably pretty car. The clincher was a claim that, unlike many pre-war sports cars, this one could easily accommodate a six-foot-plus driver. Grace, space and the promise of some pace – surely it deserved to be checked out? Just to be clear, there’s not a particle of real Alfa in this car. It’s a Riley Special, in this instance a Kestrel 12/4 saloon chassis that’s been rebodied in the style of Zagato, and the advert wasn’t pretending otherwise. Nor would we claim that any Riley Special can seriously be compared to Vittorio Jano’s legendary 6C…

‘THE REVEREND’S SERVICE WAS DELIVERED WITH A DRY WIT, HONED BY 25 YEARS AS A BOYS’ HOUSE MASTER’ GOODgOOD FEaeIVAL of Speed? Not for me. I was much happier to be spending that particular summer Saturday in the glorious countryside of the Welsh borders, driving my Mustang on the Craswall Classic. The CC is about as different from the FoS as it’s possible to get. Organised by Bicester Heritage managing director Daniel Geoghegan, it’s a friends-and-family event that begins at St Mary’s church, Craswall, and then meanders around local roads before ending up at Dan’s house for a barbeque. There’s no timetable, no roadbook, no eligibility criteria for entrants other than that you turn up in something interesting. Fortunately, the Mustang was deemed interesting enough to take part, although it…

ehe lack of leavea on the trees in the action shot below is significant. It is not ‘early onset autumn’, a result of the recent heatwave in the UK. No, those trees are bare because the picture was taken in January. Not long before my last trip in the 944, when it rolled to an ignominious halt. That was on 9 February. I remember the date as my kids broke up from school later that day for half-term, and we were flying off to Spain for a bit of winter sunshine the morning after. I’d nipped out in the 944 for a lunchtime swim at the local pool. And just a couple of miles shy of the office, on the way back, I heard a click, looked down, and saw…

I’d haeard a gaess that many Octane readers are hoarders, because it goes with the collector-car territory. Personally I try to fight the impulse, but I fear I’m losing the battle. Thanks to a champion hoarder, I recently uncovered the mother-lode of classic automotive electrical parts. Let me explain. I had an uncle Brian, a lovely chap but with a serious aversion to throwing anything away. When we sadly lost him some time ago, his widow, my ever-tolerant auntie Sandra, set about sorting out their house. Four years later, the seemingly never-ending job was beginning to get her down. Brian was an auto electrician from the 1950s until his retirement in the early 1990s, and he spent the final 12 years of his career at Aston Martin’s Newport Pagnell factory.…

HAeING aECEIeED an invitation to take part in the Suffolk tour that now annually precedes the Heveningham Hall Concours, I was painfully aware that while my cars have their charms (in one case, noise; in the other – well, I am not quite sure what it is) they are in no condition to mix with that sort of company, the tour being largely made up of the concours entrants. Instead, I roped in old pal Tom Cribb to accompany me because he has one of those cars – an Alfa Romeo Giulia Super – that seems to be comfortable in any company and is also in nice condition. Tom, who many moons ago was ‘in the trade’, first owned a Triumph Spitfire that he partially restored in his room at…

‘IN THE 1950S, LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL HAD THE WORLD’S LARGEST ARCHITECTURAL DEPARTMENT’ eaopian or dysaopiang Maybe both. In 1961 the architectural community declared the Roehampton estate ‘probably the finest low-cost housing development in the world’, yet in a 1984 television poll it was voted London’s worst building scheme. It was built not for profit but to fulfil an urgent social need. And now the integrity of the original design is under threat from build-for-profit developers. After World War Two, Britain faced a desperate housing shortage. In the debate on how to solve that problem as rapidly and economically as possible, the Modernists won. The morale-raising Festival of Britain held in 1951 tipped the balance in favour of the always-controversial Modernist style, which was soon adopted as the architectural preference of…

This is a re-issue of a 2008 book from Veloce’s Great Cars series, a tag clearly not copyrighted. It covers all the original XK family apart from the C-type, with detailed descriptions of the breed’s genesis and evolution from one model to the next plus lots on the industry context, motorsport exploits and contemporary critics’ views. Bold studio shots are backed by ample archive photography. It’s a fine effort in a crowded corner of the market. But £40 for 152 re-issued pages, albeit on lush paper? Hmm……

‘Back then it was science fiction made real.’ A quote from the foreword. At least, I think it’s the foreword. This book reeks of self-publishing, and is not one for lovers of elegant graphic design. Yet it is packed with history, both anecdotal and of production, and illuminates with period brochures, press releases, ads and spec tables, and a chassis-by-chassis listing of all the 645 Lagondas made. Brilliant and appalling in equal measure. Rather like the car.…

‘When I first entered motorsport, most people thought me a buffoon,’ wrote Lord Hesketh in 1974. But few of those people achieved anything as memorable as the buffoon behind ‘the biggest little racing team in the world’. These silver cufflinks in the shape of the equipe’s beloved mascot Super Bear take us right back to Hesketh’s marvellously madcap Grand Prix run, when playboys Hesketh and Hunt took on and beat the F1 establishment. £195. alyssasmith.eo.uk…

SEIKO PROSPEX SPB077 Japanese watch brand Seiko unveiled six new Prospect models earlier this year. The selection included a re-issue of its first hi-beat 300m dive watch from 1968, limited to a run of 15,000 and priced at just over £4800. The watch pictured here, a ‘re-interpretation’ of that much sought-after icon of 1968, is the next best thing and, even better, will set you back only a very reasonable £999. It borrows several classic design cues from the original, but it’s altogether less chunky, thanks to a thinner bezel (available in black or blue) and contemporary Seiko arrow-tipped hands. £999, SEIKO.CO.UK CHRISTOPHER WARD C7 ROSSO CORSA COSC LIMITED EDITION Rosso Corsa, or Racing Red, needs no introduction as the emblematic colour of Italian motorsport. The vermillion dial is not…

In association with 23 August Worldwide Auctioneers, Pacific Grove, USA 23-25 August Mecum, Monterey, USA Russo & Steele, Monterey, USA 24 August Bonhams, Carmel, USA 24-25 August Gooding & Co, Pebble Beach, USA RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, USA Vicari, New Orleans, USA 25 August Anglia, King’s Lynn, UK 25-26 August Lucky Collector Car Auctions, Tacoma, USA 30 August – 2 September RM Auctions, Auburn, USA 1 September Bonhams, Beaulieu, UK Worldwide Auctioneers, Auburn, USA 1-2 September Silver Auctions, Sun Valley, USA 2 September Dragone Auctions, Lime Rock, USA 5 September RM Sotheby’s, London, UK 6 September Brightwells, Leominster, UK Coys, Fontwell, UK 7-8 September Mecum, Louisville, USA 8 September Bonhams, Goodwood, UK 12 September Charterhouse, Shepton Mallet, UK 13 September DVCA, Dorchester, UK 15 September Barons, Kempton Park, UK Classic Car…

1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Ve ‘TME’. £33,995 The special Tommi Makinen Edition might not be subtle, but it’s widely regarded as one of the best Japanese performance cars of its generation. fast-classics.com (UK) 1969 Lotus Europa S2 £16,495 Low-mileage S2 Europa from previous owner of 41 years. In fine cosmetic condition, with a beautifully preserved vinyl interior. A minor re-commission away from the road. stockssportscars.co.uk (UK) 1971 Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T. $185,000 One of Australia’s best-known muscle cars, the ‘Six Pack’ was homologated for racing. This one boasts a race-spec engine and desirable large fuel tank. gosfordclassiccarmuseum.com.au (AU) 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback ¤305,000 Road-legal track car built in Germany, and the subject of some significant re-engineering work to strengthen the chassis. Necessary due to the 490bhp 6.5-litre Ford Racing engine.…

WHAT Te PAY As the UK-based A310 population is barely in double digits, you’ll need to search in mainland Europe. Four-cylinder cars are tricky to track down, with prices starting at roughly £12,000 for a complete and roadworthy car. Good examples start around £20k, rising to £30k for the very best. Six-cylinder cars are more desirable but also far more common, making prices largely the same. Expect to pay around £32,000 for a top example, but the last of the line GT Package and Boulogne can cost a lot more. leek euT fer… Engines and transmissions are all tough and relatively simple to maintain, so there’s little to worry about here beyond basic checks. Nor should the glassfibre bodywork cause many headaches unless it’s been poorly painted, but the steel…

‘WE SHOULD TRADE SOME CARS, ESPECIALLY THE DUPLICATES. DO WE REALLY NEED 24 WEDGE LAGONDAS? PROBABLY NOT’ I NEVER SLEEP more than five hours a night and I get up at 5am every day. Usually, I will go to the gym (which is hardly necessary, seeing as I average 15km a day walking to and fro at work), then it’s back home for a coffee and on to the office at about 8am. I’ll often be home 11 hours later for a light evening meal with my wife and two teenage sons, but work could just as easily take me through to 4am or even away overnight. And weekends off are very much a theory rather than a rule. My job of looking after a car collection which is largely…