Octane September 2018

SOME CARS BECOME so much a part of the furniture that we take them for granted. Worse than that, we remember hugely significant vehicles more for their frailties than their achievements. The Jaguar XJ6 is a perfect example: people so often focus on the tragi-comic Leyland years instead of its watershed debut. Wade through ads for down-at-heel S3s and XJ40s and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was always thus. But we should never forget that the XJ6 was a genre-creating stroke of genius, a truly groundbreaking car that was dubbed ‘the best sedan in the world’ (see pages 72 to 82). Such greatness didn’t happen by accident. This was the last car styled by Sir William Lyons and he knew exactly what he wanted, as he later wrote: ‘In…

SAM HANCOCK ‘Imagine Fernando Alonso hopped out of his Le Mans-winning Toyota TS050 and tossed you the keys. That’s what testing an Alfa Romeo T33/TT12 in the presence of Arturo Merzario and Derek Bell felt like: the premier sports prototype of its era, and the men who made it so. A real “pinch yourself” moment.’ Read Sam’s track test on PAGES 148-156. PAUL FEARNLEY ‘A motorsport journalist I greatly respect told me of a racing driver who gave up the sport for the love of a good woman. That driver has intrigued me ever since. Robin Widdows prefers not to wobble on and so we broke up our chat into 20-minute quick-fire rounds. Now I’m thinking of conducting all future interviews this way.’ See PAGES 126 TO 130. PETER BAKER…

‘910 LAND ROVERS CROSSED THE RECORD ATTEMPT START-LINE AND 908 OF THEM MADE IT TO THE END’ How do aou get hundreds of Land Rovers to attend a Land Rover show? Free beer? A promise to show them the new Defender? Or else you could just tell them that you want to beat the world record for the ‘most Land Rovers on parade’, which was very recently upped to 632 in Germany. Not bad for the country that gave us the rather capable Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen. So organisers of this year’s Billing Off Road Show decided it was time to bring the record home. This event has achieved cult status among fans of the green oval thanks to its impressive off-road tracks, which include a drive through a deep lake and…

Anniversary awards Three special Octane awards have been handed out to mark the first 15 years of the magazine. Awarded during the Auto Express New Car Awards on 3 July, the trophies were part of a triple celebration, with sister titles Evo and Auto Express also marking significant birthdays (20 and 30 years). Octane’s company of the past 15 years was Classic Motor Cars of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, pictured receiving the award (above) from editor James Elliott. It was honoured for its standing as one of the world’s finest restoration companies, for its apprenticeship programme and for its status as an employee-owned trust. The most significant car to emerge since 2003 was the ex-Alain Delon Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder owned by the Vassilopoulos family. Tony and Athena Vassilopoulos flew in…

Join Octane on tour For the seventh successive year, Octane istorunatour for its readers to the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace. Entrants on 2 September will enjoy a breakfast at Cliveden House before following the roadbook through Berkshire and Surrey to the royal palace. The 90-mile tour will take about two hours and, on arrival at Hampton Court, participants will drive through the gates into the Palace gardens. Guests can then head for the Concours of Elegance hospitality enclosure for a three-course lunch, followed by a leisurely walk around the Concours before returning for a cream tea. The price per head is £185 including the tour and meals, concours admission, window sticker, guest badge and souvenir programme. Contact ian@thoroughevents.co.uk. Nominate now! You have until…

On the 70th anniversary of the first Aston Martin DB-badged models, the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace is set to host a huge display of fine Astons. The event, which will run from 31 August to 2 September, will include four Aston Martins in the main Concours. Three are DB-themed: a 1967 Aston Martin DBSC by Touring – the only road-going version in existence; an Aston Martin DB2 drophead coupé bought by Prince Bertil of Sweden in 1952; and a DB5 convertible. The fourth is a 1937 Aston Martin 15/98 Long Chassis Tourer by Bertelli. The concours cars will be joined by around 100 DB-badged cars gathered with the help of the Aston Martin Owners Club, featuring every model from ‘DB1’ through to DB11. Other classes and celebrations…