Octaneの September 2018 の目次

People loved the trafficator when it was invented in the first half of the last century. It meant they could use both arms for driving the car rather than sticking one out of the window to tell other drivers where they were going. Then flashing indicators arrived, far more attention-grabbing than the diffident pop-up, flop-down demeanour of the gently glowing orange semaphore. That’s when turn signals changed from ‘I would like to’ to ‘I am going to’. So now everyone knew where they were – except when people left their indicators merrily blinking right as they turned off a roundabout – and old cars with trafficators found themselves converted to the modern way. Fair enough; the semaphores weren’t very reliable anyway. But they signalled a gentler, less-hurried world in which…

The hope Classic Rally might, at first sight, seem no more than a group of people enjoying themselves by driving expensive cars around Southern England for a day, but there’s more to it than that. This charity event has raised more than £1 million in four years. Entrants are welcome to take along their own classics (as did Octane group advertising director Sanjay Seetanah and account director Sam Snow in their Aston Martin DB7 Volante), but for many it is a rare opportunity to get into something truly exotic. Thanks to the generosity of collectors who support the cause and make their fleet available for the event, guests could find themselves driving a Gullwing Mercedes, a Ferrari 250 Pininfarina Cabriolet or GT SWB, an Aston Martin DB5 or something else…

McLaren’s ability to tease out new variations of the same architecture notches up another success with the new 600LT. It’s a more powerful, slightly-aft extended and trackdayfocused development of everyone’s favourite real-world McLaren, the 570S. The new car is the fourth McLaren with an elongated rump, in this case a 74mm extension (less than 3in); it follows closed and open versions of the 675LT and the racing GTR version of the McLaren F1 – whose tail was properly long. Compared with the 570S the 600LT has lost 96kg, thanks to carbonfibre construction for the rear wing and some lower body panels, plus lightweight interior fittings including carbonfibre race seats. Power rises too, as the name suggests, while ‘top-exit’ tail pipes make occupants more aware of their aural outpourings. Extra downforce,…

This column is being lovingly crafted en route to the Le Mans Classic. It seems as though only two minutes has passed since I was hotfooting it over for the 24 Hour race, this year’s running having been a Toyota benefit as it entered the only hybrid LMP1 cars in the field. Nevertheless, I was delighted that it won, having come tantalisingly close over the years. I was also particularly pleased that Fernando Alonso scored on his debut in endurance racing alongside F1 refugees Kazuki Nakajima and Sébastien Buemi. I don’t mind admitting that I am an Alonso fan, not least because he and Kimi Räikkönen are perhaps the only current Grand Prix stars who are aware that there are other categories of motor sport. I hope that Fernando realises…

1. I’ve done so many rallies, two Montes in DB6s (one we prepped from scratch in a week) and all sorts of others, that recalibrating Haldas just became a huge pain, so I got a box of gears and for ages I took them everywhere with me. The best rally car we built was a DB5 for the Peking to Paris in 1997 – it came 11th and the owner gave me a silver model of the car. 2. My favourite race in the world is the St Mary’s Trophy at the Goodwood Revival and I have taken part eight or nine times. There was a terrible BMW 700 and I shared a DKW with Johnny Herbert, but when Rob Huff and I drove the Austin A40 it was totally…

SO, EXACTLY WHAT did Jeff chop up? There’s a widespread misapprehension that they were pre-war 8CTF Grand Prix cars, a mistake probably spawned by Jeff himself and perpetuated by Hot Rod magazine. However, in the stash of images Jeff gave this author before he passed away were two of the frame, complete with front and rear suspension, brakes and more. There were possibly two frames, and they were clearly post-war 4CLTs with tubular construction – hence the ‘T’ – rather than the channel-section steel of the pre-war cars. The 4CLT’s first race – where it scored its first victory, too – was the San Remo Grand Prix on 27 June 1948, with Alberto Ascari driving. Maserati’s records then show that a 4CLT-48, chassis number 1598, was delivered to Prince Bira…

IT COULD BE a race start. It is in fact a photo of a remarkable photo-finish: seven single-seaters covered by a single second after 180 miles of 140mph hustle-and-bustle-and-jostle at Reims. Among this Formula 2 throng are François Cevert with victorious arm-aloft jutting from tiny Tecno, the aptly named Piers Courage, world champion-elect Jackie Stewart, Pedro Rodríguez, Giovanni ‘Nanni’ Galli and Alan Rollinson. There lurks also the lapped Pygmée of Patrick Dal Bo. In the thick of this – second by a tyre tread’s width – is a man in a vermillion crash helmet in last year’s Brabham, vivid in emerald. Robin Widdows refutes that he was abnormally brave, but flinchers do not set records on the Cresta Run, nor do claustrophobics apply for the ‘engine room’ of an Olympic…

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…

‘As with most pre-war cars built on a wooden frame and ladder chassis, fitting seatbelts isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. The top mounting points should be above shoulder height, or at 45º back from shoulder height, to be effective. It’s critical your mounting point provides strength and comfort. They must not interfere with the operation of the hood; we often fit them with detachable mounting points to help this. Static belts may be the only option with this type of vehicle. We’ve fitted many pre-war cars with ’belts, so we’re happy to help if you need advice.’ 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…

‘On a very hot day in Los Angeles, two people told me in traffic how great my Alfa Giulia looks, and commented on its lack of air-con. I love how everyone in LA feels compelled to share and engage in everyday life’ Evan Klein ‘Achieved the same speeds at the VHRA’s Pendine Sands event in my Ford Model A hot rod as in the last four years. I’m nothing if not consistent’ Sarah Bradley ‘Fettling of the Jensen to reliable daily driver status has now included replacing a cracked thermostat housing. No big deal… until I got the bill. Still reeling’ James Elliott ‘Took my 1961 Saab 96 on the Guild of Motoring Writers’ Euroclassic to Normandy in June. Downhill it was just as fast as a participating Ferrari F355’…

It’s not really a manual, of course, although it shows how to dismantle the suspension and change the brake pads. It’s a deep guide to how one of the world’s most dominant F1 cars (it won 15 of 1988’s 16 races), raced by two of the greatest drivers (Senna and Prost), was created, enlivened by quotes from key players. Every race is chronicled, then every bit, from Honda engine to the switch for the rain light, is analysed in detail. One for the serious racing-car nut.…

Maurice Louche is a legend in the motoring book world. He was one of the first people to realise he could write, publish and sell his own books, and his stall has been a fixture at Paris’s Rétromobile show for the past 30 years; indeed, he was there in 2018 with his latest work, Émotion Citroën. Tour de France Automobile was his first major project. This history of the famous French road-race was published in 1987 and quickly became sought-after by the owners of cars that had competed in period, thanks to its comprehensive chassis info. But that first edition was in French only, so in 2009 Louche released a brand-new version, pictured here, with dual French-English text and fresh pictures. Because all those car owners tend to hold onto…

VACHERON CONSTANTIN PLATINUM OPEN-FACE Vacheron Constantin is celebrating its heritage via its Les Collectionneurs selection of certified vintage pieces (vacheron-constantin.com). Carefully sourced from a number of private collections and auctions, the 20 models include wristwatches made between 1927 to 1969 plus this Art Deco-style 1931 platinum pocket watch with white gold Arabic numerals, priced at £15,200. AUDEMARS PIGUET PLATINUM MANUAL-WIND WRISTWATCH Dated to the 1960s, this Audemars Piguet wristwatch is for sale via 1stdibs at £9245.56. An engraving on its platinum case-back – ‘To dear dad with love from Neil’ – reveals this example’s special provenance. It was once purchased by Neil Levenson, a prolific songwriter whose hits include the 1963 Denis, as covered by Blondie over a decade later. PATEK PHILIPPE REF 5050 Patek Philippe produced its Ref 5050…

DUESIE RARITY Worldwide, Pacific erove, CA, USA 23 August Hard to imagine a more glamorous way to cruise Mulholland Drive than the 1931 Duesenberg Model J Derham Sport Convertible Sedan that’s heading Worldwide’s entries for Monterey Car Week. Described as ‘exceptionally pure’, it is one of just five built in this style and one of only two that features the rakish V windscreen. worldwide-auctioneers.com PREMIUM BOND SWVA, Poole, Dorset, UK 27 July With an estimate of £6000-6900, it is a lot of money to shell out in order to answer the eternal question: ‘Was it really that bad?’ But we can’t be alone in being fascinated by a car that says ’70s as much as Henry Cooper and Kevin Keegan splashing it all over. This refurbed 1972 Bond Bug 700ES…

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…

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…

The world’s fastest trans-Atlantic flight was made almost 45 years ago, by one of the weirdest-looking aircraft ever created. The Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, a long-range reconnaissance spy plane, was designed in the 1960s as a replacement for the ageing U2. It was built under the design leadership of aerospace engineer Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson at the Black Projects department of the Skunk Works in Burbank, California. As a spy plane fitted with tracking and infra-red cameras but unarmed, it would evade surface-to-air missiles by simply out-accelerating any threat with its high altitude and Mach 3 capability. Along with its 2685mph top speed it had a reduced cross-section to avoid radar detection, giving rise to the aircraft’s unusual and dramatic profile. The trans-Atlantic dash was the idea of US Senator Barry Goldwater,…

Much like department stores, car showrooms will soon be things of the past. In 2018 the bricks ’n’ mortar version of retail looks as quaint as a pony-and-trap did when they discovered oil in Humboldt County. A Tesla, for example, can only be ordered on-line. And long ago, some Japanese manufacturers had the salesmen make home visits, obviating the expense of occupying expensive, empty premises and toying with their honourable bento boxes while waiting solemnly for a Corolla customer to amble in. Some of my own finest moments came in car showrooms. The bookends were these. First, I was very small in 1959 when my father took me to see the original Mini. It was in a part of Liverpool known as The Rocket, after Stephenson’s steam engine that won…

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…

ahen i drove my Alfa back from Italy last year, it became obvious that a new clutch would be required very soon. I’d been putting up with its heavy action, but my left leg grew weary and then the clutch started to slip. Pick-up had also been hesitant below 2000rpm and I knew the distributor was worn. So I decided to replace it with a 123 distributor with a mapped electronic ignition system built in, in the hope that it would improve the Alfa’s running. I booked my car in with Ian Ellis Alfa Romeo, a well-known 105 specialist based near the beautiful town of Lewes, in East Sussex. On close inspection after a test drive, Ian noticed my car was fitted with a 1750 clutch slave cylinder, which has…

ehen I boaght the Mustang earlier this year, I naively thought I’d drive it over the summer while making a snagging list of jobs to attend to next winter. Well, guess what – the plan seems to be working. I’ve now covered more than 2500 miles, nearly all of them with the windows down for maximum pillarless cool factor, and the car hasn’t missed a beat. My one regret in this unusually warm British summer is that I changed the 160ºF thermostat for a hotter one, as described last month: I really shouldn’t have bothered! All I’ve done lately with the Mustang, therefore, is use it and enjoy it. I frequently find myself living out the old cliché of turning to look back at it after parking up. For a…

It must be 17 or 18 years since I last painted a car. That vehicle was my ’62 Beetle, which I still drive weekly, and the cellulose paint has stood up pretty well, considering it was all done in a single-car garage and I’m a photographer, not a painter. But I swore I would never, ever paint another car. The relentless panel prep – a never-ending routine of fill, rub down and repeat until my arms ached and fingers were raw – has never left my mind. So I still don’t know why I agreed to put myself through it all again. Maybe because there were two of us this time. Damon, a friend and co-owner of the rally-inspired Beetle, said: ‘It will be fun; we’ve done everything else.’ I’ll…

octane was on press the day before this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours kicked off. So I missed the chance to drive over there with a fleet of classic Astons in order to see the Aston Martin Racing team’s new Vantage GTEs in full flight. Instead, it was a 4am start from Heathrow, and arrival at La Sarthe an hour or two before the start of the race (more on that shortly). At some point I’d find the chance to drive the fabulous DB4 that had made the trip all the way from Newport Pagnell. It’s a 1962 Series IV that had been on sale in the showroom at Aston Martin Works, given a once-over by the mechanics and pressed straight into action for a two-day, 450-mile blast…

Does anyone still use the phrase ‘like a curate’s egg – it’s good in parts’? Tony Crook, the famously idiosyncratic founder and long-time boss of Bristol Cars, certainly would have been familiar with this subtle British witticism (Wikipedia will give you the low-down, should you require it). As to why it’s relevant to this book review… Well, let’s start by saying that Mr Bristol is actually very good in most of its parts, as indeed it should be for an asking price of £300, which rises to £1250 if you want it bound in Mongolian calfskin. The production quality is sublime. Beautifully printed on heavyweight art paper, the majority of its 220 pages are devoted to photographs, from family snapshots (rarely seen, and all the more interesting because of that)…

It’s a shame this book’s garish cover looks as though it has been appropriated from a children’s book, because it conceals a goldmine of rare Land Rover images and it’s authored by James Taylor, who is perhaps the pre-eminent historian of the marque. The format is simple: a chronological picture gallery, with extended captions, of the numerous conversions carried out on Land Rovers through the decades, right up to the L322 Range Rover and Discovery 4. It’s the period images of Series vehicles that captivate, however – who could fail to love a Spanish Police Series I on wide-whitewall tyres? Naturally, fire, police and ambulance vehicles dominate, but there’s a huge variety of more specialist applications pictured here, too – everything from a mobile vet’s clinic to the cliff-rescue vehicles…

The Prancing Bull. Doesn’t another Italian maker of fast cars have one of those on its badge? Leaving that aside, this is an updated edition of a book about an obscure Italian car company with crucial US links and a many-threaded tale. The Intermeccanica saga begins with founder Frank Reisner – born in Hungary, raised in Canada with frequent visits to the US, settled in Italy – creating a neat Peugeot-powered Formula Junior racing car, which he sent to the US. Next came a very small rear-engined car called the IMP, not that Imp but based on a Steyr-Puch 500 with a curvy coupé body: InterMeccanica Puch. Then came the brainwave: sleek Italian design, carrozzeria construction and reliable US V8 power, the best of all worlds for fashion-chasing US buyers…

‘Internacional’ Racing Car BY SANCHIS In 1954, a man called José Antonio Sanchís Pina, who ran a workshop making thermoplastic mouldings and metal castings near Alicante in Spain, decided to use his expertise to produce toys. He was only one of many doing something similar, for there had been a flourishing toy industry in the town of Ibi since the early 20th Century. By 1936 there were three large companies making tinplate toy products – Paya, Rico and Jyesa. The Spanish Civil War put an end to all that, but the industry revived in the late 1940s, making increasing use of plastic rather than tinplate. In spite of the competition, Sanchís prospered and by 1969 he was able to open a large modern factory. Most Sanchis toys were moulded in…

SWISS ARTIST, architect and designer Max Bill was a founder of Germany’s Ulm School of Design which supported a neo-Bauhaus philosophy: art with a positive societal impact and objects that were affordable, functional and stylish, each characterised by precise proportions. One of his most memorable works is his poster for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games – a white rhombus at the centre of a crisscross of colour, a prism of optimism all the more poignant given the tragic events that would overshadow the Games. His mission was to unite style and utility through simple geometry and graphic devices. In the early 1950s, Bill was approached by Junghans to create a number of clocks and timepieces which have become horological classics, the most famous of which is his 1956 V-shaped kitchen…

£1,086,500 ($1,450,000) 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible Bonhams, Greenwich, USA. 3 June £886,300 1965 Aston Martin DB5 4.2 Convertible Bonhams, Reading, UK. 2 June £790,000 (€899,000) 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster Dorotheum, Vösendorf, Austria. 23 June £670,500 ($895,000) 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster Bonhams, Greenwich, USA. 3 June £637,500 1970 Aston Martin Volante Bonhams, Reading, UK. 2 June £628,700 1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.2 Sports Saloon Bonhams, Reading, UK. 2 June £583,500 (€663,800) 1966 Maserati Mistral Spyder 3700 Dorotheum, Vösendorf, Austria. 23 June £543,000 ($720,000) 1995 Ford Roush Mustang Cobra SCCA Trans Am RM Sotheby’s, Hampton, USA. 23-24 June £494,300 1967 Aston Martin Volante Bonhams, Reading, UK. 2 June £393,500 1958 Aston Martin DB Mkeee Drophead Coupé Bonhams, Reading, UK. 2 June…

In 1979 a fire ripped through Elstree Studios, destroying Stage 3 and halting production of The Shining temporarily. The blaze caught the attention of Jun’ichi Yaoi, a Japanese UFO enthusiast, who concluded, naturally, that the set of Stanley Kubrick’s horror film was a hotbed of paranormal activity. Amazingly, when he pitched up with a TV crew to ‘investigate’, he was given a full tour – and managed to speak to the director on the phone. ‘Uh, Space Travel 2001. What is meaning of last scene?’ Jun’ichi asks, in an unaired clip that surfaced recently. Perhaps disarmed by his interviewer’s broken English, Kubrick answers the question he had dodged for years. ‘God-like entities… put him [Dr David Bowman] in what I suppose you could describe as a human zoo… When they…

1994 Land Rover Defender ‘NAS’. £89,850 North American-specification Defenders carry big prices in the States, as does this repatriated example. Uprated 4.6-litre engine and 1400 miles. bramley.com (UK) 1965 euffaker Genie Mk10 $125,000 One of only six Mk10 Genies built, and an original factory works racer driven by Jack Dalton, Bob Bondurant and Augie Pabst. Still relatively fresh from a rebuild in 2013. fantasyjunction.com (USA) 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL 6.0 AMG. £69,950 Pre-merger AMGs were a different breed. This 6.0-litre Beryl Blue R129 is fast, loud and possibly the least subtle SL ever. And it’s barely run-in with just over 11,000km, too. ddclassics.com (UK) 1957 AC Ace ¤305,000 Sold new to Cyprus in 1957, this Ace was hobbled with the AC 2.0-litre six-cylinder engine, but got the rare lightweight transmission…

WHAT Te PAY The same could be said of any Rolls-Royce, but there is no such thing as a cheap Silver Ghost. History can play a big part, as can body type – limousines, and open tourers in the style of the London-Edinburgh cars, are the most common – but age is the biggest consideration. Pre-World War One cars can range from £350,000 for a restoration project to over £2m, depending on condition and provenance. As a rule, the earlier the chassis, the more valuable it is. Those built following the war are considerably cheaper and much easier to find. They range from just over £125,000 to around £750,000 for a restored car. The USAmanufactured Ghosts potentially offer the best value. LeeK eUT FeR… It’s important to ascertain the ‘test…

Your tired old car needs to be brought back to life. It might involve minor metalwork, a repaint, mechanical refreshment, or it might be a major dismantle, reconstruct, refurbish, refinish and re-assembly job. Either way, you’ll probably entrust the bulk of it to a specialist. The nub of the job is going to happen in the specialist’s bodyshop. So, how do you manage the relationship you’re about to have? You may well have asked for an estimate beforehand, or even a firm quotation, but insisting on the latter instantly sows the seed of discord. Any work on a classic car nearly always turns out to be more complex, and therefore more costly, than anyone expects – even the experienced restorer’s X-ray vision of hidden inner rot is no better than…

‘This,’ says Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s design vice-president, ‘is not the new GT-R.’ Its purpose is to mark two 50th anniversaries: the launch of the first Nissan with a GT-R badge and performance to suit, and half a century of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Ital Design company. It’s an unexpected collaboration, given that nowadays Italdesign belongs to the VW group, and equally unexpected is that the design house didn’t actually design the GT-R50. Instead it has built a design conceived by Nissan’s US and London studios. The GT-R50 is based on a current GT-R Nismo, from which the design theme is clearly derived. The roof is lower, the arches are more muscular, the shoulder line tapers around the base of the rear window with each side meeting on the bootlid. Familiar elements are…

It’s hard for me to believe I’ve owned my McLaren F1 for over 20 years. What’s even harder to believe is that I almost didn’t buy it. There had been a number of other supercars on the market that turned out to be disappointing. There was the Jaguar XJ220, meant to have a V12 engine but later changed to a twin-turbo V6. There was also the Vector, an American supercar using a large twin-turbo V8 and also not quite what was promised. So when the F1 finally came out, with the price tag more than double that of some other supercars, a lot of people thought, well, how good could it be? I was one of those sceptical people. Back in 1992, $810,000 for a car seemed crazy. You could…

The Best Sedan in the World. That’s how Road & Track magazine rated the XJ6 after its launch in 1968. ‘The finest Jaguar ever,’ said boss Sir William Lyons. He would say that, of course, but it turns out he was right. The XJ6 was the best and most successful Jaguar of the lot. Jaguar has had a long history of revealing stunning-looking cars since its inception in 1922 as the Swallow Sidecar Company. William Lyons had a real eye for styling and the first Jaguar, the SS 2½-litre, looked like a svelte Bentley but cost one-third as much. This was followed by the curvaceous SS100 sports car, then the XK120 and E-type, all of them incredibly beautiful and attention-grabbing machines at affordable prices. A four-door saloon was never going…

JONATHAN HEaNES is fuming. He’s in the middle of having a petrol tank replaced in his 1969 XJ6, and the brand-new tank doesn’t fit – the outlet connections aren’t correct, it seems. ‘I used to know literally every nut and bolt of these cars,’ he complains. ‘I lived and breathed the XJ6.’ He’s not exaggerating, because Jonathan is one of very few survivors from the original XJ6 development team. He started his apprenticeship under fabled Jaguar engine designer Wally Hassan, in the toolroom at Coventry Climax, which Jaguar had recently acquired. ‘I began work in January 1964 and the very first thing I witnessed was the first cut of the new V12 block,’ he recalls. You may recognise Jonathan’s surname: his father was William ‘Bill’ Heynes, chief engineer at Jaguar…

TIME aAS aHEN I just couldn’t drive up the Hollywood freeway in Los Angeles without pulling off onto Barham Boulevard to visit my all-time favourite car, the Mantaray. It was built in only 120 days during 1964 by legendary custom painter Dean ‘Jeff ’ Jeffries, and I’d never seen anything quite so sexual that had four wheels rather than two legs. Its sensual contours, like those of its ocean-going namesake, were further stamped into our psyche later that year when it appeared in the movie Bikini Beach starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. To us car guys, however, the cars were the stars, not those pesky Mouseketeers. So who was Jeff, and how did he create something so cool? And is it true that, far from being based on the…

The contrast couldn’t be much greater. Before setting out in this 89bhp, 2.3-litre 1982 Mercedes-Benz G-wagen, I’d stepped out of the monstrously powerful – 577bhp – G63 AMG. The new one. Which is capable of amazing feats on the road as well as off (see Octane 181). Yet none of that is to denigrate the original. Times – and it’s taken four decades – have changed, especially in SUV world. That phrase, for a start. The original G-wagen was no SUV because such things didn’t exist. Geländewagen means ‘off-road vehicle’. Its evolution has been remarkable. And this is where it began. The latest is the first all-new version since the G-wagen was introduced in 1979, though there was a bit of a revision 28 years ago (a new dashboard was…

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…

sadlae there is nowhere near enough space here to detail all that has happened to the Singer since I reported on its radiator’s new chrome covering last year. But all of it was done with one crucial goal: to drive it to the 50th National Day of the Singer Owners’ Club in June, at Woburn Abbey. As you can see, it was mission accomplished. So here’s a précis of what got it there. I finished the re-make of the body frame’s bulkhead area, repainted the steel scuttle side panels and fitted them. Next, on went the cylinder head with new studs less likely to stretch and able to take a touch more tightening torque. I spent a while timing the overhead camshaft, crucial to optimum pace, then fitted the original…

eHANK GOODNEaa London remains a city where most people rise late at the weekends. Early morning weekend drives are a treat, and on Sunday 24 June the Jaguar and I duly motored across to Belgrave Square for the Belgravia Classic Car Show (See Events). With no parking restrictions on a Sunday, I left the XK outside the Square garden, where the inner circle of the concours was on display, so a quick getaway was assured. Belgrave Square garden is usually locked, with access for residents only, so I normally drive past without paying much attention. Only when you’re in it do you realise how big it is. Bentley man John Rendall (pictured right, with the hat) and Ferrari man Christopher Cornelius led me to where most of the usual suspects…

‘SHE PRINTED 10,000 COPIES BUT WAS REBUFFED BY ALL UNTIL WH SMITH AGREED TO TAKE 1250. THESE SHE DELIVERED ON A HANDCART’ One day in eag5 a young woman set out from her north London flat to walk to a party in Belgravia. Eventually she realised that she was lost. Frustrated by her inability to navigate the metropolitan maze, she determined to create an indexed map of the capital. She even had a name for it: A-Z. She later claimed, in a self-published biography and many interviews, that it was the first complete map of London’s thoroughfares and that, astonishingly, she had spent a year of 18-hour days tramping 3000 miles surveying every one of its 23,000 streets. Only it wasn’t, and she didn’t. It seems that Phyllis Pearsall (née…

This isn’t Palawan’s usual fare, but embodies many of the qualities for which the company has become renowned. What you get for your money is a beautifully presented, slipcase-shod hardback of over 500 pages on the hybrid hypercar, plus a 46-page supplement listing bespoke detailing chassis by chassis. Part 1 of the main event covers the conception and development of the 918, while the last 300 pages form a comprehensive chassis list, each car illustrated with a picture. An epic effort.…

It’s impossible to resist turning straight to the epilogue, in which author Skeens manages to get Barnard and Ron Dennis back together, two relentless perfectionists, for a tour of McLaren’s super-swish factory after 30 years of mutual hostility. It’s priceless. The rest of the book, too, is a great insight into this driven, fractious and brilliant race-car designer, and you’ll even become an expert in the carbonfibre structures that Barnard pioneered.…

WILLIAMS FW14 ENDPLATE REPLICA SIGNED BY NIGEL MANSELL There is no part of the brightly liveried FW14 that wouldn’t look good on the wall; easier to find room, though, for an endplate than for a nose cone, or a wing, or an airbox. This is a replica of the famous Labatt’s plate seen on Williams cars during the 1991 and ’92 F1 seasons, but rest assured it is signed by the real Nige. £199. thesignaturestore.co.uk MERCEDES-BENZ W196 MONZA T-SHIRT Mercedes may drily describe this as ‘men’s shirt B66041577’ but it’s a bit more exciting than that, featuring a W196 streamliner. £41.2e. shop.mercedes-benz.com ALFA ROMEO 8C-2300 MODEL BY AMALGAM There was, obviously, no CAD data to lean on when Amalgam set about creating a 1:8-scale version of the 1932 Monaco GP-winning…

AN IMPORaANa ROeAL talisman is offered for sale via the Private Sales service at Christie’s, London (christies.com/privatesales). Stored away in its original silk-lined case, this large silver watch (signed as the ‘Atlas Watch’) once belonged to Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, the bon-vivant grandson of Queen Victoria and second in line to the throne. The silver-cased open-face watch with 1885 London hallmarks was supplied to the Royal Household by Clark of Old Bond Street, a specialist in gentlemen’s accoutrements. Surviving examples of the retailer’s wares today include gambling sets bound in bright leathers, a Malacca wood walking stick with silver gilt knob handle which had belonged to Edward VII, and a silver-plated picnic set with collapsible beakers. Prince Albert Victor’s watch is fitted with a cleverly concealed…

HAMILTON KHAKI FIELD MECHANICAL This robust tool watch is a faithful evocation of a 1940s original supplied to the US military, which was later updated and worn by American soldiers and pilots during the Vietnam War. Everything about it is sturdy and no-nonsense, from its chunky knurled crown (perfect for easy adjustment on the battlefield) and rugged NATO strap to its Swiss-made, manually wound workhorse movement. The dial display is functional and easy to read, with luminous hands against a matt black dial with retro-looking Arabic numbers, arrow points at each hour and an inner ring marking 24-hour time. £400 APPROX, HAMILTONWATCH.COM A LANGE & SÖHNE 1815 TOURBILLON There have been many variations of A Lange & Söhne’s 1815 Tourbillon range, in which the escapement and balance wheel are mounted…

26 July H&H, Bickenhill, UK (Motorcycle Auction) 27 July SWVA, Poole, UK 2-4 August Mecum, Harrisburg, USA 4 August Coys, Jüchen, Germany 4 August Worldwide, Shipshewana, USA 11 August Mathewsons, Thornton-le-Dale, UK 13 August Shannons, Sydney, Australia 18 August Morris Leslie, Errol, UK 18 August Cheffins, Harrogate, UK 23 August Worldwide, Pacific Grove, USA 23-25 August Mecum, Monterey, USA 23-25 August Russo & Steele, Monterey, USA 24 August Bonhams, Carmel, USA 24-25 August Gooding & Co, Pebble Beach, USA 24-25 August RM Sotheby’s, Monterey, USA 24-25 August Vicari, New Orleans, USA 25 August Anglia Car Auctions, King’s Lynn, UK 25-26 August Lucky Collector Car Auctions, Tacoma, USA 30 August – 2 September RM Sotheby’s, Auburn, USA 1 September Bonhams, Beaulieu, UK 1 September Worldwide, Auburn, USA 1-2 September Silver Auctions,…

BACKGROUND We are a small but very mobile parts and restoration specialist who like nothing better than helping where others can’t and tackling requests for rare parts and bespoke projects. This year marks 25 years in business and, while we sometimes don’t shout as loud as others, we quite like being ‘Austin-Healey’s best-kept secret’. When you do find us, you’ll benefit from decades of focused hands-on experience. When it comes to restoring or running these cars, there are very few problems we haven’t already come across and we often know the answer before you’ve asked the question. This is our business but equally it’s your hobby, and while parts must be paid for, our advice is given freely – it’s the cornerstone of our valued reputation. PARTS CapeSport upgrade parts…

‘POLISHING THE PAINT ON AN F40 TAKES SIX OR SEVEN HOURS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY AIR DUCTS, VERY EDGY, VERY SHARP’ Thie mgeTified laak comes over people’s faces when I say I’m a detailer, an ‘extreme valeter’. When I say I can spend four days on one car, they’re suddenly fascinated. I’ve been married for 19 years to Amanda, and our children are Faye, 16, and James, nearly 13, but I’m not sure if even they know the level I do it to. The ‘detailing’ term is only ten years old, but I first used a machine polisher on paintwork over 20 years ago, when it was only done by bodyshops post-accident. I’d seen imperfections in paintwork that frustrated me because I couldn’t remove them by hand. It needed…