Octane February 2016

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW how to induce fear, and probably a touch of loathing, into the heart of a magazine publisher, there are few better ways than to present him with a cover featuring a beige car of ‘challenging’ appearance. And yet, there’s always been something about Aston Martin’s ‘wedge’ Lagonda that has attracted the car enthusiast, and they’re suddenly becoming really hot property – so I’d like to think this month’s Octane will be another best-seller, beige or not. We love it! Another reason that we chose this month to feature the Lagonda is that we finally got our hands on Aston Martin’s new Lagonda Taraf. To get the two cars together, and drive both, was fascinating; you can read about them starting on page 62 for the…

KEVIN MCCLOUD ‘My world is one of buildings. Cars are a different matter.’ So says TV presenter Kevin McCloud, whose expertise may be of bricks and mortar but who also has a long-standing love of classic cars. So strong were his feelings about the Baillon Ferrari that he felt compelled to write – read his fascinating feature on pages 118-122. MEL NICHOLS ‘We’ve been here before, photographer Martyn Goddard and I, in another Audi Quattro,’ says Mel Nichols of his return to the Alpine cols of the Monte Carlo rally, three decades on. This is Mel’s first feature in Octanebut he brings a wealth of experience from his days at the helm of Carmagazine, as you’ll see on pages 124-132. CHRIS BIETZK As the man in charge of Octane’s The…

OCTANEMERCHANDISE Disappointed by your Christmas presents? From prints to magazine binders, Octanemight have just what you need to make yourself feel better. See www.octane-magazine.com. BUY OR SELL CLASSICS ONLINE Want to buy a classic car? Got a classic car to sell? Just fancy browsing classic cars for sale in your lunch hour? Satisfy all your cravings at www.classicand performancecar.com. ONE FOR BOND FANS Look out for the latest issue of Octane’s sister magazine Vantage, with a cover story that celebrates the relationship between Aston Martin and James Bond – including the DB10 from the new film Spectre. SUBSCRIBE TO OCTANE Have Octanedelivered hot off the press – or read the digital edition on your iPad, PC or laptop. See our special offer (pages 174-175) or search for ‘Octanemagazine’ in your…

THE FAMOUS RAC RALLY is back, in the form of an historic event that unites the RAC and the Royal Automobile Club with HERO’s established Rally of the Tests, to recreate the glory days of one of the world’s most important rallies. The new event is set to take place in the UK on 3-6 November 2016. The original RAC Rally ran from 1932 until 1939, returning after the war in 1951 as The RAC Rally of the Tests, attracting huge crowds and top-level teams. In 1960 the organisers included a three-mile forest stage for the first time, and it proved such a success that from 1961 the event became the RAC Rally of the Forests, establishing the template for UK stage rallying for decades to come. That 1961 event…

LONDON’S PALL MALL is the address of the Royal Automobile Club. It is not the easiest place to get to in your classic car, nor is it easy to park when you do get there. Despite this, very early on a November morning, four classic Jaguars were lined up outside, waiting to leave for Goodwood House, 60 miles away. And with the cars was the fabled Jaguar development driver Norman Dewis OBE, who was at the Club following an audience in his honour the night before. Since 1952, Norman Dewis has been the symbol of Jaguar, where he worked testing new models, racing them, achieving speed records or making legendary journeys, such as from Coventry to Geneva in 1961 at an average of 70mph with the brand new Jaguar E-type…

A CORNER OF THE VAST Mirafiori plant in Turin is now dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of classic Abarths – from the 595 and 695 to 124 Spider and 131 Rally. The workshop is part of the wider Abarth Classiche initiative, which will include an Abarth Register – under the auspices of which official participation in events and competitions is planned – and also a certification programme. The certification programme is intended to recognise all those cars that have had official Abarth mechanical upgrades, as many cars have been converted in the years since Carlo Abarth founded his tuning business in 1949. Abarth made kits available that boosted power for such cars as the Fiat 500 and 600 – only today it is believed that many have been faked.…