Octane February 2025

ONE OF MY earliest and happiest memories of doing this job relates to a Jaguar D-type. I was barely out of my 20s and working for a different magazine (Octane didn’t exist then) when collector Peter Neumark invited me to try his recently purchased example. It was the ex-Jumbo Goddard car, which had been turned into a sort of prototype XKSS by its gung-ho owner. Underneath some interesting roadable modifications, however, lay chassis XKC 402, aka OKV 1, aka the second example that Jaguar produced and one of the three original 1954 Le Mans team cars. In fact, with Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton at the wheel, it was the highest Coventry finisher that year, coming second only to the Pampas Bull and Maurice Trintignant in their Ferrari 375 Plus.…

SIMON ALDRIDGE ‘I love studying period photographs of cars and houses to see how they looked originally. Visiting Mark Haddawy’s Mid Century home in the Hollywood hills to discuss his Jaguar D-type restoration was like stepping into one of those old photographs. Time travel is real.’ Find out more on pages 60-70. ANDREW NOAKES ‘As a trained engineer I’ve always found the thoroughness of the Silver Arrows teams fascinating. Stirling Moss once said that if he’d suggested they try square wheels Uhlenhaut would have flicked through his notebook and said: ‘We tried that in 1938. There was too much vibration.’ Silver Arrows: where are they now? Pages 118-120. ADAM TOWLER ‘I love how these three tiny cars feel genuinely exotic. Athough their original price tags wouldn’t stretch beyond a handful of options…

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 High Street and 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.co.uk/subscribe. Order before 17 January 2025 to start with issue 261. Problems with your subscription? Please email customerservice@octane-magazine.com…

International Historic Motoring Awards 22 November Nearly 400 of the classic car world’s guiding lights gathered at The Peninsula London for the International Historic Motoring Awards Presented by Lockton. The 16 trophies honoured excellence (see Octane 259 for the winners), culminating in Car of the Year, voted for by you and awarded to Fritz Burkard’s Pebble Beach-winning Bugatti Type 59 (far right, middle), and the Lifetime Achievement award, which went to Sylviane and Patrick Peter (see page 104). Octane contributor Rowan Atkinson (bottom right) welcomed guests, and the evening was hosted by Amanda Stretton. Rally of the Tests 7-10 November The Volvo PV544 crew of Dan Willan and Niall Frost took an astonishing third consecutive win on HERO-ERA’s three-day/one-night, 34-test and 24-regularity, 800-mile rally from Darlington to Windermere via Edinburgh.…

1 January Brooklands New Year’s Day Classic Gathering The UK’s biggest New Year’s Day meet, with over 1000 classic cars, live music and a barbecue. brooklandsmuseum.com 1 January Vintage Stony Despite the name, this event in Stony Stratford, Bucks, attracts mid-century and modern classics as well as vintage cars and bikes. Vehicles start leaving at 2pm, so don’t roll out of bed too late! vintagestony.co.uk 5 January Bicester Heritage January Scramble Bicester Heritage’s first Scramble of 2025 is set to include ‘Class of the Field’, a display of interesting vintage tractors. bicesterheritage.co.uk 9-12 January Autosport International The motorsport show returns to Birmingham’s NEC, where the main attraction will be a huge display celebrating 75 years of F1. autosportinternational.com 11-12 January VSCC Measham Rally The VSCC’s famously testing overnight navigation rally,…

Coppa della Alpi 12-16 March A winter run again after the May outing in 2024, it will feature 94 time trials and eight regularities in three legs from Italy via Switzerland to Austria. Open to pre-1990 cars. 1000miglia.it Rallye Dubrovnik > Venise 19-25 April Starting in Croatia and heading up the Adriatic coast to the Italian city via Ljubljana, this event costs €16,350 per car and promises the best roads of Croatia and Slovenia. Open to post-1950 classics and selected modern sports cars. rallystory.com Driver’s Rally Cap Corse 28 May – 1 June Open to all cars and, at less than 200km a day, offering time to take in Corsica’s sensational scenery. All based at the four-star Hotel Castel Brando in Erbalunga. driversrally.com Modena Cento Ore 5-11 October Celebrating its 25th…