Octane August 2020

THE 20-YEAR-OLD me wouldn’t have looked twice at a MkIII GT40. At that age an element of masochism in your motoring is a badge of honour. Let’s face it, it is at any age for some, such as endurance rallyists, the hardy souls of the VSCC and plenty more. Why would some invincible and immortal young buck want a toned-down version of the GT40 and miss out on some of the true ‘experience’? Now I am firmly ensconced in middle age, so while enough of the young rebel remains to want to run a GT40 on the road (and not just occasionally), the idea of one with some of the sharper edges smoothed off really appeals. If such a car were launched nowadays, there would be a huge media campaign…

DIRK DE JAGER ‘I’ve always wanted to shoot on the oval at Ford’s proving grounds in Belgium, but it’s always a “no!” – unless you show up with three GT40s! The sound of those cars on the banking was just astonishing.’ Not only did Dirk shoot the epic GT40s (pages 52-62), he also shot a rather special BMW 328 Mille Miglia (pages 76-84). SARAH BRADLEY ‘Barry Sheene was a household name during my 1970s childhood in a motorcycle-mad family. Decades later, I finally saw him in action at Goodwood. To be acquainted with his “long lost” 1973 Seeley-Suzuki TR500 for our Brands Hatch photoshoot was a real treat.’ Barry Sheene’s racer: pages 102-108. ALEX TAPLEY ‘I’ve always liked older Citroëns, mainly because they are so different from so many other cars.…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Rather than suspend this section due to the classic car calendar being obliterated, we threw it open to readers and were swamped with thousands of superb pictures capturing the pre-Coronavirus classic motoring dream and the frustrations of ‘lockdown’ in equal measure. Here are just a few more of our favourites… The call of the wild Will Aron is busy building an automotive freelance photography career in North Wales. He says: ‘One of the best events up here is the Three Castles Trial. The cars begin on the Promenade in Llandudno and venture across North Wales for three days.’ One of 2019’s participants was this 1964 Lotus Cortina driven by Chris Howell and Jon Briggs, which Will captured on prologue day using his Canon 5D Mk IV and…

WHEN YOU ACCUMULATE a large collection of cars and automobilia, they really should be under one roof. Michel Hommell went searching for such a roof and found it just south of the medieval city of Rennes, in the picturesque village of Lohéac. Little did he realise that he would put the village on the map, ultimately gathering a several-hundred-strong automobile collection that would become famous worldwide. Former racing driver, manufacturer and motoring press baron Michel opened his museum in 1988. He had been collecting cars since he was a teenager and was trying to find a way to keep them together. Quite naturally, he found the village of Lohéac appealing and bought a nearby farm. Fifteen years later, he had constructed what you see today, with an impressive collection of…

‘HAVING LOST such a stunning spring, we’re hearing there is a lot of pent-up demand from enthusiasts wanting to get out in their classics, and not just for events. We are all keen to enjoy our hobby as soon as possible.’ Bicester Motion’s Daniel Geoghegan sums up the view of many classic owners as post-Covid uncertainty continues into 2020’s summer. With travel restrictions, cancelled events and council road closures, what’s the future for classics and the classic car industry post-lockdown? The UK lockdown, announced on 23 March, ended a bumper classic summer before a wheel had even turned. According to David Whale, chairman of The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, there were more than 27,000 meet-ups, shows and events scheduled. ‘We’ve seen around 10,000 of those events cancelled because…

BRUCE IMMORTALISED IN BRONZE Amanda McLaren has unveiled a life-sized statue of her father Bruce to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death, aged just 32. The kiwi engineer, racer, car designer and team founder and principal, who came to the UK as part of the Driver to Europe scheme, died while testing a McLaren M8D at Goodwood on 2 June 1970. The unveiling of the statue, sculpted by Paul Oz – who also created McLaren’s sculpture of Ayrton Senna – took place in a private ceremony at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking on 2 June, and 50 candles were lit alongside a sister car to the one in which McLaren lost his life. Amanda McLaren said: ‘When my father died in June 1970 – just 12 years after…