Octane July 2020

OCTANE IS, of course, no different from anyone else in being devastated at the loss of the hero that was Sir Stirling Moss. What a beacon this great man was, for Britain, for motorsport and Historic motorsport, for honesty, loyalty, high values and good manners. Despite the past few years of illness, what boundless energy and enthusiasm we will associate with him always, what unparallelled joie de vivre has now sadly been snuffed out. We have no doubt that by the time this issue comes out you will have read pretty much every fact about Stirling and seen every picture – and that is only right and proper – but we make no apology for craving your indulgence one last time. Nor do we seek to explain away a slightly…

HARRY METCALFE ‘Taking a 1987 Lotus Turbo Esprit on a 2000-mile dash in the middle of winter? Madness, you say. Yet of all the cars I’ve done these silly trips in, the Lotus is the only one that didn’t put a foot wrong. No hissy fits, no oil or water consumed, no funny noises, nothing. Who’d have thought it?’ Join him for his epic trip on pages 46-58. KARL LUDVIGSEN ‘I considered the Railton Special to be the best-engineered car for its purpose ever conceived. I interviewed Reid Railton on the phone when I wrote a profile of him in 1974. So when his daughter Sally Railton Joslin tracked me down, I was pleased beyond measure to tell her father’s story.’ This 200mph MG is the best bit: pages 86-94.…

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 of our favourites… Remembering freedom This 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL was photographed just outside Palm Springs, California, using a Nikon D850 with a 27-70mm f2.8 lens. It’s not the photographer’s own car, but a rental from Palm Springs. While visiting this past winter, Avery Peechatka hired the Benz to enjoy the desert sunshine and embrace the Coachella Valley’s Mid-Century vibe. He says: ‘The desert suits the SL — there is an indescribable golden, aqua hue to this landscape that makes the SL seem almost organic,…

GIVEN CURRENT circumstances, it’s easy to forget the endless stream of auctions, concours, Historic races and other automotive events. Easy, too, to forget how they might make us think that there’s nothing exceptional left to discover – but a visit to the Brumos Collection can provide an attitude adjustment. The collection occupies a brand new 35,000sq ft building with strong industrial touches in its architecture and décor. Design inspiration came from the now-idle Ford assembly plant in Jacksonville, where Henry Ford once built his Model T. A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder and a replica 1930 Bentley ‘Blue Train’ Special stand sentinel outside the entrance, giving a feel for what is to come. Once in the lobby, you find a fully restored Model T from that factory sitting in absolutely immaculate…

Kidston S.A. 7 Avenue Pictet de Rochemont, 1207 Geneva, Switzerland www.kidston.com…

‘THE GREATEST RACING DRIVER never to win the World Championship’: Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss was certainly the best known racing driver in Great Britain, if not the world. He was the first professional racing driver and, with an abundance of talent, brought a modern athlete’s focus, determination, preparation and technical organisation to a sport that had previously been enjoyed by gentlemen drivers. His single-minded approach to his sport was evident whether rallying, racing production sports cars and touring cars, or at the top of Formula 1 with the best teams. As well as his 16 GP wins, a stand-out achievement was his total domination of the 1955 Mille Miglia in the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR with navigator Denis Jenkinson. Many drivers wouldn’t take a passenger on this arduous 1000-mile road race but…