Octane 258 December 2024 by Hothouse Media

BMW Z CARS – WE DRIVE THEM ALL FROM INNOVATIVE Z1 TO 400BHP Z8

centenary

THE

100 CARS, PEOPLE AND EVENTS THAT MADE MG GREAT

ULTIMATE INTEGRALE Skunkworks Autec Evo 1

ROLLS CONCOURS KING

Phantom Sports prototype

MERCEDES GULLWING

70 years of a gamechanger

REMEMBERING MR SO-CAL

The amazing life of Alex Xydias

ISSUE 258, DECEMBER 2024. £6.50 / AUS $15.00

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The Bond Street Sale Entries Invited

Fine Fine Collectors’ Collectors’ Motor Motor Cars Cars

New New Bond Bond Street, Street, London London || 12 12 December December 2024 2024

ENQUIRIES ENQUIRIES +44 +44 (0) (0) 20 20 7468 7468 5801 5801 ukcars@bonhamscars.com ukcars@bonhamscars.com

bonhamscars.com/bondstreet bonhamscars.com/bondstreet

1970 1970 ASTON ASTON MARTIN MARTIN DB6 DB6 MK2 SALOON SALOON MK2 £120,000 -- 180,000 180,000 ** £120,000

** For For details details of of the the charges charges payable payable in in addition addition to to the the ﬁﬁnal nal hammer hammer price, price, please please visit visit bonhams.com/buyersguide bonhams.com/buyersguide

Forthcoming Forthcoming sales sales THE SCOTTSDALE SCOTTSDALE AUCTION AUCTION THE 24 24 January January 2025 2025 THE PARIS PARIS SALE SALE THE 6 6 February February 2025 2025

Issue 258 December 2024

PAGE

Contents

‘BMW WAS CRYSTAL BALLGAZING WHEN IT LAUNCHED THE Z1 IN 1989’ THE Z-CAR GREATS

108

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Contents Issue 258

116 Features 100 YEARS OF MG 46 A centenary of landmark events

70 YEARS OF GULLWING 60 Driving the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300SL – and understanding what makes it a must-have for all serious collectors

MR SO-CAL 70 Remembering belly-tank king, Alex Xydias

BMW Z-CARS 76 From Z1 to Z8 via Z3 and Z4 – and a surprise verdict on which one you should buy now

CLUB DES AUTOS 88

A classic bolthole in the South of France

THE OCTANE INTERVIEW 92 Racer and turbo-tuner, Dave Brodie

ROLLS PROTOTYPE 98 One-off sports prototype, sold to an Indian maharajah, now a multiple concours winner

SKUNKWORKS INTEGRALE 108 Driving the unique Autec Martini 6 prototype

WHO WAS RUDI KLEIN? 116 Fabulous insight into the man behind the ‘ junkyard’ collection as it goes up for grabs

LE MANS FRAZER NASH 120 Actually a Targa Florio, with amazing 24 Hours history – and one owner for 55 years

120 5

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Contents Issue 258

Regulars EVENTS & NEWS 16 International Historic Motoring Awards shortlist, plus events and diary dates

COLUMNS 35 Motor noters Jay Leno, Derek Bell, Stephen Bayley and Robert Coucher

LETTERS 43 Bigging up Spyker’s first supercar – of 1903…

OCTANE CARS 132 A Triumphant return for editor James Elliott

OVERDRIVE 140 Electric DeLorean; last-gasp Maserati V8

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN 144 The Formula 1 ‘amateur’ Eric Thompson

GEARBOX 146 Vilnius Auto Museum’s Povilas Eitutis

ICON 148 The Lava Lamp, ultimate in hippy chic

CHRONO 150 Parking meter watches. Apparently

BOOKS 152 A new Derek Warwick biography and more

148

CHRISTMAS GEAR GUIDE 156 All you could want (as well as two front teeth)

THE MARKET 176

156

Insider knowledge, auction news, stats, cars for sale, buy an Aston Martin Cygnet

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 210

144

Mate Rimac, creator of the Nevera R: 2078bhp and 0-186mph in 8.66sec…

146

152 6

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REWINDING BACK INTO TIME

3 - 6 J U LY 2 0 2 5

Issue 258 December 2024

WELCOME

FEATURING

FROM THE EDITOR

JON PRESSNELL ‘I’ve spent a lot of time writing about MG and its parent companies, culminating in the publication of my biography of founder Cecil Kimber. Since his day the marque has often had a pretty rough ride – it really deserved better. Selecting 100 key moments was thus an enjoyable but bitter-sweet exercise.’

100 years of MG: pages 46-58.

The Octagon hits a century MG IS 100… or is it? We are well aware that some celebrated this historic milestone last year, a century on from when the Octagon badge was first used; a few even went for years earlier than that, and no doubt some will settle on 2025 or later. As you’ll learn, you could have pretty much any year between 1921 and 1928 – so why did Octane opt for 2024? Because that is when production began of the first proper MG, the James Elliott, Editor in chief Bullnose Morris-based Super Sports. Oh, and it was the year marque authority Jon Pressnell told us we should choose. Jon Pressnell is a man I have been working with since the 1990s and one who I assure you is the greatest unraveller of complication, the greatest confronter of anomaly and inconsistency in the classic car world. So it was that when we were planning our tribute to Morris Garages and knew that Jon was the resource we had at hand, we decided to exploit his knowledge and authority to the full. Which meant doing something a bit different. Yes, we could have given 12 pages over to driving an MGB (an A, even an F for that matter) and telling you how nice and friendly it is – indeed, the perfect starter or city classic, if perhaps lacking a little in power – but, as you are reading Octane, we reckoned it’s safe to assume that you have read all that before. Ad nauseam. So, determined as we are to provide fresh content rather than recycling, we asked Jon to pay proper tribute to the marque’s entire 100-year history instead of driving a handful of cars and leaving whole swathes of it unaddressed. As a result, he delivered something of a magnum opus, and it makes superb reading. I learned loads and hope you will, too. Jon loves a good controversy (the phrase ‘all opinions are the author’s own’ might be handy here) and there are a few in there, but the elephant really trumpets its way into the room with the last few entries of his chronological history and Chinese ownership. Even with the launch of the seemingly on-brand Cyberster, is today’s company now MG any more than in name alone? We couldn’t agree on that one even among the Octane team, so don’t really expect anyone else to!

TONY THACKER ‘I read about Alex Xydias and the So-Cal Speed Shop as a young English paper-boy but didn’t get to meet him until I moved to the US in 1988. We immediately started to laugh, despite age and cultural differences. We travelled a lot together and I fondly remember our trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.’

Alex Xydias remembered: pages 70-74.

RICHARD HESELTINE ‘Dave Brodie was deliciously indiscreet, a joy to interview. Meeting him, then driving a very special Lancia Delta Integrale and Mercedes 300SL Gullwing made this a particularly memorable month.’

The Octane Interview: pages 92-96; Autec Martini 6 prototype: pages 108-114; 70 years of the Gullwing: pages 60-68. COVER © MILENA BLIN - WWW.ARBREACAMES.COM

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05-09 FEBRUARY 2025 THE PAST STILL HAS A FUTURE

PA R I S PORTE DE VERSAILLES PAV I L I O N S 1 . 2 . 3

AUCTIONS

07 FEB. 2025 RETROMOBILE.COM

#RETROMOBILE

Issue 258 December 2024

NEXT MONTH

EDITORIAL Editor-in-chief James Elliott james@octane-magazine.com

ISSUE 259, ON SALE 27 NOVEMBER

Associate editor Glen Waddington glen@octane-magazine.com Art editor Robert Hefferon roberth@octane-magazine.com Markets editor Matthew Hayward matthew@octane-magazine.com Founding editor Robert Coucher Contributing editor Mark Dixon

RICHARD DREDGE

GF WILLIAMS

WEBB BLAND

Italian correspondent Massimo Delbò Design assistance Ruth Haddock Contributor Chris Bietzk

Inquiries to info@octane-magazine.com

ADVERTISING Group advertising director Sanjay Seetanah sanjay@octane-magazine.com Account director Samantha Snow sam@octane-magazine.com

Ferrari 288 GTO

Fit at 40! Driving Maranello’s seminal supercar, plus assessing its fortunes vs the rest of Ferrari’s Big Five

Plus Finest GTs Aston Martin DB4 and Lamborghini 350GT Targa Florio road race Mercedes 2-litre racer, back for more a century on Is it a car, is it a, er… Meet the crazy, genre-defying two-wheel Gyro X Time with Mr GT-R The Octane Interview: Nissan’s Shiro Nakamura (Contents may be subject to change)

Dealer account manager Marcus Ross marcus@octane-magazine.com Lifestyle advertising Sophie Kochan sophie.kochan2010@gmail.com Advertising inquiries Tel: +44 (0)1628 510080 Fax: +44 (0)1628 510090 Email: ads@octane-magazine.com

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This issue on sale 30 October. January 2025 issue on sale 27 November

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Issue 258 December 2024

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Fuelling the passion

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Fuelling the passion

OCTANE WORLDWIDE J U L Y 2 0 2 4 COLLECTORS’ EDITION

Fuelling the passion

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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 15 November 2024 to start with issue 259. Problems with your subscription? Please email customerservice@octane-magazine.com

© Hothouse Media. All rights reserved. Neither the whole of this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publishers. Octane is a registered trademark. Octane is published by Hothouse Media. Registered address: Castle Cottage, 25 High Street, Titchmarsh, Northants NN14 3DF, UK. VAT number 309390010. Hothouse Media uses a layered privacy notice giving you brief details about how we would like to use your personal information. For full details, please visit octane-magazine.com/privacy-policy The publisher makes every effort to ensure the magazine’s contents are correct. All material published in Octane is copyright and unauthorised reproduction is forbidden. The editors and publishers of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition. Octane has taken all reasonable efforts to trace the copyright owners of all works and images and to obtain permission for the works and images reproduced in this magazine. In the event that any untraceable copyright owners come forward after publication, Octane will endeavour to rectify the position accordingly. Printed in the UK by Acorn Web Offset Ltd. Distributed by Marketforce, marketforce.co.uk.

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B:228 mm T:222 mm S:196 mm

AUCTIONS & PRIVATE BROKERAGE

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NOW INVITING 2025 CONSIGNMENTS 1960 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 SL ROADSTER Benefiting from Restoration by Marque Expert Scott Grundfor Company Striking Factory-Original Color Combination Known Ownership History from New

B:291 mm

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1955 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 SL GULLWING Multiple Award-Winning Restoration by Hjeltness Restoration Elegantly Presented in Dunkelblau over Gray Interior Accompanied by Factory Books, Tools, and Fitted Luggage

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GCO_Octane_Dec_RHP_05.indd JOB #

479245

DATE

Bleed 228 mm w x 291 mm h Trim 222 mm w x 285 mm h 196 mm w x 256 mm h Live

FINAL

10-4-2024 5:46 PM Revisions

Notes Int'l #258 RHP/Dec, On Sale 10/23 Due: Oct 2-10 150 Line Screen PDFX1A 7MB limit Ship: elaine@hothousemedia.co.uk

Production Artist Production Manager Proofer 1 Proofer 2 Project Manager

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The Month in Pictures

Ignition E V EN T S + NE WS + OPINION

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Velocity Invitational 4-6 October Only in its fifth year, already huge and yet still getting bigger and better every year, the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway, California, seems to be setting the template for how to launch and rapidly grow an event. The 2024 edition was dripping in star cars and drivers, including three outings for 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button, in his 1952 Jaguar C-type, a Ferrari 250 Testarossa and an Alfa Romeo GTA. Romain Grosjean was also on an impressive roll-call of ‘name’ drivers. Car highlights included a celebration of 70 years of the Jaguar D-type and NASCAR, but the three days boasted everything from a hillclimb to drifting and Group B rallying. Next year’s event will shift to early summer, so put 6-8 June in the diary and book your flights to San Francisco. Velocity Invitational

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT

Meyers Manx showcase 15 September

An incredible selection of Phillip Sarofim (and others’) beach buggies were on show at a Duke of London Classics & Cake meet in Brentford. They included the first (Old Red), the McQueen buggy and more. Louis Beausoleil

Derek Bell Tour 22-27 September

The Octane columnist led a fine array of cars through Spain and Portugal on this high-quality V Events rally from Asturias to Porto. Kieran Bicknell

Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance 6 October

Cars were laid out on the spectacular lawns of The Breakers for the showpiece end to a week of events, won by Jim Utaski’s one-off 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Bertone Coupé. Audrain Concours

40th anniversary Ferrari Testarossa reunion 3 October

Real Art On Wheels accurately recreated the moment when the first two Testarossas were previewed at the Lido nightclub in Paris, the night before the model’s official launch. Real Art On Wheels

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PRE V

th WORLD SHOW FOR VINTAGE, CLASSIC & PRESTIGE AUTOMOBILES, FUTURE CLASSICS, MOTOR SPORT, CLASSIC TUNING, MOTORCYCLES, SPARE PARTS, RESTORATION, YOUNG CLASSICS AND WORLD CLUB MEETING

Artist: Alfredo de la Maria

W IE

9 -10-11-12-13 APRIL 2025 35

Tickets online only: www.technoclassica-tickets.de HERE ON SALE NOW!

Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP

Spa Six Hours

26-28 September Like the Classic in spring, this is very popular with racers and spectators who love a weekend in the Ardennes. Stijn Braes

Varignana 1705 27-29 September

Giuseppe Matildi’s 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB was judged best of show in the second edition of this impressive boutique concours d’elegance. Varignana 1705

VSCC Prescott long course 28 September

Archie Bullett in the 1918 Piccard-Pictet Sturtevant Aero Special was fastest among the Edwardians. Peter McFadyen

Woodpecker stages 7 September

Mark Higgins in the TR7 V8 was just eight seconds behind winner Seb Perez’s Porsche 911 RS. Ben Lawrence

VHRA Throttle Auto Races 25 August

British rodders descended on Bicester Motion for a blast on the track. Reverendpixel

Circuit des Remparts

13-15 September The Angoulême event has hugely expanded its grids in recent years. 12,000 people turned out for the 52nd running in the Charente town. Agence Austral

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT

Trackrod Historic Cup 28 September

Third-placed Dan Mennell in his Ford Escort. Ben Friend won in another Ford. Ben Lawrence

Beaulieu International Autojumble

14-15 September As popular as ever, with 23,500 enthusiasts in attendance, a host of celebs and auction. Beaulieu

Castle Combe Autumn Classic 21-22 September

A rare sunny moment for the Paul/Bourne TVR Grantura MkIII in a monsoon weekend. Michael Stokes

International St Moritz Auto Week

25-29 September Even without the resting Bernina Gran Turismo Hillclimb and Kilomètre Lancé there were plenty of events and tours. ISAW

BOC Prescott 5-6 October

Alistair Dent (Cooper MkV) at the Bugatti Owners’ Club Championship Finals. Peter McFadyen

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SOLD SOLD

In February 2025, the world’s best collectors will once again descend on Paris and we are now working to curate another showstopping collection. To have a confidential conversation about consigning with the Fiskens Team, please get in touch below. A few coveted spaces remain!

SOLD

+44 (0)20 7584 3503 or cars@fiskens.com

SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD

FROM TOP

1932 Alfa Romeo 8C Figoni Spider 1970 Porsche 917 K 1955 Jaguar D-type ‘short nose’ 2006 Aston Martin DBR9 1931 Bentley 8 litre coupe 1978 McLaren M26-5 1954 HWM Jaguar 1969 Lola T70 MkIIIB 1951 Jaguar XK120 LT2

14 Queens Gate Place Mews London SW7 5BQ T: +44 (0)20 7584 3503 W: www.fiskens.com E: cars@fiskens.com

TIME TO CONSIGN

SOLD SOLD

ver the past three decades, the Fiskens stand at Salon Retromobile has consistently been Where The World’s Greatest Cars Come To Be Sold. We opened our 2024 stand with the skirl of bagpipes which heralded the sale of the exalted Ecurie Ecosse collection and 13 other notable cars, many of which sold directly from our stand. Despite a year of global uncertainty, the Fiskens Team have attained the highest value of sales in our history and we are proud of the excellent results that we have achieved for our buyers and sellers alike.

Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT

Estoril Classics 4-6 October

With 260 cars on track, the Peter Auto season finale at the Portuguese circuit attracted 36,000 spectators. N Bremaud / Peter Auto

GT & Sports Car Cup 21 September

Steve Jones and Ben Tinkler were third overall in the Autumn Classic at Castle Combe in their Lotus Elan 26R. Mick Walker

Chantilly Arts et Elegance Richard Mille 15 September

There was a record attendance at the spectacular French venue. Pre-war best of show was a Bugatti T35C; a Talbot-Lago T26 GS Coupé was post-war winner. Ben Shuttleworth / Peter Auto

Founders Run

27-29 September 70 mainly vintage and veteran cars braved Cartrack’s 300km run from Figueira da Foz to Lisbon in Portugal. Joel Araújo

Alfa Revival Cup 13-15 September

Vallelunga hosted the fourth round of this tight championship. Canossa Events

VSCC Madresfield Driving Tests 15 September

Nick Cook on his 1907 Stanley Steamer. Peter McFadyen

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1951 Frazer Nash Targa Florio Sports Racing Roadster Offered At: £575,000

1924 Vauxhall 30-98 OE-Type Velox Offered At: £245,000

2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Offered At: €339,000

1957 Lotus Eleven Series 2 Offered At: £145,000

Ignition Events

Dates for your diary and 30 special tests. There is a ‘lite’ version of the event for those who want to take things a little easier!

hero-era.com

8-10 November Classic Motor Show The UK’s biggest indoor show, held at Birmingham’s NEC and featuring cars and motorcycles, demos, live stage, auction and trade stands galore. Octane will have a stand so do drop by.

necclassicmotorshow.com

14 November – 1 December South India Road Classic Crews will drive from Goa to Chennai, covering 2600km and immersing themselves in a part of India that boasts beautiful beaches, historic architecture and wild tigers.

1000 Miglia Experience UAE, 1-5 December | Image: Octanium Experiences

destination-rally.com

24-27 October

31 October – 3 November

2 November

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Bologna

Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival

St James’s Motoring Spectacle

15-17 November

Pall Mall in London will be closed to traffic for this free event, billed as a ‘celebration of motoring past, present and future’. It will include the St James’s Concours, featuring 70 of the veteran cars set to take part in the following day’s London to Brighton Run.

Interclassics Brussels

Held at Circuit Paul Ricard, this 24-hour race is for competition cars built between 1947 and 1986.

veterancarrun.com

vdev.fr

RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

The splendid Peninsula London hotel welcomes leading lights from the historic motoring world for a prizegiving ceremony and a gala dinner.

Bologna Exhibition Centre is filled with classic cars and motorcycles, thousands of them available to buy. There’s also a huge trade village – two whole halls of parts and automobilia.

autoemotodepoca.com

26-27 October VSCC Cotswold Trial The Cotswold Trial moves to a new venue at Gretton, just up the road from Prescott Hill Climb. Old hands will compete on the Saturday before novices (those who have driven in fewer than six VSCC trials before) tackle the course on the Sunday.

Bentley and Rolls-Royce will be the ‘honored marques’ at the South Carolina concours.

hhiconcours.com

1-3 November Les 2 Tours de Horloge

1-3 November Concours Wynn Las Vegas

26 October – 1 November

In addition to the traditional concours classes, the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas will again host a display of ‘Culture’ cars famous for their association with TV shows, movies or popular music.

Rallye de Grèce

lasvegasconcours.com

Post-1949 classics follow a 1280km route around Crete.

1-8 November

rallystory.com

TransMaroc

vscc.co.uk

Some of the great competition cars of old thunder around Florida’s most famous circuit.

This rally begins and ends in Marrakesh but travels into Morocco’s stunning desert. Don’t be daunted, though: instruction will be given to those new to driving on sand.

hsrrace.com

zaniroli.com

30 October – 3 November Classic 24 Hour at Daytona

3 November

Highlights in Brussels this time will include a display marking the 110th birthday of Maserati.

interclassics.events

22 November Historic Motoring Awards

Pre-1905 cars pootle from Hyde Park to Brighton, commemorating the Emancipation Run of 1896.

historicmotoringawards.co.uk

veterancarrun.com

Motors & Masterpieces

3-5 November 4x4 Off-Road Adventure Rally to SEMA 2024 Crews in 4x4s cross the Mojave Desert as they drive from the Petersen Museum in LA to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

petersen.org

7-10 November RAC Rally of the Tests Darlington to Cumbria, the long way: entrants will cover 750 miles and face 22 regularity sections

22-24 November Over 200 of the best cars and motorcycles to be found Down Under are brought together at Melbourne Showgrounds, in themed displays including ‘Monaco Glitz’ and ‘Tokyo Lights’.

motorsandmasterpieces.com

22-29 November Silver Fern Rally New Zealand’s South Island hosts a rally featuring over 1000km of special stages that are the equal of any in the world. The action begins in

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Christchurch and finishes a week later in Queenstown on picture-postcard Lake Wakatipu.

up the mountain Jebel Jais on a road said to be as exciting as Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

silverfernrally.co.nz

1000miglia.it

24 November

4-8 December

New Forest VW Santa Run

Classic 12 Hour at Sebring

Organised in aid of the children’s cancer and haematology unit at Southampton General Hospital, the Santa Run sees classic and custom Volkswagens – many covered in Christmas decorations – assemble at Beaulieu before travelling in convoy to the hospital to drop off presents.

Classic competition cars do battle at Sebring Raceway in Florida, where vintage aircraft also vie for the attention of the spectators.

beaulieu.co.uk

30 November VSCC Winter Driving Tests Bicester Heritage hosts the VSCC’s final event of the year, which sees entrants attempt car-control challenges in conditions often not conducive to precision driving!

vscc.co.uk

1 December Coffee & Classics Christmas Special Car enthusiasts enjoy steaminghot coffee, four-wheeled treats and seasonal cheer at the Classic Motor Hub, Bibury.

classicmotorhub.com

1-5 December

hsrrace.com

6-8 December Retro Classics Bavaria Visitors to this popular event in Nuremberg will find themed displays, a large club presence, tempting trade stands, and some good grub, too.

retro-classics-bavaria.de

15 December Festive Four-Wheelers Classic 4x4s will feature heavily when members of the Bicester Heritage Scramblers club come together for the last time in 2024.

bicesterheritage.co.uk

1 January 2025 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

1000 Miglia Experience UAE

1 January

‘Landmark’ cars old and new motor around the UAE, finishing in Abu Dhabi just in time for F1 fans to catch the season-ending Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. Entrants will be looking forward to the second day’s driving in particular, when the route winds

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

BOOK NOW! Some of these events may seem a long way off, but you’ll need to secure your place now if you want to take part Copperstate 1000 5-9 April 2025 The 35th running of the Bell Lexus North Scottsdale Copperstate 1000 (above), to give it its full title, is open to sports, racing and GT cars up to and including 1973, while organisers add: ‘Clones, reproductions, tributes, and recreations are NOT eligible for participation on the Copperstate 1000.’ 2025 highlights include Lowell Observatory and Zion National Park. Entry is $11,250. mensartscouncil.com

The Pyrenees XL 21-29 May A nine-day event in northern Spain and Andorra. The six competition days will tackle 16 cols and range from 213km to 433km. The roads and scenery are spectacular, with hairpins aplenty, but highlights are set to include the 5km Tunèl de Vielha, once the world’s longest road tunnel. bespokerallies.com

The Three Castles Trial 3-6 June The perfect taster menu for historic rallying, over a long weekend this Llandudno-based event covers 500 miles of spectacular North Wales. There will be 15-20 regularities and there are two categories: Classic for all cars 1925-1985 or Heritage for pre-war and ‘precious’ cars. three-castles.co.uk

The Dolomites Grand Tour 27-29 June Fabulous non-competitive touring event based in the dramatic Dolomite mountains – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – in north-eastern Italy. The driving will be joyous, but so will the cuisine, with Michelin-starred chefs promised every day, including Norbert Niederkofler. canossa.com VSCC Winter Driving Tests, 30 November | Image: VSCC

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Ignition News

Bespoke Car of the Year, sponsored by Octane Veloce12 by Touring Superleggera RUF Rodeo by RUF Automobile Midsummer by Morgan and Pininfarina (pictured) Auto Union Type 52 ‘Schnellsportwagen’ by Audi Tradition / Crosthwaite & Gardiner V12 E-type Reimagined by Building the Legend GT ONE by Tuthill Porsche

IHMA shortlists revealed Awards judges have their work cut out choosing between these contenders The shortlists for the 2024 International Historic Motoring Awards Presented by Lockton have been revealed. Contenders for the 14 awards have been selected from a record number of nominations and will go before an expert panel of judges to decide the winners. The 32 judges include Octane columnists Jay Leno and Derek Bell, among other notables such as Peter Stevens. Their final selections will be revealed at a fabulous ceremony hosted by Amanda Stretton at The Peninsula London on 22 November. For more information, or to book your place at the awards, visit historicmotoringawards. co.uk; single seats cost £280, a table of ten £2600. Of course, as well as all the categories listed to the right, there are two more coveted trophies up for grabs: the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Car of the Year. As in previous years, Car of the Year will be decided by a public vote, so see the story below for the contenders and how you can help pick the winner. Thanks to award sponsors Hortons Books, Classic & Sports Finance, Petersen Automotive Museum, plus Nyetimber for hospitality.

‘Contenders for the 14 awards have been selected from a record number of nominations’

Specialist of the Year CKL Developments Eagle E-types HK-Engineering Coryton Fuels Jim Stokes Workshops Ashton Keynes Vintage Restorations Industry Supporter of the Year A. Lange & Söhne Motul Richard Mille Piston Foundation Mercedes-Benz Classic Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance Hagerty Drivers Foundation Outstanding Use of Media Goodwood Road & Racing Kidston SA Chimp Television (Richard Hammond’s Workshop) The Late Brake Show Audrain Museum Network Hagerty Media USA

Personal Achievement Bruce Meyer Daman Thakore David Knight Frank Cassidy Paul Russell Club of the Year, sponsored by Lockton Insurance Team Jarrott MG Car Club Ferrari Club of America Vintage Sports-Car Club Historic Sports Car Racing Porsche Club of America Young Achiever of the Year, sponsored by the Petersen Automotive Museum David Kibbey (concours judge) Tom Lee (Ashton Keynes Vintage Restorations) Mark Hastings (Brooklands Museum) James Barrett (JLR Classic) William Garrett (Hilton & Moss) James Mabley (VSCC/Startermotor)

Vote for Car of the Year! Octane readers are to play a key role in deciding which car scoops one of the most coveted awards at the prestigious 2024 International Historic Motoring Awards. As in previous years, the Car of the Year will be decided by a public vote and, now the shortlist of ten contenders has been revealed, your votes are needed. You should pick the vehicle that has had the biggest impact on the classic and collector car world this year. It could be a car that has broken new ground in concours, a rediscovered classic, a freshly restored beauty, even a restomod or an important new-build. Make sure you have your say at historicmotoringawards.co.uk/vote.

1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports This ex-King Leopold of Belgium 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports became the first ever Preservation Class car to win the Best of Show award at the revered Pebble Beach Concours. It was also the first Europeanowned victor.

1964 Meyers Manx ‘Old Red’ This is the very first beach buggy, built by Bruce Meyers. It not only kickstarted a trend but its record time across the California Baja peninsula prompted the formation of the legendary Mexican 1000 desert race.

1934 Auto Union Type 52 ‘Schnellsportwagen’ Though Ferdinand Porsche drew up plans for this pre-war V16 supercar in the ’30s, it’s taken 90 years for it to be built – created for Audi Tradition by Crosthwaite & Gardiner after years of in-depth research.

1954 Lagonda DP115/2 and DP115/3 Lagonda built three DP115 sports racing cars, the first of which was scrapped after a crash. Two remain; one competed in the ’54 British GP support race and both were in the film Checkpoint. They were unseen in the UK since 1954.

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Book of the Year, sponsored by Hortons Books Nash-Healey: A Grand Alliance by John Nikas with Hervé Chevalier (pictured, Dalton Watson) The Last Eye Witness by Doug Nye (Porter Press International) Millanta on Ferrari 1947-1952 by Alessandro Silva (Sportfahrer Verlag) JaguarSport XJR-15 by Peter Stevens (Porter Press International) Texas Legend – Jim Hall and his Chaparrals by George Levy (Evro Publishing) Never Look Back by Derek Warwick (Evro Publishing) BMW by Design by Steve Saxty (Seven Spoke Publishing) Tour or Rally of the Year Tour de Corse Historique (pictured, Classic Media) RREC Silver Ghost Register Tour of Norway (Classic Travelling) Modena Cento Ore (Canossa Events) 1000 Miglia (1000 Miglia) Tour Auto (Peter Auto) Peking to Paris Motor Challenge (HERO-ERA)

Restoration of the Year, sponsored by Classic & Sports Finance 1954 Lagonda DP115s (Benjamin & Thorpe) Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport by Saoutchik (pictured, Chropynska) Jaguar D-type XKD 526 (CKL Developments) 1924 Mercedes-Benz 2 Litre Targa Florio (Mercedes-Benz Classic) Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato (RS Williams) Ferrari 250 GTO (Tom Hartley Jnr)

Motoring Event of the Year, sponsored by Magneto magazine Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance InterClassics Brussels (pictured) Rétromobile The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering Salon Privé American Speed Festival

1970 Plymouth Superbird no. 43 Richard ‘The King’ Petty’s 200mph Plymouth Superbird, developed with help from former rocket scientist Gary Romberg. No. 43 has been central to the Pettys’ appearances at events around the world in 2024.

Motorsport Event of the Year Velocity Invitational (pictured) Goodwood Revival Meeting Silverstone Festival Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, and presented at the 1970 Turin Auto Show, this was one of the stars of the 2024 Monterey Car Week, heading up the ground-breaking ‘Wedges’ class at Pebble Beach.

2024 Tuthill GT ONE Of all the one-offs, low-volume hypercars and restomods released in 2024, one attracted way more attention than any other – Tuthill Porsche’s GT-ONE. 22 will be built and it starred at The Quail and Salon Privé before going viral online.

Museum or Collection of the Year, sponsored by the Poonawalla Collection Autoworld Brussels Petersen Automotive Museum (pictured) Revs Institute Silverstone Museum

1984 Toleman TG183B-05 Hart Ayrton Senna made his F1 debut 40 years ago, completing his first four GPs in a Toleman TG183B. On the 30th anniversary of his death, chassis 05 was driven by Pierre Gasly for an F1 tribute film. It also starred at Silverstone Festival.

Breakthrough Event of the Year Concours of Elegance Germany International Women’s Day Hagerty Hangout ModaMiami The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance (pictured) The Aurora – Scandinavian Concours

1903 MercedesSimplex 60 HP This car, known as the ‘Roi des Belges’, is one of only five original 60 HP Mercedes known to survive. In March 2024, after 121 years with one family, it was sold by Gooding & Co for $12,105,000, a world record for a veteran car.

1924 Mercedes Targa Florio In April 1924, Mercedes won the Targa Florio. Christian Werner’s winning 2-litre blown car disappeared, but the team car driven to tenth by Christian Lautenschlager has been restored by Mercedes‑Benz Classic. 29

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Ignition News

All change at Essen IN A MAJOR SHAKE-UP for German shows, SIHA, which has masterminded the vast Techno-Classica event every spring for the past 35 years, is to be replaced by rival outfit Retro Classics, which is behind the popular Stuttgart and Bavaria events. The change will come in 2026, though SIHA will continue to stage Techno-Classica Essen for one more year, on 9-13 April 2025. The news came out of the blue and shocked onlookers who have watched Retro Classics Stuttgart and Techno-Classica Essen go head to head for years, rather unhelpfully for German enthusiasts as well the tens of thousands from across the globe that visit these mammoth events. The first Retro Classics event will take place in April 2026 and Oliver Kuhrt, MD of Messe Essen, which hosts the event, said: ‘We would like to thank the organiser of Techno-Classica for the many years of co-operation and wish him all the best and much success for the future. ‘At the same time, we have decided on a new partner for the period after the contract expires, who is already very successful in the market. Retro Classics is a trade fair at an absolute world level and we are sure that the organiser will also transport this to Essen.’

Dorset do-gooders A record £65,000 was raised for 20 local charities by this year’s Sherborne Classic and Supercar Show. The total was revealed at a presentation evening at Sherborne Castle and chairman of the organising committee, Rory O’Donnell, said: ‘The show is unique, taking place in the beautiful setting of Sherborne Castle thanks to the Wingfield Digby family.’ See classicsupercars.co.uk for more.

Miami Miglia ModaMiami event has partnered with the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida; the latter makes its debut at the Biltmore Hotel on 22-25 February 2025. A special race will feature a three-stage route that begins and ends at the Biltmore and will cover 1000 miles through Miami, Coral Gables, Naples, Tampa, Cape Canaveral and West Palm Beach. ModaMiami is also planning a celebration for 50 years of the Lamborghini Countach.

Racing legends reborn CNC Motorsport has delivered the first continuation Andy Rouse Engineering specification Ford Sierra RS500 Group A race car. Created in partnership with the four-time saloon/Touring Car champion, it is one of three RS500s that the specialist is building for track use. The second car is now in build and it will use a brand new Motorsportspecification bodyshell that was acquired at the start of the project. A third donor ’shell has already been sourced for the final car.

AoHE appointment The Association of Heritage Engineers has announced Mark Hews, MD of CKL Developments, as Honorary President. AoHE MD Dominic Taylor-Lane said: ‘I wouldn’t have conceived the idea for the AoHE without meeting Mark at a P&A Wood open day in 2016. His passion and dedication for the industry, its future and apprenticeships was inspiring.’

Young tech recognised Jamie Scott Marriott, in year two of his apprenticeship at P&K Thornton Restorations, has been awarded the The Simon Diffey Heritage Motorsport Apprentice Award 2024. Launched by Sarah Jane Adams-Diffey after the death of her husband, the excellent award is now in its third year.

Legacy manufacturer Dutch reborn coachbuilder Saoutchik has unveiled its latest pilot car design project, the Legacy. The company describes it as ‘a handcrafted masterpiece with all the style, technology, and engineering excellence that encompass our ethos, while retaining all the spirit and personality of the iconic [Mercedes] 300SL.’ Ugur Sahin Design and Pogea Racing were also involved in the project.

Board on board The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust has finalised a board to safeguard the Trust, its vehicles, artefacts and archives. Stuart Dyble, who has served as a trustee for 25 years, is chairman, Keith Benjamin is MD, and Jaguar’s Rawdon Glover and Richard Agnew are also serving.

Rampante down under Cavallino, the Ferrari-focused company that stages the Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida, each January has launched a new event in Australia – also at Palm Beach. The Ferrari Concorso d’Eleganza Sydney will take place from 29 November to 1 December in partnership with Ferrari Australasia. Jan Hendrik Voss, president of Ferrari Australasia, said: ‘Its position late in the calendar and the setting of Palm Beach make it a perfect moment to gather with clients and fans surrounded by some of this region’s finest Ferrari vehicles.’

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Rupert Keegan b.1955 In a career overshadowed by his billing as the next James Hunt, Rupert Keegan never quite delivered on his early promise. Even so, he won championships (including the the 1976 British Formula 3 title) and started 25 Grands Prix, even if he exited the top tier of motorsport without a single point. Having started with Hesketh in F1 in 1977, he raced for Surtees, RAM and others and scooped the 1979 Aurora British F1 championship, but by 1982 he had given up and fled to the States to race in Cart and Indy Lights. Endurance racing followed, including three tilts at Le Mans. For more, see octane-magazine. com/articles/features/rupertkeegan-the-octane-interview.

Bruno Sacco b.1933 Italian Bruno Sacco defined the design language of MercedesBenz. A graduate of Turin University, he started at Ghia, but swapped to Daimler-Benz in 1958 and rose to be Mercedes’ chief designer from 1975 to 1999. His tenure encompassed the W124 E-Class, W126 S-Class, R129 SL and the W201 190. His focus on symmetry and proportion was highly effective and offered a generation of Mercedes that looked at once rational yet elegant. As he said: ‘A MercedesBenz must always look like a Mercedes-Benz,’ though he was determined that individual models should be immediately recognisable. For a full tribute, go to octane-magazine.com/news/ bruno-sacco-obituary-1933-2024.

Chad McQueen b.1960 Although not deeply embedded in the classic car scene, the actor and last-surviving child of Steve McQueen was a proper petrolhead, showing huge potential in racing dirt ’bikes from the age of nine. He graduated to a wide range of motorsports including the Baja 1000 and appearing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2004, when he drove a trio of Porsche 959s with Jackie Ickx and daughter Vanina. He also appeared at the Rennsport Reunion and formed his own race team.

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Chris Serle b.1943 Best-known as a regular on the popular British TV show That’s Life!, Serle is perhaps remembered less as a huge champion for and advocate of classic (especially veteran) cars. He regularly chaired the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs’ annual conference at Gaydon and in one episode of a later television programme – In at the Deep End – his task was to co-drive Roger Clark in the 1981 Lombard RAC Rally. Ratan Tata b.1937 The Mumbai industrialist took his family steel business global and into whole new sectors, including the Tata Motors acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. Tata Motors is enormous in its own right and its products include the groundbreaking Nano, which aimed to bring motoring within the grasp of many Indians, a sort of Austin Seven for the subcontinent. On his death the states of Maharashtra and Jharkhand declared days of mourning. Peter Pratt b.1944 A semi-professional international racing cyclist based in Holland in his 20s, Peter Pratt will be remembered for his beloved and much-campaigned 1954 Triumph TR2, registration SHY 3, known universally as ‘the flying cowpat’ and a veteran of every major European rally. Despite its dishevelled appearance, SHY failed to finish only once in 30 years and won the TR Register’s annual mileage award three years on the trot.

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As featured by jay leno

Ignition Opinion

The Collector

Jay Leno It’s not all glamour among the original Jet Set crowd

uch as I enjoy Pebble Beach for all its extravagance, I’m very fond of the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit. It takes place the same weekend and, like Pebble, really counts as a whole week. Unlike Pebble, everything at Woodward is free. The 30 or so miles of Woodward Boulevard are thronged with people cooking on all kinds of grilling equipment, many offering free bratwurst, especially if you’re driving something interesting. At car shows in California, you’ll meet a half a dozen guys with more than 100 cars each. Go to Woodward and you meet hundreds of guys who have only the one car. This year’s Cruise had a special meaning for me. In 1964, I made my dad take me to the World’s Fair on Long Island, New York, to see the Chrysler Turbine. People stood in awe, hearing that distinctive jet engine sound as it went around in circles. It looked like the future. The engine idled at 22,000rpm! Chrysler let the public do the R&D by lending it out to volunteers. They built 55 cars and 209 Americans each got the car for two months and kept a diary of their experiences with it. Emission regulations and the cost of building the turbines doomed the project after a couple of years. Since the cars couldn’t be sold and museums didn’t want them, Chrysler scrapped all but nine. Skip ahead 45 years or so and Chrysler declares bankruptcy. The first thing banks do with bankruptcy is sell off the assets. I tracked down some bankers and told them I wanted to buy one of the turbine cars they had in a museum. I posed this question: ‘You have three of them, why not sell one?’ The car wasn’t perfect, but it ran. I drove it everywhere. And it garnered as much excitement as it had when new. Then disaster struck. I was cruising on the 210 freeway in Los Angeles. These engines run at about 1300-1500ºF. I saw 2000 on the gauge. I quickly turned the key but the whole engine had already melted down. Not only were there no spare parts, there was no Chrysler. I tracked down a man named Steve Lehto. He had written a book on the turbine car. His brother Rick worked for Williams International, an American company based in Detroit that built turbines for aircraft. Gregg Williams runs the company and is the son of its founder, Dr Sam Williams. Dr Sam started his career

at Chrysler and was instrumental in developing the turbine car programme. Gregg helped track down 60 engineers, all over the age of 80, who worked on the original team. He gave them a clean room at Williams and, to honour his father, they would build me a new engine. They very generously donated their time and all I had to do was pay for materials. When the project was shut down, the engineers were told to destroy blueprints and drawings. They couldn’t do that. Most took their stuff home. The level of work this team did was mind-boggling, not only making parts out of unobtainable materials, but making the tools needed to create the parts. A turbine engine has fewer moving parts than an internal combustion engine – but it’s infinitely more complex. Jet engines are expensive because of the aviation-grade materials that can stand up to temperatures of 1600ºF. A very clever metallurgist – Dr Roy – came up with an alloy that was better than automotive grade but not quite aviation grade. That’s how you keep the costs down. This Herculean task was accomplished by engineers who in some cases had retired over 30 years ago. We chose the Woodward Dream Cruise as the first place to drive the car because that’s where it was developed. It’s also the only place I’d taken the car where I didn’t have to explain what it was. Almost everyone that approached me knew a guy who had a friend who knew somebody whose uncle, father, brother or grandfather had worked on the programme. Even Gregg Williams got emotional because, in his childhood, his father had brought one home and taken him for a ride. He never forgot that. It’s almost impossible to re-create the time period this vehicle was developed in. There was an optimism in America – post-World War Two, and the Space Programme had just begun – that hasn’t been seen since. When a large portion of the world was still on rickshaws and bicycles, Americans would have been driving round in turbine-powered jet cars. What makes me proudest is that we’re able to save a piece of history. A few columns ago I talked about how I bristled at the term ‘car collector’ and how much I prefer to be thought of someone who has contributed to our hobby. With the help of Gregg Williams and Williams International, we do just that.

‘A turbine has fewer moving parts than a piston engine – but it’s infinitely more complex’

Jay was talking with Jeremy Hart. 35

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Ignition Opinion

The Legend

Derek Bell Our hero swears blind that he’s not grumbling

y wife Misti and I recently flew from England to Spain and everything that could go wrong did. Even leaving our home in West Sussex in the small hours was fraught. One road was blocked because a lorry had got stuck. Another was also impassable, so we had a stop-start journey to Gatwick. We caught our flight by the skin of our teeth and then matters snowballed. Given we were flying only as far as Spain, and our first flight left at dawn, we didn’t expect to arrive at our hotel the other end at midnight following a lengthy taxi ride. Yet this was soon forgotten because we were in town for the start of the Derek and Misti Bell Tour in association with V Events. I must say that I had the most wonderful time enjoying some sensational roads in Spain and Portugal. The route started in Bilbao and ended in Porto. Those participating were all lovely, and among our merry band was Bobby Verdon-Roe and his wife Sofia. He had acquired an old Mercedes-Benz 280SL at auction during the Goodwood Revival Meeting and then made for the ferry and drove to Bilbao after docking in Saint-Malo. It’s funny, he was a single-seater champion and GT star a while back, but I don’t think we had previously exchanged much more than pleasantries prior to the tour. Anyway, the upshot was that I soon began to unclench my teeth and simmer down following the horror of flying with Air Imbecilic. Which brings me onto swearing. We are all human and I suppose I am predisposed to the occasional frothy comment or two when riled. Racing drivers by definition are competitive, and occasionally matters spill over. Sometimes we say things in the heat of the moment when adrenaline is coursing through our veins. Other times we may ‘misspeak’ in a press conference and the air turns blue. That happened recently with Max Verstappen during the Singapore Grand Prix. He used the f-word when asked for his thoughts about something and all hell broke loose. The FIA in effect dispatched him to the naughty step, by which I mean he was given the motor racing equivalent of community service. Strictly speaking, he will ‘…accomplish some work of public interest’. It’s laughable. Tom Clarkson, who hosted the press

conference, told Max to mind his language and that surely should have been the end of it. Instead, it’s morphed into another unnecessary saga with other drivers voicing their displeasure. It comes to something when Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are in lockstep. This follows rally legend Sebastien Ogier receiving a suspended fine of $30,000 for comments made during the WRC round in Greece. The Frenchman has since taken to giving monosyllabic responses to questions in interviews. I don’t blame him. Let drivers express themselves as they wish, even if it is clumsily. Throwing down this sort of punishment is a load of bovine excrement. However, there has been some positive news in motorsport, although I suppose it depends on which team you support. Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull to Aston Martin was the worst-kept secret in the pitlane, that’s for sure. Personally, I would have liked to have seen him go to Ferrari, but I can understand him wanting to stay home. As to what difference he can make at his new team, time will tell. Will his departure hurt Red Bull in the long run? Who knows. It won’t have put all of its eggs in one basket. Then there was the news that the LVMH conglomerate had replaced Rolex as Formula 1’s title sponsor. I had learned of this only the day before at a special track-day at Goodwood that was sponsored by Moët Hennessy, which is the ‘MH’ part of LVMH. If rumours are true, this ten-year deal is worth around $1billion. The sport has changed out of all recognition since I last started a Grand Prix half a century ago. There was always an inherent glamour about it, but ‘Eff One’ is now a luxury brand in itself and valued accordingly. There is a big part of me that wishes this had been the case when I was driving. Some of the team owners who hired me were forever ducking and diving just to stay afloat. I was paid hundreds to race in Grands Prix rather than millions, when I was paid at all. It really was a different world but I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity. Having just read the preceding paragraphs, it would appear that I am on one long grumble-fest, but really I’m not. I love the life that motorsport has given me. I just need to catch up on my sleep. Either that, or switch to decaff.

‘It comes to something when Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are in lockstep’

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Ignition Opinion

The Aesthete

Stephen Bayley In difficult times, noise is a new definition of artistic endeavour

yellow Ferrari 275 GTB and a silver Porsche 904: is the sight (and sound) of these cars a remedy for the melancholy of the modern world, or embarrassingly irrelevant in the context of murderous lunacy on three continents? I take the positive view. At a difficult moment in the First World War, the poet-diplomat Paul Claudel addressed the room. He said: ‘Gentlemen, in the very short moment between the crisis and the catastrophe, we might as well enjoy a glass of Champagne.’ I love a French intellectual’s nice distinction between crisis and catastrophe. I also like the idea of a glass of Champagne, whatever the circumstances. And in our own very short moment, we might as well enjoy classic cars. William Blake said one route to happiness was to find the part of the day that was not already occupied by Satan. To find a part of the world where the proprietor of Hell does not have squatting rights is ever more difficult, but I found a precious small territory at a recent Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy. People with a sour disposition might cringe at the idea of this Concorso where I was a judge, while bunker-busters dropped elsewhere. They would see the care-free rich performing elaborate mating rituals with each other, blind to a world where daily news sounds like a lamentation. Instead, I saw a display of beauty, appreciated by all. I saw pride in ownership and a gloriously innocent pleasure taken in benign showing-off. It was a good-natured collective of shared appreciation. I saw and admired attention and care. These are supremely valuable commodities, the relevance of which extends beyond car culture. I think they need to be spread about. I also saw the Italian collector Corrado Lopresto driving one of the most peculiar cars ever made: the 1947 Isotta Fraschini Monterosa. This architectural composition has more in common with a Modernist luxury hotel than, say, a Grand Prix car. Enormous, with a muted V8 hung out the back, sensationally glazed and sumptuously upholstered, it elegantly argued for the psychiatric benefits of luxury and style. I doubt sight of such a car would dilute the bloodlust of the most maddened terrorist, but as an advocate of civilisation’s values it seemed infinitely precious. And nor would the yellow Ferrari that won Best of Show really deter any of Satan’s helpmeets

intent on destruction, but this beautiful machine reminded everyone that, despite the obvious failings of the contemporary world, the best machines of the last century make as great a claim on our respect and attention as the paintings of the seicento. But this Concorso had another prize, a prize for noise, an initiative of the capo of the judges, Stefano Pasini, construed as a memorial to the late Ian Cameron, so absurdly murdered earlier this year in a horrific event that was a miniature of the other brainless conflicts we have to deal with today. Ian, best-known for drawing the Rolls-Royce Phantom, was very exercised by the prospect of electrification with its deadly virtue of silence leaching character from cars. Of course, a lot of a car’s character is determined by… noise. So, we judges had to listen to exhausts, seeking to identify and applaud the most rip-snorting note in memoriam Ian Cameron. It is not true that the Devil has all the best tunes because JS Bach, a profoundly observant Lutheran, had even more. And so it was appropriate that a German car won the Cameron Award for scarcely masked explosions. This was a 1964 Porsche 904, drawn by FerdinandAlexander Porsche and his own favourite. And that is quite a claim because Ferdinand Porsche III also drew the ineffable 911. He liked the 904 so much because ‘I did it alone’. The design is technical yet wilfully elegant, too, a masterpiece of artful integration with every detail respectful of its neighbour. Amusingly, the body was manufactured by Heinkel Flugzeugbau, which made components for the Luftwaffe’s Lockheed Starfighters (reminding me that Ferrari disdainfully said ‘Porsche don’t make racing cars, they make weapons’). But the source of the noise is the thing. The engine is by Hans Mezger and so exquisite that Germans call it Die Uhr because it is as fine as clockwork. When Car & Driver tested a 904 it said: ‘We swear we heard every bearing, shaft, gearset, tappet and reciprocating part.’ The owner fired it up and it was like a hard rain of GBU-28 bombs, with some glorious backfiring. I like it that noise has now been added to elegance in the Concours canon. Those inclined to cringe may want to do so now, but in the 275 GTB and 904 (not to mention the perfectly crazy Isotta Fraschini) I saw so many of the values and ambitions we must urgently protect. Namely, eccentricity and care.

‘The owner fired it up and it was like a hard rain of GBU-28 bombs’

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Ignition Opinion

The Driver

Robert Coucher Why elegance in motion is now more important than condition

he French invented Concours d’Élégance, naturally. In the 17th Century, ‘competitions of elegance’ were held by French aristocrats to show off their horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris. This evolved to include motor cars, accompanied by beautiful women wearing the latest fashion. But today, the longest surviving concours is the Italian Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, established in 1929 and still held in Cernobbio on the shores of Lake Como. With car-collecting taking off after World War Two, concours events became popular in the United States in the 1950s thanks to the inaugural Pebble Beach Road Race, won by Phil Hill. Then, the Concours d’Elegance was tagged on as an ‘after party’ but it is now regarded as one of the most prestigious celebrations in the world – the Road Race was banned in 1956 for being dangerous. After the war, the scruff y and pragmatic British were more interested in ‘games’ in the guise of motor racing. The 750 Motor Club was enjoyed by impecunious Austin Seven owners from 1939, following the Bentley Drivers Club, which started in 1936, and the Vintage Sports-Car Club (1934) for drivers who didn’t own Bentleys. Standing about, looking at highly polished cars was not for those racing their chopped and channelled ‘specials’ and sports cars, more often covered in mud and blood. Indeed, the first proper Formula 1 race was held in 1950 at Silverstone, won by Giuseppe Farina driving an Alfa Romeo. As the classic car world grew in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, concours events became ever more popular. They were usually led by car clubs and sponsored by producers of car cleaning products such as Autoglym or Meguiar’s and held in fields out of town or at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre. Not glamorous; some looked down on the polishers who cleaned their tyre-treads and gleaming chromework with toothbrushes and ear-buds, but they did ensure the survival of one or two otherwise forgotten classics of the past. And why not: entrants at Pebble Beach also have their tyre-treads and chromework cleaned in the same way, it’s just that they have ‘handlers’ to do the dirty work. Peak Concours arrived in 2000 when the Louis Vuitton Classic roared into the stuff y Hurlingham

Club: a French event in the heart of London, where Champagne flowed as racing Ferraris, Masers and Jaguars blasted around the croquet pitches, to the horror of some members. This invitation-only, black-tie extravagance was black-balled after a decade and the baton taken up by the Salon Privé Concours in 2006, which has since moved to Blenheim Palace. I was party to the creation of another great British celebration, the Concours of Elegance, which was first held at the incomparable Windsor Castle in 2012. I’d like to say it all came about in a pub with the concept scribbled down on the back of a fag packet, but in reality I met up with creator Jeremy Jackson-Sytner (now ‘Mr Concours’) and Tim Scott, photographer of star cars, at the smart Le Colombier restaurant on Chelsea Square, where Jeremy presented his idea, Tim came up with the name, and I proffered ideas and Octane support. As mentioned, expectations evolve so Pebble Beach instituted a Preservation Class to its Concours in 2001, to ‘bear witness to the passage of time’. Oops, there go the ear-buds. Not quite, but the notion of original and preserved motor cars has really caught on. ‘Only original once’ is the mantra, alongside the ubiquitous ‘recreated perfection’. We in Britain like to think we had something to do with this, with our car culture keen on using old cars rather than simply chroming them. In the late 1990s, the Rt Hon Alan Clark, when writing his column, accused the Americans of suffering ‘trailer queens’ that never drove anywhere and had their ‘radiators filled with blue lavatory water’. One American reader was so incensed he posted an enema kit to the office with a note stating: ‘Alan Clark is full of sh*t, send him this.’ I sent the kit to Saltwood Castle; Clark thought it highly amusing. Soon thereafter, Pebble Beach began its Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, where entrants were encouraged to actually drive their concours cars along coastal Highway 1. And this year, Concours d’Elegance has come full circle with a highly original, patinated 1932 Alfa 8C 2300 winning Best of Show at Villa d’Este, a Preservation Class ’34 Bugatti Type 59 winning at Pebble, and a well-raced, unrestored ’28 Bugatti 35C taking the Concours d’État award at Chantilly. As someone who is a non-polisher and enjoys driving a very patinated classic on a regular basis, all I can add is ‘Bravo!’ and ‘Drive cars that last 50 years’.

‘Champagne flowed as racing Ferraris blasted around the croquet pitches’

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Spyker’s first supercar

Letter of the month

Such a Meanie It’s funny that David Lillywhite in Octane 255 refers to the ‘cartoonish’ take on the Aston Martin Valour of the V8 Vantage. Funny, because the moment that I saw the car in Octane’s former sister publication evo, the one thing that sprang to mind was: I wonder if the owner is a Beatles fan. That rictus grin of a grille, the bright red lipstick, those searing eyes for headlights and the blue coachwork all brought to mind a character from the Fab Four’s cartoon film release Yellow Submarine, namely the Blue Meanie. A moniker that I think would be quite apt for the car in question [below]. Now that I’ve visualised that character, it’s hard to unsee it! Philip Livingstone, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Now, the million-dollar question: was it a production car? If so, it was the first production 4x4 road car. Some sources state it was made in a limited quantity, with the engine detuned to 50 horsepower and renamed the 50 HP. Production car or not, as a Dutch reader (I read the great Dutch version of Octane, too), I just wanted to let you know about it. There is more information on Wikipedia under ‘Spyker 60 HP’. Chris Wekker, Waarland, The Netherlands

LEE BRIMBLE

I WANT TO THANK YOU for producing my favourite magazine. My perfect Saturday or Sunday morning here in The Netherlands is reading the latest Octane with a cup of coffee and my two purring black cats. This morning spent with issue 257 is such an occasion! We all know the Dutch brand Spyker from its (mis)adventures with Saab, in F1, and of course for those outrageous road cars. The modern company was named after the Spyker that was one of the oldest Dutch car and airplane manufacturers. Fun fact: they also made the famous Dutch Golden Carriage. Pulled by eight horses, it’s still used once a year when our King makes his Speech of the Throne at the start of the political year in September. For nerds: it’s always the third Tuesday. In 1902/03 Spyker made the first car with four-wheel drive and four-wheel brakes, the 60 HP. It was a six-cylinder (also a first) and it can be seen at the awesome Louwman Museum. So, long before the Jensen FFs featured in Octane 257 [right], ‘we’ Dutchies made a 4WD.

ALF VAN BEEM

Ignition Letters

You know it makes sense Due to an upcoming house move I’ve been forced to choose between selling either my utterly reliable and brilliant all-rounder Honda CRV or the rarely used money-pit BMW E46 M3 convertible that evokes some unkind remarks from my windswept partner as she’s forced to sit in the back while the child seat travels up front. After reading about the Ferrari Testarossa owner in Octane 254 who uses it as his daily driver around London, I took my brain out, decided I’d do something similar and sold the Honda!

LETTER OF THE MONTH wins a Ruark R1 Bluetooth Radio, worth £239 The R1 is perfectly proportioned, beautifully made and deceptively powerful. It’s the perfect bedroom, kitchen or workshop radio. Ruark is a family-owned British company, passionate about sound and design. Its aim is to make premium music systems that look and sound fabulous, products that will enhance your home and life, including radios, compact active speakers and all-in-one music systems – all with Ruark’s long high-fidelity heritage at their core. Visit ruarkaudio.com for more information.

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Ignition Letters

Colombo-designed V12. That motor carried on through the 275, 330 and 365 series, including the Daytona, before finally ending its days in the 400i and lastly the 412, by which time it had grown to 4.9 litres. I love my manual 412, which as a 1987 car is truly one of the last Colombo V12s.

included a lorry (pulling a trailer!) that overtook us. The three-speed gearbox didn’t help. I imagine it was the bean-counters who caused that anachronistic system to be signed off. Graham Warren, Granada, Spain

Paul Stevenson, Manchester

Capri? Pants Stephen Bayley’s mention of the 1962 Ford Consul Capri [above] in Octane 257 triggered a vivid flashback. As he conjured a delightful evocation of La Dolce Vita in Bexleyheath, something very similar was going on in Muswell Hill, where I grew up. Our street of mock-Tudor semis with a kerbside vista of green and grey Austin-Morris sludge was like living in a black-and-white Pathé newsreel, until the day in the mid-1960s when my dad pulled up in a white-over-turquoise Consul Capri, as brilliant as the Bay of Naples and with more chrome than a Riva Aquarama. My mother, in her slacks, head scarf and cat’s-eye sunglasses, thought she was Audrey Hepburn. My father – between unexplained absences – fancied himself as Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Frank Sinatra. Or Ronnie Kray… The day the Consul Capri rolled up, my younger brother – who’s still an idiot – shrieked ‘It’s Batman!’ We three boys were

convinced it was the Batmobile and our greatest joy, for some reason, was to be locked in the huge boot as our father drove at speed down into the Bat Cave, also known as our garage. This was circa 1966, by which time the short life of the Capri was over, so ours must have been secondhand, and it had a pre-suffix-‘A’ registration so would have been a very early and underpowered example with the 1340cc lump. I also recall that the steering was monstrously heavy, so my dad gave it as ‘a present’ to my delicate and gamine mother. This may have contributed to the end of their marriage.

Simon Taylor, Lincoln

Nathan Bildhauer, Essex

Lusso far from the last I was interested in your opinions on the state of the classic market post-Monterey Car Week, Octane 257, but Rob Sass needs to study the history of Ferrari in more detail. The 250 Lusso [below] was certainly not the last tipo to use the legendary Gioacchino

BROAD ARROW AUCTIONS

Of course, next time my ears are getting verbally abused, I’ll kindly inform her that I’m not to blame and it was all your fault. Thanks, Octane.

Time with three Ts While I’m lucky enough to drive and instruct in a huge range of vehicles, from cars of the 1930s up to modern supercars, I’ve always wanted to tick a Ford Model T off my bucket list. After contacting your Contributing Editor, Mark Dixon, he suggested one of the driving courses run by Model T specialist Neil Tuckett (modeltford.co.uk), and I’ve just spent a morning with Neil [below, in overalls], who is a fantastic bloke. I drove three Model Ts and, once I got my head around it, I really enjoyed the challenge! I can see why Mark owns one. Many thanks for the recommendation.

Wayward wipers Stephen Bayley’s amusing column on the Citroën Dyane in Octane 255 and his reference to the windscreen wipers reminded me of my old Ford 100E Anglia. While the gearbox-driven Dyane wipers were scary at low speed, the Ford’s vacuumoperated system resulted in the opposite. They went berserk when you were waiting at the lights and eventually stopped when you had your foot down, going uphill. Back in the ’60s, going over the Pyrenees on the way to Spain, four-up in the rain, meant sporadically lifting off the accelerator to see where you were going, much to the consternation of those following behind – which

DEAN SMITH

Peter Vaughan, Lincolnshire

Front-wheel-drive 911 Octane 253 brought back many memories of the Porsche 911SC I bought in 1980 from JCT in Bradford, Jack Tordoff ’s personal transport and demonstrator. Naturally it was in Guards Red, with fog-lamps in the front valance but otherwise a basic car: no whale-tail nor flared ’arches. The 911 was used every day for three years, covering over 90,000 miles, and never missed a beat. The SC version had sufficient grunt when required and was so reliable at a time when any car from a UK manufacturer would have been highly suspect. Living in North Yorkshire, where most of our local roads have dry-stone walls on either side, I had a memorable episode one winter’s morning. It was snowing and I was on quite a steep descent leading to a hump-back bridge, with a steep ascent the other side. I negotiated the bridge, applied more power to climb the hill, and instantly rotated through 180 degrees. Since it was early and there was no other traffic, I simply reversed up the hill. As I grow older, I can only think how lucky I was to be able to drive that 911 and others every day. They were built for that. Richard Craven, North Yorkshire

Send your letters to letters@octane-magazine.com Please include your name, address and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited for clarity. Views expressed are not necessarily those of Octane.

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MG Centenary

Celebrating the Centenary

with

100

MARQUE-DEFINING MOMENTS Against all odds, the MG name has survived for a century. We highlight a hundred key moments in the marque’s often turbulent history Words Jon Pressnell Images Author’s collection

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BIRTH OF CECIL KIMBER 1888

C R E AT I O N O F THE MG CAR C O M PA N Y 1 9 2 8

Marque founder Kimber grew up in the Stockport area of Manchester, where his father ran a printing-ink business. He developed an early love of sailing and of photography, and showed a degree of artistic ability. He nearly lost a leg in a motorcycle accident and thereafter always walked with a limp.

In 1928 The MG Car Company was formed as a subsidiary of The Morris Garages Ltd, thereby separating the retail and manufacturing sides of the business.

11 8

THE FIRST BULLNOSE M O R R I S 1 91 3

Without the Bullnose, which lasted until 1926, there would have been no MG.

KIMBER JOINS THE MORRIS GAR AGES 1921 During 1921 Kimber joined The Morris Garages in Oxford as Sales Manager and in 1922 he became General Manager. That same year he created the Morris Garages Chummy, a Bullnose with occasional four-seater open coachwork.

S TA R T O F T H E LINE: THE MG SUPER SPORTS MORRIS 1923

When Morris brought out its own Chummy, Kimber turned to a more sporting Cowley-based model, bodied by Oxford coachbuilder Raworth. In genealogical terms this was the starting point for the MG marque.

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THE FIRST MG FA C T O R Y – BAINTON ROAD 1 9 2 5 -2 7

C R E AT I O N O F T H E O C TA G O N LOGO 1923

Used from the outset in advertising the Super Sports was the octagonal MG badge. It was the creation of the firm’s accountant, drawn up with a ruler left over from his schooldays.

PRODUCTION TA K E S O F F 1 9 2 4

The definitive MG Super Sports arrived in 1924, as a four-seat tourer on a modified 1805cc Oxford chassis. A two-seater and a saloon were added for 1925. When the Flatnose Morrises arrived for 1927, the same basic body styles were retained.

NOT THE FIRST MG 1925

Having until then been based in a mews stables in central Oxford, in September 1925 Cecil Kimber’s car-building operations moved to a part of the Morris Radiators factory in North Oxford.

EDMUND ROAD – A PROPER FA C T O R Y 1 9 2 7-2 9

MG’s first proper factory was built on land in Edmund Road, off the main Cowley Road into Oxford, and incorporated a chassis assembly line and an early type of rolling road.

THE MG IDENTIT Y IS FORMALISED 1927 For 1928 the Flatnose Super Sports was renamed the 14/40 MkIV and referred to as an MG rather than as a Morris, and the cars were registered as that with the licensing authorities; additionally the ID plate carried the Morris Garages Ltd name, rather than that of Morris Motors Ltd.

WRONG RECIPE: T H E M G 1 8 /8 0 1 9 2 8 -3 2 Using the 2468cc overhead-cam engine of the Morris Six, the 18/80 or Sports Six was fast enough to keep up with a 3-litre Lagonda – only it was the Midget that people wanted.

A stark one-off two-seater used by Kimber to win a gold medal in the 1925 Land’s End Trial, ‘Old Number One’ is regularly but erroneously described as the first MG.

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MG Centenary

M G M -T Y P E M I D G E T 1 9 2 8 -3 2 Built on a Morris Minor chassis, the first Midget – 847cc, most built with a cheap fabric-covered plywood body – effectively brought into being the small British sports car.

THE ‘SAFETY FA S T ! ’ S L O G A N 1929

The famous slogan was inspired by the MG publicity manager seeing a bus with a triangle painted on its rear, carrying the wording ‘Safety First!’

RECORD BREAKING WITH THE MIDGET 1931

George Eyston started to attack speed records with EX120, a streamlined and supercharged single-seater Midget. In February 1931 he achieved the first 100mph average for cars in the up-to750cc class. By December he had pushed his speed up to 114.77mph, in the new single-seater ‘Magic Midget’ that would in the future garner more laurels for Abingdon.

To perfect proportions were added a dual-cowl scuttle and an abbreviated tail with a slab tank and exposed spare wheel. When a set of swept wings replaced the original cycle wings for 1934 the result was an aesthetic rightness that has probably never been bettered in a traditionally styled sports car.

In September 1929 MG moved to a disused factory in Abingdon belonging to the Pavlova Leather Company; this became the marque’s home until 1980.

Recognising the factorysupported club’s potential as a marketing tool, Kimber oversaw the publication of an MG magazine and launched initiatives such as the MGCC dinner-dance at Motor Show time, an industrynetworking event.

C -T Y P E I S M G ’ S FIRST SPECIALIST R ACING MODEL 1931 The C-type, or Montlhéry Midget, available supercharged and unsupercharged, had a tuned 746cc engine to fit into the under-750cc racing class, and an all-new chassis.

R ACING CARS FOR MG CUSTOMERS 1931

AN ENGINE WITH AN EYE ON R ACING 1932

COURTESY MIKE JONES

Kimber began construction of ‘off-the-peg’ racing models in small numbers for public sale. Proof of his astuteness was that these special MGs and the services of the racing department were financed by those who bought and raced the cars.

Kimber decided to profit from the fashion for small six-cylinder engines and offer the 1271cc Wolseley Hornet ‘light six’ in an adaptation of the superior C-type chassis.

J -T Y P E E S TA B L I S H E S THE MG DESIGN L A N G UA G E 1 9 3 2 -3 4

MOVING TO ABINGDON 1929

F O U N D AT I O N O F T H E M G C A R C LU B 1930

‘ S M A L L S I X ’: T H E M G F -T Y P E M A G N A 1 9 3 1 -3 3

A more robust development of the Hornet ‘six’ made its first appearance in the K-type Magnette and would end up developing more bhp per litre than a V16 Auto Union racer.

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SUCCESS IN THE MILLE MIGLIA 1933 With crack drivers in a team of K3s bankrolled by Earl Howe, careful preparation and good organisation paid off: Eyston finished first in the up-to-1100cc class, with Howe in second place.

TRIALLING KEEPS T H E F L A G F LY I N G 1 9 3 4 -3 9 In the mid-1930s trialling was a popular form of motorsport. Kimber was well aware of the potential publicity dividends and accordingly Abingdon supported two teams. The ‘Cream Crackers’ and the ‘Three Musketeers’ achieved their many successes at minimal cost to the works.

NU VOLARI CHOOSES MG 1933

Impressed by the MGs’ performance on the Mille Miglia, Italian ace Tazio Nuvolari asked to drive a K3 in the TT. One of the Mille Miglia cars was prepared and, although he had never raced a British car or used a pre-selector gearbox, Nuvolari came home first after a masterly drive.

K AY E D O N ’ S ISLE OF MAN ACCIDENT IN A K 3 1934 Don’s accident cost the life of MG mechanic Frankie Tayler. Don hit a taxi while out practising late at night, in a car without lights, horn or suitable insurance, and was convicted of manslaughter due to ‘culpably negligent driving’. The racing fraternity seemed to regard Tayler as an expendable member of the lower classes, and the episode stuck in the craw of Lord Nuffield (as Sir William Morris – knighted in 1929 – had become in 1934); it is judged to have contributed to his wish for MG to pull out of racing.

H I G H -T E C H R A C E R : T H E R-T Y P E 1 9 3 5

With all-independent suspension by longitudinal torsion bars, a stiff welded-steel backbone chassis and a supercharged 746cc engine, the R-type was Britain’s most advanced racing car. Before it could prove itself, alas, the MG competition department had been closed and the R-type axed.

KIMBER LOSES CONTROL OF MG 1935 On 1 July 1935 MG and Wolseley ceased to be the personal property of Lord Nuffield, their ownership being transferring to Morris Motors Ltd. Direct control and product design passed to Cowley, ending the way the two businesses acted as quasiindependent fiefdoms.

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Kimber was planning to move substantially upmarket with a 3½-litre car using all-independent suspension based on that of the R-type. A prototype nicknamed ‘Queen Mary’ was built, but the Cowley takeover saw the cancellation of this surely over-ambitious project, coded EX150.

The TA followed the chassis and body design of the preceding P-type, but was slightly larger and was powered by a slower-turning 1292cc pushrod engine. Despite mutterings from marque die-hards, sales proved to be roughly the equal of the P-type.

‘QUEEN M ARY’ FA I L S T O S A I L 1935

THE END OF WORKSSUPPORTED R ACING 1935

As part of the 1935 reorganisation the competition department was closed, sufficient justification being a heft y increase in expenditure on motorsport and a leap in development costs for new models – seemingly linked to the R-type.

31 CHANGE OF TUNE: T H E S A 1 9 3 5 -3 9

The Cowley-conceived MG Two-Litre or SA was a resolutely conventional design, with rigid axles front and rear, and used the mechanicals of the new Super Six Wolseleys.

TA – F I R S T O F T H E T-T Y P E M I D G E T S 1 9 3 6 -3 9

T H E 1½ - L I T R E VA 1 9 3 6 -3 9 The VA had a 1548cc pushrod engine shared with the Morris Twelve and Wolseley 12/48. Kimber, who ran several VAs, probably exerted a measurable influence on the car’s lines.

CECIL KIMBER A N D ‘ P E R S O N A L’ ADVERTISING 1938 A new series of advertisements took the form of a signed message from Cecil Kimber, putting a human face to the cars and hinting at the clubby intimacy Kimber sought to foster with MG customers. The advertisements were regarded differently by some.

35 GOLDIE GARDNER AND HIS STREAMLINER 1 9 3 8 -3 9

Former MG racing driver Gardner persuaded Lord Nuffield to sponsor Abingdon’s creation of a streamlined record-breaker. With a body designed by Reid Railton and power from a supercharged 1086cc K3 engine developing 200bhp, the car achieved 186.6mph in 1938 on a stretch of German autobahn, and in 1939 hit 203.54mph.

COURTESY MIKE JONES

MG Centenary

VICTIM OF THE SNAKEPIT 1941

In 1941, out of the blue, Nuffield sacked Kimber, who had been judged too independent of spirit, not least in negotiating a contract for Abingdon to build the front end of the Albemarle bomber. Kimber’s refusal to accept a minor administrative reorganisation was the final straw. There was also the way in which those Kimber-signed advertisements had rankled, and the eyebrows that had been raised over Kimber cheating on his ailing wife and then re-marrying soon after her death. Cowley was a snakepit of venomous internal politics, and from that moment his cards had been marked.

D E AT H O F C E C I L KIMBER 1945

Kimber went off to work first for coachbuilder Charlesworth’s wartime metal-fabrication business. From there he moved to piston manufacturer Specialloid. On 4 February 1945 a train journey to Peterborough went wrong: the train slipped on the rails leaving Kings Cross, the rearmost carriage was flipped by a badly timed throwing of the points, and two passengers were killed. One of them was Cecil Kimber.

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AU S T I N - H E A L E Y TA K E S PRECEDENCE OVER MGA 1952-54

A B I N G D O N N E A R LY E N D S UP MAKING TR ACTORS 1946-48

In 1946 Abingdon MD Harold Ryder pitched for the MG works to become the production site for the future Nuffield Universal Tractor. It wasn’t to be. After various hesitations, manufacture of the tractor would begin in 1948 at the Wolseley plant at Ward End.

COWLEY C O C K TA I L : T H E M G Y-T Y P E 1 9 47- 5 3

The MG 1¼-litre, as it was called, was old-fashioned before it even went on sale, and was only modestly successful.

THE MORRIS M I N O R N E A R LY BECOMES AN MG 1 9 47

At the end of 1951 the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organization merged, to form the British Motor Corporation. The first consequence was that Abingdon’s new Magnette saloon was launched with an Austin engine under the bonnet.

Thornley returned after the war and became General Manager – thus boss of Abingdon – in 1952. He batted unceasingly for MG, getting things done through persistence, a lucid intelligence and a cheerful personality. He took early retirement in 1969.

C R E AT I O N O F B M C 1951

JOHN THORNLEY TA K E S O V E R 1 9 5 2

Following his deal to produce the Austin-Healey 100, BMC boss Leonard Lord refused to authorise development of the future MGA. As a result Abingdon resorted to facelifting the TD into the TF. Eventually it was seen that there was a market for both the Healey and the ‘A’ and Lord duly sanctioned the MGA’s manufacture.

In a desperate attempt to overcome Lord Nuffield’s reluctance to put the Minor into production, it was briefly proposed to sell it solely as an MG, possibly assembling the car at Abingdon.

MG DOESN’ T MOVE TO COVENTRY 1948-49 In 1948 it was announced that MG and Riley would be brought together at the Riley factory, creating a tidy bloc with body supplier Morris Bodies Branch on the doorstep. After protests from MG, instead Riley production was transferred to Abingdon.

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R ILEY PRODUCTION AT A B I N G D O N 1 9 4 9 - 5 8 The 2½-litre was made at the MG works until 1953, after which it gave way to the Pathfinder, and the 1½-litre continued until 1955. Only a small number of Riley Two-point-Sixes and just a handful of One-point-Fives were assembled at Abingdon.

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MG Centenary

OUTR AGE GREETS THE M AGNETTE Z-T Y P E 1 9 5 3 - 5 8

The Z-type Magnette replaced the 1¼-litre and shared its monocoque body with a closely related Wolseley model, something it is hard to imagine Kimber accepting and which after the car’s announcement provoked fiery outbursts in the correspondence columns of Motor Sport magazine.

MG TF HOLDS THE LINE 1953-55

The TF contrived to outsell the Austin-Healey 100, supply of which could not keep up with demand. Delays in shipping, and its premature discontinuation before the MGA was available, were behind its unspectacular sales in the States, rather than the market turning its back on the car.

M G A P R O T O S AT LE M ANS 1955

Abingdon entering three MGA prototypes in the 1955 event was a bold initiative, and the publicity accrued by two of the MGs finishing – 12th and 17th – didn’t do the marque any harm, although everything was overshadowed by the notorious Levegh accident.

GOODBYE TO S Q UA R E - R I G G E R S WITH THE MGA 1955-62 Besides the MGA becoming the first modern MG sports car, at the same time as it was authorised for manufacture, in June 1954, an MG design office was re-opened at Abingdon.

RETURN TO STREAMLINERS W I T H E X 17 9 RECORD -BREAKER 195 4 -59 At first EX179 had an unsupercharged TF 1500 engine, in which guise, in 1954, it secured seven international records and ten US records at Bonneville. Given an MGA Twin Cam engine, it scooped a further 16 records in 1956. It was then re-engined with an A-series power unit.

BMC SPORTS CAR M A N U FA C T U R E C O N S O L I D AT E D AT A B I N G D O N 1957 In a rare burst of industrial common sense, BMC decided to move assembly of the Austin-Healey from Longbridge to Abingdon and to make the MG works the combine’s dedicated sports-car factory.

L O V E LY L I A B I L I T Y: T H E MGA TWIN CAM 1958-60 With an engine specific to MG for the first time since the 1930s, the Twin Cam created much excitement, but there were so many in-service problems that the model was dropped in 1960.

54 DONALD HEALEY’S CHEAP SPORTS CAR 1958-61 John Thornley had studied making a model smaller than the MGA and judged it commercially unviable. But BMC pushed ahead with Donald Healey’s Sprite, and production of the ‘Frogeye’ was consigned to Abingdon.

48 BMC COMPETITIONS D E PA R T M E N T S E T U P AT M G 1 9 5 5

From 1955 Abingdon was home to the BMC Competitions Department, to achieve its greatest fame with the rallying Minis and Austin-Healeys.

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E X 1 8 1 – A B I N G D O N ’ S L A S T R E C O R D - B R E A K E R 1 9 5 7- 5 9

Cementing the optimistic buzz at Abingdon was the arrival of EX181, a stunning new teardrop-shaped record-breaker with a mid-mounted supercharged Twin Cam engine. Stirling Moss took the car to 245.11mph in 1957 on the Bonneville Salt Flats, and in 1959 Phil Hill achieved just shy of 255mph, in the process both men breaking a cluster of speed records.

Completed in 1959, behind the backs of BMC management, EX186 had a Twin Cam engine and a de Dion back axle. The planned entry for 1959’s Le Mans was scrubbed, however; it never saw action.

In the early 1960s a total of 20,014 Minors were built at the MG works – Travellers, vans and a handful of pick-ups. This helped keep the factory turning at a time when sales of its mainstay sports cars had dipped sharply.

MG’S A BA NDONED LE M ANS R ACER 1959

ABINGDON BUILDS MORR IS MINORS 1960-64

L AU N C H O F T H E MGB 1962

Sturdily built, mechanically straightforward and blessed with broad-shouldered good looks and capable road behaviour, the ‘B’ was everything an affordable sports car should be.

MG 1100 AND 1300 1 9 6 2 -7 3

Sticking an MG radiator on a gussied-up Morris 1100 might have seemed cynical, but this time it was an adequately successful marketing exercise, MG versions representing 7.3% of total 1100/1300 production.

T H E ‘ FA R I N A’ M AGNETTE 1959-68 BMC ‘badge engineering’ was to destroy Riley and compromise the MG image. Austin Cambridges in a party frock, the MkIII and MkIV Magnettes were less sporting than the Z-type and did not sell well.

62 THREE STILLBORN SPORTS CARS 1959-68 ADO34 was a Mini-based replacement for the Sprite/ Midget, EX234 was a slightly larger rear-wheel-drive car, and the ironically nicknamed ‘Fireball’ (after a TV series) was a large 4.0-litre sports car to rival the E-type. All would have had Hydrolastic suspension – adding to their manufacturing costs. These ventures collectively prevented BMC focusing on what was really needed: an updated or new model to replace the MGB.

THE MIDGET RETURNS 1961

Abingdon’s wish to have an MG version of the Sprite coincided with a decision to restyle the ‘Frogeye’. When the MkII Sprite emerged, it was accompanied by a mechanically identical MG Midget that had a few cosmetic fripperies to justify a marginally higher price.

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MG Centenary

MG C GTS: ABINGDON’S N E X T R A L LY HERO? 1968

C R E AT I O N OF BRITISH LEYLAND 1968

Incapable of making the right call in whatever domain, BL boss Donald Stokes and his team favoured Triumph sports cars over MGs on the basis of a flagrant misreading of the US market. From that moment MG’s fate was sealed, with Abingdon deprived of attention, investment and new product.

M G B AT L E M A N S 1963-65 Abingdon-prepared MGBs competed three times at Le Mans. In 1963 the car was fielded by Alan Hutcheson and Paddy Hopkirk. Hutcheson went off into a sand trap almost immediately, something Hopkirk attributed to his co-driver’s tiredness after an energetic previous night with his girlfriend. Despite the time lost, the car finished 13th overall. In 1964 Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges finished 19th overall and second in class, the highest-placed British car. In 1965 the Hedges/Hopkirk duo came home 11th overall and again second in class.

MINI VICTORIES AT M O N T E C A R L O 1964-67 Under the dynamic leadership of Stuart Turner, the talented and resourceful Comps mechanics meticulously built the Minis that won the Monte Carlo Rally three times – or four, if you include the contested 1966 event when a supposed lighting infringement saw the victorious Mini disqualified.

MASTERSTROKE: THE MGB GT 1965

John Thornley’s vision of a ‘poor man’s Aston Martin’ came to fruition with the fastback MGB GT, offering what was at the time a unique recipe amongst British-built cars: a compact sports coupé in the mould of Italy’s Alfa Romeo and Lancia models.

With the Mini on borrowed time as a rally-winner, BMC judged that the only hope of staying in the game was with a substantially modified lightweight MGC GT. A sixth place in the 1968 Marathon de la Route showed promise, but the programme to rally the GTS was abandoned. Perhaps the challenge of making the ‘C’ a rally winner was too great.

END OF THE AU S T I N - H E A L E Y 3000 1968

CLOSURE OF THE BL COMPETITION D E PA R T M E N T 1970

This was the end of an era, as MG kissed goodbye to the head-inthe-sands optimism and financial casualness of BMC: henceforth Abingdon would make only the MGB family and the Sprite/ Midget, and confront a future ever more uncertain.

With no frontline race or rally cars emerging from the BL stable, and no will to establish a long-term programme, it was perhaps inevitable that Stokes would close down what was one of Europe’s best manufacturer-run rallypreparation workshops.

M I D - E N G I N E D ‘ M G X 1 /9’ P E R V E R T E D A N D C A N C E L L E D 1 9 6 9 -1 9 7 0 ADO21 was a Longbridge-initiated project to create a mid-engined replacement for the Sprite/Midget and Triumph Spitfire, but lost focus and evolved instead into a bigger car to take over from the MGB. Abingdon began engineering work, and built a development ‘mule’ MGB GT with a mid-mounted Austin Maxi engine and de Dion rear suspension. But ADO21 was soon cancelled in favour of the future TR7.

MG C – ILL-J UD GED REPLACEMENT FOR THE ‘BIG H E A L E Y ’ 1 9 6 7- 6 9

On the surface this was a sensible move, given the limited and shrinking sales of the ’Healey and its high production costs. But the ‘C’ was too similar in looks and presentation to the MGB, had an uninspiring engine, and was slated for its leaden handling.

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MAXIMUM PRODUCTION AT M G 1 9 7 0 -7 1

In this peak year Abingdon completed over 57,000 vehicles, up from 10,000 or so in 1949-50. This was despite the very basic and unautomated assembly processes. There had been plans for a new plant on adjacent land, but these were abandoned in the wake of the creation of British Leyland.

R U B B E R- B U M P E R M G s 1 9 74

A defining moment in MG’s slow decline was the arrival of heavy urethane-covered ‘5mph’ bumpers for the 1975 model year. These did nothing for the looks of the cars; worse, to meet US bumper-height regs the suspension was hiked up, spoiling the handling.

T R7 D I S A S T E R K E E P S M G B A L I V E 1 9 7 5 - 8 1

M G B G T V8 – T O O LITTLE, TOO L AT E ? 1 9 7 3 -7 6

The V8 seduced with its performance but suffered from an unchanged cockpit, excessive wind noise and an over-firm ride. Launched just in time to catch the 1973-74 fuel crisis and never sold in the US market for which it had been principally intended, just 2591 would be built.

74 ‘ YOU CAN DO IT I N A N M G ’ 1 9 7 1 -7 8

As the Midget and ‘B’ got older, the advertising got bolder. After the early-1970s ‘Your mother wouldn’t like it’ series came the ‘You can do it in an MG’ campaign, which straddled the chrome-bumper and rubber-bumper eras. At the time there was a bit of sniggering about how, in fact, an MGB was just the sort of car your mother would like.

MIDGET GETS TRIUMPH 1500 E N G I N E 1 9 74

There was a whisker more power – although not for the Americans, whose de-toxed Midget 1500 mustered all of 50bhp – and at last a synchronised first gear. Jacked-up suspension and impact bumpers, however, meant 80kg of extra weight and accordingly compromised handling.

The MGB was always going to be discontinued when the TR7 had found its feet. This never happened, despite later TR7 convertible and V8 versions, and despite two moves to different factories in a bid to reduce the losses made in manufacturing the Triumph. So much investment had been poured into this legendary lemon that BL felt it had to continue in the hope that sales would pick up – at which point the MGB could be axed. Instead, by May 1979 it was saying that the ‘B’ was envisaged as continuing for another five years.

NO O -SERIES FOR THE MGB 1972–80

The design of this engine, basically a re-hashed overheadcam version of the old B-series, had been finalised in September 1972. That by the time of the MGB’s demise BL had proven incapable of installing it in a production MGB speaks long on the company’s managerial and engineering capabilities.

CRUNCH IN THE U N I T E D S TAT E S 1979 The fall of the Shah of Iran precipitated a second fuel crisis in the United States. This was followed by a recession. Abingdon’s principal market was catching a serious cold, at the worst possible moment: it was said that the young professionals, often female, who bought MGBs found they could no longer afford, or justify, such a purchase.

With a total of 354,164 of all types of Sprite and Midget being produced, the two cars had made an appreciable contribution to the MG factory’s activities. In place of the Midget, completion of the Allegro-based Vanden Plas 1500 began at the MG plant.

On Monday 10 September, the very day after celebrations of MG’s 50 years at Abingdon had drawn to a close, crisis-riven BL announced a make-or-break retrenchment programme, and with it the end of MG production.

END OF MIDGET PRODUCTION 1979

B L A C K M O N D AY 1979

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MG Centenary

ASTON CONSORTIUM BIDS FOR MG 1979-80

In retrospect the consortium led by cash-strapped Aston Martin was never going to find the funds to take over MGB production, with or without the Abingdon factory. The whole saga took up a lot of time and energy and possibly prevented BL finding another use for the MG factory, which duly closed in late 1980.

MORRIS GAR AGES IS WOUND UP 1980 In a sad little footnote to MG history the closure of Morris Garages in Oxford was announced in December 1979, three years after its 1976 move from the city to an out-of-town commercial estate.

R E V I VA L O F T H E MG NAME W ITH THE MG METRO 1982-90 The MG name returned on a sporting 72bhp version of the Metro; later came the more radical MG Metro Turbo. The two accounted for 8.93% of total 1980-90 Metro production: for perspective, the revered Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S took an appreciably more modest 5.9% of 1963-67 Mini MkI production.

M E T R O 6 R4 1983-86 Publicising the Metro, boosting the MG name, winning rallies: were all the stars about to align with BL’s brave decision to build a mid-engined rally special? The four-wheel-drive 6R4 with its bespoke 3.0-litre V6 engine made its WRC debut with a third place in the 1985 RAC Rally, and went on to win the 1986 Circuit of Ireland. But that year saw the ultra-fast Group B cars banned. The 6R4 ended up being used mainly for UK-only rallying and rallycross.

INTRODUCTION OF NEW S H E L L S S AV E S M A N Y A N O L D M G B 1 9 8 8 The availability of brand-new MGB bodyshells made on the original tooling by British Motor Heritage was a visionary and unprecedented initiative – and made the RV8 possible, four years later.

MAESTRO AND MONTEGO HELP KEEP THE NAME ALI VE 198 3 -91 Despite the uninspiring base cars, these were honourable efforts, with the later 2.0-litre MG Maestro EFi an under-estimated Golf GTi rival and the somewhat ragged Montego Turbo claimed to be the fastest MG production car to date. With 7.9% of Maestro output carrying the MG name, and 7.3% of Montego output, the exercise was commercially valid.

The Mazda’s success motivated Rover Cars (as BL had become) to consider a new MG sports car, and to offer a mid-engined configuration to differentiate the future MGF from the Mazda.

To prime the market for the return of an open two-seater MG, the MGB was brought back into production in 1993 as a restyled limited-run luxury V8. The UK market wasn’t convinced, and instead most of the 1996-car output went to Japan.

INTRODUCTION OF THE M AZDA M X- 5 1 9 8 9

MGB REVIVED AS RV8 1992-95

MGS DISAPPEAR FROM MARKET – AGA IN 1991

When the octagon-badged versions of the Maestro and Montego were deleted, there was a second hiatus in the availability of cars bearing the MG name.

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MG Centenary

BMW BACKS THE MGF 1994

ENDGAME 2000-05

BMW’s purchase of Rover from British Aerospace stunned observers – and with the BMW Z3 on the way, would the Germans axe the MGF? In the end BMW supported the project and saw it through to production.

The best that could have been hoped for by the so-called Phoenix Consortium was a soft landing for the re-named MG Rover, by moving towards selling what remained of British Leyland to anyone prepared to buy it.

MG -BADGED SALOONS AGAIN 2002-05

Accompanied by some memorably crass advertising, the Roverbased ZR, ZS and ZT were promoted as boy-racer sporting derivatives for the sub-BMW market. Sales weren’t spectacular, but without exploiting the MG marque the company would have sunk even faster.

THE MG SPORTS CAR REINVENTED 1 9 9 5 -2 0 0 2

The MGF emerged in 1995 as a mid-engined open sports car based around the corporate K-series engine, a Honda-derived gearbox, and the subframes and Hydragas suspension of the Metro. Manufactured at Longbridge, the ‘F’ was an immediate success; its overall sales were limited, however, by it not being engineered to be sold in the United States.

R O V E R N E A R LY BECOMES THE MG C A R C O M PA N Y 1 9 9 9 -2 0 0 0

When venture capitalists Alchemy began negotiating for the purchase of Rover, it envisaged reducing the company to a modestly sized operation making around 50,000 MGs a year, mainly sports cars. Whether such a slimmed-down business would have had a future is debatable, but the proposed MG Car Company would surely have stood a better chance of success than the doomed-from-birth MG Rover.

V8 P O W E R A N D R E A R- W H E E L D R I V E F O R Z T- 2 6 0 2003-05 With the help of outside engineering resources the Rover 75 was converted to rear-wheel drive and a V8 engine, resulting in the MG ZT-260 as an upmarket stablemate to lesser front-drive ZTs. With just 716 made, and a miserable 166 of the Rover version, the exercise was a seductive irrelevance.

BIG BOYS AND THEIR TR A IN SET: THE MG S V 2001- 05 This attempt to get into the Porsche 911 market with a re-bodied Qvale Mangusta was a vanity project of stupendous futility that resulted in just three XPower SVs having been sold to the public by the time MG Rover collapsed at the beginning of 2005.

CYBERSTER: A RETURN TO M ARQUE VA LU E S ? 2 0 2 4

MG TURNS CHINESE 2005

The MG name was purchased by China’s Nanjing Automobile as part of its 2005 acquisition of MG Rover, after the company went into administration. Nanjing merged with stateowned Chinese giant SAIC in 2007. Today everything from pick-up trucks to electric SUVs carry the MG octagon on their nose.

FA I L E D COMEBACK OF THE TF 2008-09

For a brief period the midengined TF was made in China, and approximately 900 were assembled at Longbridge from Chinese parts in the 2008-2009 period; demand had evaporated.

Jon Pressnell is author of ‘Kim’ – A biography of MG founder Cecil Kimber, voted 2023 Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year (No Price Limit) and winner of the 2024 NicolasJoseph Cugnot Award of the Society of Automotive Historians.

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Purists may lament whether a heft y £55,000 scissordoored electric roadster is quite the spiritual return they would have wished for, but here’s proof that the Chinese owners of the MG marque are not only keeping the name alive but have also made good on their promise to bring back an open two-seater for modern times. The Cyberster was beautifully timed for the centenary celebrations..

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Mercedes Gullwing Celebrating 70 years

RACE -BRED BEAUTY 60

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Seventy years since it shocked the world on its debut, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing remains a staple for collectors worldwide. Richard Heseltine finds out why Photography Luis Duarte

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Mercedes Gullwing Celebrating 70 years

f it were human, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL would represent a potent blend of wealth, cheekbones and swagger. You would be liquid to its every demand even if it regarded you with lethargic half-interest. It is just so utterly fabulous. And that is now – imagine the reaction 70 years ago. The ‘Gullwing’ marked a new territory of aesthetic adventure, and the irony is that it almost didn’t happen. It was born of a racing car, and even that was a means to an end. The marque was in recovery mode, and a limited competition programme ahead of a full-blown return to Grand Prix racing was just the ticket. It took a persuasive Austrian émigré to transform it into a road-going marvel. The W194 SL was conceived by Daimler-Benz’s chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, after the board gave him the go-ahead in June 1951. This brave new world was light – its elegant, tubular platform weighed just 82kg. Slippery, too, with a scarcely believable drag coefficient of 0.25 (although subsequent cooling mods raised this). The 3.0-litre straight-

six-engined machine, hardly overpowered, was capable of around 160mph, and the competition programme got off to a flier first time out on the 1952 Mille Miglia. Victory proved elusive but the Super Leicht finished second, third and fourth. They blanketed the podium positions next time out in the Swiss Grand Prix support race in Bern. The Mercedes juggernaut then descended on Le Mans, the works coupés being equipped with roof-mounted air brakes that were removed ahead of the 24 Hours (although the idea was revisited on the 300SLR that Stirling Moss guided to victory on the Mille Miglia in 1955). Having stayed away from the endurance classic for 22 years, the Germans faced a raft of manufacturer teams including those from Jaguar, Ferrari, Lancia, and Cunningham. This was the year that Pierre Levegh came within an ace of being the first man to claim a fairytale solo win aboard his Talbot-Lago, only to retire in the final hour. The upshot was that Mercedes-Benz came home first and second. The SL’s brief competition career ended on that’s year

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Clockwise, from far left Once a looker, always a looker; fitted luggage makes the most of cabin space; sleek and purposeful from behind; 3.0-litre six gives ample power.

Carrera Panamericana, with Karl Kling and Hans Klenk averaging 103mph en route to victory and team-mates Hermann Lang and Erwin Grupp second. Three wins from four starts – mission accomplished. That would have been the end of the story had it not been for the marque’s influential East Coast concessionaire, Max Hoffman. He argued that there was a market for a civilised variant, some sources claiming that he guaranteed to buy 1000 of them, others that the actual figure was somewhat smaller. He also reasoned that it would act as a halo model for the more affordable sports car he really wanted: the 190SL. Whatever the truth, the ‘Gullwing’ wouldn’t have happened without Hoffman. After all, the Vienna-born motor mogul had arranged for one of the SL racers to be displayed at shows in the US in 1953 to gauge interest. That said, the production variant was still in the throes of creation when it was unveiled at the International Motor Sports Show in New York’s Seventh Regiment Armory in February 1954. The show car’s looks remained provisional, mind, but

then it had been only a bare chassis three months prior. The unadorned racer had morphed handsomely, the ellipse of its air intake lost amid a wider grille, while slanted apertures were sunk into the metalwork aft of the front wheelarches to dissipate under-bonnet pressure. They also served to further emphasise the sense of speed, and the remodel didn’t end there. The headlights were raised and moved forwards, the flanks were conspicuously more contoured, while ‘sweep spears’ were incorporated above the wheelarches. The design continued to be refined thereafter and in short order, with Friedrich Geiger being responsible for much of this dazzling outline, working under Walter Häcker. With bumpers and chrome tinsel in place, the drag coefficient was worsened considerably to 0.425, but the racer DNA was evident elsewhere. Much of the existing chassis, which comprised a latticework of small tubes, was retained but with some alterations, not least additional framework and bracketry as befitted a car destined for series production. 63

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Mercedes Gullwing Celebrating 70 years

Subverting the norm, the 300SL road car was also more powerful than the competition tool that bore it. Having once led the world with direct fuel injection in aero engines, Daimler-Benz bottled lightning a second time and did the same for road cars. The Gullwing became the world’s first production car thus equipped. With 215bhp from its 2966cc overhead-cam straight-six allied to an all-synchro fourspeed ’box plus a ZF limited-slip diff, it was capable of 140mph in the real world, and 0-60mph in 7.7sec. There were higher states of tune, though, some of the options being prefaced by the word ‘competition’, but there was little to touch the Gullwing even in its most pedestrian form. Such a tempo was unlikely to be attained often, which is perhaps as well given that the vast drum brakes were not up to the task despite their ample aluminium finning (see also most of the SL’s contemporaries). Then there was the handling. Swinging half-axles resulted in a high rear roll centre and a lot more besides. However, the adoption of the (optional) stiffer springs and dampers served to reduce wheel travel, but it was still less than ideal even for the expert driver. Many 300SL customers were inexpert so a highspeed avoidance manoeuvre was unlikely to end well. Even at lowish speeds, those who couldn’t differentiate between braking and turning would be schooled the hard way. Which is not to say that the 300SL couldn’t be hustled with greater familiarity, witness John Fitch’s fifth place on the 1955 Mille Miglia and assorted successes in rallying. It’s just that the Gullwing earned an unfortunate reputation early on for being a handful and it stuck. Production ended in 1956, by which time 1400 cars had been made. Of these, 29 were built to special order and with competition in mind. They boasted allaluminium bodies, which shaved off 80kg overall (the dry weight for the standard car was 1160kg), Daimler-Benz also experimenting with a glassfibre ’shell. Tellingly, the 300SL that followed in its wake featured a low-pivot rear axle, and even ran to disc brakes from 1961. Lessons had been learned. Which brings us to today and the cinematic backdrop of Alentejo, Portugal. Chassis 55000563 was delivered new to Sweden on 30 July 1955, and subsequently headed Stateside before arriving in Portugal 20 years ago. It currently forms part of an impressive private collection of exotica, and looks exquisite riding on its centre-lock wheels with splined Rudge hubs (a Gullwing appears oddly naked without these optional extras; they’re seen as a must by those in the know). It has been suggested that the 300SL is famous for how it looks rather than what it is, and certainly not for what it did. That takes some unpicking, but it really is a sensationallooking thing. The term ‘blue chip’ has long been used to describe art whose place is secured in history; same goes for this car’s status among collectors. In isolation, a Gullwing looks otherworldly. When it’s parked in the company of its peers, nothing changes. They display a downright offensive lack of imagination in comparison. Even those predisposed to not liking this sort of thing will coo when a Gullwing performs its party trick,

the paradox being that this arrangement wasn’t conceived for show. As on the original SL racing car, the use of stubby gullwing doors left room in the sills for triangulated trusses around the sides of the cockpit, thus affording greater torsional chassis stiffness. It was no mere styling flourish, although the set-up is freighted with a literal and figurative stumbling block: it’s a pain to get into. The massive sills ensure this, but at least the steering wheel is hinged. It’s best to slide your behind all the way onto the seat and then swing your legs in. The pedals are typically large, too, but then nothing about the Gullwing smacks of delicacy, though it is airy, with near-360º outward vision thanks to all that glass. Which brings us to the other ‘issue’ that has long been written about: the lack of ventilation. After the doors had been kept shut for static photography, the photographer was kind enough to open them in order to cool the cabin while he set about the detail shots. It worked a treat as, on getting back in the car, I found it wasn’t more than, say, 150º Fahrenheit inside. The opening quarterlights don’t help much, but you can always remove the windows (from the outside). It is otherwise comfortable, though, thanks to the generously proportioned seats and the lack of comedy offsets. The body-coloured fascia anchors it firmly in the early-to-mid-1950s, mind, the instrumentation being just the right side of gaudy. The large speedo and tachometer are easy to read at a glance, while the gear-lever isn’t a reach away. It’s all very… nice. Steamy, but stylishly so. While rooted in a racing car, that is the last thing you think of from behind the vast tiller, at least to begin with. It seems to have been hewn from solid. At low speeds, everything feels heavy. The steering, the clutch, the brakes, the… This doesn’t come as a great surprise. It’s only when you are driving at higher velocities that matters take a turn for the interesting. For starters, the Gullwing is quick. Not quick in that you are making allowances for it being of pensionable age, just quick full-stop. It won’t reconfigure your jowls due to the accelerative forces, but you certainly notice you are moving at quite a lick. It’s fairly high-geared at 25mph per 1000rpm, but the car pulls and pulls with plenty of throttle. There’s a surge of torque. Now it sounds racy, a thoroughbred bark taking on a slightly metallic timbre. Power delivery is delicious. Between 2000rpm and the self-imposed redline of 5500rpm, only the strident engine note and blurring of scenery alert you to the fact that you’re piling on the revs because it’s so smooth and flowing. The gearchange feels positive as you guide the lever across the gate. It also slots into place with the sort of precision you might expect, while the clutch is progressively weighted and demands little effort. You cannot help but warm to the Gullwing. It’s communicative. Delightfully so. The steering is appreciably more alert at speed, too, with around two turns lock-to-lock, though there is a slight dead spot at the straight-ahead. Even so, it doesn’t wander. The Gullwing is obedient. You soon appreciate the car’s method of construction,

‘THE ROAD CAR WAS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE RACER THAT BORE IT’

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This photo and below Interior is elegant and distinctly period, also hot on the move and difficult to access; those doors are hard not to love.

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Mercedes Gullwing Celebrating 70 years

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Engine 2996cc OHC straight-six, Bosch mechanical fuel injection Power 240bhp @ 6100rpm Torque 217lb ft @ 4800rpm Transmission Four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Recirculating ball Suspension Front: double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: swing axles, radius arms, coil springs, telescopic dampers Brakes Drums Weight 1252kg Top speed 135mph 0-60mph 8.8sec

too. It doesn’t feel overtly pre-war in make-up unlike many other sports and GT cars of the same period. The inherent stiffness afforded by the spaceframe of multiple smalldiameter steel tubes means the 300SL can be – and is – quite softly sprung (or at least it is without the optional competition springs and dampers). This results in a surprisingly agreeable ride quality, all things being relative. It’s almost relaxing, and you can imagine crossing continents in one, assuming your luggage will fit behind the seats. And that you are not overcome by heat-stroke first. So it would appear that Mercedes did a commendable job of taking a racing car and giving it some manners, of turning the vicious into the virtuous. Well, yes and no. The Gullwing does everything well bar two things. The brakes don’t inspire confidence at any speed, the pedal-feel being heavy and wooden with it. Then there’s the handling. Prior experience of the model informs you that the whole communication thing breaks down under even enthusiastic cornering, or at least it does when there’s a tightening radius or camberchanges. The tail starts to get very jiggly very quickly and it’s heart-in-mouth stuff. As such, you feel as though you are suspended between outcomes. However, those well-versed with it will scoff at this. Slow in, gently-applied-power out works well for the novice,

but anyone blessed with quicker reflexes will insist that the Gullwing is throttle-adjustable. Try not to brake too much, or steer for that matter, and the tail will start to come out, and in the right direction. Plant the accelerator pedal and job’s a good ’un. You are still shiny-side-up, the car has righted itself, and you are making good progress. Clearly it takes practice, confidence and plenty of run-off area. In reality, most Gullwings will never be driven with gusto and, some way south of ten-tenths, this innovative Mercedes remains a thing of wonder for the right reasons. You can forgive the Gullwing its imperfections. The car looks sensational – the vehicular manifestation of glamour – but that’s only part of what makes it so special. It was insanely fast given that the average saloon car of the period had trouble getting out of its own way, and it impresses still. The 300SL was the hypercar of its day, but again that isn’t what tilts it towards greatness. It’s the flaws that make it interesting. There are plenty of cars that have reputations, either good or bad. The Gullwing has both. It is this duality of character that makes it so compelling. It seduces, maybe even scares, and would have you coming back for more, time and again. That says it all. THANKS TO owner Ricardo Sáragga and Adelino Dinis.

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his beautiful Mercedes-Benz 280 SL had been fully restored in our restoration facility in Germany. After completion this lady returned back to its original home – the USA. We are Arthur Bechtel Classic Motors and have been restoring exquisite Mercedes-Benz classic cars since 1972. The 190 SL, 280 SL as well as the iconic 300 SL are a few pieces of our main portfolio. Thanks to the network and friendships we have been building within the states over the years we may offer the best service – even across the ocean. Are you ready to purchase the classic car of your dreams? Get in touch by today. Learn more on our website: www.arthur-bechtel.com MEET US IN FEBRUARY 2025!

Gullwing The market outlook

GULLWING: STILL FLYING HIGH? Every serious collector needs one, but values have near-doubled since 2020. So what next? Words John Mayhead

Fig 1. Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing values Recent UK Hagerty Price Guide ‘Excellent’ values (£ GBP), alloy cars excluded. 1.6M 1.4M 1.2M 1M 800K 600K 400K

Jan Apr 2020

Jul Oct Jan Apr 2021

Jul Oct Jan Apr 2022

Jul Oct Jan Apr 2023

Jul Oct Jan Apr 2024

Jul

Source: Hagerty

200K

Fig 2. 1956 300SL sets new world record for non-alloy Gullwing 2024 Barrett-Jackson sale bettered the previous high sale by £632k ($800k). Sold price 3.5M

2.5M

1.5M

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Source: Hagerty

500 K

Sale date

Fig 3. 300SL repeat sale index – September 2024 Despite a bounce in the average price of 300SLs in 2024, the repeat sale index rebound is much smaller

Average price

1.6M 1.4M 1.2M 1M

300SL Index

800K 600K 400K 200K 0

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

2025

Chart: John Wiley

THE MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL ‘Gullwing’ coupé has one of the most compelling narratives in the collectable car world. It combines four cornerstone elements: a competition bloodline that includes the 300SLR and the legendary Moss/Jenkinson 1955 Mille Miglia win, an iconic design, history as the car Max Hoffman used to break MercedesBenz into the US market and, since 2022, direct association with the most valuable car ever sold in public: the 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé. That pedigree, allied to the brand’s recent top-level participation in F1 and its investment in heritage operations, has made the 300SL coupé extremely collectable, with Hagerty Price Guide ‘Excellent’ values increasing by over a third since 2021. Some of that rise is probably due to the car’s exposure after the Uhlenhaut sale, but prices have also been pulled up by a general post-Covid boom. Values peaked in late 2023/early 2024, a spike marked by a sale of $3.4m for a concours Gullwing with superb specification, a record for a standard steel-body car. Since then, prices have flattened, in common with most of the market, as potential buyers await a little more clarity about the short-term economic outlook in America during election year (Fig 1). The holy grail for any potential Gullwing buyer is one of the 29 alloy-bodied coupés built by the factory – ‘Excellent’ value £5.5m – but Hagerty’s analysis of repeat sales, the same car being sold again within a few years, shows that even standard Gullwing collectors are really picky. With over 1400 constructed, they can afford to be, and desirable factory options add a great deal to the asking price: around £85,000 for a set of Rudge knock-on wheels, £17,000 for fitted luggage and about £2000 for a Becker radio. Colour and specification are also very important, and the record-breaking car mentioned above had an eye-catching combination of traditional ‘Silver Arrows’ silver paint, leather trim and contrasting tartan inserts. As with any serious collectable car, matching numbers and either extreme originality or an immaculate restoration mark out the top cars, and 300SLs rarely seen on the market also seem to demand higher prices than those that are frequently traded. Full, continuous history, ideally with very few owners, creates a paper trail that avoids any risk of fakery, an issue that raised its ugly head last year when two 300SL Roadsters allegedly appeared bearing the same chassis number (Fig.2). Two factors will determine the model’s outlook. The first is demographics – Hagerty quotes show that around 40% of owners are Baby Boomers, well above the 32% mean across all cars. Gen X owners make up 34%, their proportion growing from around 20% in 2020. The price of the model means that a higher number of older owners isn’t surprising but, if prices are going to continue to rise, then Hagerty would expect the Millennial proportion to rise from its current 15%. The other factor is the US economic situation; all but two of the top 20 sales of the model have been in North America (Fig.3). 68

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So-Cal man The late Alex Xydias

SPEED MERCHANT Alex Xydias was the late founder of the legendary So-Cal Speed Shop. Here his friend Tony Thacker recalls a life devoted to hot rodding Photography SO-CAL Speed Shop; Tony Thacker

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TO MANY, Alex Xydias is synonymous with the famed hot rod company So-Cal Speed Shop. However, his achievements in lakes racing, publishing and event production are equally impressive. The man (his name is pronounced ‘ex-hideous’) had quite a career. Of course, I knew the name because somebody on my paper round took Hot Rod Magazine. I’d sit under grey British skies reading about him and the red-and-white liveried So-Cal Racing Team. It wasn’t until 1988, when I moved to the US to work for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), that I got to know the man. Tall and Depression-era slim, Xydias had a great sense of humour, a flirty nature, but a serious side when it came to business. We met through hot rod designer and customiser Pete Chapouris, became fast friends, and I worked for him twice in ensuing years at SO-CAL (as it became) and the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum, of which he was a board member. Xydias grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a silent-movie producer. Before World War Two he enjoyed moderate success campaigning a ’34 three-window coupe at El Mirage dry lake. He spent the war years as a B-17 engineer and gunner and, following discharge from the US Army Air Corps in 1946, used his $100 demob money to open the first So-Cal Speed Shop, at 1806 North Olive Avenue in Burbank. From this small shop he supplied local hot rodders with speed equipment, much of it sourced from his friend Vic Edelbrock Snr. There was no way to advertise back then – Hot Rod wasn’t published until January 1948 – and, in an effort to market his business, Xydias went lakes racing in a surplus P-51 belly tank built by the originator of the breed, Bill Burke, and powered by a mid-mounted, Ford V8-60 put together by Edelbrock’s Bobby Meeks. ‘I only had limited racing experience,’ said Alex. ‘The belly tank was like a pressure cooker inside and I was perched in the nose with no protection – I was the crush zone.’ Nevertheless, by the end of 1948 Xydias owned the Class A Streamliner record at 130.155mph. He also garnered the cover of the then-new Hot Rod – the first of five such covers. The tank and the magazine helped launch the So-Cal Speed Shop as an internationally recognised brand. Wanting to go ever faster, Xydias teamed up with legendary racer and author Dean Batchelor. They were inspired by the small, lightweight, pre-war Auto Union Type C land

speed racecar, building the So-Cal Streamliner using what they had, including the Model T Ford frame and engine from the tank. Neil Emory (grandfather of outlaw Porsche builder Rod Emory) and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom hand-formed the sleek aluminium body and, with Batchelor behind the butterfly, the car turned 152mph at El Mirage in the spring of 1949. Encouraged by their success, the team took the streamliner to the first Bonneville Nationals in August that year. With a new, Meeks-built Mercury V8 they set a Class C Streamliner record at 189.745mph. Their top speed was 193.54mph. Batchelor and Xydias returned to Bonneville the following year and bumped the record to 208.927mph and the So-Cal Streamliner became ‘The World’s Fastest Hot Rod’. Meanwhile, Xydias moved ‘uptown’ to a Sears prefab building on the aptly named Victory Boulevard and produced one of the speed equipment industry’s first printed mailorder catalogues – now a collector’s item. He quickly embraced the adage ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’, and his newly named So-Cal Racing Team continued to build hot rods and racecars that set records at the lakes and on the drag strips, enabling Xydias to sell parts. He was very good at corralling successful fellow racers into the So-Cal fold and, as we now call it, building the brand. Four of the distinctive red-and-white cars graced the cover of the Best Hot Rods magazine in 1952. In turn, that cover was translated into a Hot Rod Comics cartoon publication featuring the team’s exploits, albeit under the name of Clint Curtis. The industry was changing, though. Canny Xydias saw this coming in 1952 when his friends Ray Brown and Mal Hooper eclipsed the So-Cal tank with their Chrysler Hemipowered tank’s two-way record at 197.88mph. Even with a dash of nitro, Xydias’s tank was out of steam and, just like that, the newfangled overheads relegated his flathead to the trailer. It wasn’t over yet, though, because there was a new kid in town called drag racing. The California dry lakes were a difficult, dirty place to compete and were getting chewed up. Racers needed something more accessible and they found it in the nation’s plentiful airfields, where they could race every weekend. Most people have never heard of Goleta, a small town about 11 miles up Highway 1, west of Santa Barbara. According to Xydias’s best friend Wally Parks in his book Drag Racing Yesterday and Today, there was a paved road

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So-Cal man The late Alex Xydias

RANDY LORENTZEN

Above, from top, and opposite Xydias with Pete Chapouris, his original belly tank and its modern GM-powered counterpart; in recent years with a scale model of the belly tank; filming in 1954 and wielding his flathead magic.

on the north side of Goleta airport – now Santa Barbara International Airport – that ran east to west, away from the mountains and towards the ocean. Around 1948, members of the Motor Monarchs club from Ventura, and engine-builder Bob Joehnck of Santa Barbara, approached the airport manager to see if they could use the property for legal drag races. Named the Santa Barbara Acceleration Association, they started holding organised drag races every other Sunday in late 1948 or early 1949. It was an industry booster. Wishing to embrace both lakes racing and drag racing, Xydias purchased the Langthorne and Gray ’34 coupe that had run at Bonneville in 1951 with a GMC six-cylinder engine, and proceeded to develop his ‘Double Threat Coupe’: another magazine cover car. Using a front-mounted supercharger, Xydias and ‘Buddy’ Fox set the Class C record at 172.749mph at Bonneville in the summer of ’53, and also ran the car at the Pomona dragstrip that had opened on the Los Angeles County Fairground in 1951. ‘One day,’ Alex recalled, ‘a guy came into the shop with a pair of brand new Ardun cylinder heads.’ Ardun heads were aluminium OHV conversions developed by Zora Arkus-Duntov for the Ford V8: when correctly adjusted, they transformed the anaemic flathead. With another crank-driven GMC blower and a wicked roof chop, the team returned to Bonneville but failed to break any records because of a faulty ten-cent ignition condenser. At Pomona, with a new condenser and a 10% mix of nitro, the coupe clipped the quarter with a speed of 132.79mph and boosted the class record by 8mph. Unfortunately, a tragedy was about to unfold, as Xydias’s brother-in-law Dave DeLangton, home from the Korean war, bugged Xydias for a drive. DeLangton went 128mph and pestered Xydias for another go so that he could ‘wind it tighter’. He wound it tight all right, tight enough to blow the clutch, which severed a fuel line and set the car and himself on fire. T-shirt aflame, DeLangton bailed, letting the car run out across the street until it nosed into an embankment. He died four weeks later from third-degree burns. The tragedy weighed heavily on Xydias and he retired from racing. Also, as a self-confessed flathead fan, he had no wish to embrace the next OHV chapter in the story of speed and decided to try his hand at filmmaking, something his father had done in the ‘silent’ era. Xydias, however, filmed motorsports – from Bonneville to Indy and Daytona – and, while his productions were very professional, he soon realised that he was ahead of his time: people just didn’t pay to watch racing movies. His legacy lives on in such enduring documentaries as The Hot Rod Story and several other, rarely seen colour films.

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‘HE WAS VERY GOOD AT CORRALLING SUCCESSFUL FELLOW RACERS INTO THE SO-CAL FOLD’

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So-Cal man The late Alex Xydias

Above Xydias with Pete Chapouris in SO-CAL Roadster no. 001, styled after Clyde Sturdy’s Class B Modified that ran at Bonneville in 1951.

Change beckoned. In 1963, Xydias joined Hot Rod publisher and friend Robert E Petersen at Petersen Publishing as editor of Car Craft Magazine. He moved on to be editor and then publisher of Hot Rod Industry News where, as a director, he helped launch an industry trade show that would eventually grow to become the annual SEMA Show. He was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 1982. After 12 years at Petersen, Xydias felt he had done all he could in the publishing world and partnered with racer and entrepreneur Mickey Thompson to launch the SCORE Off-Road Equipment trade show. It ran for ten years until Thompson and his wife’s untimely murder in March 1988. Meanwhile, Xydias was inducted into the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame, the HOT ROD Magazine Hall of Fame, and the Route 66 Hall of Fame. He also received the Robert E Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. In 1994, Xydias’s friend Pete Chapouris was approached by collector Bruce Meyer, looking to build a collection of significant hot rods. High on their list of wants was the So-Cal belly tank that resided (amazingly unmolested) in the rafters of Don Ferguson’s Long Beach warehouse. Using all the right parts, people and pieces, Chapouris and his team restored the

tank to win its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2010. Over the years, Xydias – who had no professional training for anything he did – had always maintained the So-Cal Speed Shop with reunions and commemorative catalogues. Consequently, when his friend and tank restorer Pete Chapouris came asking about resurrecting the iconic brand, Xydias was ready, and in November 1997 the new (and newly upper-case) SO-CAL Speed Shop was launched to much acclaim. Xydias remained active as an advisor until Chapouris passed in 2017. When active, Xydias was also Chairman of the Board of the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. No doubt due to the prodigious number of awards and ink that the new SO-CAL generated, and the beautiful cars it was building, it was no wonder that the OEMs came calling for uncredited work on concept cars. In 2002, McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens, then chief designer for MG Rover, commissioned a 225mph ZT-T wagon for Bonneville. There followed in 2003 a call from GM’s current president Mark Reuss, who commissioned a fleet of red-and-white liveried, SO-CAL branded race cars, including a pair

of Space Age, carbon-bodied ‘belly tanks’ that over the ensuing few years set a number of land speed records with four-cylinder Ecotec engines. Somewhere, there are iconic images of Xydias driving one of the tanks at Bonneville. Our story doesn’t end there, though. In 2012, the Learning Centers at Fairplex, Pomona, California, created a new automotive school called the Alex Xydias & Pete Chapouris Center for Automotive Arts (AXC). The purpose of the school is to help educate young people and provide them with an opportunity to develop skills for a viable career in the auto industry. At a time when high school auto shop programmes have all but disappeared, AXC provides a much-needed auto-centric educational environment that facilitates opportunities for young enthusiasts and provides an incredible bookend for Alex Xydias’s amazing career. Since its inception, and despite the Covid pandemic, AXC has grown in no small part due to substantial donations from the Margie and Robert E Petersen Foundation to include an automotive welding school in the name of Chapouris, and in the works is an auto body and paint programme. As legacies go, Alex Xydias leaves a long shadow.

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xvi historical revival 10th - 13th april 2025

T h e ol de s t I t al i an R ac e

tribute to

Temple of Speed April 10th

April 11th

• Technical and sporting checks at Monza Circuit • Private VIsit to Riva Shipyard • Opening Gala Dinner

• Iseo Lake • Piovera Castle • Rapallo • Portofino

STAGES April 12th • Rapallo • Genova • Loano Marina • Sanremo

For informations and Subscription: race.office@milano-sanremo.it

April 13th • Sanremo • Asti • Award ceremony in AC Milano www.milano-sanremo.it

BMW The Z cars

GEN 76

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BMW’s Z cars told of a new sports car future, starred in a Bond film, and saw a slow roadster become a rapid coupé. One stands above the rest – and you might be surprised which

Words Ben Barry Photography Sam Chick

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BMW The Z cars

Clockwise, from above Z1 is distinctive from every angle, yet still looks like a BMW from the front; interior borrowed themes from motorcycling; 325i straight-six, so no excess of power; disappearing doors are its party trick.

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f ‘Z’ gives the alphabet a suitably futuristic-sounding sign-off, it literally means future when applied to two-seater BMW sports cars – it stands for zukunft, the f-word in German. A little ironic, then, that each of BMW’s original Z cars is now either firmly in classic territory or – looking at you, Z4 – a sure-fire zukunft classic. We’re re-visiting Z1, Z3, Z4 and Z8 to find our favourite – the book-ends from BMW’s own heritage fleet, the Imola Red Z3 M and Z4 M Coupés in the middle kindly sourced by specialist Munich Legends. As the name hints, BMW was crystal ballgazing when it launched the Z1 in 1989. It was conceived inside the newly formed BMW Technik GmbH, an ideas lab founded in 1985 where designers and engineers could escape 3-, 5- and 7-series convention, and where obeying rules was strictly verboten. Within six months, a 60-strong team led by Ulrich Bez – affectionately ‘Betzy Boy’ to his co-workers – had dreamt up the avant-garde Z1. It seemed pure concept-car fantasy, but then BMW green-lighted its first two-seat convertible since the 507 of 1956 and there was a waiting list round the block, speculators and all hoping to snap up this DM80,000 roadster (roughly £25k for us Brits). The Z1 remains a distinctive looker today. Its wedgy front and vestigial kidney grilles evoke both its 8-series contemporary and the

earlier M1, and visually illustrate just how far back the M20 B25 straight-six is pushed into its front/mid-mounted position. Like much of the drivetrain, it’s shared with the E30 325i. ’Arches bulge athletically either side of a beach-ready mid-riff, the rear is bobbed like a Manx cat’s tail and, when you look at a Z1 in profile, everything leans a bit, the design italicised. This one’s painted in the unfortunately named Ur Green. Under its skin, this rolling laboratory uses galvanised box-section steel foundations, a composite floor, and injection-moulded thermoplastic body panels that are apparently straightforward to remove. BMW suggested owners buy an extra set in a different colour (swapping out of my Ur Green tracksuit proves easier today). Bathtub-high sills bring to mind an original Mercedes-Benz 300SL but, rather than gullwings, the doors slide down vertically like a mime artist running a hand over his face. Wilfully different rather than inventively futuristic these doors may be, but they’re also the Z1’s calling card. I press a button on the rear three-quarter panel, the door motors down and I straddle the sill to settle rather inelegantly into the driver’s seat – the Z1-specific steering wheel is on the left as they all are, the driving position suitably low-slung, the seats comfy and accommodating for a taller driver, pedals dead ahead… I’m at ease in here. I’m also

surprised by just how liberating it feels to drive with doors and roof dropped, far more so than a typical convertible: cool air swirls invigoratingly around me, tarmac rushes in my peripheral vision, and – naturally – vision out is fantastic. Shades of Mini Moke, Willys Jeep and Ariel Nomad here, not the 1970s delivery driver vibes I’d feared, and seats with camouflage centres amplify that outdoors-type flavour. So the Z1’s fun, but the driving experience proves somewhat mixed. Peak power of 168bhp is identical to an E30 325i’s, the 1250kg kerbweight comparable – perhaps removing those body panels isn’t such a bad idea – so we’re talking brisk rather than rapid. But if you manage expectations on speed, it’s lovely – warm, mellow idle, generous low-down torque, creamy power delivery, plus a fivespeed ’box with a leisurely throw but sweet action, an easy clutch and nicely judged brakes. Suspension is a mix of old and new, with 325i struts up-front, the new multi-link – a-ha! – ‘Z’ axle debuting at the rear, ahead of volume introduction in the E36 3-series. It all feels nicely balanced and responsive, there’s the abundant traction you’d expect given 164lb ft doesn’t get out of bed until 4000rpm, plus the steering’s a high point, too: far more connected than my old 1994 E36 M3’s, this unique rack has better on-centre definition, more consistency, nicer weighting and feels a decent

1990 BMW Z1 Engine 2494cc straight-six, Bosch fuel injection Power 168bhp @ 5800rpm Torque 164lb ft @ 4000rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion Suspension Front: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar. Rear: multi-link Z axle, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1250kg Top speed 141mph 0-62mph 7.9sec

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BMW The Z cars

‘Five engineers grafted after-hours to create the car they actually wanted to drive: the M Coupé’ bit quicker, too. Shame some discordant patter filters up from ground level. Perhaps this car’s suspension is a little worn (I’ve read elsewhere that the structure is stiff, and scuttle-shake negligible) as it doesn’t feel quite as tight as it perhaps ought to. Demand cooled with the economy by 1991, yet BMW still built 8000 Z1s through to June that year – not bad for such a niche car with weird doors offered only as a left-hooker in a single mechanical spec. The few currently for sale in the UK range from £44,000 to £60,000. The 1997 Z3 brought far more powertrains and shifted almost 300,000 units all told, but – perhaps surprisingly for a Z – it is more conventionally engineered, and designed not with a squint at the horizon but a glance in the rear-view mirror. Note the decorative side gills in deference to the 507. An adapted E36 3-series Compact platform forms the pragmatic bones, complete with that car’s less sophisticated, E30-based semi-trailing-

arm rear suspension (BMW was up against it with its ‘English patient’ Rover), though the wheelbase is some 8in shorter, steering 20% swifter, the tracks widened front and rear. Base Z3s started from £19,500 at launch for a 1.9-litre 16-valve four, pitched somewhere between a more upmarket MX-5 and less powerful Boxster. Not surprisingly, Z3s lacked both the raw edge of the former and the sophisticated verve of the latter. The solution was the 911 Cabrio-chasing M Roadster. In went the 321bhp M3 engine for more power than its Stuttgart rival, engorged rear ’arches were stuffed with deep-dish 17in alloys, while the chassis got the necessary preventative measures: still-wider tracks front and rear, 28mm lower ride height, plus uprated shocks, springs and anti-roll bars; M3 brakes, too. When everyone complained M Roadsters wobbled like a jelly in a seismic tremor, five engineers led by Z3 platform chief Burkhard Goeschel grafted after-hours to create the car

they actually wanted to drive. The M Coupé arrived for 1998 and lived through to 2002, during which time 4111 left the South Carolina line (compared with over 15,000 M Roadsters). Unofficially known as Z3 M Coupé and other names besides, really this idiosyncratic M car is more shooting brake than coupé, with its closed roof increasing stiffness by 2.6 times – not to mention introducing the ‘clown shoe’ profile (which I love). Up for £30,000 at the time of writing at Munich Legends, this is one of the earlier and more plentiful cars featuring the S50 3.2-litre six from the E36 M3, not the slightly more potent S54 engine from the E46 M3 found in later examples. Instantly I’m reminded why an M Coupé is so good. Like so many skunkworks projects, partly it’s in the honest, rough-diamond quality this car exudes, but there’s real polish, too, much of the magic lying in its flow and finesse over challenging topography. I quickly ease into a fast rhythm, confident the compliant

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2000 BMW M Coupé Engine 3201cc 24-valve straight-six, Bosch fuel injection Power 321bhp @ 7400rpm Torque 258lb ft @ 3250rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion Suspension Front: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar. Rear: semi-trailing arms, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1390kg Top speed 155mph (electronically limited) 0-62mph 5.4sec

suspension won’t be jolted off-line. This is also a reactive, adjustable chassis, so if you load it up in a corner then release the throttle, it eagerly tightens its line. Add-in its compact wheelbase and it’s an agile little thing to hustle. BMW was careful not to step on the M3’s toes, so, while an M Coupé is over 100kg lighter and gets the same power as the M3 Evo, its ambitions are checked by a five-speed gearbox from the earlier 3.0-litre M3 and a taller final drive. No matter. This engine sparkles with raw energy, its angry metallic rasp when you home in on the 7400rpm redline still crisp and vital, and as you shift you realise the ZF gearbox glides where a Getrag graunches. Zesty, hungry performance from one of the great engines, this. And yet it is not too much performance. Clockwise, from right E36 M3 power, but rear suspension dates back to E30 3-series; unusual proportions invited ‘clown shoe’ epithet; traditional theme to interior.

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The M Coupé is one of the last highperformance cars not fitted with traction or stability control (it was introduced for later S54 models); perhaps that’s why it’s so properly sorted and sweetly balanced. Neither drivers nor engineers have any place to hide here, nor do they need it. Black marks go to steering that could be perked up off-centre, a driving position a little too cramped for 6ft 1in me, and a thimble of a 51-litre fuel tank, but revisiting the Breadvan reaffirms what a gem it is. The Z8 arrived the same year as a very different proposition. Just like the base Z3, it got its 15 minutes in a Bond flick – The World Is Not Enough – and featured a retro-themed design, this time penned by Henrik Fisker in deference to the 507. However, like the Z1 it was built on a bespoke platform, if a rather different aluminium spaceframe manufactured at BMW’s Dingolfing plant, and clothed in aluminium panels. Much of the suspension was also aluminium. It was offered purely as a left-hooker with just the one parts-bin powertrain pushed right back behind the front

axle, but no question it was the best powertrain M had lying about – the 4941cc S62 V8 and six-speed manual from the E39 M5. It’s good for 395bhp and 369lb ft of torque. You sit reasonably low in a typically spot-on BMW driving position, gripping a largediameter, thin-rimmed steering wheel, with a familiar manual gear-lever an easy reach away on the tall centre console (and apparently given a rattle-can silver makeover). The pillars are far more upright than the Z1’s, and while the bonnet stretches out forever, there’s a lovely Italianate roll to the tops of the wings that looks very much hand-finished and makes extremities easy to place. Hiding infotainment behind a flip-up panel is a nice Bond-like cue, but the rest of the controls could’ve been thrown there by amateur darts players – you twist a key but also push a button to fire the V8, instruments are in the middle of the dash rather than behind the steering wheel. It’s pointlessly inventive. As you’d hope of something that cost £86,650 new at the turn of the millennium, the

2002 BMW Z8 Engine 4941cc 32-valve V8, Bosch fuel injection Power 395bhp @ 6600rpm Torque 369lb ft @ 3800rpm Transmission Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion Suspension Front: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar. Rear: multi-link, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1585kg Top speed 155mph (electronically limited) 0-62mph 4.7sec

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Clockwise, from left The two extremes of Z; Z8 the most luxurious of this quartet, and the most retro – inside and out; glorious V8 power comes from the E39 M5.

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BMW The Z cars

2006 BMW Z4 M Coupé Engine 3246cc 24-valve straight-six, Bosch fuel injection Power 338bhp @ 7900rpm Torque 269lb ft @ 4900rpm Transmission Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion Suspension Front: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar. Rear: multi-link, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1495kg Top speed 155mph 0-62mph 5.0sec

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‘It is one of the great sports car shapes, a fusion of classic proportions with the edges and scallops that define its surfacing’ Z8 is shot-through with a hewn-from-billet sort of gravitas. You feel it in the structure beneath you, and certainly in beefier steering, with its robust on-centre feel. Same goes for all the key controls. Nothing feels flimsy. That V8 is predictably mighty. There’s a charismatic thudding note, plus oodles of torque and smooth delivery when driven at a normal pace, but keep it pinned and lazy lowend bass morphs into something far more urgent and high-tech in feel. It’s classic rock remastered by VANOS variable-valve timing. Plus the pedals are nice, the shift reasonably slick. All that easily accessed torque means the Z8 very much needs its traction control if you’re to avoid trouble in the damp, and it’s odd that the Z8 doesn’t even get a limited-slip diff. Neither does it ride these B-roads with any real flow, too much low-frequency chatter permeating through from the surface. It’s a bigger, heavier car than the M Coupé and it isn’t as much at home here. I feel somewhat tentative, like there’s little point pushing towards the limits. At launch, roadtesters were often confused whether the Z8 was a full-blooded sports car or more laconic GT, but it’s a GT all day long – the look, the handling and the lack of a locking diff spell it out. Approach the Z8 like, say, a more purposeful Mercedes-Benz SL, and I definitely see the appeal. A total of 5703 examples were largely hand-finished in Munich and you’ll need at least £160,000 today, though many breach £200k. If that seems way too much, values at least also seem solid. Both Z3 and Z8 exited stage left in 2003, with the new Z4 picking up the baton as the Z3’s direct successor. It is the only Z to spawn multiple generations, but today our focus is with the first. Like the Z3, a panoply of powertrains was offered, but this time the coupé was always planned alongside the firstto-market roadster. With BMW by then well into its controversial ‘Flame Surfacing’ era

Clockwise, from far left Sublime M3 straight-six; distinctive tail; interior more Bangle than BMW; Z3 and Z4 begat coupé bodywork that hasn’t followed in subsequent generations.

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BMW The Z cars

under Chris Bangle, it was a return to a Z car with an avant-garde twist. The look still polarises today, but for me – particularly in coupé guise – this is one of the great two-seat sports car shapes, a fusion of classic front-engine/rear-drive proportions with the crisp edges, concave scallops and – OK, yes – weird sagging belly that define its surfacing. It’s an origami Triumph GT6. Once again, both M Coupé and M Roadsters were offered (4275 and 5070 units produced, respectively), but this time they stepped out of the M3’s shadow. There’s a multi-link rear end, six-speed gearbox, M’s new Variable LSD, even the same 3.62 final drive. So combined with the updated S54 engine and the coupé’s 1495kg kerbweight that’s some 75kg fleeter than an M3, it’s a proper little firecracker, quickly picking up its heels and snarling and rasping through its quad exhaust tips. Flexible too, with 80% of its 269lb ft torque on tap below 2000rpm. Push it hard over this undulating landscape and, where the M Coupé’s steering feels a little lazy, the Z4M’s is faster than an M3 CSL’s (which was swifter than a base M3’s but still a little dozy), and even retained hydraulic assistance where every other Z4 uses newfangled electric assistance. It’s a nice, chunky feel that promptly fires the nose at the apex

without the Z3 M’s turn-then-turn-a-bit-more reluctance. Plus the seating position is lower and goes back further than its predecessor’s, and the brakes are decent thanks to an M3 CSL upgrade. There’s much to enjoy here. Yet the spark of the earlier M Coupé is somehow missing. The gearshift is more knuckly, the seats firm as a church pew where Z3 chairs are supple, and the performance advantage is dulled by that kerbweight also being 105kg porkier than the Breadvan’s. The biggest flaw, though, lies in this rather brittle chassis. It never truly settles, which is as bad for comfort as it is for confidence. Today most Z4 Ms sit in the £25-30k bracket and represent a significant piece of M history as last resting place for its incredible straightsix, plus they look fabulously sharp, that powertrain is incredible… Like-for-like, they are cheaper than the best Z3 M Coupés – only there’s no shortage of great M Coupés in that ballpark. Notably the car you see here. All of which makes the Z3 M Coupé not only best to drive, but best for value, too. The drive, the quirky design and the skunkworks back story suggest this’ll be the Z that history remembers more fondly. It already does: most definitely one to tuck away for ze future. THANKS TO Munich Legends, munichlegends.co.uk.

TO THE FUTURE BMW pulled the covers off a new two-seat roadster concept at this year’s Villa d’Este, the BMW Concept Skytop. Despite it lacking a ‘Z’ designation, design boss Adrian von Hooydonk also officially likened it to the Z8, citing design references throughout. Ultra-thin LED head- and tail-lights, a boat-like prow and horizontally elongated kidney grilles are particularly deferential; differences include the two removable targa-style panels rather than a fabric roof. Based on the 8-series, the Skytop is powered by a 626bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 (as seen in the M8, and the outgoing M5 CS). It was spotted driving at Villa d’Este, and BMW has just announced that 50 will be built. All have been pre-sold…

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225/45 ZR16 P700-Z Pirelli have made a fresh batch of the original tyres that BMW ﬁﬁed to their E30 M3 and their Z1 Roadster

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Destination Club des Autos

CLUB CLASS Do you enjoy driving in France? Love the Dordogne? Then a new car club based around a restored château could be your dream home-from-home Words Mark Dixon Photography Oswald Schwirtz

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‘THERE ARE NO locks on any of the doors,’ says Bob Meijer, creator and owner of the Club des Autos. ‘It’s a house, not a hotel. That might seem strange, but you don’t usually have locks on your rooms at home, do you? And if you have guests to stay, you don’t put them in a bedroom with a lock on it. This is a very important part of my philosophy that Château de Sermet should not be seen as a hotel.’ So, how do you define Club des Autos? Perhaps best to think of it as a bolthole that members can visit as often as they like, in return for an annual membership fee and a per-night accommodation rate. What differentiates it from other private members’ clubs is that you can also keep your classic car there all-year round, so you can use the château as a base for tours or holidays on the Continent. As Octane found out over a weekend this summer, Château de Sermet is a very cool place to stay.

To use estate-agent speak, it’s ‘nestled’ in rolling, wooded countryside in the very south of the Dordogne; your archetypal French medieval stately home hideaway, located in such a quiet part of the country that the French Resistance were able to operate from it during World War Two without the occupying Nazis ever finding out they were there. Which means, of course, that it is also a perfect place for people who like enjoying old cars on beautiful and near-deserted roads. And that brings us neatly to Bob, an octogenarian Dutch classic-car enthusiast who loves driving his old cars – really driving them. During 1997-1999, he made a round-the-world trip in a Bugatti Type 46; in 2017-2018 he crossed from the east coast of Canada to Alaska in the west in his vintage Alvis 12/50 ‘duck’s back’. When Octane visited the Château, he collected us from the airport – a two-hour round trip – in his newly

This page and opposite Since buying the Château de Sermet in 2018, Bob Meijer (spiritedly driving his Bugatti, top left) and his team of craftsmen have transformed it into a welcoming bolthole for like-minded enthusiasts.

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Destination Club des Autos

‘The main tower was built in the 14th Century, ironically to watch for invading English’ Fortunately, the château is surrounded by about 140 acres of estate, purchased Land Rover Series IIA LWB Station Wagon. It’s the 2.25-litre much of it wooded with oak trees, so the floors, staircases and doors have diesel version, so surely the ultimate testament to his lack of compromise been beautifully renewed in that material; having good business contacts when it comes to driving old vehicles. in Ukraine meant that Bob was able to find skilled carpenters to carry out As you may have gathered, Bob is something of an Anglophile and he this massive job to a tight deadline. is also a non-exec director of the groundbreaking Bicester Heritage They’ve done a wonderful job. The château has been beautifully ‘village’ of classic car specialists, based in a restored WW2 RAF restored throughout, maintaining its ancient appearance but with modaerodrome. ‘My friend Dan [Geoghegan, chief executive of BH] and I cons such as underfloor heating in the bathrooms – don’t worry, you were in a vintage car accident, and while Dan was laid-up recovering won’t be cold. There are now 18 bedrooms and five grand salons on the I sent him an iPad and told him to find us a small airfield for sale where ground floor, plus two modern and fully equipped kitchens – guests are we could store some cars and my friend could fly in with his plane. But encouraged to prepare their own meals, perhaps using ingredients from the only one he could find was Bicester, hardly a small airfield… the vegetable garden, and there are some great restaurants locally. Chefs ‘Four years after beginning that project in 2013, I realised we had 350 can also be brought in, if required. Just as importantly, there is undercover beautiful cars stored in the Historit hangar at Bicester, but my question parking for 70 cars; Bob keeps a selection of his own classics at the then was: where can we use those cars? The roads in the UK are terrible château and an annual membership (currently €3500 for one person plus and congested, the weather is awful, and let’s not mention the food… partner) includes a year’s garaging – not so bad when you think you could But my son has a hotel in southern France, and I knew a real estate broker easily pay £250 per month to rent a lock-up single garage in, say, Putney. in his town, and there are always hundreds of châteaux for sale because Having experienced a few of Bob’s classics on the local roads – Citroën no one can afford to maintain them, so I asked him to find one that had ‘Big Six’ Traction Avant, E-type roadster and pre-war Riley rally car – and lots of garaging. We looked at maybe 30 places but what struck me most sampled the cuisine, this writer can confirm that it’s a fantastic area to about this one is all the fireplaces: almost one in every room. I thought drive an old car, with well-surfaced roads and hardly any traffic. The that would make it ideal for British visitors, who don’t care if it’s cold and château would make a great base for a car club tour or a launch event, there is no central heating, as long as there is a fireplace.’ with a choice of budget airlines flying from several This was in 2018, when the château was livable-in UK airports to Brive or Bergerac. but needed some restoration. It’s steeped in history, Becoming part of Club des Autos won’t suit as you would expect: the main tower was built in the Below, from left everyone’s pocket. Besides the membership fee and a 14th Century, ironically to watch for invading English. Sunshine and shadows – one-off registration fee of €500, there’s a room rate of ‘Ironically’ because from 1929 the château was owned the château is steeped in €275-320. But keeping a holiday home abroad isn’t by an Anglo-French family, who lived there for over 40 romance; furnishings have cheap, either, and even if you’re in a position to afford years, and in the intervening centuries the occupiers all been carefully selected; one, not much can beat being able to say that you’re were either pro- or anti-British, depending on the one of the comfortable salons in which to relax off to ‘your’ château in the Dordogne. politics of the time. Most of the buildings were added after a day spent driving in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries – although the on near-empty roads. huge outdoor pool is a more recent development. For full details, visit clubdesautos.com.

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TILFORD, SURREY

GUIDE PRICE £3,500,000 FREEHOLD [7 bedrooms] [5 bathrooms] [4 reception rooms] [3 acres] A car collectors dream! with a stunning and spacious family home extending to 5,300 sq ft with a further 6,000 sq ft garaging and workshops with enough space for 40/45 cars ideal for a car enthusiast or seller. The house is full of character and also offers a large indoor swimming pool,2 bedroom annex, Summer house extensive park like grounds. Council Tax Band H. EPC E. HAMPTONS FARNHAM 01252 750883 HAMPTONS.CO.UK

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THE O C TA N E INTERVIEW

Dave Brodie From saloon car racing to turbocharging road cars via Star Wars, Dave Brodie has been making things go faster since the 1960s Words Richard Heseltine Photography Paul Harmer

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LAUGHTER SUBSIDES only long enough for him to say in all seriousness: ‘There is nothing you can write that will offend me. Fill your boots.’ Dave Brodie is on a roll, firing out anecdotes like buckshot. A renowned driver coach has just been skewered verbally: ‘He’s all ego and has the mechanical sympathy of an air raid.’ Prior to that was a yarn about a racer who turned to nefarious means to pay for drives, not forgetting stories about the extracurricular activities of some big names; the sort of tales that may result in you propping up a flyover should they ever be repeated in print. The man himself couldn’t care less. Do your worst. It was always thus. An outspoken figure from an era not exactly lacking for characters, ‘The Brode’ enlivened saloon car racing throughout the 1960s, ’70s and beyond, as much by his every utterance as by his burning desire to win. He was nothing if not a charismatic rebel. ‘I always wanted to do well at sport, and I was a good boxer in my youth, but motor racing became my thing,’ he says. ‘I am glad that I found my niche. I was pretty much unbeatable from the start. I went to the first post-war Grand Prix at Silverstone with my dad when I was very young and I suppose that fired the interest. My heroes when I started out were Jim Clark – obviously, but also Chris Craft and John Fitzpatrick. ‘My first car was an Austin A35. Actually, it was an A30 that I turned into an A35. The old A-series was taken out to 1100cc and it had Formula Junior rods, pistons, crank and block, along with two Amal carbs. The family trade was electroplating, and I was a metal polisher. It was a nasty job but I was making £35 a week, which was good money for the early 1960s. Anyway, I can remember sitting on the roof of the Austin, watching a saloon car race at Brands Hatch from the inside at Druids. There were two or three guys who were obviously good but the rest were useless. I said, “I could be third in this race – with this car.” My mates ribbed me mercilessly.’ Suitably riled, he paid ten shillings for a race licence shortly thereafter, joined the Harrow Car Club and participated in his first race in June 1963. ‘It was the Eight Clubs meeting at Silverstone. I won first time out and was third in the second race that same day. I should have finished second but I got distracted by Brian Culcheth’s Mini. I couldn’t believe the way it was being driven and the amount of smoke that was pouring off the front tyres. I was hooked. I then sold the Austin but kept the engine. I put it in a Turner, but I got banned from driving on the road, which meant I couldn’t keep my race licence.’ Pause. ‘I then competed as “Roland Perrin” for a bit.’

Below, from top Memorabilia from a lifetime spent racing; recognition arrived with a 2.1-litre Ford Escort Mk1 ‘Special Saloon’, later upgraded to 2.2 litres and 16 valves, in which Brodie scored 21 victories in 1971.

Cue more laughter. ‘In all seriousness, I only did a few races in the Turner before I put it on its roof at Snetterton. I was mostly working hard earning money while I built up a Ford Anglia. It had a five-bearing 1300cc motor, actually a de-stroked 1500, with downdraught head, 48IDA carbs, five-speed Jack Knight ’box; all sorts of stuff. I raced that car throughout 1966-67.’ Our hero then accrued one win from as many starts aboard the ensuing twin-cam Anglia ‘Big Nelly’ before he received an offer for the car that he couldn’t refuse. A less happy foray into single-seaters followed. ‘I did a deal with Charlie Lucas for a Titan F3 car, complete with a box of Hewland ratios,

a set of mag wheels and slicks plus a car cover, all for £2100,’ he muses. ‘It was designed by “Tom the Weld” – Roy Thomas – and had one or two quirks that I didn’t know about: it wasn’t sufficiently rigid and would swap ends in a heartbeat. At that time I was working myself stupid trying to pay for the car so I took on a race mechanic who turned out to be hopeless: I spent a year driving around in a drip tray. I had a few decent results [including a Formula Libre win at Snetterton] but it wasn’t for me so I got on with building the Escort.’ And by Escort, Brodie is of course referring to the ‘Run Baby Run’ Mk1 that dominated the Special Saloons category from 1969 to ’71.

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The Octane Interview Dave Brodie

‘I had the ten greatest years you could have in motorsport. If the car held together, I usually won’ Clockwise, from above Making a point, from the comfort of home; BBR’s turbocharged Mk1 MX-5 Le Mans, sold through British Mazda dealers; laurels earned in ‘Run Baby Run’ Escort Mk1.

‘That was a brilliant car. We welded cast-iron bores into a twin-cam block and took it out to 2.1 litres. Later on, we got it to 2.2 litres, fuelinjected it, and gave it a 16-valve Cosworth head. When I first raced the Escort, the car was in primer because I couldn’t decide on a colour. Nobody did racing cars in black back then. It didn’t happen, but I always liked to be different so I got my guy in Feltham to do it. I remember him opening the doors of his paint shop and seeing the car for the first time. All that was missing was a taxi sign on the roof. ‘I then came up with the idea of getting the car pinstriped, with squares. It was striped in canary yellow, not gold like everyone says; on the bonnet, the roof, all over. It took about three days to do and looked incredible. This was before Lotus did its cars in John Player Special colours. I still maintain they stole my idea! I was only beaten twice: Roy Pierpoint gave me a driving lesson at Brands Hatch in the Bill Shaw Rover P6. He left-foot-braked me all around the circuit, something I wouldn’t

dream of doing. I wasn’t happy. The other time was by Roger Williamson who was a superb driver; one of the best I ever came up against.’ Mention of the Leicestershire ace, who perished in a ghastly accident eight laps into the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix, is freighted with emotion. Brodie wells up momentarily as he recalls this lost talent. ‘Whenever he was down this way he would stay at my place, Roger and Ronnie Peterson; I was best man at his wedding. They were my best mates in racing. At a torrential Brands – this would have been 1970 – I’d buggered off into the distance; lost everyone, or so I thought. Then, coming out of Clearways near the end of the race, I see these headlights out of the corner of my eye. On the last corner of the final lap, I got a dollop of oversteer and Roger jumped me. I loved the bloke so it was all right to be beaten by him.’ With 21 wins in 1971 alone, the leap from wannabe to player appeared complete, Brodie dovetailing his Escort campaign with ModSports outings aboard successive Lotus

Elans. ‘One was Victor Raysbrook’s car, the other the ex-Gold Seal Car Company/British Vita Racing Team machine, which was beautiful. I did 36 races in the Lotuses and I reckon I won all of them. ‘Back then I would do three or more races over a weekend,’ he says. ‘I could make £400 in prize money, which equated to about £6000 over a season, so the racing began to pay for itself. From that first race in 1963 to my accident in 1973, I had the ten greatest years you could ever have in motorsport. If the car held together, I usually won.’ By ‘accident’, he is referring to the horror shunt that occurred during the saloon car support race for the 1973 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It involved Brodie’s works Escort RS1600, Dave Matthews’ Capri RS2600 and Gavin Booth’s Mini. ‘I was doing the British and European Touring Car Championships and travelling constantly; having a great time. Matthews was second, and I could have taken him the previous lap but thought better of it. Anyway, he slammed into Booth’s Mini as we came up to lap it and he went off the road on the approach to Abbey Curve before rejoining the track. It hit me head-on. Matthews cartwheeled and was hanging out of the car like a ragdoll and I was pulverised. I almost had my leg amputated. ‘I spent seven months in hospital. It was agony. Once I was well enough, I went to see Ford’s competition manager Stuart Turner, who told me to help myself from the stores. I had a plan to build a Super Saloon Capri with a 3.4-litre Cosworth GAA engine.’ The result was the mighty ‘Black Beast’, a car that went from Chas Beattie’s drawing board to finished item in just five months. ‘The only problem was the engine. Tom Walkinshaw got the Cosworths and we were stuck with the old 2.8-litre Weslake V6. I should have put a small-

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The Octane Interview Dave Brodie

‘Race engines from Japan didn’t materialise so Ken Brittain and I did our own. We made the Starion a winner’

block V8 in it. Ford made a fuss of the car when we had finished it [in 1974], and pictures were fired off all over the world, but it wasn’t competitive because of the engine.’ The notion of Brodie in anything other than a Ford seemed unthinkable but a change to less outré tin-tops with a Mazda RX-3 – ‘A terrible car to begin with’ – led to a long-standing link with another Japanese manufacturer. Brodie persuaded Mitsubishi importer Michael Orr to bankroll a BTCC bid; in a roundabout way, it led to the formation of turbo pioneers, BBR (Brodie Brittain Racing). ‘We were promised race engines from Japan but they didn’t materialise so Ken Brittain and I did our own. We made the Starion a winner. It was a superb car. When they pulled out of racing, we decided to do road cars. ‘Our first was a turbocharged Mitsubishi Shogun. Performance Car magazine pitched one against an Overfinch Range Rover and raved about it. That article made us.’ Via several

other marques, including Bentley, Aston Martin and BMW, BBR found fame with its MX-5 turbo conversion, offered via Mazda GB. It’s reckoned the company boosted around 250,000 cars in total. There came a return to the Blue Oval ontrack via the mighty Sierra RS500. ‘I loved that car,’ he says. ‘You were on a knife-edge, though. I won at Thruxton in 1989 but then received a six-month ban from racing. Another driver had offered me some fuel, which turned out to be 105-octane. My car was tested, his was not. I mouthed off a bit – quite a lot, actually, which probably didn’t help! I had a habit of getting up people’s noses. The car was originally white, but it was in its “Black in Black” livery by the time I came back in 1990.’ While Brodie would continue competing into the new millennium, it was with Cosworth power that he enjoyed a final fling internationally. ‘I had always wanted to race at Le Mans and finally did the 24 Hours in 1994.

Charles Bailey got involved in entering a Harrier and he asked me to build the engines; one for racing, the other for practice. The upshot was that I ended up becoming one of the drivers alongside Rob Wilson and William Hewland. My team put everything into getting that car prepared but it was a heavy old thing. William knocked two wheels off it quite early on and I remember him saying “If I had known it would cause so much trouble, I’d never have crashed,” which tickled me.’ Conversation then turns to his good friend, Great Train Robber (and Formula Junior racer) Roy James – ‘I’ve heard it said that I was one of the guys who didn’t get caught, which is hilarious’ – before explaining how he found himself in Tunisia driving a Landspeeder on the set of Star Wars. All of which is mentioned in his memoirs, Last Train to Cockfosters. All five volumes of it. It is gloriously, uproariously funny. Oh, and outrageous. You would be amazed were it otherwise.

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1928 H.M. B ENTLEY’S FINES T

THE LA ST HA RRISON TO URER

1927 S PEED MOD EL 200B HP LE MANS REP

B L U E RN

L E M AN S R EP N U M B ER 7

THRE E GE NE RATIO NS O F O NE FAMILY OWNERSHIP

Rolls-Royce prototype 17EX Sports Phantom

Starof India Built to see if ‘the best car in the world’ could be made even better, this Sports Phantom prototype was first owned by an Indian maharajah Words Mark Dixon Photography Sam Chick

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Rolls-Royce prototype 17EX Sports Phantom

e was unimaginably wealthy. He ruled over a landmass that was larger than England and Scotland combined. His collection of precious gems and jewellery was worth the equivalent of well over a billion euros in today’s money. And over the course of six years during the 1920s he bought 17 Rolls-Royces – to add to the seven early Silver Ghosts that were already parked in the family garage. It’s easy to see why (deep breath) Colonel His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, ruler of one of the five most important states in British India, was a particularly favoured client of Rolls-Royce. So favoured, in fact, that Hari Singh – as he was known to his friends – was allowed to buy one of the company’s experimental Sports models, 17EX, the car you see here. And now, after decades of much later European ownership, it is back in Indian hands. Today’s keeper is Yohan Poonawalla, a billionaire industrialist and classic car enthusiast; the latter so much so that he was named Classic Car Ambassador of the Year at the 2023 Historic Motoring Awards. ‘I have an affinity for all things Rolls-Royce,’ he confirms during our photoshoot. ‘This one is a particular gem, which I am proud and privileged to own. Maharajahs and British Royalty ordered special bespoke Rolls-Royces, which were very advanced in their day and age. Engineering, appearance, design, elegance – they offered a complete package.’ Like Yohan, who was the subject of our Autobiography page in Octane 252, we’ve featured this Rolls-Royce before. That was way back in 2006, Octane 42, when the car was fresh out of restoration and making its mark on the concours circuit at Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este. It wasn’t available to drive then and it’s taken 18 years to put that right, but now Yohan has very generously offered us the chance to try it. A whole century ago, Sir Henry Royce was fretting that his company’s cars were losing out in sporting appeal to rival Bentley. While the 1925 ‘New Phantom’ had a 7.7-litre straight-six that would urge it up to around 80mph, even a standard Bentley 3 Litre could manage the same, and tuned 3 Litres could crack the magic ton. The Autocar said in its 22 May 1925 review of the New Phantom that ‘The RollsRoyce… is not a very fast car considering its engine size.’ Ouch! By the restrained standards of the day, that was a metaphorical slap in the face with a leather driving gauntlet. Something had to be done, decided Royce. He proposed a sportier experimental version of the Phantom to take the fight to Bentley, and wrote to newly appointed managing director Basil Johnson in 1926: ‘The object of preparing this chassis is that, if speed merchants in the form of English peers or Indian Rajahs or others doubt the capacity of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, this specimen… can be tried by them… we do think that the owners of the smooth and silent models within their large bodies capable of 80mph will be pleased to know that the same chassis and engine when fitted to a touring car will be capable of 95-100mph.’

In fact, Royce had already given the go-ahead for such a car in 1925 when Basil Johnson’s late brother, Claude, the founding MD of Rolls-Royce, was still in charge. The first so-called Sports Phantom was built in late 1925 and given the Rolls-Royce experimental number 10EX; it was followed by several others, but the ones most relevant to this story are 15, 16 and 17EX respectively. They were bodied by three different coachbuilders, but all to a new lightweight design that had been foreshadowed by the Barker four-seater touring body fitted to 10EX. After some modifications in December 1926 to make that 10EX body more rakish – a new, shallow and raked-back vee windscreen; skimpy, lighter wings; spare wheel moved inside a new aerodynamic tail – that shape would become the template for the ones fitted to 15, 16 and 17EX. It was penned by chief project engineer Ivan Evernden, known as ‘Ev’, and these simple improvements to aerodynamics raised the otherwise stock Phantom’s top speed to almost 90mph. Weight was still holding it back, however, and this is where Royce made his own, very significant contribution. He patented a new lightweight body construction that involved deep laminated body sills made from sheet steel and plywood, with plywood also used for the body panelling. No one’s sure why Rolls-Royce chose three separate coachbuilders for the improved lightweight variations of 10EX’s body that were fitted to 15, 16 and 17EX. The first car, 15EX, was bodied by Hooper, and 16EX by Barker; both were ready by early 1928. 17EX, however, was bodied – unusually, for a Rolls-Royce – by Jarvis of Wimbledon. Jarvis did have experience in making lightweight bodies, not least for Malcolm Campbell’s Blue Bird record-breaker, and here’s an interesting coincidence: all three of the later EX cars were painted in various shades of light blue, and 17EX’s colour is remarkably similar to the recently constructed Blue Bird’s. Did Jarvis use the same paint? Today, beautifully restored as closely as possible to its original specification, that bright blue paint and matching blue interior trim give 17EX an unusually vivacious appearance. Opinion may be divided on whether ‘Ev’s attempt at an aerodynamic shape is classically beautiful, particularly from the rear three-quarter angle, but it’s certainly striking, those enormous scoops that are the front wings appearing to lunge forward to devour the road. Climb up into the car via the inverted-aerofoil running board and featherweight driver’s door and you’re left in no doubt that this roadster means business. Ahead of you is a plain black dashboard stuffed with gauges and dials, while the steering column presents an assembly of knobs and levers for adjusting carburettor mixture strength, ignition timing and throttle position. Its nickelled skeleton frame is like a pilot’s control yoke, and the steeply peaked dash coaming and raked vee-screen are similarly aeronautical; you could be sitting in a fuselage rather than a car body. There’s no rev-counter, but you’re never in any danger of not hearing what the engine’s doing because 17EX is much more vocal than a regular Phantom, its soundtrack

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Rolls-Royce prototype 17EX Sports Phantom

This page and opposite 17EX requires muscle to steer at low speed but is a joy to handle on a fast road; Halda rally meter below busy dash is a legacy of many hard drives since the car’s restoration.

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Rolls-Royce prototype 17EX Sports Phantom

somewhere between a burble and a genuine snarl when you goose the throttle. The vast torque produced by that 7.7-litre straight-six means that smooth pull-aways with minimal clutch slip can be achieved by letting the clutch in at idle speed and just catching it with a few extra revs at the moment it bites, while the right-hand gearchange is challenging enough to be satisfying without being impossible. Although 17EX will in theory trundle along as slowly as you wish, the spark plugs don’t like prolonged stop-start pottering. Better by far to keep the momentum up, when the heavy-ish steering lightens and the car really comes alive. How alive? Well, after cruising steadily along a dualcarriageway at an indicated 60mph, the driver of our camera car later remarked that 17EX was doing closer to 75-80 – and there was plenty more to come. Sitting at a lorry-like elevation, gazing down that long bonnet at a preternaturally

large Spirit of Ecstasy, it’s hard to resist imperious ‘master of the universe’ emotions as you control this huge statement of a car, the embodiment of an era when much of the world’s map was coloured pink. Appropriately, when 17EX was offered for sale a few months after its completion in July 1928, it caught the eye of what Henry Royce had speculated might be an ‘Indian Rajah’ or, more accurately, a Maharajah, our old friend Hari Singh. Rolls-Royce had already embarked on the next generation of Phantom and its sportier Continental sibling, so 17EX was now redundant for testing purposes and it was duly shipped to Bombay, as it was then known, in November. Oddly, though, it seems that Hari Singh wasn’t actually that interested in cars, despite having a fabulous collection. Historian Gautam Sen, who is an expert on cars owned by the Maharajahs, suggests that he may have bought this

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‘It’s hard to resist imperious “master of the universe” emotions as you control this huge statement of a car’ particular Rolls-Royce ‘as a case of one-upmanship’ and didn’t drive it much. He sold it on after just three years. The next long-term owner was much more of a petrolhead. Provat Kumar Mitter was one of five brothers born to a very prominent Calcutta lawyer, whose death in 1930 left them with plenty of money to spend on toys. When Provat acquired 17EX, it replaced the Isotta Fraschini 8A that he’d bought when aged 21, and joined a fleet that included two Duesenberg Model Js and two Mercedes-Benz 38/250s. The regular family journeys to their properties in the lusher, cooler areas away from the heat and congestion of Calcutta made full use of all these supercars, as Gautam Sen describes: ‘[The drivers] would invariably race the last leg, with the Duesenbergs blasting away on the straighter stretches, the Mercedes-Benzes accelerating past with their superchargers howling away, the 17EX gracefully tucking and nipping within them… thundering by, flashing past in a blur of sound, fury, exhaust fumes and colour.’ Times and tastes change, of course, and in 1944 Provat Kumar Mitter decided to sell 17EX in favour of a 100mph Packard. The car moved around India in the hands of various owners until 1967 when, by then in a poor state, it was acquired by classic car enthusiast Protap Roy. Originally from another very wealthy Calcutta family – his grandfather owned a Phantom I – Protap Roy’s fortunes were, literally and metaphorically, affected by the partition of India in 1947 and he had to get a job ‘in commerce’ where, fortunately, he flourished. By the 1960s his hobby was

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1928 Rolls-Royce 17EX Engine 7668cc straight-six, side-mounted camshaft, OHV, aluminium cylinder head, single downdraught carburettor Power 99.5bhp @ 2000rpm (with exhaust cut-out open) Transmission Four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Worm and nut Suspension Beam axles front and rear, semi-elliptic leaf springs, hydraulic dampers and friction dampers Brakes Drums Top speed 100mph (est)

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Rolls-Royce prototype 17EX Sports Phantom

Above 17EX’s owner Yohan Poonawalla is a huge fan of pre- and post-war Rolls-Royces, particularly those with special history.

scouring India for rare or exotic old cars, which led to him acquiring a Mercedes 500K and a Hispano-Suiza shortchassis Boulogne, to name just two. Securing 17EX was his major coup, however, and a lucky one. Having heard rumours in 1967 that it was owned by the Rajasaheb of Bhadri, a remote princely state in north India, Protap Roy realised that the Rajasaheb would be judging the annual dog show in Calcutta that year. Since Protap and his wife had a pedigree dog themselves, they entered the competition, took Best in Show and consequently obtained the perfect low-key introduction to the Rajasaheb. As part of the deal, the Rajasaheb reputedly asked Protap to try to obtain a pair of corgis for him from England… The corgis may never have materialised but Protap Roy did start to contact various Rolls-Royce specialists and enthusiasts in the UK, among them dealer and expert Christopher Renwick. Stymied by the difficulties of obtaining parts for 17EX’s restoration, Protap Roy sold the car to another Indian in 1972, and in 1977 Renwick acquired it. He sold it the same year to Italian collector Dr Veniero Molari, who finally got around to commissioning its full restoration in the 1990s by coachbuilder Gianni Pena. During its many decades in India, 17EX had been repainted cream and black, and a surviving fragment of blue paint found on the car’s underside wasn’t a clear enough guide to the exact original shade. The problem was solved when Anthony Hussey of Connolly Leather, which had supplied 17EX’s trim back in 1928, told Molari and Pena that his company produced only one shade of light blue at that time – and they still had the colour code. Because leather and paint were known to have been the same colour back in the day, the Italians then had an impeccable reference for the paint, too.

17EX was still a work in progress, however, when Molari sold it in 1999 to would-be motor magnate Victor Muller, who was about to revive the Spyker marque. Muller asked Pena to complete the restoration and 17EX duly debuted at Pebble Beach in 2004, and then appeared at Villa d’Este in 2006. But Muller still wasn’t completely happy with the car and in 2009, when he needed to raise capital to buy Saab, he placed 17EX in RM Auctions’ London sale that October. The successful bidder was Austrian enthusiast Alexander Schaufler – and, at last, 17EX would again be used frequently and energetically in a way that it hadn’t since those epic trans-India dashes of the 1930s. Schaufler loved doing demanding rallies and in just a few short years he put 17EX fully to the test. Beginning with the 2010 Flying Scotsman, in three years he covered 15,000 miles in no fewer than ten events, most of them in the mountains of Europe. He then took the thoroughly well-used 17EX to Pebble Beach again in 2012 as part of its Cars of the Maharajahs display, where it wore its battle scars proudly. Now 17EX is back in Indian hands almost a century after Hari Singh took delivery. After being refreshed to perfect condition by P&A Wood, it earned Yohan Poonawalla a Best in Show at the Valletta Concours in June – the first time an Indian collector has won such an award outside their native country – and Best in Show at the ICONS Concours in Mallorca, Spain, this October. One question remains. Could 17EX genuinely reach 100mph? It seems entirely feasible, even likely, but it’s never been proven. Hmm, now there’s an idea… THANKS TO to Yohan Poonawalla, Mohammed Luqman Ali Khan, Terence Morley, and not least Gautam Sen for his invaluable book ‘Rolls-Royce 17EX, A Fabulous Destiny’.

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Unique Lancia Autec Delta Integrale prototype

THE HOLY ’GRALE Richard Heseltine drives the unique Autec Delta Integrale Evo 1 Martini 6 prototype, built by Lancia’s skunkworks to commemorate six World Rally Championships Photography Jonathan Jacob

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Unique Lancia Autec Delta Integrale prototype

o here we are, slaloming around potholes on the former RAF Lavenham site. Jolt, clonk, whoosh, jolt. Heavens, that’s a big ’un. Boost. And repeat. To think, this Suffolk backwater was once home to the Eighth Air Force, the skies above awash with B-17 Flying Fortresses. What’s left is losing its battle with gravity, or at least the parts that aren’t near the one building that is (conspicuously) well-maintained. That’s the centre of operations for a hush-hush outfit, one of its number not taking too kindly to a Lancia Delta Integrale descending on its perimeter. He doesn’t care that we have permission from the landowner. He’s too busy frothing at the mouth to listen. He obviously isn’t a fan of homologation specials, and one that by way of an awkward segue was also the work of a shadowy skunkworks. The car pictured here is shrouded in myth and rumour. What is known for sure is that it was built by a brains trust that operated under the innocuous banner of Autec. This engineering consultancy contributed to many mainstream production cars in addition to building prototypes within a small facility in the environs of Fiat’s Mirafiori plant. You could be forgiven for having never

heard of it, but you will be aware of the man who helmed the firm at its inception: the engineering giant, Dante Giacosa. In order to understand the Integrale’s place in the general scheme of things, first you need to be aware of why the original car was created. Scroll back to the early 1980s and a time when rallying underwent a metamorphosis. The Group B years represented the most extreme period of offpiste motorsport yet witnessed. It was an era when steroidal cars with only token nods to Highway Code adherence scorched special stages; an age of big-money programmes, ballsy drivers, rule-bending chicanery, protests and counterprotests. For five mostly glorious seasons, rallying was anything but dull and formulaic. Then the music stopped. In 1986, the FISA governing body scuttled the upcoming Group S category (for purebred machinery, only ten replicas of which needed to be made to meet homologation requirements). It also abruptly called time on Group B in the light of Henri Toivonen’s fateful accident on the Tour de Corse. These mid-engined blunt instruments were deemed too fast and too dangerous. New regulations called for production-based Group A cars for 1987 on, and Lancia was quick off the mark in creating an all-new weapon using experience garnered from the monstrous Delta S4.

Above and right Martini stripes and the Abarth scorpion badge tell a tale of their own, yet this car is actually a product of the Autec skunkworks.

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Abarth, which had long been Fiat and Lancia’s de facto competition department, was responsible for conjuring its new weapon. Basis for this WRC challenger was the Delta in rather more recognisable form, relative to its mid-engined predecessor. When it was introduced in 1979, the Delta offered few pointers to its becoming a performance icon. But that was then. With 165bhp from its 2.0-litre twin-cam turbo four, and an innovative all-wheel drive system, the new HF 4WD (or SE043 in Abarth-speak) secured the 1987 World Championship of Makes title at a canter. It also won the first two rounds of the following year’s series before the Integrale picked up the baton. Launched at the 1988 Frankfurt motor show in road-going form, this newest strain packed a larger Garrett T3 turbo and an extra 20 horses. That, and 224lb ft of torque. Blistered ’arches embraced fatter tyres and grey 15-inch alloys, while the 56:44 front:rear torque split imbued it with preternatural levels of grip. It was capable of 0-60mph in 6.6sec and on to 133mph, and was a peerless point-to-point car. This latest strain dominated the 1988 season, bagging manufacturer honours well before the end of the campaign. There was no time for resting on laurels, though. For the following year, Lancia introduced a new 16-valve variation to be run alongside the existing eight-valve car. It was identifiable by its prominent bonnet bulge, other obvious deviations including wider wheels and tyres. With the torque split changed to a rear-biased 47:54 for better handling characteristics on asphalt, it made a successful debut in the Sanremo Rally; even production versions were

‘THIS CAR IS SHROUDED IN MYTH, BUILT BY A BRAINS TRUST LED BY DANTE GIACOSA’ punching out 200bhp at 5500rpm. Then the 210bhp Evolution model arrived in October 1991. Even wider tracks front and rear meant the already conspicuous wheelarch extensions became larger still (now a single pressing as opposed to fabricated). The front MacPherson strut top mounts were raised for better wheel articulation, new grilles sited in the front bumper to dissipate under-bonnet heat build-up, and an adjustable roof spoiler was added above the tailgate to increase downforce. By the following January, Lancia had introduced the first of a bewildering array of limited editions to the roster, the Martini-liveried ‘5 World Champion’ celebrating the Integrale’s fifth consecutive WRC triumph. And by the end of the year, another title had been eclipsed.

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Unique Lancia Autec Delta Integrale prototype

Clockwise, from opposite Interior familiar in all but detail; Evo spec for 210bhp; perfect stance; unique badging; motorised Martini-badged radio cover.

Enter Integrale 6, complete with turquoise stitched Alcantara trim. However, with works involvement in rallying ending in 1992, the Integrale was on borrowed time. The ultimate iteration arrived a year later with a revised version of the enduring Lampredi-designed 2.0-litre unit (power was hiked to 215bhp) and mostly cosmetic and detail revisions, along with more small-run rarities (including the imaginatively named Final Edition). In November 1994 the Integrale entered into the past tense, by which time 44,296 had been made. That wasn’t a bad haul for a homologation special; one that, when first released in eight-valve form, saw just 50 earmarked for the UK market. Even then, the concessionaire wasn’t convinced there was a market for such a car. ‘Our’ Martini 6 variant conjures images of heroes such as Didier Auriol, Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion catching air aboard flame-splitting works cars, the sense of romantic fascination being heightened by the Martini warpaint. Nevertheless, the livery here and one or two other unusual details inform you that this isn’t your typical Integrale, if there is such a thing. This one may even have been built

for a member of the Agnelli clan, though the paperwork suggests a corporate non-entity owned it first. What is clear is that it was built by Autec in conjunction with Scuderia del Pilota, and project-managed by Ing Rodolfo Gaffino di Rossi. The latter outfit prepared cars for the great and the good, some of the more celebrated creations including the one-off Integrale convertible built for Gianni Agnelli, and the Lancia Giubileo landaulet that was gifted to Pope John Paul II. The Agnelli association here is implied, some sources claiming that it was a present for Gianni’s son Edoardo, and that it was sold via a ‘favoured’ dealer following Edoardo’s death in late 2000. The wheel-in-each-corner stance is perfect (there are no silly overhangs to clout against something on special stages). The Integrale looks as hard as coffin nails in a styled-byengineers, Frankenstein mash-up kind of way. However, only the side stripes were applied. Then there are the fulllength brake grilles inset into the front wings. They are functional rather than blanked off as on regular Integrales. The ‘Powered by Abarth’ badge out back is unique to the car, too. The more you look, the more you spot. Even items such

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as the roof gutters are distinctive: they’re flatter; prototypes for what became the unofficially named ‘Evo 2’ version. Once aboard, there are further clues that this is a one-off. As in all Integrales, the dashboard architecture is clearly a throwback to the late 1970s, the same being true of the cheap-as-chips switchgear. If nothing else, they serve as a reminder of the car’s roots: that it was adapted from a 1.3-litre commuter shuttle. However, the Alcantaratrimmed Recaro buckets offer all the correct competition reference points. Bespoke elements stretch to the two window-type switches in the centre console: they operate the rear spoiler (it’s adjustable by means of a spanner on the regular car). It returns to the ‘flat’ position once the engine is switched off. Then there’s the Martini Racing radio cover, which opens and closes by means of a switch. The car once housed a unique hi-fi system, with speakers concealed beneath the carpeting. This set-up was removed at some point, as was the suspension system, which incorporated an oil reservoir adjacent to each strut, feeding into the dampers. This apparently ensured a more comfortable ride without disturbing the handling characteristics (Autec also trialled the set-up on the Ferrari-engined Thema 8.32, but it was dropped for production on grounds of cost). This is as close to a new Integrale as you will ever find. It has covered whole ones of miles since its money-no-object restoration in Turin under the direction of marque authority Paul Baker. The base car origins are also all too obvious in the driving position, which is rather upright; the same is true of the windscreen. There are a few quirks to overcome first, too, not least the abrupt action of the clutch, which takes some mastering. However, it’s a different story at speed. Although twin balance-shafts add refinement to the

1992 Autec Delta Integrale Evo 1 Martini 6 prototype Engine 1995cc DOHC four-cylinder, 16-valve, multi-point fuel-injection, intercooled Garrett turbocharger Power 280bhp @ 5700rpm Torque 224lb ft @ 3500rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, four-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs, ABS Weight 1340kg Top speed 140mph (est)

BACK FOR MORE! Martini-style stripes reappear on the Lancia Ypsilon Rally 4 HF Could this be the successor to the legendary Integrale? Lancia’s fourth-generation Ypsilon will be landing soon, rather like the old Delta, basically an upmarket shopping car based on fairly humble mechanical components (think Peugeot 208, in this case). But more exciting for us Octane types is that there’s talk of a return to motorsport, too, with this hot little range-topper, dubbed the Rally 4 HF. Underneath the bodywork, power comes from a 1.2-litre turbo threecylinder; doesn’t sound like much in comparison to the Delta’s 2.0-litre Lampredi engine, but it packs an Evo 2-matching 215bhp, and it’s fed to the floor via a five-speed sequential transmission and a limited-slip differential. Which should make trips to Waitrose a lot of fun. Outside, there’s a roof scoop plus a vented bonnet, stage-ready straight-spoke, white-painted alloys – and a set of stickers that just screams competition (though without actually mentioning that particular brand of vermouth). We shouldn’t expect quite the same level of rally domination; instead this is an entry-level machine, intended for the ‘R4’ class in which talented beginners seek a shot at glory in the upper echelons. What price a more powerful version? They could call it the Integrale…

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Unique Lancia Autec Delta Integrale prototype

inline four-cylinder engine, this Lampredi unit doesn’t sound quite as choral as in other applications. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t play a nice tune, more that it’s a metallic, zinging rasp overlaid with wastegate exhalations. Throttle response is also softer than you might expect; less snappy. It isn’t the all-or-nothing rally car archetype. Traction is, of course, benchmark stuff, at least for its vintage. The Integrale doesn’t feel like a front-wheel-drive car with a modicum of rear-wheel assist. Instead it becomes increasingly neutral the harder you press. It finds footing where other cars discover only wheelspin, and acceleration is of the eye-widening variety. There are a few ergonomic quirks here and, as such, the steering wheel gets in the way of the important sections of the speedo and rev-counter. As for the boost gauge, prior experience suggests that you don’t spend much time looking at it. You change up by ear as much as by what your contact points are telling you. That said, the turbo begins to spool-up at 3000rpm, complete with a whistling chirrup, the surge from 50mph to 80mph being visceral thanks to the colossal amount of torque. You are now moving at quite a lick: the Integrale’s mid-range pull is stupid-fast, but then this one is packing a bespoke Abarth ECU (power is said to be around 280bhp). It is clearly happiest at high revs, too. The Lancia is a lot smoother there, while the gearchange initially feels a little fluid against the stops but with plenty of gate-spring assist. There’s a sense of invincibility, the Integrale defying the laws of physics without any understeer, oversteer, on-its-roof unpleasantness. It just grips and grips and then grips some more. This situation is abetted by steering that, while not

particularly sensitive at low speed, becomes that bit more lucid when pressing on. Nor is there any of the ‘tug’ you get from some four-wheel-drive cars of this ilk. You don’t have to wrestle it into submission. The car’s ride quality is better than you might expect, too, all things being relative. There’s some thumping over coarse asphalt, and when you connect with a bump, you know it, but it’s no worse than most latterday sports-saloons on big rims. The seating position is humane thanks to the adjustable-height wheel, so there’s no need to adopt the expected simian driving stance. The beauty of the Integrale – any Integrale – is that there’s enough straightline performance to bait most supercars and sufficient dexterity to humble them when roads get gnarly. It’s practical, too, with seating for the family and a proper rear hatch, even if the 4WD gubbins encroach a little on boot space. Whether young pups would appreciate acting as ballast is a different matter, though. Oh, and as ’grale owners are wont to point out, it’s best not to have the windows half-open while you are having fun in the twisty stuff (the body flexes a wee bit). The Lancia is far from perfect, but it is bloomin’ brilliant. Its forerunners, the Stratos, 037 and Delta S4, were rally superstars and beyond the viewer’s reach and even comprehension, but that was never the case with the Integrale. It was tantalisingly within reach in a way that no Group B car ever was. A few bespoke touches were added to the mix with this enigmatic curio; the sort befitting Italian royalty, albeit of the unanointed variety. It was a car fit for a king of the industry.

Above About the only view of an Integrale you’ll see on some roads – and the rear spoiler on this one can be adjusted electrically.

THANKS TO Paul Baker, omologatoconsultancy.com.

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Rudi Klein The ‘junkyard’ collector

Clockwise, from above The man himself; just a few of the many Porsche 356s he broke for parts; the ex-Rudolf Caracciola one-off 1935 Mercedes 500K he bought in 1979.

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The junkyard dawg The Rudi Klein collection has been whispered about for decades, but who was the man that amassed it? Words James Elliott Photography Dieter Rebmann / RM Sotheby’s

he great thing about decrepit car collections – or historically important single cars – that suddenly come up for sale, and cause such a furore that the news seeps into the national and international press, is that they are rarely as ‘discovered’ as the media would have you believe. What actually makes them astonishing is the level of belligerence and bloody-mindedness the owners must exercise, for decades, to fend off the army of dealers and auction houses hoping to persuade them to sell. Only death, divorce or taxes usually swing it. Such was the case with the mammoth Baillon Collection in France and the infamous Portuguese barn from which its treasures were ingeniously drip-fed into public consciousness. Epitomising the fact that there is a world of difference between something being kept discreetly, or being hidden and unknown, was the £3million Bugatti Type 57S Atalante that, according to the UK national press, was ‘forgotten’ for 50 years in a dusty domestic garage in the northeast of England and ‘discovered’ only when the owner died and relatives came to clear the garage. Great story, but if Dr Harold Carr hadn’t regularly cleared the notes pushed through his Gosforth door by people eager to help him sell his Bugatti, he wouldn’t have been able to go out. King of all these open-secret collections, however, was Rudi Klein’s junkyard in South Central Los Angeles, a distressed collection that is now, finally, being sold in over 500 lots by RM Sotheby’s on 26-28 October. To be fair, such a collection, largely stored in the open air, would have been impossible to keep secret even if you wanted to, thanks to high racks of Porsches there for everyone to see and blocks of flats actually overlooking the junkyard. Getting through the door was more difficult, admittedly, and buying a complete car near-impossible. Even after Klein died in 2001, aged 65, and sons Ben and Jason took control, the doors remained closed with only a select few cars emerging – such as a solesurvivor Horch 855 Speziale Roadster that Audi restored and displayed in its museum in the 1990s. Then RM Sotheby’s managed to nudge its nose through the door and reveal the full extent of the treasures… and the heartbreaking condition of many of them. Imagine a one-of-29 alloy Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (est $4-6m), first owned by Luigi Chinetti in 1956 and sold to Klein in 1977 for $30,000 – a lot of money then. It’s missing some bits, has a dented wing from when he reversed it into a forklift, but even so… Or consider the three-and-a-half Miuras; a unique 1964 Iso Grifo A3/L Spider prototype by Giugiaro for Bertone (bought by Klein in 1980, estimate $700,000-1,000,000); or Pininfarina’s Ro80-based 1971 NSU Ro80 2 Porte + 2 show car (est $60,000-80,000); or 1959 Porsche 356A Carrera 1500 GS/GT packing super-rare plain-bearing crank fourcam 692/1 engine ($450,000-600,000). Klein was big on 356s: they make up more than 50 of the 150-plus actual cars in the auction. Of that total around 30 are vaguely complete, but the remainder are crashdamaged, burned out or cannibalised to varying degrees.

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Rudi Klein The ‘junkyard’ collector

Other lots range from a Dino documents wallet ($5000-10,000 ) to a new/old-stock Merc 300SL crank ($3000-6000) or Miura engine and spares ($75,000-125,000). You start to see how a posh breaker’s yard was so wealth-generating and you start to see why Klein’s business model worked – where else in California were people going to get a spare Porsche 904 Carrera GTS passenger door ($2000-4000)? The companion online auction has huge job lots of engines and seats, stacks of bonnets, tool-rolls, radios and carburettors. Need an entire crate of NOS Visca Piston Rings for the Porsche 356? You’re in luck. The reality, obviously, doesn’t quite live up to the press frenzy, one supposedly authoritative source suggesting that Klein’s ex-Caracciola Mercedes-Benz 500K (estimate $4-6m) will become the most valuable car ever sold (yup, over the €135m Uhlenhaut coupé), while all those overhyping the mystery angle are overlooking Dieter Rebmann and Roland Löwisch’s book Junkyard, which covered most of it. Though it is genuinely impressive and intriguing in equal measure, speculation that it is the greatest collection of cars ever assembled by one man is ridiculous. But that does not mean that the man who would assemble and rigorously ringfence a collection such as this is not fascinating in his own right. Who was Rudi Klein, what were his motivations? What sort of character stockpiles so many important and highly desirable cars without ever arresting their decay and more often amputating large parts of them? A German émigré who arrived in the USA in the 1950s, he worked as a barber among other mundane jobs before he was known to have started buying recognised collector cars and huge collections of exotic spares as early as the late 1960s. Focusing on top-marque European cars in any condition, Klein became notorious for his high prices but had a near-monopoly on spares for European exotics in California, so high they could be. His business was not restoring, just breaking: different times! The company eventually grew big enough to need a name and that was Porche Foreign Auto Wrecking, the misspelling deliberate to fend off German legal teams. The upmarket scrapyard business must have been lucrative because, by the late 1970s, Klein was flush enough to buy his first top-tier collector car, the previously mentioned ex-Rudi Caracciola one-off 1935 Mercedes 500K Pebble Beach class-winner (1978). He displayed it once, in 1980, at a Mercedes-Benz Club of America event in Newport before tucking it away, but is said to have carried a picture of the car in his wallet. It remains the jewel of the collection now, and is also proof that, to him, some cars were too good for the cutting torch.

Unsurprisingly, he was reputedly not an ‘easy’ man, usually described as eccentric (or with less polite synonyms) and fiercely protective of his collection, sometimes via the release of the dogs. But then there is an awful lot of mythology around Klein and his cars. Octane spoke to Dieter Rebmann, the photographer who visited the Junkyard, met Klein and photographed the site at the turn of the century for his book with Roland Löwisch. ‘There were big warnings from people who knew him – be prepared, anything can happen!’ he recalls. ‘But for some reason he was really friendly, told me about all the people trying to cheat him out of his cars and spares. ‘After the first day, he invited us to dinner in a place called German Hofbräuhaus in LA and, when we arrived on the second day, it was as if we’d known each other for years. The Junkyard was just so breathtaking, unbelievable. I told him not to touch anything, to put a big wall around the whole thing, put a roof on top and turn it into a museum – he loved that idea. ‘That was in 2000 and I was supposed to come back in 2001 and stay as long as I wanted to shoot all the details, the cars and the personal stuff. I had a ticket booked for 19 September 2001, but then came 9/11 and then Rudi passed away in October 2001. That was the end of my story.’ If only Klein were still around and would deign to talk to the press (such was his introversion, one of those ‘ifs’ is no more unlikely than the other) we might find out what motivated him; why he bought so many valuable cars that he would never restore, use or sell. Maybe he was just plum crazy, but there isn’t that sense of mindless accumulation here. Nor does the suggestion that he was just a very shrewd investor ring true because investors have to cash in at some point, or at least maximise their potential return through promotion or restoration. Most obsessive collectors simply would not be able to leave such cars undriveable. The straightforward answer is often best. In this case it is that he was just a guy with a junkyard, whose business happened to be buying and parting-out cars that, even though a bit exotic at the time, were nowhere near as valuable or desirable as they are now. Porsche 356s in the 1970s in California – vermin. As browsing the full RM Sotheby’s catalogue shows, for only a very select few did Klein actually adopt the role of saviour/collector: the rest were cannon fodder. The biggest take-away here should be how much the classic car world and industry have grown and changed since Rudi started piling his Porsche spares cars high. For the full catalogue and results see rmsothebys.com/auctions/rk24/.

Below Breaking hearts as well as cars: Klein’s ‘ junkyard’ is home to 300SL Gullwing, Roadster, 911s, even a Facel Vega – and is that the Iso Grifo A3/L Spider prototype?

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Frazer Nash Le Mans veteran

LE MANS AT T H E

D OU BL E This Frazer Nash uniquely contested Le Mans as two different models and has been with one owner for the past 55 years Words James Elliott Photography Barry Hayden

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Frazer Nash Le Mans veteran

T This page, from top Perfect patination on seats tells of long Continental jaunts; speedo is clockwise but starts at 1pm rather than 7pm; boot will swallow a couple of hold-alls, but you’ll need a boot-lid bag for longer trips.

his car is dripping in history and you can see all of it. With all the fuss over the Bugatti Type 59 winning Pebble Beach, it is a good thing that I am not a concours judge there. Heart over head every time, me. And patina goes straight to my heart. I know plenty disagree and I know that me falling for the aged beauty of this much-loved and much-used car is a bit different to the ex-King Leopold car taking the top honour at the world’s most glamorous concours, but how can you be other than utterly charmed by a car such as this? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not some hanging rat rod, it is in perfect, usable condition – which to my mind is actually perfect condition – but its long life has not been hidden. Original door-pockets droop with use; there is a paintedover wooden floor between driver’s seat and pedals, the brake emerging from a rough-cut hole and bent sideways for heel-and-toeing. It is functional rather than for display. Even though the fact that this car is now so gracefully wrinkled and weathered does not necessarily mean that it hasn’t had cosmetic work at all in the past 73 years (the last 55 of them with the same owner), certainly it has not suffered much recently. Besides its condition, it is a very interesting car, not least because the eagle-eyed will have noticed that the numbers don’t add up and there was no such thing as a Frazer Nash Targa Florio in 1951 when chassis 451/100/150 was constructed. No, this story starts with the Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica. HJ Aldington, who had taken over importer and builder AFN from Archie Frazer Nash in the 1920s, launched his High Speed Competition after the war and renamed it the Le Mans replica after he and Norman Culpan took it to third overall at Le Mans in 1949. This spawned the practice of FN naming its cars after its competition successes. On a mere 2.5m wheelbase and built around the spectacular 1971cc Bristol six (in this case now BS1 104) that was cribbed from the BMW 328 unit, the drum-braked Le Mans Replica kicked off a line of Frazer Nash sports cars that totalled fewer than 100 units in many different guises before the Falcon Works in Isleworth closed in 1957. In all, 34 of them were Le Mans Replicas. After the Le Mans Replica came ex-BMW man Fritz Fiedler’s Mille Miglia, with a smart all-enveloping body that set the aesthetic template for the cars that followed. Only 11 were built, principally on the Le Mans Rep’s chassis. Despite a smoother tail, Fiedler’s front-end styling is still visible in the Targa Florio, of which Frazer Nash built 14 from 1952 to 1954. Developed on the twin-tube chassis from 1952’s three-off single-seater, it was a radically different car by Frazer Nash standards, with curved screen and wider body offering greater comfort for touring. The Le Mans fixed-head coupé and Sebring, plus a couple of one-offs, saw the company to the end of the line. All have BMW 328-style suspension with upper transverse leaf and lower wishbones at the front and longitudinal torsion bars locating a solid Bristol or Austin rear axle, except a handful that had a de Dion rear end. It was more than just the names that indicated that competition was the raison d’être of Frazer Nash, its

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Frazer Nash Le Mans veteran

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founders were obsessed with it, the cars were geared to it, the owners were almost universally engaged in it. After its attention-grabbing appearance at Le Mans in 1949, the company’s golden year was 1951, with widespread national and international successes, including Stirling Moss pedalling a Le Mans Rep to victory in the British Empire Trophy and Franco Cortese giving the company the only ever win for a British car on the Targa Florio, having already secured sixth overall on the Mille Miglia that year. With such competition in the blood, it is no surprise that plenty of Frazer Nashes raced at Le Mans, and this example is no exception, doing so twice in fact, but this is the only ’Nash to have raced at Le Mans as two different models! First registered to Rodney Peacock in 1951, it was campaigned widely, principally in clubman’s competitions, but, with the owner sharing with garagiste Gerry Ruddock, it ran in the British Empire Trophy (fifth overall), the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy at Dundrod (ninth overall) and in spring 1952, at the big one: Le Mans. Even after some wheel-cracking issues (a feature of the model) forced them to do the last few hours in limp-home mode, the pair still finished tenth overall and third in the under-2.0-litre class. The following winter Peacock, who went by Frank rather than his given name, had the Le Mans Replica reshelled at Isleworth as a Targa Florio, ostensibly to meet the everchanging regulations for sports cars, which by then had it in for cycle wings. The chassis was restamped 421/200/150, and the engine, originally FNS1-25 then, when that was damaged, FNS1-8 but renumbered as FNS1-25 and then, finally, BS1 104. Purposed for international competition, the body was lighter than other Targa Florios and, after the Le Mans 1952 outcome, it is no surprise that it was swapped onto wire wheels over bigger, 52mm hubs. It retained the fractionally heavier Le Mans Replica A-frame chassis shared by the first 26 Le Mans Reps – the final cars also had the twin-tube affair – as well as the Bristol gearbox and rear axle. In the 1953 season, Dundrod yielded an 11th place, but it was at Le Mans the following year that the team went all out. With works support and a borrowed, hotter engine, Peacock and Ruddock were said to be 20sec-per-lap faster than two years previously. Amid great optimism, they even led the works cars early on, but the race came to a premature end with only four hours completed when Peacock went off at Indianapolis and buggered the steering. Having bought the Le Mans Florio from Peacock in 1955, Gerry Ruddock continued to campaign it, as did the following two owners, Ray Dilley and Christopher Drewett. Then, in March 1969, this competitive little sports car passed to its fifth owner, Robert Mansfield, and he still owns it today, a remarkable 55 years later. Born in Australia and brought up on a small farm near Dublin, Robert says his mother was the hotshoe in the family, but he got plenty of experience early on, learning to drive aged ten on a ‘Little Grey Fergie’ and backing the horsebox around because his parents couldn’t. Or wouldn’t. The Mansfields had some interesting cars, including Standard Vanguards and, in particular a Bentley MkVI that Robert still owns. His own first car was a 1935 Morris Eight Tourer (bought for £10, sold for £12), followed by a 1960 Mini 850 and that was supplanted by a £350 Bristol 403, because it would cruise at comfort at 80mph rather than the Mini’s 60mph. After attending university in the UK, the future civil engineer and transport planner settled here and,

This page, from top The Targa Florio in full flight at Goodwood; as a Le Mans Replica with Peacock and Ruddock – Frank & Gerry as they were dubbed – on 1952 foray to Le Mans; back at Le Mans, now with a Targa Florio body in 1954.

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Frazer Nash Le Mans veteran

much as he still adored his Bristol, by 1969 was yearning for something a bit lighter. And, he reasoned, what could be more like a lightweight Bristol than a Frazer Nash? ‘The Targa Florio was advertised in Motor Sport as coming to auction and I bought it pre-sale,’ he explains. ‘It wasn’t sold as being especially interesting or having any Le Mans history; I only found all that out later. ‘Initially it was my daily driver, but then I bought an Austin Maxi for day-to-day driving. I raced the Frazer Nash pretty hard from the early 1970s to the early ’80s and had some success – I won at Brands and still hold the lap record up at Croft on the old circuit.’ After that, the Frazer Nash was refocused as an international touring car and, with wife Caroline, Robert has conducted epic jaunts to Slovenia, Spain and Italy, the latter via the Stelvio of course. ‘It’s a very comfortable and capable touring car. With the wider ’shell and full ’screen it’s quite civilised, plus there are sidescreens and hood. It’s fun to pop it on the road, especially if it is wet or greasy because the tail hangs out quite nicely. It’s reasonably quick, not like a modern, but in the Pomeroy Trophy a few years back I did a 16.7sec standing quarter, or something like that.’ So is it racer or tourer; what is this two-for-the-price-ofone Frazer Nash’s true métier? Time for me to find out. For a start, this car suits the tight little circuit at Bicester Motion more than most, and the lack of modern track furniture means it fits right in visually. Even the surface, rather than babyskin smooth tarmac, is pitted, rutted and characterful in a period-perfect way. After a couple of sighting laps, I build speed gradually until I consciously feel the Frazer Nash lighten. And then it dances. This car is clearly in superbly usable mechanical condition and that sweet 2.0-litre Bristol ‘six’ is on-the-button and gorgeous, idling sharply, always eager to get going. It fizzes even low down in the rev range and 3500rpm is all you really need to enjoy it, though it will safely run at 6000rpm… and it does for short, life-enriching bursts. Driving it is very much a collaboration; this is not a car that the driver needs to boss, to manhandle into submission, you drive through when it lightens in corners, you let it drift wide when it wants to, you just revel in it when it slides so easily yet controllably on its Avon tyres. The big steering wheel seems almost angled towards the centre of the car, but is perfect to conduct, while the low and sudden clutch take-up encourages swift changes. Which isn’t all that easy at first, until you get into a decent rhythm. There is no synchro on first and it is a standard four-speed H-pattern ’box, but the long, wavy lever makes operation tractor-like until you learn where the gaps are and find them by instinct alone. Second still occasionally likes to hide, mind. Robert’s early Ferguson training must have helped! Once you have co-ordinated those three key elements it is a fantastic car to keep simmering, at once neutral and flat,

Clockwise, from top left A carb for every two cylinders; at speed; cockpit has seen plenty of service; Bristol 2.0-litre; badge carried over from pre-war chain-drive cars.

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Frazer Nash Le Mans veteran

‘I build speed gradually until I consciously feel the Frazer Nash lighten. And then it dances’

and with a bit more confidence skipping between the squirrelly Esses on the tight track and drifting wide on the top bend before gripping and powering down the straight. In theory, that early Le Mans Rep A-frame chassis isn’t quite as sturdy and unshakeable as the Targa Florio’s tubes, but I can’t tell any difference, and boy is it fun. Best of all, there’s room for a couple of decent-sized holdalls in the boot and you just know that this versatile little machine would be as wonderful at touring as it is at racing, better even, though you would probably want to reinstate the full ’screen for that. Before even getting in it, in my mind I knew that this car had been fortunate to find its perfect soulmate in Mansfield, someone who not only campaigned it extremely competitively, but also used it for touring equally extensively and internationally – truly the 1950s sports car idyll. Sadly, after 55 years it seems that he and the Frazer Nash may be parting ways. The Targa Florio will follow out the door a fascinating stable he has maintained over the years, including a multiple Brighton Run 8HP Darracq, a Talbot 105 chassis, a Sunbeam 24/70 Tourer he had for 30 years until sold to Chile this summer, a Cooper Formula Junior, Fiat 8V and Fiat Dino Coupé 2.0-litre. The Bentley stays.

Surely it is impossible even to consider parting with this car after so long? ‘I suppose I’m realising that age is coming up and I am not as excited at doing European trips as I used to be. It’s kind of pathetic, but it’s true. That said, if it doesn’t sell I won’t be terribly disappointed.’ But what would he do with the money? ‘Have a positive bank balance for once… and maybe buy an Edwardian.’ Would Robert be happy to see it return to the tracks with a new owner? ‘Yes, but it wouldn’t be competitive now. To be so it would need a limited-slip differential and an engine designed to run to 6500rpm rather than 6000rpm, and it still wouldn’t be as quick as the highly developed 3.0-litre or 3.8-litre cars. Sadly, making it into a competitive car in modern historic racing would turn it into a lousy road car.’ I can’t disagree. Just as it is I can barely think of a better car to dash down leafy boulevards on deserted D-roads en route to Montlhéry for a weekend of clubman’s racing. Except one obviously, the Jaguar C-type. If you can’t afford a C-type, however, this is the next best thing and a quarter the cost of even a continuation car. THANKS TO Robert Glover and Broad Arrow Private Sales (broadarrowprivatesales.com), where this car is for sale.

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Tom Hardman Limited Offers For Sale Two exceptional Post war Frazer Nash

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Octane Cars The trials and tribulations of the cars we live with

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Happy days are here again

LOUIS BEAUSOLEIL @BEAUSOLEIL_PHOTO

1965 Triumph 2.5 PI James Elliott WITHOUT WANTING TO launch into some sort of Oscars-style acceptance speech, I am extremely grateful to a huge number of people that I am now back in my Triumph. I have blasted it around for 400 miles in the past couple of days alone and can’t wipe the grin off my face. I don’t think it has ever felt quite like this during my custodianship. The gearbox is tight as a drum, all the electrics work, no play in the steering, overdrive snapping in instantly, no diff whine, super-sharp braking, no (well, barely any) oil leaks, plush headlining, working heater (!), gleaming Cactus Green and rot-free, cavity-waxed body, and so on. I imagine that the novelty of having to consciously shove the gearlever out of second instead of having to hold it in, or, thanks to new seals, slam doors that previously shut with the gentlest of pushes, is akin to the weird feeling someone has when they wake up after a facelift. I haven’t gone completely over the top, mind. Since the Triumph went away early in 2023, what has been done may be worthy of the concours field but it has not had a full restoration by any means. The interior is still very well lived-in, the chrome is still passably pitted, but the goal (and the instruction) from day one was simply ‘solid and presentable’ so I could carry on enjoying it without the associated shame of its condition. It has sailed past all my hopes and expectations on that front. Chiefly responsible are James Godfrey-Dunne of JGD Classic Services (jgdclassicservices@ gmail.com), and Peacock Prestige (peacockprestige.com) who did

Left and right Triumphant return at Duke of London; post-crash, early 1990s, with Rich, brother of ‘co-owner’ Humphrey.

the lustrous paint, but large cameos were also played by Dave Pearson of Canley Classics (canleyclassics.com), who rebuilt the gearbox and supplied a huge number of bits, plus Lloyd Reed and Chris Witor who were also invaluable in supplying parts. Triumph stalwart and old pal Tim Bancroft provided the initial impetus and moral support along the way. He deserves a shout-out mainly because it would have been him getting the blame if it had all gone wrong! I can’t possibly list everything that has been done, but the big jobs were obviously a full body restoration and spray, which included work on or replacement of every panel (or what was left of them), plus the sills, disintegrating outriggers and swathes of floorpan and boot floor. As well as a full rebuild of the police-spec gearbox, there is a new diff (from Mk2 owner Matt George), new brake servo and tandem-type master cylinder, big-end bearings and rather a lot more. One of the many extra jobs I asked James to do was to wire in a hazard light system, which, in this age of ‘smart’ roads, I will be doing to all my classics as an essential survival feature. Having timed my holiday and collection of the car badly for the

monthly Southside Hustle on Wimbledon Common, the Triumph made its first postrestoration public appearance at Duke of London’s Classics & Cake meet on 15 September. It was pretty well-received by the mainly London enthusiasts who gathered in Brentford for the Meyers Manx take-over, which made me happy that we had achieved what I set out to. The Triumph is not exactly a Top 10 collector car, after all, but it sounds great, is perfectly lowered and has great stance, as well as a wonderful glasshouse, and people have always seemed to warm to it. But, for a long time, its palette of greens and rubiginous browns, its hanging valances and rat-rod demeanour have put me off taking it places. Not any more. To top it all off, co-owner (technically, although he generously refutes any claim nowadays) Humphrey Hale paid a rare visit from Australia just in time to see the finished car. That didn’t work out, as he stupidly put his family holiday first, but he did dig out some pictures of it when it was first built-up in the early 1990s. And then when it was crashed in the early 1990s. I took it over in 1998, so after 26 years it deserved a bit of TLC. Reckon it owes me another 26 years now. With winter fast approaching, this might be the first time that I consider packing the Triumph away to spare it having to drive on salted roads. Head says ‘Yes, don’t be a moron, this shouldn’t even be up for debate’, but heart, well, heart is impractical and impulsive and just loves to drive this car.

OCTANE’S FLEET These are the cars – and ’bikes – run by Octane’s staff and contributors

ROBERT COUCHER International editor • 1955 Jaguar XK140 ANDREW ENGLISH Contributor • 1962 Norton Dominator • 1967 Triumph GT6 • 1972 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport GLEN WADDINGTON Associate editor • 1989 BMW 320i Convertible • 1999 Porsche Boxster SANJAY SEETANAH Advertising director • 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio • 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante • 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK200 MARK DIXON Contributing editor • 1927 Alvis 12/50 • 1927 Ford Model T pick-up • 1942 Fordson Model N tractor • 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in JAMES ELLIOTT Editor-in-chief • 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI • 1968 Jensen Interceptor • 1969 Lotus Elan S4 ROBERT HEFFERON Art editor • 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i DAVID LILLYWHITE Editorial director • 1971 Saab 96 • 1996 Prodrive Subaru Impreza MATTHEW HOWELL Photographer • 1962 VW Beetle 1600 • 1969 VW/Subaru Beetle • 1982 Morgan 4/4 MASSIMO DELBÒ Contributor • 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 • 1972 Fiat 500L • 1975 Alfa Romeo GT Junior • 1979/80 Range Rovers • 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL • 1985 Mercedes-Benz 240TD ROWAN ATKINSON Contributor • 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom 133

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Octane Cars Running Reports

ANDREW RALSTON Contributor • 1955 Ford Prefect • 1968 Jaguar 240 SAM CHICK Photographer • 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider RICHARD HESELTINE Contributor • 1966 Moretti 850 Sportiva • 1971 Honda Z600 PETER BAKER Contributor • 1954 Daimler Conquest • 1955 Daimler Conquest Century • 2005 Maserati 4200GT DAVID BURGESS-WISE Contributor • 1924 Sunbeam 14/40 • 1926 Delage DISS MATTHEW HAYWARD Markets editor • 1990 Citroën BX 16v • 1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four • 1996 Saab 9000 Aero • 1997 Citroën Xantia Activa • 1997 Peugeot 306 GTI-6 • 2000 Honda Integra Type R • 2002 Audi A2 JESSE CROSSE Contributor • 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 • 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MARTYN GODDARD Photographer • 1963 Triumph TR6SS Trophy • 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII DELWYN MALLETT Contributor • 1936 Cord 810 Beverly • 1937 Studebaker Dictator • 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 • 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 RS • 1992 Alfa Romeo SZ EVAN KLEIN Photographer • 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider • 2001 Audi TT HARRY METCALFE Contributor • 20 cars and 15 motorbikes To follow Harry’s adventures, find Harry’s Garage on YouTube.

Voyage of the Alfanaut 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider Sam Chick WHEN I WAS at college, studying for an Art and Design degree, my reading included the great 20th Century French essayist, philosopher and semiotician Roland Barthes, who briefly discussed the image of the mythological ship Argo. During the voyages of the Argonauts, as repairs were required, the sailors gradually substituted every plank and nail of said ship until it was ‘an object with no other cause than its name’. Barthes opines that, while this results in an entirely new ship, perhaps both the name and form (or image) of the Argo remain the same. So to my Alfa, which has turned a significant corner at Kent-based Turner Classics. While the chassis and upper part of the shell were mostly sound, the lower quarter had begun to decay, as with many Alfas of this age. The worst of the rust and multiple botched MoT repairs (often comprising four or five layers of steel) have now been cut away and replaced with new, solid parts. Both three-part sills are in place, holding the car straight and rigid. The front chassis legs and anti-roll bar mounts have been

renewed (Barthes might say ‘substituted’). Front and rear jacking points have been refabricated. Perhaps a few structural parts might have been salvaged, but the thought of the car snapping in two as my wife and I drove over some Alpine pass didn’t appeal. The prospect of falling through the floor was also real, therefore both front floorpans are new. But here’s the interesting part in all these structural and semiotic substitutions. The guys at Turner Classics have diligently removed any metal that could be deemed safe or salvageable around the rotten parts and reworked them.

For example, the original seat slider brackets resting on the old floorpans have been repaired and fixed back into the car atop new pans. Items such as the pedal-box plate have been stripped of rust and strengthened. The rear quarters still need much work but, while the boot-lid carries the history of an accident and poor repair (neither my own, I stress), with the exception of the last eight inches of the top skin we’re repairing, not replacing. As I write, the last of the mechanical elements are being stripped: suspension, brakes, transmission and more. Our conversations are circling back again to the subject of restoration or renewal, with particular attention to the feel of the car. This Alfa won’t be a museum piece and will most definitely be taken on tour, so safety and reliability continue to dictate all decisions as we balance originality with economic reality. This is no fully substituted Argo, but I wonder whether it will be the same car I drove all over Europe years ago – or something new by dint of its modern parts. Left and above Painstaking progress and a process of necessary renewal are hallmarks of this restoration.

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Classic Legends

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HISTORICS AUCTIONEERS

Octane Cars Running Reports

Quality, but at what price? 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom Rowan Atkinson REGULAR READERS will recall that in Octane 253 I wrote about the fact that, at a Historics auction in November last year, I bought back this 2004 RollsRoyce Phantom that I owned from new until 2009. Well, an awful lot of work has been done since and the car is running well; I’m using it whenever I can but, as feared, small things have been tripping me up. I drove from London to the North-East of England and back in a day and thought on my return that the headlights weren’t working. I stopped the car to check – they were working but were just incredibly dim. The bulbs are Xenon, that favoured headlight technology of the Noughties, and apparently they age: mine had lost around 50% of their brightness in 20 years. Who knew? The bulbs were replaced

at a cost of £200 each, which is pretty steep when most classic car bulbs retail for around £10. I’m restoring a couple of ‘modern classics’ at present and, by Jiminy, it’s a costlier business than doing the same with an MGB. I know that we’re at the rarefied end of the market with a Phantom but some of the official spares prices are genuinely absurd. The rear-view mirror glass had delaminated and – you’ve guessed it – the glass isn’t available separately. New rear-view mirror: £1500. The whole sat-nav/media screen assembly is on a revolving mechanism, and neither screen nor mechanism has worked since I drove the car away from the auction. The replacement parts for this alone cost £7500. The question must be asked: how many people can afford to maintain a classic at these prices,

when just a few bits cost a fifth of the car’s value? P&A Wood in Essex, which has carried out all the work, has been good at sourcing secondhand parts and it does operate a Rolls-Royce main dealer scheme called Paragon that discounts the cost of labour and parts on cars more than ten years old by 20%. This has been helpful – but 80% of a lot of money is still a lot of money. It would be nice if Rolls-Royce Motor Cars were sufficiently flattered by the fact that some people want to keep the older cars going that it maintained a parts inventory at more affordable prices. Rolls-Royce Classic, anyone? I’m still ruminating about the paint. I thought that I could live with the slightly incorrect resprayed shade of Blackadder Blue but then I saw the car in unforgiving sunshine and realised

that the surface quality is really poor. The car definitely deserves better: I may do something in the approaching winter months. What else? The upholstery was looking really tired and dirty. To improve things, I thought that I might have to resort to a re-dyeing process (which I have never really liked) called ‘Connollising’ but thankfully things were transformed with just a deep steam clean, as shown here in the photos. I have now spent as much on the car as I paid for it, which I know makes zero financial sense but, oddly, it feels worth it. I love driving the thing and there’s great satisfaction in returning a car to the condition that it deserves to be in; while, it must be said, saving the 30-plus tons of carbon emissions that would be required to make a new one.

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‘The service and customer relations are ﬁrst class and the value is excellent because they are able to understand their customers and provide me with a service that is hand-in-glove with my needs. Their newsletters, articles and events make it feel like being a member of an enthusiasts club.’ Saul, FJ Private Client

This page, from top New headlamp bulbs cost £200 each; paint finish needs reworking after respray in previous ownership; before (left) and after cleaning front seats.

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Octane Cars Running Reports

ROBERT HEFFERON

OTHER NEWS

Life in the open 1999 Porsche Boxster and 1989 BMW 320i convertible Glen Waddington THANKFULLY there has been a last gasp of summer. The Boxster was a little challenging over the last year or so, running perfectly well (thankfully) but without a radio or 12V socket following my, er, handiwork in trying to attach a Bluetooth dongle to its original Porsche-branded Becker stereo head unit. And more recently the roof stopped working. Anyway, it then came back from MoT and service at Templetons Garage (templetonsgarage.co.uk) and all seemed well. As well as sorting a couple of fuses hidden well within the dash, which I had clearly blown in my connectivity attempts and had subsequently failed to get at, Stuart Templeton had re-calibrated the potentiometers in the roof mechanism, and the mostly dead switch on the fascia (it was intermittent) came back to life. For a week or two. Then its intermittent nature returned. Just occasionally, you’d stab the switch and the roof would stubbornly remain in place. Most of the time, getting out of the car, locking the door, starting over and going through the process of handbrake on (firmly) and releasing the roof latch again would restore function. Then I lowered it for a weekend trip and, when we parked, no dice. The roof wouldn’t be raised.

Off back to Stuart a couple of days later; he tried a few tricks to no avail. It was looking like the motor, or at least the feed to it – but to get to the motor meant disconnecting the roof pulleys to achieve manual operation and thereby gain access. No small task, so it was booked in again. Meanwhile, in enforced topless mode, I enjoyed driving the Boxster how it should be as the weather permitted. And braced myself to be without it for a few days. In fear of a substantial parts bill. Have to admit I sucked in a gasp through my teeth as Stuart got back to me. No, it wasn’t the motor: good news. But the fault lay within the sensor module in the header rail, which contains bits and bats for remote locking and the alarm, as well as the hood latch: yours for about £700. Yikes.

Yet Stuart had an old nonfunctioning one in his box of bits, with the microswitches required. Duly soldered into my existing module, the hood then worked perfectly. And all for a couple of hours’ labour. In time for me to run roof-up as the rain swept in and the Boxster was parked outside during some construction work at home. I can report that the work has cured the old fault of the windows sometimes lowering themselves over a bumpy road. Meanwhile, we’ve been enjoying family days out in the BMW as well, not least a trip to Suffolk, four-up and top down on a gloriously sunny late-summer day. Though I’ve been noticing an increasingly prominent transmission whine this past few months, and it was really singing along the A14 towards home. Never ends, does it? Above and below The great thing about a convertible is having a hood that comes down – and goes back up.

‘I was all set to take my Saab 96 to Bicester Heritage’s Sunday Scramble, until I decided to change it to electronic ignition at 5pm the day before. I ended up going in a modern car…’ David Lillywhite

‘Happy that my BMW Z4 is being repaired and wasn’t written-off after its minor shunt, I thought I’d celebrate by having the wheels refurbed, too’ Robert Hefferon

‘I love a good country show, so pottered over to one in the Welsh Borders in the Model T. Old tractors, Unimogs, classic cars and lilting local accents – it was the perfect day out’ Mark Dixon

‘The source of an elusive “clunk, clunk” somewhere in the Tatra T87’s underpinnings has finally been tracked down to badly worn spring shackles – remedial work is currently underway’ Delwyn Mallett

‘I’ve finally excavated my Toyota Celica GT-Four from longterm storage, if only to convince James that it actually exists. It’s been stood since 2019, so is now undergoing some “minor” rehabilitation’ Matthew Hayward

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1992 ALLARD J2X-C “A UNIQUE 3.5 LITRE GROUP C THAT REVOLUTIONISED AERODYNAMICS IN ENDURANCE RACING“

COLLECTION

Overdrive

This page and opposite Electrogenic’s DeLorean could be that rare thing: a guilt-free EV conversion of a classic.

Other interesting cars we’ve been driving

Forwards to the future 1981 Electrogenic DeLorean DMC-12 Mark Dixon WE DON’T FEATURE many electric vehicles in Octane – the clue is in the magazine’s title – but that doesn’t mean we’re not open to new technology for classics; 3D printing, for example, has revolutionised our industry. When you’re thinking about EV conversions, however, you have to ask yourself: does it improve the overall experience? Not just the driving dynamics, but the way it makes you feel?

For a lot of us, the engine is key to a classic’s appeal. But there are exceptions – and the DeLorean DMC-12 is one of them. Right from the start, the DeLorean’s image as a car for ‘horny bachelors’, to quote John DeLorean himself, was let down by its PRV (Peugeot-RenaultVolvo) V6, which mustered just 130bhp in US spec. As Road & Track pithily summed up, ‘It’s not a barn burner, with a 0-60mph

time of 10.5 seconds’. And, decent-enough engine though it might be in a Volvo 262C or a Peugeot 604, it doesn’t have quite the charisma of, say, a Ferrari V8. Today, the DeLorean’s biggest problem is being immutably associated with the nuclearpowered time machine that appeared in all of the Back to the Future movies. It is the epitome of a future car. And that is why an EV conversion arguably makes

more sense for a DeLorean than for any other classic. Oxfordshire-based Electrogenic (electrogenic.co.uk) is not in the business of restoring cars, says founder Steve Drummond: its focus is on ‘plug and play’ EV powertrains that can be installed by agents anywhere in the world. No structural changes have been made to this 47,000-mile DeLorean and no suspension upgrades either; the electric DeLorean weighs just 40kg more than a standard one. Which helps explain why it is so nice to drive, while being literally twice as fast as the V6 original. The 0-60mph time is halved to just under 5sec, while top speed is a creditable 120mph. Range is a claimed 150-plus miles. Dynamically, on a damp test track with tight corners, the car feels well-balanced, with initial understeer throttle-adjustable to oversteer; the non-assisted steering is pleasant, too. There are three drive modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – but, to be frank, Eco offers more than enough urge; Normal is the most satisfying, however, since its regenerative braking is stronger than it is in Eco, so you have both greater performance and the satisfaction of using the regen to slow the car without pressing the ‘actual’ brakes. In Sport, the regen braking cuts out above 30mph to avoid potentially unsettling the car at high-speed. Clever. Changes inside are minimal: a battery state-of charge indicator (pictured far right) and two twist controls for selecting Drive and Mode in a panel on the centre console (near right). Apart from upgraded air conditioning, it’s otherwise pretty standard – right down to the occasional creak from its authentic 1980s trim. Cost-wise, this conversion works out at about £100,000 all in, plus the original car – but Electrogenic is planning a drop-in classic Mini EV powertrain for £20k. Watch this space.

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Overdrive Also tested

Ultima power 2024 Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima Stephen Dobie PICTURE YOUR IDEAL Maserati. What form does it take? Perhaps it’s the legendary 250F racer, spectacular MC12 hypercar or uncommonly raw MC20 sports car. If so, then the death knell of the eight-cylinder Maserati may not bother you unduly. But if you crave an original Ghibli, wedgy Bora or classic Khamsin, then a farewell drive in this Ghibli 334 Ultima saloon is much more poignant: it’s a limited edition, waving farewell to V8-powered Maserati production cars. Of its two nametags, the numerical one is most immediately enticing. It represents this 103-off special’s top speed in km/h; a mite over 207mph. Whatever you feel about its robust £159,625 price tag or the relevance of a hefty, twotonne performance saloon without drive on its front axle or steering at its rear, the glamour of a rear-drive four-door capable of such velocity is hard to deny. It’s been achieved without a power upgrade, too. Its base is the

still-rare Ghibli Trofeo, and its F154 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 – shared with Ferrari but wetsumped and shorter-stroked here – retains 572bhp and 538lb ft peaks. The former is delivered just shy of the redline at 6750rpm, but the latter makes its impact from a mere 2250rpm. Truth is, this isn’t a hall-of-fame V8, impressively muscular though it is. While the early 21st Century heralded a strong run of GranSports, Quattroportes and GranTurismos with the atmospheric F136 perched upfront, this engine rips from its tacho’s two to seven in the blink of an eye, its accompanying soundtrack more turbo-boost than war-cry. And that’s not the most critical barrier to wringing out every rev this car has – it’s lack of traction. Modern Ms and AMGs warmly embrace as you chase their limits, so this is quite the culture shock. If you crave a smattering of modern tech atop an old-school attitude, however, relishing the chance to get your

elbows out and really manage a car through corners, then you might just whoop with delight as the Ghibli commands your utmost attention. Sunny Modenese hills may be the perfect place to say Ciao e grazie to this car and V8 Masers as a whole, though they aren’t the place to go chasing its headline top speed. Yet the individual elements that have liberated an extra 5mph over the Trofeo can still be appreciated: a sharper Pirelli P Zero compound, a pleasingly subtle carbon spoiler, and roughly 20kg of dieting, chiefly lighter 21in wheels and some missing active safety

equipment to really appease the traditionalist. Ultima trim is also applied to the Levante SUV and both specials are born of Maserati’s flourishing Fuoriserie division. The Italians’ bespoke arm attracts an increasing number of customers craving everything from a snazzier paint job on their Grecale to one-off commissions commanding a year (or more) of development and the nous of the wider design and R&D teams. Flawed as it may be, this svelte saloon keeps one eye on the past and one on Maserati’s hopefully prosperous future. Whatever powertrains that may involve.

Left and above Ghibli’s been around a while but V8 Maseratis are not long for this world – pending a U-turn on an electric future for the Modenese… 142

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16/10/2024 12:16:44

Gone but not forgotten Words by Richard Heseltine

Eric Thompson A rare talent who put life before racing and called it quits after the horrors of Le Mans 1955 BACK IN THE pre-internet Dark Ages, a self-confessed amateur driver pulled off something remarkable, a feat that would nowadays be much commented on. Eric Thompson guided an unproven Grand Prix car to fifth place in his sole appearance in the Formula 1 World Championship. He did so after jumping the notoriously obstreperous ‘Nino’ Farina late in the day, the Italian having claimed the drivers’ title two years earlier. And Thompson’s reward for fifth place in the 1952 British Grand Prix? Two points and £83.6s.8d. With a successful weekend behind him, the 30-something returned to his day job on the Monday morning. No fuss, no fanfare. Thompson was a delightful man who had a lax grasp of the phrase ‘off the record’. He was a born raconteur. He would regale you with stories that would have you in stitches, yet he was also self-deprecating. Disarmingly so. He invariably served as the punchline. He never courted the sort of fame his talent warranted, motor racing being something he did for fun. Having grown up in Surrey, not far from Brooklands, Thompson became a fan of Richard Seaman as a young pup. He was a junior member of the BARC as a teenager and his first brush with competition was on the

1938 Land’s End Trial. His brother entered an Alvis Speed 20; he was designated ‘bouncer’. A Jabberwocky-Ford replaced the Alvis, the younger Thompson taking over driving duties for the following year’s event. Then Europe descended into hell. Like so many men of his generation, Thompson was reluctant to discuss his war years other than to mention the friendships he forged. One such was with Robin Richards. ‘We were both signals officers,’ he recalled in 2012. ‘After the war, he spent his gratuity wisely and bought an HRG while I spent mine down the pub. Anyway, the French AGACI drivers’ club challenged the BRDC to do the Paris 12 Hour race at Montlhéry. Peter Clark produced four HRGs for the race: two 1100s and a pair of 1500s. Robin needed a co-driver so he asked me.’ Thus Thompson became the first – and last – racer ever to become a member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club before venturing trackside. ‘I couldn’t very well compete unless I was affiliated. We trundled around and had a wonderful time [en route to fourth in class],’ he quipped. Then matters took a turn for the serious. Thompson spotted an ad in The Evening Standard for a ‘shop-soiled and obsolete HRG 1500 chassis’. He acquired

it for £475 and trailered it home from Piccadilly to Surrey behind his 1921 Vauxhall 14/40. The HRG was then equipped with a skimpy torpedo-like body, Thompson teaming up with Richards for his second-ever race start: the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans. They finished eighth and first in class, despite the fuel tank breaking loose and being repaired with rope and a broom handle. The duo then made for Spa and claimed their second class gong in a round-the-clock endurance race in a fortnight aboard ‘The Mobile Galosh’. Thompson then sold the car because it ‘wasn’t ideal for courting in’ and focused on his day-job as a marine insurance broker with Lloyd’s of London. However, John Wyer (formerly MD at Monaco Motors, which prepared the HRG) had been appointed as competitions manager at Aston Martin and offered him a test at Silverstone. The upshot was that Thompson landed a drive at Le Mans for 1950 aboard a DB2. He and Lance Macklin finished third overall. Thompson continued to be a works man, dovetailing sports cars with single-seaters, driving for Rob Walker in 1951-52 before he was invited to drive the new Connaught in his one and only World Championship GP. Save for Le Mans, Thompson rarely raced overseas because he had a family and minimal holiday allowance. He raced in his spare time and, as such, sometimes employed chicanery in order to get time off. He regularly attended his grandmothers’ funerals. Nobody twigged. Thompson’s other big success was victory in the 1953 Goodwood Nine Hours with Reg Parnell, but his interest in racing waned two years later. Driving for Connaught at Le Mans in 1955, he was in the pits waiting to take over from his co-driver when Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes was launched into the crowd. He witnessed the ensuing inferno up close and it had a lasting effect. Thompson was committed to driving at Goodwood shortly after but, save for a sprint meeting at Boreham in a half-litre Jason F3 car, he never competed again. Instead, he moved up the Lloyd’s hierarchy and became a stalwart of the Aston Martin Owners Club. In retirement, Thompson was a committed automobilia dealer and an expert bibliophile, only selling his remaining stock in his tenth decade. Thompson died in August 2015, aged 95. You could argue that he never received the valedictory pat on the back his achievements deserved. He would probably have scoffed at the idea.

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Povilas Eitutis Founder of Automuziejus Vilnius, a 110-exhibit Lithuanian motor museum opened in 2023

1. My great-grandfather – a proud patriot – was part of the Lithuanian military that marched on the occupied capital Vilnius to try to liberate it in 1939. His diploma, which survived WW2 and Soviet occupation, increases my sense of patriotism and love for our country. 2. A Higonokami knife is perfect for cutting, or opening packages. It embodies over 100 years of Japanese traditional pocket knives with ‘warikomi’ blue paper steel blades and its roots in the original samurai swords. 3. Lithuanian motorsport started in 1925 with the annual Aplink Lietuva [‘Around Lithuania’] race. Winners were given trophies by the President, but all finishers got a plaque. This one from 1937 is original and very rare.

4. These ‘KA 97’ numberplates from the mid-20s signify the 97th vehicle registered in the Kaunas city area. They were acquired in the early 2000s on a now-restored Wanderer SV616 that is one of the oldest surviving vehicles that drove on Lithuanian roads. The plates are among the most beloved items in the museum because of their national historic importance.

5. Acquired, repaired and ridden when I was 12, this Wanderer 1SP sparked my interest in vintage motoring . It is now on display in Automuziejus Vilnius, the 4500m₂ museum I opened last year in a former Soviet taxi park. 6. This dipstick is a reminder to take a step back from modern stresses and appreciate how much more comfortable and freely we could live. Nobody in today’s fast-paced world could imagine stopping mid-journey to dip a measuring stick inside a fuel tank to know how much petrol there is remaining.

7. This book (Golden Racetracks in English) was published for the 60th birthday of Lithuanian rally legend Stasys Brundza. He went on to found a race car factory in Vilnius – VFTS, later renamed EVA. The VFTS 2105 was homologated for Group B by the FIA in 1983 and he later built a Group B rally monster called the Lada 2108 EVA, but it did not evolve beyond the prototype.

8. On the 2016 Mille Miglia I was struggling to navigate in the rain on the twisty roads and a car pulled over and offered help – it was Jochen Mass! It was a blast to drive through those harsh conditions in tandem with such a legend and at the end he signed my driving gloves.

9. I always preferred the NSX Type-S steering wheel over the Type-R variant but it is more difficult to acquire, as it was made only for a limited time for specific Honda and Alfa Romeo cars. One day a random search led to me finding one in a tiny village just an hour away.

10. The 1930 Mille Miglia Maserati desk racer is more than just a model – it’s a personal homage to the Maserati Tipo 26 and the golden age of racing. Crafted with precision, it reflects the spirit of the Mille Miglia, a race where Maserati’s innovation and determination were put to the test. It is a reminder of the elegance, power, and passion that defined early racing.

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1922

B E N T LEY 3/4 ½ LIT RE Built with ‘prototype’ four-seater body by coachbuilders, R. Harrison & Son, Ltd. First sold to Bentley Motors Chairman, Mr Stuart de la Rue Used by Bentley Motors Chairman for experimental & development purposes Road tested & featured by The Motor magazine in March 1923 PM 1585 played an important role in the development of future W.O. Bentleys & remains highly original

Contact us on +44 (0) 20 7078 0835 or visit www.roryhenderson.com Facilitating the acquisition & sale of exceptional motor cars

Icon Words by Delwyn Mallett

Lava Lamp The essential psychedelic accoutrement, MATHMOS.COM

your own personal light show to complement Interstellar Overdrive by The Pink Floyd

THE LAVA LAMP started life as an egg-timer. Not a successful one as it happens, but after a redesign by a WW2 Mosquito pilot it became an essential ingredient of the 1960s psychedelic experience. A hippy’s life was incomplete without a Lava Lamp, as they sank into a beanbag, fired up a spliff and watched the universe unfold in a bottle. It’s a long way from the youngest daughter of consultant engineer and amateur inventor Donald Dunnet dropping and smashing the family’s egg-timer during WW2. Unable to buy another, Dunnet set about making one based on the reluctance of immiscible fluids, by definition, to mix. It’s unclear whether his egg-timer worked, but he felt it had potential as a novelty lamp and in 1950 applied for a patent for a ‘changing display device’. Dunnet’s lamp used a glass cylinder containing the two coloured liquids with an enclosed 40W bulb positioned behind it to provide the heat that set the reaction in motion. Flash forward a few years and one Edward Craven Walker became intrigued when he spotted one on the bar of the Queen’s Head pub in the New Forest, Hampshire.

The eccentric Walker had spent the war as a squadron leader, flying photo-reconnaissance missions in unarmed Mosquitos. In the early 1950s a visit to the nudist beaches of the Isle du Levant in southern France converted him to naturism and he became a devotee of the cause. Using the nom-de-ciné Michael Keatering, he directed a trio of naturist films, Travelling Light in 1959 followed by Eves on Skis and Sunswept. In a nation unaccustomed to the sight of naked flesh, Travelling Light was a box-office hit, running for six months at the Cinephone art-house cinema opposite Selfridges on London’s Oxford Street. Although the naked ‘underwater ballet’ performed by Yannick ‘the fabulous sub-aqua star’ was aesthetically pleasing, there is no doubt that its long run owed more to the patronage of the shabby raincoat brigade than ballet fans. Nevertheless, the proceeds allowed Craven to open his own naturist camp as well as pursuing his own version of Dunnet’s lamp. After years experimenting with various immiscible liquids, Craven concocted a globule-forming wax of virtually identical density to the main fluid, just heavy enough

to settle on the bottom of the device when cold but which, when heated, would expand sufficiently to rise slowly to the top before cooling and sinking in a perpetual cycle. Using recycled Tree Top Orange Squash bottles for the body, in 1963 Craven started production in his Poole backyard and, with the space race in full swing, launched the Astro Lamp. Its brochure described it as an ‘Exotic new conversation piece styled to fit any mood any decor in the home and all discerning establishments’. Valuable publicity was gained when Beatles Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney were early adopters. In 1965 two American entrepreneurs spotted the Astro Lamp at a trade show, acquired the marketing rights from Craven and, renaming it the Lava Lite, started the Lava Corporation of Chicago. The timing could not have been better, as a cultural revolution was underway. The Sixties were swinging, and the hippy counter-culture movement, psychedelia and mind-expanding drugs were sweeping across a western world where Timothy Leary encouraged youth to ‘Turn on, tune in, drop out’. Lava Lamps were soon selling in the millions. Surprised by the unexpected nature of his customers – his advertising showed very ‘proper’ cocktail dress and bow tie-wearing men and women dining or socialising – Craven pronounced that his lamp was a ‘more benign alternative to drugs’. Craven even invited the cast of the controversial hwippy musical Hair to his house for a party. By the 1980s the Lava Lamp bubble had lost its buoyancy, with Craven’s company barely ticking over. In 1989 it was bought by an energetic young couple of enthusiasts who breathed new life into the business, renaming it Mathmos after the bubbling subterranean life force in the ultra-camp 1968 cult sci-fi movie Barbarella. Then, in the 1990s, the popularity of Austin Powers movies and nostalgia for the 1960s and ’70s introduced a whole new generation to the multi-coloured delights of the Lava Lamp. A quite unexpected use for Lava Lamps is generating random numbers in the esoteric world of digital encryption. San Francisco specialist Cloudflare has adopted a unique approach to harvesting random numbers with a wall of 100 Lava Lamps situated in the foyer of its offices. Not only does the Wall of Entropy, as Cloudflare calls it, provide a fascinating ever-changing display, but a camera focused on it produces a continuous stream of images at millisecond intervals, any one of which can be used to encrypt data. Donald Dunnet died in the early 1960s without seeing how his ‘egg-timer’ had found success. Edward Craven Walker died in 2000 at the age of 82, still consulting for Mathmos – and still a keen naturist.

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Mk1Lotus LotusCortina Cortina£95,000 £95,000 Mk1 Mk1 Lotus Cortina £95,000 Built Builtnew newfor forthe the2018 2018season seasonby byJordan JordanRacing RacingTeam. Team. Built new for the 2018 season by Jordan Racing Team. Winner Winnerof ofthe theSears SearsTrophy Trophyat atGoodwood GoodwoodMembers MembersMeeting Meeting Winner of the Sears Trophy at Goodwood Members Meeting and and2nd 2ndplace placein inthe the2018 2018St StMarys MarysTrophy Trophyat atGoodwood Goodwood and 2nd place in the 2018 St Marys Trophy at Goodwood Revival. Revival.Car Carwas wasbuilt builtusing usingall allof ofour ourbest bestparts partsavailable, available, Revival. Car was built using all of our best parts available, needing needingballast ballastto tobring bringup upto tominimum minimumweight. weight.Neil Neil needing ballast to bring up to minimum weight. Neil Brown Brownengine enginewith withonly only222hours hoursrunning runningtime. time.Eligible Eligiblefor for Brown engine with only hours running time. Eligible for numerous numerousseries seriesin inthe theUK UKand andEurope Europeincluding includingMasters, Masters, numerous series in the UK and Europe including Masters, Motor MotorRacing RacingLegends, Legends,Peter PeterAuto Autoand andHRDC. HRDC. Motor Racing Legends, Peter Auto and HRDC.

2001 2001Porsche Porsche996 996GT3-RS GT3-RS£POA £POA 2001 Porsche 996 GT3-RS £POA FIA FIAGT GTRace RaceWinner Winnerand andSpa Spa24 24Hour HourPodium Podiumfinisher finisher FIA GT Race Winner and Spa 24 Hour Podium finisher entered enteredby byFreisinger FreisingerMotorsport Motorsportand anddriven drivenby byStephane Stephane entered by Freisinger Motorsport and driven by Stephane Ortelli Ortelliand andMarc MarcLieb. Lieb.This Thismatching matchingnumbers numbersGT3 GT3RS RS Ortelli and Marc Lieb. This matching numbers GT3 RS isis iscurrently currentlyundergoing undergoingaaafull fullrestoration restorationby byourselves, ourselves, currently undergoing full restoration by ourselves, including includingEngine Engineand andGearbox Gearboxrebuild, rebuild,New NewFuel Fueltank, tank,Crack Crack including Engine and Gearbox rebuild, New Fuel tank, Crack testing testingand andvapour vapourblasting blastingof ofall allkey keycomponents. components.Car Carwill will testing and vapour blasting of all key components. Car will come comein incomplete completerace raceready readycondition. condition.Eligible Eligiblefor forPeter Peter come in complete race ready condition. Eligible for Peter Auto AutoEndurance EnduranceRacing RacingLegends, Legends,Le LeMans MansClassic, Classic,Masters Masters Auto Endurance Racing Legends, Le Mans Classic, Masters Historic, Historic,HSR HSRincluding includingDaytona Daytonaand andSebring SebringClassic. Classic. Historic, HSR including Daytona and Sebring Classic.

Mk1Lotus LotusCortina Cortina£115,00 £115,00 Mk1 Mk1 Lotus Cortina £115,00 Built Builtnew newfor forthe the2020 2020season seasonby byJordan JordanRacing RacingTeam. Team. Built new for the 2020 season by Jordan Racing Team. Competed Competedat atGoodwood GoodwoodRevival Revivalthree threetimes timesand and Competed at Goodwood Revival three times and Goodwood GoodwoodMembers MembersMeeting, Meeting,in inaddition additionto toselected selectedother other Goodwood Members Meeting, in addition to selected other events. events.Car Carwas wasbuilt builtusing usingall allof ofour ourbest bestparts partsavailable. available. events. Car was built using all of our best parts available. Neil NeilBrown Brownengine enginewith with666hours hoursrunning runningtime. time.Eligible Eligiblefor for Neil Brown engine with hours running time. Eligible for numerous numerousseries seriesin inthe theUK UKand andEurope Europeincluding includingMasters, Masters, numerous series in the UK and Europe including Masters, Motor MotorRacing RacingLegends, Legends,Peter PeterAuto Autoand andHRDC. HRDC.Car Carisis issold sold Motor Racing Legends, Peter Auto and HRDC. Car sold completely completelyrace raceready readywith withno noextra extraspend spendrequired. required. completely race ready with no extra spend required.

Callaway Callaway Corvette Corvette GT3 GT3 £330,000 £330,000 2013ADAC ADACGT GTMasters MastersChampion. Champion.Built Builtand andPrepared Prepared 2013 2013 ADAC GT Masters Champion. Built and Prepared byCallaway CallawayCompetition Competitionfinishing finishingin inthe thetop top333in inthe the by by Callaway Competition finishing in the top in the Championshipbetween between2012 2012and and2014. 2014.A ATotal Totalof of20 20 Championship Championship between 2012 and 2014. A Total of 20 Podiums,999Pole Polepositions positionsand and14 14Race RaceVictories. Victories.Prior Prior Podiums, Podiums, Pole positions and 14 Race Victories. Prior toracing racingat atthe the2024 2024Spa Spa24 24support supportrace racewhere whereititit to to racing at the 2024 Spa 24 support race where scoredPole PolePosition, Position,222Fastest FastestLaps Lapsand and222Victories Victoriesthe the scored scored Pole Position, Fastest Laps and Victories the carwas wasfully fullyrecommissioned recommissionedincluding includingcrack cracktesting, testing, car car was fully recommissioned including crack testing, Gearboxrebuild, rebuild,New Newfuel fueltank. tank.Car Carisis issold soldin inrace race Gearbox Gearbox rebuild, New fuel tank. Car sold in race readycondition. condition.Eligible Eligiblefor forthe theall allnew newGT3 GT3Legends Legends ready ready condition. Eligible for the all new GT3 Legends Series,Masters MastersHistoric Historicand andHSR HSRevents eventsincluding including Series, Series, Masters Historic and HSR events including Daytonaand andSebring SebringClassic. Classic. Daytona Daytona and Sebring Classic.

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10/09/2024 12:27

Chrono Words by Mark McArthur-Christie

Shop swap A tale from when parking meters were newborn and Rolexes were disposable WATCH STORIES HAVE a habit of demonstrating quite how random life can be. This one, for example, connects parking meters, an English country high street, Rolexes and what turned out to be a rather fortuitous swap. Despite politicians’ usual eagerness to make the lives of those they govern unpleasant, it took a surprising 23 years for the parking meter (appropriately developed by a prohibitionist) to make its way from the US to the UK. From an early infestation in Westminster, by 1964 they’d been installed in town centres across the country. This was the year a sharper-than-most high street jeweller spotted an opportunity. Like all good entrepreneurs, he had an eye for solving a problem, and in his town, that problem was parking meters. Back in ’64, most watches were simple three-handers. Sure, there were chronographs but those were the preserve of playboys, racing drivers and scientists. So how did you make sure you were back with your car before the local warden slapped a ticket on the windscreen? A few enterprising firms had started making and selling dedicated parking meter watches. They told you the time, but also had an alarm to remind you that your parking time was up. Jaeger-LeCoultre had the wonderful Memovox Parking with its cal. 814 alarm function movement and a tiny blue ‘P’ on the dial to mark the start of your parking time. Mondia had the Memory Parking Meter that allowed you to set anywhere from 30 to 100 minutes of meter time. Framont and Bulova piled in with their own offerings, too. Our local watch dealer was keen to test the market and so contacted his Swiss supplier and had four added to his next consignment. Fed up with getting tickets, he kept one for himself and put the other three in the shop window. At the other end of the same high street was another watch dealer. He’d taken a punt on Rolex’s latest offering, the ref. 6239 Cosmograph at around £200 retail. He knew it would be a bit of a challenge to shift, but he’d got a good trade price and, like his competitor, he put his watch on display and waited for it to sell. Some time later the two men bumped into each other and, as watch people do, got chatting. Parking Meter Watch Dealer explained that, oddly, no one wanted his ticket timers. Mr Cosmograph admitted that the ref. 6239 was not shifting either and had been gathering dust. In the mid-1960s, Rolex Cosmographs (later to be renamed the Daytona) were pretty much unsaleable. No-one even wanted the – now

GILES MASSINGHAM – OAKLEIGH WATCHES

eye-wateringly expensive – Paul Newman variants. In fact, Rolex’s Bexley service workshop had a box in the corner where watchmakers could dump the Newman dials customers had asked them to replace with more conventional faces. They agreed a straight trade – the Rolex for the three unsold meter watches – and parted happy. A fair swap. The Cosmograph’s new owner didn’t even bother putting the watch in the window. He put it on his wrist instead and wore it as his daily for the next 40-odd years. Giles Massingham, owner of Oakleigh Watches, managed to acquire it from the jeweller’s son earlier this year. It came, as you’d expect, with its original bracelet, box and papers. An equal trade at the time, but time has rather weighted one arm of the scales. With its reverse Le Mans dial (black subdials and a silver main dial), the Cosmograph sold for around £70,000 this September. In contrast, those three parking meter watches, even assuming they were in new/old-stock condition, might make £6000-6500. Our dealer would have done rather better buying shares in National Car Parks.

ONE TO WATCH

Buler Grand Prix You don’t need to relive your childhood to enjoy this bargain

I’M STILL NOT sure quite how I came by it, but when I was ten I had one of these. I think a pal’s father must have been throwing it out and I begged it from the bin. I attempted a repair, obviously, but the Buler stayed stubbornly inert. Spotting this one at auction a few weeks ago, I had to have it. It has a NORYL resin-plastic case and a cheap, pin-pallet movement that, in combination, make it feel like you’re winding a matchbox. But the design… How could you not love that dial clarity, the tachymeter and the racy orange second hand? Ersatz Porsche design for, well, less than £100.

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Where Great Cars Are Bought & Sold.

SOLD 1937 DELAGE D8-120

AVAILABLE 1964 PEGASO Z-102

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Books Reviewed by Mark Dixon

Derek Warwick Never Look Back DEREK WARWICK with DAVID TREMAYNE, Evro Publishing, £60, ISBN 978 1 910505 90 8

‘I’VE SEEN TYRES THROWN into a race car and set alight to burn it out, so you had to be tough as well, or forget it.’ That’s how Derek Warwick recalls his first World Championship win at the age of 19 – in the Superstox series for custom-built stock cars. ‘There were quite often fights, albeit not involving me… I’d stay in the car with my visor down and belts still on while my father and uncle were sorting out the arguments. There was lots of swearing, pushing and everything.’ Quite an entrée into the world of being a professional race driver but then, as this hugely entertaining autobiography makes clear, Warwick has always been uber-competitive and more than able to hold his own. He left school at 14 with no qualifications, his one ambition being to end up running the family business, which made trailers.

Instead, he ended up being a top-flight racer in disciplines ranging from Formula 1 (four podiums), World Sports Cars (first overall at Le Mans in 1992 with Peugeot, and winner of the Drivers’ Championship, both with Yannick Dalmas), and Touring Cars. He’s also very much a family man, who was particularly close to his father Derry and uncle Stan. Both of them were larger-than-life characters – Warwick reckons that his uncle wrote off nine Jaguars at various times due to his reckless driving – and an element of that recklessness was clearly passed down the line. Along the way, Warwick has competed against some of the biggest names in racing, and his descriptions of the tussles on- and off-track are gripping. Being stitched-up by Ayrton Senna, who pressured Lotus into breaking its contract to hire Warwick as Senna’s team-mate in Formula 1 for 1986, really rankled. ‘It made me realise just how extraordinarily selfish some people are… But [Ayrton] never even thought he was screwing me over. He just did what was best for him.’ Senna may well have nixed Warwick’s best chance of superstardom in F1, but the latter did go on to have many successes, in business as well as in racing. He’s had his share of tragedy as well, though. The death of his younger brother Paul in a Fomula 3000 race at Oulton Park affected him massively and a lengthy chapter is devoted to their relationship. More recently he has survived Stage Three bowel cancer, but in the fall-out he ended up splitting up with his wife Rhonda, who he says ‘remains the love of my life’. All these human stories put the racing dramas into perspective. Profusely illustrated, and brilliantly ‘ghosted’ by co-author Tremayne – a veteran of 525 Grands Prix as a motorsport journalist – this substantial hardback is certain to be appearing on more than one shortlist for awards over the next year.

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McLaren Formula 1 Car by Car

Renault 5

Porsche 911, 60 Years

Earlier this year we had McLaren, the Road Cars 2010-2024 – our Book of the Month in issue 251 – and now here’s the perfect complement. From a different publisher but with a similar concept, every McLaren F1 car is profiled from 1966 to the end of the 2023 season. Authoritatively and concisely written by an F1 expert, very well illustrated with period colour photos (mostly) and rounded off with a full list of race results or each year, it’s a solid piece of work.

Nicely timed for the imminent launch of the new electric Renault 5, this cracking little softback is stuffed with information and images about France’s erstwhile best-seller. It covers what seems like every possible aspect of the 5’s history, from prototypes and advertising through to the Turbo versions and even oddball variants we never saw in the UK – such as the booted Spanish-made Renault 7. Printed on good-quality paper, it’s a must-have if you like superminis and/or French cars.

There’s no shortage of books about the 911, not least thanks to Porsche’s excellent archive of period pics, and this one won’t lead to history being rewritten. However, if you want an attractive and easy-to-digest overview, this hefty hardback will be just the job, reaching from the 901-labelled prototypes of 1964 right through to last year’s 911 Dakar edition. The author’s own excellent photos add variety, and it’s good to see rarities such as the one-off 1966 Bertone Roadster given a few pages.

STUART CODLING, Motorbooks, £45, ISBN 978 0 7603 8512 8

MARK BRADBURY, Amberley, £15.99, ISBN 978 1 3981 1865 2

RANDY LEFFINGWELL, Motorbooks £45, ISBN 978 1 0 7603 8265 3

Honda, Road to the Red Zone Volume 2

Prodrive, 40 Years of Success It’s an important time for Banbury-based Prodrive, as the company founded by the 1980 FIA World Champion rally co-driver David Richards seeks to raise its profile among people other than petrolheads. Even Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner has said that when he first saw Prodrive’s sign on its building alongside the M40, he thought it was a golf driving range… In fact, the Prodrive name was originally created for a driver management programme that never quite happened. Instead, what had previously been David Richards Motorsport quickly became one of the most respected contractors in the motor industry. It’s best-known for its iconic blue Subaru rally cars in the Colin McRae era, but, for example, in the early 2000s it also gave Jenson Button a major leg-up when Richards, who’d been engaged to turn around British American Racing’s F1 team, signed him as a driver; and Prodrive has run BMW’s team in the British Touring Car Championship, Ferrari and Aston GTs at Le Mans, and so much more. This book generates momentum with an initial whistle-stop tour of highlights from every one of the past 40 years, colourfully illustrated with great photos; then it takes a deeper dive into individual projects, starting with the Rothmans 911SC and 959 in 1984/85 and concluding with the latest diversifications such as the Prodrive Racing Simulator. It’s a beautifully designed, great-looking tribute to a British success story that’s still going from strength to strength. IAN WAGSTAFF, Porter Press International, £39, ISBN 978 1 913089 04 7

The French have a particular liking for enthusiast-published motoring books, and this labour of love is a great example. Volume 1 of this two-parter was dedicated to Honda’s competition and Type R road cars, so the follow-up Volume 2 is more personality driven – although still containing a lot of specific ‘car’ stuff, such as the development of the NSX. As the author admits in his foreword, ‘I would recommend taking your medicine in small doses, no more than a few pages a day,’ and he’s absolutely right: the design and content is rather manic, the latter skipping from, say, 1980s hot Civics to Mugen-powered F1 cars to Honda in the USA. But it means that a surprise is just around every corner, and you can feel the passion almost pulsing out of the pages. Text is in both French and English, and this lavishly produced hardback is packed with great images throughout its 440 pages. You’ll enjoy taking your prescription. LIONEL LUCAS, Red Runner, £120, 978 2 9572 4925 1 153

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Special Offers

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Gear Compiled by Octane staff

OCTANE

GIFT GUIDE Pages packed with stuff we’d love to find under the tree this year

Motorsport Classic calendar by McKlein The folks at McKlein have again mined their treasure trove of old photographs, digging out two dozen fabulous images for the 25th Motorsport Classic calendar. Among our favourites is a snap from the 1960 Safari Rally (top left), showing an exhausted Ford Zodiac being cooled down like a racehorse. The car, crewed by Bill Young and Colin McNaughton, finished the 3200-mile event – just about. Footage from later in the rally shows the Zodiac lying on its side, seemingly done for after rolling off the road. Then McNaughton kicks out the rear ’screen and steps free, his hat miraculously still atop his head… Young, somehow also unhurt, slithers out the front… And locals help the pair to right the car, which rejoins the rally sporting a dramatically revised roofline! €49. rallyandracing.com

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M&K Sound Volkswoofer 40th Anniversary Edition The company that became M&K Sound got its start producing a studio subwoofer for Steely Dan’s notoriously picky guitarist, Walter Becker, who was then hard at work crafting the landmark album Pretzel Logic, which appeared in 1974. Three years later, M&K released a classic of its own, the ‘Volkswoofer’ – the world’s first subwoofer with a built-in, dedicated power amplifier. That famous trapezoidal speaker has been reissued to mark M&K’s 40th anniversary, but just 100 units are being made, so don’t spare the horses on your way down to your local M&K dealer. £2395. cinehome.co.uk

Steve McQueen Riverside Custom 500 helmet by Bell

Richard Mille RM 65-01 McLaren W1 split-seconds chronograph

A handsome addition to Bell’s collection of helmets styled after those worn by Steve McQueen. The Riverside Custom 500 isn’t a slavish reproduction of the actor’s own, green Bell 500: it has a less bulbous profile, and a more pleasing pinstripe design, and of course it’s ECE 22.06 certified. £224.99. bellhelmets.com

It was inspired by the latest McLaren hypercar, and this new chronograph is a similarly astonishing machine, with an incredibly strong yet lightweight Carbon TPT case that houses Richard Mille’s RMAC4 movement – which, for the uninitiated, allows elapsed time to be accurately measured down to a tenth of a second. CHF 320,000. richardmille.com 157

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Gibson BB King ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ ES-355 The Gibson Custom Shop has recreated the guitar used by BB King at Zaire ’74, the festival that preceded Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s historic boxing match. In Zaire, BB was as good on stage as Ali was in the ring, playing an absolutely electrifying set that included the best version of The Thrill Is Gone ever committed to tape. £8999. gibson.com

Original 1958 Angola GP poster In the late 1950s the Portuguese Government threw its weight behind the motorsport scene in colonial Angola. The Portuguese officials were motivated entirely by selfinterest, naturally, but the resultant Angola GP was a worthy addition to the racing calendar, attracting drivers such as Lucien Bianchi and Hans Herrmann and featuring some of the finest sports cars of the period; unlikely though it may now seem, there really was a time when Ferrari 250TRs and Maseratis thundered around the streets of Luanda, just as shown on this poster promoting the 1958 GP. $595. arteauto.com

Goldfinger Rolls-Royce by Corgi To mark the 60th anniversary of the film Goldfinger, Corgi has released a newly tooled edition of its muchloved James Bond Aston Martin DB5 toy, plus this – a 1:36-scale model of Auric Goldfinger’s gold-bullionsmuggling Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca de Ville. £39.99. corgi.co.uk 158

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Advertising feature

CHRISTMAS WINE

OCTANE EXCLUSIVE CHRISTMAS WINE CLUB OFFER

What I’ll be

HAVING RECENTLY had the pleasure of meeting the wine enthusiasts at Private Cellar, an independent wine merchant with a small but perfectly formed list of hand-picked wines from passionate producers, I must recommend them to you thirsty Octane readers. Having grown up within the vineyards of Constantia, in Cape Town, I regard myself as a ‘gifted amateur’ when it comes to wine – my passion for wine is up there with my passion for cars. But there is so much more to learn about the wonderful world of wine, so I was looking forward to the chance to chat to Master of Wine, Nicola Arcedeckne-Butler. Her ability to select different and delicious wines from gazillions of producers is uncanny, as is her ability to find them at reasonable prices. Nicola is one of only 421 MWs in the world and she’s a whirlwind of authority and experience. Nearly 20 years ago she and two colleagues founded Private Cellar from their kitchen table, and they now have offices in Cambridgeshire and the Cotswolds. Nicola remains the company’s Buying Director and has the pleasure of working with a group of like-minded people she would genuinely call friends. What shines through is that she truly loves her job. Her vocation really is to find the best possible wines that are a refreshing change from the usual offerings. Rather than buying to a formula of price points and volumes, Nicola buys only wines that she personally rates and that she is proud to sell or drink at home. Selection is based purely on a price:quality ratio. If that doesn’t stack up, the wine does not make the Private Cellar Selection. I wanted to know what Nicola would be enjoying this Christmas and she excited me with a Champagne of excellent pedigree that’s available only from Private Cellar in the UK, plus a South African Chardonnay with a dash of French influence, and a fragrant and juicy Italian Sangiovese to rev up a traditional Christmas dinner.

drinking this Christmas…

Robert Coucher

made close to Reims. Their Brut is 70% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier with 20% Chardonnay. The base wine for this is 2011, as they don’t release it before at least eight years to achieve the necessary depth. Bright, mineral and with a lovely hazelnut note, this is rich yet racy at the same time, really broad and long on the finish. Great value!

asks Master of

Aristea Chardonnay, Stellenbosch 2022: £26.95 per bottle (Octane price £25) Nicola assures me this was not thrown into the mix to pander to my heritage! Burgundy production has been through some tough years so prices are high, and we can now get much more bang for our buck by looking at Burgundian styles from the New World – especially when there’s a French consultant winemaker on board. A mix of whole-bunch pressing and destemmed crushing gives the finished Chardonnay more phenolics and tannins, adding to the mouthfeel. Being fermented and aged in barrels, some of which are new, with regular lees stirring, adds further to the texture. Pale, with a rich, high-toned nose of white stone fruit, citrus, and a hint of green leaf, leading to a lovely creamed white fruit palate, a distant grilled note and succulent acidity on the end, this wine is intense and eminently drinkable.

Wine, Nicola

Arcedeckne-Butler for her expert opinion

Champagne Brut, Virginie T. NV: £39 per bottle (Octane price £36) With 160 years of family history, Virginie Taittinger has Champagne in her blood as the daughter of Claude Taittinger, CEO of Taittinger for 46 years, and Catherine de Suarez d’Aulan, whose family owned PiperHeidsieck until 1988. As a result, these are spectacular Champagnes,

Morellino di Scansano Podere 414, Simone Castelli 2020: £18.90 per bottle (Octane price £17.50) For many years Morellino was considered an adjunct to Tuscany as it lies outside the main growing areas of Chianti and Brunello, but it has proved to be a stayer. Made from Sangiovese from the Maremma region of coastal Tuscany, this wine spends 12 months in a mix of small wooden casks and larger tonneaux, producing a deep and intense wine with rich black fruits, smooth and yet well-spiced thanks to dashes of Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Alicante and Syrah. It’s incredibly moreish, perfect with rich sauces and roast turkey. As enthusiasts, we urge you to celebrate this year with the Octane Wine Club Christmas Case, including four of each of the wines above at the special price of £314, including delivery – a saving of £40. Call Private Cellar on 01353 721999 or email laura@privatecellar.co.uk.

Prices include VAT and delivery on the British mainland. This offer, which is subject to availability, closes on 31 December 2024. Payment should be made either by phone or direct from the website at www.privatecellar.co.uk/octanew

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Gear

De Rijke & Co x Guy Allen collection De Rijke & Co and British illustrator Guy Allen have joined forces to produce three watches based on the unusual de Rijke Amalfi Series design, which allows the wearer to rotate the dial so that it can be read more easily while driving. Each of the new ‘Land’, ‘Sea’ and ‘Sky’ watches features one of Allen’s drawings rendered in champlevé enamel, and, unsurprisingly, we’re particularly taken with the Land variant and its charming portrait of a Lancia Aurelia humming along on a warm Italian evening. €3395 each. derijkeandco.com

Mercedes F1 Team sim racing wheel by Sim Lab

Scalextric 1977 Mirage-Renault M8

The latest intimidatingly authentic sim racing wheel to hit the market is a dead ringer for the wheel found in the Mercedes W15 F1 car and boasts a super-lightweight, handcrafted carbonfibre shell.

Scalextric could make a whole series of toys based on Mirage chassis number 802, which, in different guises, scored three podium finishes in a row at Le Mans between 1975 and 1977.

£2294. sim-lab.eu

£56.99. scalextric.com

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www.hartnackandco.com www.hartnackandco.com

Gear

2024 Festival of Slowth poster by Stefan Marjoram Collectors of Stefan Marjoram’s characterful motoring illustrations will be delighted that he has printed up a number of copies of the poster he designed for this year’s edition of the Festival of Slowth – the wonderfully silly, invitation-only gathering for pre-war cyclecars ‘with proven lack of speed and roadholding’. The 2024 Festival was held in Wales, where special features included a race for gentlemen and their vintage lawnmowers, complete with Le Mans-style running start! £10. stefanmarjoram.com

Concorde shirt by T-Lab

Classic Travelling’s slate of tours for 2025 includes a journey to the mountains and fjords of Norway; trips to the Circuit des Remparts and Spa Classic; a two-week drive around Tuscany and Umbria; and an epic adventure in Namibia, where participants will experience the otherworldly desert landscape from behind the wheel of a 4x4.

Influential aerodynamicist Beverley Shenstone described Concorde as ‘the most expensive and most dubious project ever undertaken in the development of civil aircraft’. He wasn’t wrong, but it’s precisely because the Concorde project was so outrageously ambitious that it continues to inspire designers today – including, evidently, those at T-Lab.

Guided tours £TBC; tour books from £65. classictravelling.com

£34. t-lab.co.uk

Classic Travelling driving tours

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AUTOMOBILIA LADENBURG MARCEL SEIDEL AUCTIONS NOVEMBER 29 - 30, 2024 some results from our last auction

road book Mille Miglia 1957 P. Taruffi Result : 57.139,2 €

Scuderia Ferrari/ P. Taruffi gold medal Result: 85.708,8 €

Automobilia Ladenburg, Marcel Seidel Auctions, Ilvesheimerstrasse 26, D-68526 Ladenburg phone: 0049 (0) 62039577870, info@automobilia-ladenburg.de

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Brompton G Line folding bicycle Brompton bicycles have always been hardy little things, capable of going considerably farther than the office and back, but adventurous owners (and those who live in places with cobbled streets!) will attest to the limitations of 16in wheels and narrow tyres. Happily for them, Brompton has just revealed this model with 20in wheels, wider tyres and handlebars, and brand-new geometry. Inevitably, the G Line is not as compact when folded as its forebears, but early indications are that it lives up to its billing as ‘the most versatile bike in the world’. From £2399. brompton.com

Bespoke art by Inspired Automotive Imagery

Citroën 2CV socks by Heel Tread

Tachometer wall clock by FiveTo

At an indoor facility in Derby, Richard Stone produces fine art photographs of his clients’ cars – the sort of pictures that can never result with an amateur behind the camera!

Featuring a good number of the umpteen variants of the 2CV, including the nowcoveted, twin-engine Sahara, and our favourite, the rustic Fourgonnette van.

This novel wall clock was seemingly designed just for us – or does everyone else also find themselves redlining by 9, and blowing up shortly afterwards?

From £375. inspiredautoimagery.com

£12. heeltread.com

£35.52. fiveto.co.uk

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ASMotorsport Motorsport ltd AS ltd Poplar Farm, Bressingham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2AP Tel: 01379688356 Mob: 07909531816 Web: www.asmotorsport.co.uk Email: info@asmotorsport.co.uk

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A beautiful blend of periods

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rouewatch.com VAT included UK & EU

ASM hand build bespoke versions of the R1 roadster, inspired by the Aston Martin race cars that won Le Mans and the world Sportscar championship in 1959. Contact us for details of commission builds and stock.

Poplar Farm, Bressingham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2AP

Tel: 01379688356 • Mob: 07909531816 Web: www.asmotorsport.co.uk Email: info@asmotorsport.co.uk I-307295.indd 1

12/11/2019 12:30

ASM R1 Stirling Moss tribute car enjoying track time at Goodwood. ASM hand build bespoke versions of the R1 roadster, inspired by the Aston Martin race cars that won Le Mans and the world Sportscar championship in 1959. Contact us for details of commission builds and stock.

764.indd 1

Tim Layzell ‘BIG NIGHT OUT’

15/11/2018 13:08

1974 Le Mans 24 Hours. The legendary Porsche Carrera RSR of Herbert Muller and Gijs Van Lennep (2nd Overall) leads the Ferrari Daytona of Cyril Grandet and Dominique Bardini (5th Overall and winner of the GT Class) and the BMW 3.0 CSL of Hean Claude Aubriet and “Depnic” (winner of the Touring Car Class) New Limited Edition of just 450 signed and numbered prints. £295 + P&P Other Limited Edition Prints available

+44 (0) 7974 900 580

www.timlayzell.com

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Mazda 787B chassis 002 print by Rear View Prints From Rear View Prints – which also creates bespoke illustrations of its customers’ cars and motorcycles – comes this tribute to the nattiest of all Le Mans winners, the Argylesweater-wearing Mazda 787B that delivered victory for Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, Bertrand Gachot and all of Japan in the 1991 race.

From £15. rearviewprints.com

Pininfarina x Maserati Cambiano inkless pen This special edition of Pininfarina’s Cambiano ‘pen’, which features an Ethergraf inkless tip, rests on a stand decorated with a technical drawing of the racecar-derived V8 engine that powered the first two examples of the Maserati 5000 GT. £140. meandmycar.co.uk

Fitted car luggage by Classic Travelling Packing the car for a weekend away needn’t feel like a game of Tetris: Classic Travelling makes bespoke luggage to fit the dimensions of your classic exactly.

From £190. classictravellingluggage.com

Lego 1966 Batmobile It’s entirely possible that some buyers will take longer to assemble this 1822-piece model of the first (proper) Batmobile than George Barris and his team spent building the real thing, which was completed in just three weeks. The car was a total dog, of course, and caused the crew of the 1966 Batman TV show all sorts of bother, but Barris’s rush job became an icon of pop culture before the year was out.

£129.99. lego.com 166

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Vintage Rollei 35 There’s already a waiting list for the new Rollei AF, a modern point-and-shoot film camera that apes the look of the beloved Rollei 35, so it seems worth reminding people about one of the few good things to come out of the Covid pandemic: Film Furbish. Founded by photographer Jeremy Rata from his kitchen table in Leeds during the first UK lockdown, the business sources, restores and sells more vintage Rollei 35 cameras than anybody else, meaning it’s now dead easy to get your hands on an example of the diminutive classic that is guaranteed to work perfectly. Prices vary, but start at a few hundred pounds. filmfurbish.com

BMW Behind the Scenes by Steve Saxty

Bugatti Baby II art car painted by Jean-Yves Tabourot The Bugatti Baby II, an electric, three-quarter-scale replica of the Bugatti Type 35, is a little work of art in its own right, but here it serves as a canvas for Jean-Yves Tabourot. His design is based on a painting of Goodwood Revival that he produced last year, and the project was inspired in part by Sonia Delaunay, the abstract painter who pioneered the idea of the art car. £POA. jytbespokeart.com

This signed, limited-edition set brings together Steve Saxty’s three painstakingly researched volumes on the post-war design story of BMW. The perfect present for any fan of the marque, and indeed positively reviewed in issue 253 by Octane’s own resident Bimmer fiend, Glen Waddington. £239.95. stevesaxty.com

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www.inspiredautoimagery.com

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1:24-scale Iso Grifo model by Automodello With its look-at-me Italian styling and snarling American V8, the Iso Grifo was a rockstar of a car, yet it has rarely been given the rockstar treatment by model manufacturers. Illinois-based outfit Automodello is seemingly here to make amends: ahead of the Grifo’s 60th birthday in 2025, the company has released not one, not two, but five different 1:24-scale models of the car. $249.99 as shown. automodello.com

Farer Durham Pullman Eastern Arabic edition Farer’s latest limited-edition watch is cleverly designed to speak to your inner explorer, featuring gorgeous, highly polished Eastern Arabic numerals and a brushed dial that borrows the shade of green used on the Pullman train cars of old. £945. farer.com

Cannondale SuperSix Evo Lab71 Team A dreadful mouthful of a name, that, but what it means is that this is the exact bike ridden by the EF team on the 2024 Tour de France. It costs a mint, but if you’ve ever wanted to experience what the pros do, here’s your chance.

£12,500. cannondale.com

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BESPOKE FITTED LUGGAGE FOR CLASSIC & SPORTS CARS

The Jaguar Reading Corner The perfect gift for Jaguar enthusiasts. From an armchair read to an under-the-bonnet problem solver, SNG Barratt has the perfect Jaguar book for you this Christmas. Discover more. Visit sngbarratt.com

SNG Barratt is the world’s largest independent manufacturer and supplier of classic and modern Jaguar car parts. Choose from over 300,000 parts and accessories worldwide.

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Filson Mackinaw wool Cruiser The Cruiser was designed over a century ago for men working in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, but it turns out to be the perfect jacket for the suburbs of post-climate-change Britain, too: Mackinaw wool is breathable but has amazing insulating properties, even when wet, so you can throw on the Cruiser and not have to worry about Mother Nature getting weird. £730. uk.filson.eu

Ferrari 499 P model by Looksmart A super, 1:12-scale likeness of the 2023 car that helped Ferrari come back to Le Mans with a bang after an absence of 50 years.

£849.95. grandprixmodels.com

Fast and Furious by Richard Pietruska Lucky Leap APA by Goodwood Brewery

Sculpted from glassfibre and measuring 1.5m long, Fast and Furious is Richard Pietruska’s monumental tribute to the 250 LM-influenced Ferrari 250 GTO Series II, which turned 60 earlier this year. $25,000. rpmart.com

A ‘citrusy and hoppy’ pale ale, Lucky Leap is named for Masten Gregory’s famous escape act during the 1959 Goodwood Tourist Trophy race: with his suddenly out-of-control Tojeiro heading for the bank at Woodcote corner, Gregory threw himself from the cockpit in memorable style, narrowly avoiding a horrible smash and the fire that immediately broke out in the wrecked car. £22.55 (case of 12 bottles) shop.goodwood.com 172

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GREAT ESCAPES FOR DISCERNING DRIVERS

Christmas Gifts for the drivers…

Accompanied Small Group Driving Holidays

www.meandmycar.co.uk order line 01865 883061

TEL: +44 1264 710375

T-shirts, sweatshirts, knitwear and prints. Inspired by art, design, sport and good times. Original British Design. See them all at www.t-lab.co.uk

WWW.T-LAB.CO.UK

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1934 Bentley 3½-Litre Tourer

Also available: 1934 Talbot AV105, 1925 Vauxhall 30-98 OE, 1936 Talbot BI105 Aero Landline: +44 (0) 1440 841 447

Mobile: +44 (0) 7493 897 975

john@polsonmotorco.com

Please see website for more details: www.polsonmotorco.com

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@polsonmotorco

1954 JAGUAR XK120 ROADSTER £95,000

1963 JAGUAR E-TYPE COUPE £135,000

1957 MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL ROADSTER £925,000

T +44 (0)1869 357126 W www.pendine.com E cars@pendine.com

Located at

MILESTONE MOTORCARS

561 509 7251

For our current inventory please visit our website

www.MilestoneMotorcarsLLC.com

1965 Jaguar 4.2 litre, XKE Roadster

Finest, Restored E Type available today

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Edited by Matthew Hayward

The Market B U Y I N G + S E L L I N G + A N A LY S I S

TOP 10 PRICES SEPTEMBER 2024 £1,882,882 ($2,507,500) 2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 Bring a Trailer, Austin, Texas, USA, 20 September £753,885 ($990,000) 1933 Auburn 12-165 Salon Speedster Mecum, Dallas, Texas, USA, 6 September £681,170 ($907,500)

BONHAMS

2022 Ford GT Bring a Trailer, California, USA, 25 September £672,024 ($882,500)

Zoute alors! Bonhams goes big in Belgium again The UK auction house hits a home run for the second year running BONHAMS HELD an incredibly successful sale in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, alongside the Zoute Grand Prix in 2023, and the auction house has just returned yet another stellar result at this year’s event – totalling €21,300,064, with a sell-through rate of 95%. Although slightly down from 2023’s blockbuster €26.8m result, this year’s sale was Bonhams Cars’ highest-grossing auction of the year, outstripping Monterey by some margin. Top-seller was the overpoweringly red 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss (above), which sailed past its €1.5-2.5m estimate to make €3,220,000. There were a few other limited-run Mercedes-Benzes offered, all at no reserve. The 2007 CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet proved popular at €540,500, as did the 54km 2008 SLR McLaren Crown Edition at €483,000. Next up was the 1956 Porsche 550 RS, notable because this Equipe Nationale Belge team car was back on home turf for the first time in decades. It sold to a local collector for €2,530,000, below estimate. One notable no-sale was the headlining

1951 Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta, which failed to gain enough bids to trouble the reserve on the day. A 1926 Bugatti Type 35A also fell short. There were mixed fortunes for Aston Martins in Belgium. A striking bronze One-77 (the first built, coming from its original owner with just 550km on the clock) attracted a healthy €1,437,500 all-in price, but the interesting 1959 DB4 4.7-litre works prototype ‘DP2155’ didn’t find a new home. Just a few days earlier, Bonhams held a somewhat more low-key auction across the pond at the Audrain Concours. It was a smaller catalogue than last year but, thanks to a substantial number of cars offered without a reserve, the sale ended with a healthy 81% sale rate and a total figure of $3,717,534. Leading the way was a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, formerly one of Peter Mullin’s cars, with a total price of $1,160,000 – almost the exact price for which Gooding & Company sold the very same car in April! There was a lot of love for the 1959 Fiat-OSCA 1500 Aerodinamica Berlinetta, which sold for $401,000. Matthew Hayward

2012 Lexus LFA Bring a Trailer, California, USA, 6 September £621,370 ($827,500) 1962 Ferrari 250GT Spider Bring a Trailer, California, USA, 21 September £614,200 1998 Porsche 911 Turbo Bonhams, Goodwood, UK, 7 September £552,000 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Spider Bonhams, Goodwood Revival, UK, 7 September £526,000 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto LP1015-4 Collecting Cars, Shropshire, UK, 25 September £525,000 1933 MG Magnette K3 Bonhams, Goodwood, UK, 7 September £517,685 ($675,300) 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series Bring a Trailer, Florida, USA, 11 September The top ten data is supplied courtesy of HAGERTY

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Muscular atrophy: do powerful classics age poorly? It takes more than a wave of nostalgia to lift a classic to true ‘collector car’ status, which means many are never priced out of actually being used. Good! MY SOCIAL MEDIA feed seems to be full of ads for different fitness regimes at the moment. They tell me that I need to maintain strength training to stay at peak fitness and remind me about muscular atrophy, the process by which muscle reduces with age. I think the same may be true of classic cars. Britain doesn’t really have muscle cars, but Generation X still has its blue-collar heroes that combined street presence and racing pedigree with sheer power. The Hagerty Price Guide average values of three top examples – the BMW E30 M3, the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth and the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton – have all risen significantly in value over the past few years as enthusiasts and collectors in their forties and fifties have bought the best examples of these former heavyweights that they can find. The problem with these cars is that they rely strongly on a nostalgic memory of past physicality as their USP. As the 58-year-old Mike Tyson may discover in a few weeks when he enters a professional boxing ring again with an opponent less than half his age, the years can take their toll. Compare acceleration, and the classics are easily outpaced: the current BMW M4 Competition reaches 60mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds, a speed its E30 predecessor took 6.5 seconds to achieve. As a classic car, this doesn’t really matter. People tend to want the car for what it represents to them, often a link back to their youth. But when classic turns the corner to collectable, that’s another matter. Some cars, whatever their attributes, become collectable because of their double-digit mileage, previous celebrity ownership or some other factor that makes them extremely and individually special, but, for every example of a model to become and stay collectable, they must have a very special combination indeed. Being once powerful isn’t enough; the design must be classed as one of the

‘People tend to want the car for what it represents to them, often a link back to their youth. But when classic turns the corner to collectable, that’s another matter’

greats, the manufacturer one of the most exclusive, and the model must have that elusive, often indefinable ‘X factor’. In spades. The outlook for the RS500, E30 M3 and Lotus Carlton as classics remains positive, but as collectables of the future I fear their reach will be limited and, barring extraordinary exceptions, value increases may well be more limited in future years than the market has seen up until now. More likely is a trend that is similar to prizefighter models that came before, such as the Audi Ur-quattro (RR): its average Hagerty Price Guide value nearly tripled between August 2016 and August 2021, from £20,125 to £59,225, but then it stabilised and currently sits at £56,050. I don’t think that this is a bad thing. Collectable cars tend to be kept cossetted away under covers and pulled out for the odd top-flight concours or to be sold. Classics are cars that are meant to be driven, to be seen on the roads and at events. Cars such as the RS500, E30 M3 and Lotus Carlton stir real emotions and are a key part of our motoring heritage. Just as, win or lose, everyone can’t wait to see Tyson back in the ring, just hearing, seeing and feeling these cars on the road remains a very special experience that should not be rare.

John Mayhead Hagerty Price Guide editor, market commentator and concours judge

Average UK Hagerty Price Guide values in GBP(£), Sept 2021 to Sept 2024.

G R O W I N G M U S C L E : T H R E E -Y E A R I N C R E A S E I N VA L U E Sept ’21

Sept ’24

£150k

£100k

£50k

BMW E30 M3 Coupé

Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth

Vauxhall Lotus Carlton 177

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The Market Auction Previews

Ultimately successful experiment RM Sotheby’s, London, UK 1-2 November enthusiast and competitor Phil Scragg, who returned the car to the works in November 1958 for full conversion to an XKSS. The history contains correspondence between Scragg and ‘Lofty’ England. As well as all the usual XKSS additions, this car was given a higher 3.92:1 axle ratio for better acceleration. In the hands of its second owner it was returned to the factory in 1960 for a 3.8-litre engine upgrade, importantly retaining its original cylinder head. Since the 1970s it’s been in the care of collectors, with appropriate restoration work carried out over the years. RM estimates that the XKSS, offered with a substantial package of spares, will make £9,000,000-11,000,000. rmsothebys.com

RM SOTHEBY’S

IT’S NOT EVERY day that a Jaguar XKSS comes to the open market, especially not at a public auction. In fact, RM Sotheby’s says that, when it presents this intriguing example at The Peninsula London next month, it will be the first time an XKSS has ever been offered at a European auction. ‘XKD 540’ is one of two XKSSs to retain a D-type chassis number, out of a total of 18 built. Originally built as a ‘short-nose’ D-type in November 1955, it remained unsold for over a year. Amusingly, Jaguar records list this rare and now desirable car as ‘redundant after experiment’, although exactly what that experiment was remains a mystery. Eventually it found its way to arch Jaguar

Hot hatch legend Iconic Auctioneers, NEC, UK 9 Nov ALTHOUGH THE 1990s represented a quiet period for hot hatches – at least those we would class as legendary – the French managed to produce this little firecracker. Stylistically making the most of its Williams F1 connection, the hottest Clio was actually developed in-house by Renaultsport. A total of 5400 Williams 1s would be built, with just 390 of those coming to the UK. This is number 0181, which stayed with its original owner for 25 years – and was utterly cherished. Iconic sold a 40,000-mile car at the NEC last year for £28,688, so it’s no surprise that this beautifully presented sub-10k-mile car is estimated to make £40,000-50,000 at the same venue next month. iconicauctioneers.com 178

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1958 Ferrari 250GT Coupé Pininfarina Christie’s, Paris, France 20 November, christies.com This Ferrari is being offered in Paris by Christie’s in The Exceptional Sale, which brings together a selection of incredible items from various categories. It is set to be one of the stars of the auction, notable for coming from the collection of actress Angelina Jolie. One of 353 examples built, it’s estimated to sell for €600,000-800,000.

2004 Toyota Century

1908 Vulcan 20hp

1985 Lotus Excel

Historics, Brooklands, UK 23 November, historics.co.uk

Bonhams, London, UK 1 Nov, cars.bonhams.com

ACA, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK 2-3 Nov, angliacarauctions.co.uk

Named in honour of company founder Sakichi Toyoda’s 100th birthday, the Toyota Century is Japan’s ultimate luxury car – a conservatively styled Rolls-Royce complete with velour seats! Not only is it the only Japanese car to be built with a V12 engine, it’s also beautifully screwed together. Imported in 2020, this one is estimated at £12,000-17,000.

A rare survivor of the British Vulcan manufacturer, fitted with this pretty Roi-des-Belges body. Originally delivered to Australia, it lived a full life before being returned to the UK in 1989. Following a repaint, re-trim and new hood in 2008, it took part in several Veteran Car Club events, though has been used sparingly by its most recent owner. It’s expected to make £30,000-50,000.

Here’s an interesting proposition if you’re happy to take a chance on an unknown quantity. This Excel looks extremely presentable, but there’s no documentation with the car other than the V5, which incorrectly lists it as an Eclat. It shows 43,260 miles on the clock and, although the MoT expired in July, it could be a great buy to the right person at £5000-7000.

Also Look Out For… SIR THOMAS LIPTON rose from the tenements of Glasgow to build a grocery store empire and compete five times for the America’s Cup, though never wresting the world’s oldest international sporting prize from the American cup holders. Lipton’s final attempt in 1930 was with the 36.58m Shamrock V, which holds a special place in the pantheon of J Class yachts as the first British J, the only one planked in wood and one of only three original class survivors. As this remarkable yacht surfaces from her latest restoration, a fragment has emerged that connects to a time when the working sailors of Essex fishing villages trod the planks alongside aristocrats and royalty. Her skipper in the 1930 challenge was Essex man Edward Carrington Heard, from a neighbouring village to Albert Turner – skipper of George V’s Britannia – and from equally humble stock as Lipton. Likewise, many of the core crew hailed from east coast fishing stock. From his racing days Heard collected several cherished mementos, including Sir Thomas Lipton’s house flag, with a shamrock motif that paid homage to the magnate’s Irish roots. Offered with the burgee of the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, where Shamrock V took part in her first regatta in May 1930 and won straight out of the box, the flags are estimated to fetch £2000-3000 when they come up at Charles Miller Ltd on 12 November.

AUC T ION DI A RY 30 October H&H, Bickenhill, UK (motorcycles) 31 October SWVA, Poole, UK 1 November Bonhams, London, UK 2 November RM Sotheby’s, London, UK 2-3 November ACA, King’s Lynn, UK 8-10 November Osenat, Lyon, France 9 November Barons, Southampton, UK Iconic Auctioneers, Birmingham, UK 10 November Iconic Auctioneers, Birmingham, UK (motorcycles) 16 November Morris Leslie, Errol, UK 23 November Historics, Weybridge, UK RM Sotheby’s, Munich, Germany 24 November Hampson, Tattenhall, UK 27 November H&H, Buxton, UK 27-29 November Mathewsons, online 1 December Aguttes, Paris, France RM Sotheby’s, Dubai, UAE 4 December Brightwells, online Dore & Rees, Bradford-on-Avon, UK 5 December Brightwells, online 5-7 December Mecum, Kansas City, USA 6-17 December Bonhams, online (motorcycles) 7 December Classic Car Auctions, Leamington Spa, UK WB & Sons, Killingworth, UK 7-8 December Manor Park Classics, Runcorn, UK 12 December Bonhams, London, UK 14 December Barons, Southampton, UK 29 December Oldtimer Galerie, Gstaad, Switzerland IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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The Market Data Mining

Alfa Junior Zagato

classic cars, prices experienced a post-Covid boost but increases were not as pronounced as for a lot of other models and, when corrected for inflation, current prices are a little down on where they were in 2018. That is surprising, as the model ticks pretty much every box that Hagerty considers to be collectable positives: well-known sporting manufacturer, world-class designer, excellent drivability, and limited production numbers, with just 1500-ish made. They are easy to maintain as they share many mechanical parts with the other

A Zagato Alfa that won’t break the bank, but may be stunted by the desirability of the cars it’s based on ZAGATO-BODIED Alfas span a wide spectrum, from the glorious elegance of pre-war cars and the muscular beauty of the TZ racers through to the bulbous 2600SZ and the boxy ES30 SZ. But one Zagato-bodied Alfa UK Hagerty Price Guide condition 2 ‘Excellent’ values over time (£GBP)

stands out through a combination of simple yet innovative design, competent performance, and a price that won’t break the bank: the Junior Zagato. Hagerty condition 2 (‘Excellent’) values for both the 1300 and 1600 models have risen slowly over the past few years and currently sit at £42,300 and £46,300 respectively. Like most

105-series cars, and Gordon Murray awarded it the accolade of commissioning Alfaholics to create a modified ‘R’ version. So, why are they not more collectable? Well, they’re a bit of a niche car and their ‘standard’ Spider, Bertone GT and Berlinetta saloon siblings are much better-known. John Mayhead

JUNIOR ZAGATO 1.3-1.6

87vs106 MAX BHP AT 6K REVS – 1300:1600

A L FA R O M E O J U N I O R Z A G A T O VA L U E S £48k 1600 Junior Z

£46k £44k

1300 Junior Z

£42k £40k

1970

THE FIRST NEW ALFA ROMEO MODEL TO BE BUILT WITH THE AID OF ROBOTS

1108vs403 TOTAL PRODUCED – 1300:1600

Ercole Spada

£38k 2019

Auction Tracker

De Tomaso Mangusta Argentinian racing driver Alejandro de Tomaso’s first supercar entered production in 1967. It was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia, 401 were built,

2020

2021

2022

2023

cars at €268,800 (£224,250), a level that was pushed higher in 2023 when Mecum sold its Wayne Carini-restored example for $418,000 (£311,500). An exceptional unrestored Mangusta holds the auction record: sold by Mecum as a one-owner car (pictured) with 6217 miles for $352,000 (£262,250) at Kissimmee in 2021, it went on to make $440,000 (£328,000) at the same event the following year.

and only around half are thought to have survived. Chassis 998 gives a good indication of the model’s rise in value in the 2010s: the fourheadlight European-spec car first crossed the block at Bonhams’ Paris sale in 2013, taking €91,762 (£76,500) before returning to Paris in 2018 when RM Sotheby’s achieved €286,250 (£238,750). RM’s 2014 Monaco sale set the bar for the best recently restored

£400,000

DESIGNER, FOR ZAGATO OF MILAN

2024

Roger Brotton of De Tomaso specialist Three Point Four says: ‘Restoration costs are expensive, so it pays to buy well in the first place. The problem is its rarity, and the survival rates. Even ten years ago, the starting cost for a car in need of work was £80-100k, so double that in 2024. ‘Recently, top cars have sold for £400,000 or more, and, given the enormous cost of a restoration, that’s about correct.’ Rod Laws

Line charts the top prices for comparable cars at auction.

£300,000

£200,000

£100,000 2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Glenmarch is the largest free-to-access online resource for classic and collector car auction markets. Visit glenmarch.com to keep up to date.

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1997/8 PORSCHE

993 TURBO COUPE FOREST GREEN EXTERIOR

MANUAL 34,000 MI

2018

ASTON MARTIN

VANQUISH ZAGATO VOLANTE

1 OF 99 MADE

1,250 MI

1970

MERCEDES BENZ

280 SL PAGODA

METICULOUS RESTORATION TO CONCOURS 400 MI

For Collectors of Modern Art, experts in Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar and AC Cobra W: hendonwaymotors.com

HWM Octane OCT 24.indd 1

T: +44(0)20 8202 8011

16/10/2024 11:10

The Market Dealer News

SHOWROOM BRIEFS

1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen £45,000 A replica of the very first self-propelled vehicle, built by John Bentley Engineering to such a high standard that Mercedes ordered 100 to be displayed around the world. tomhartleyjnr.com (UK)

1975 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV POA from The Hairpin Company, Wiltshire, UK AS AMAZING as a beautifully restored car can be, there’s something very special about a classic that has survived almost 50 years in original condition. This gorgeous Alfa GTV is one such example, a lateregistered UK car that has covered just 19,000 miles without any major restoration work or evident wear. It’s finished in Grigio Chiaro, fitted with a tan cloth interior, tinted glass and even the original Eight Track player. The first Hertfordshire-based owner held on to the car until October 1998, when it was offered for sale in the Alfa Romeo Owners Club magazine with only 14,700 miles on the clock. After it had been in dry storage for 12 years, the next owner decided to sympathetically refresh the

Alfa, which included a full repaint due to the original paint going flat. Photographs from the time confirm that there were no major rust repairs necessary. All the seals and consumable components were replaced at the same time, with a light mechanical refresh. The car went on to win several concours awards at Alfa Romeo events. Hairpin bought the car in 2016 and it was lightly fettled before being sold to Harry Metcalfe, who enjoyed it for a year before it was once again sold through Hairpin to a collector for his ‘Car Car Magazine 1971 Group Test’ collection. Described as ‘a perfect balance of original and refurbished’, it’s certainly one of a kind. thehairpincompany.co.uk

The Insider HOW IS THE MARKET for 300SL Roadsters and Gullwings? Recent auctions have sent a signal that average 300SLs are currently hard to sell, but there is still demand for special cars, ones in extraordinarily good condition, prime preservation pieces, or a blank canvas in need of total restoration, especially if it has good history. Is history the most important factor? Since the demise of Kienle [a German specialist that went bust while being investigated for allegedly cloning cars], proof of originality is more important than ever. History has always been important but now the documentation to support that history is paramount. And rarity? The more rare the more valuable, like the 29 aluminium Gullwings or the circa-40 Rudge wheel roadsters, or the final Roadsters with aluminium engines. Does colour matter? Most buyers used to look for silver cars, but an increasing number now desire more distinctive colours, such as yellow, green or even pink. Where’s the market going next? Let’s see how the Junkyard auction [the RM Sotheby’s sale of the Rudi Klein collection on 26 October] goes…

Hans Kleissl Founder of globally renowned MercedesBenz 300SL specialist HK-Engineering

1990 Porsche 911 Speedster €199,000 There’s something very menacing about this Turbobodied 3.2 Speedster, finished in black. It’s a US-market car showing 51,350km with optional LSD and short shifter. lartdelautomobile.com (FR)

1983 Lynx Eventer $28,000 Offered in ‘field find’ condition, this Eventer – the 13th of 67 built – was exported to the US in 2000, and at some point after was abandoned in a field, still wearing its UK numberplates. lbilimited.com (US)

1925 Vauxhall 30-98 $365,000 NZD Single family owned for the past 56 years, and imported into NZ when the family emigrated in 2002, this Griffin-bodied 30-98 is said to be as ‘as good as it gets for a preservation-class car’. bains.co.nz (NZ)

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Trusted purveyor of rare & historic automobiles for 45 years Avidly and passionately involved in motorsports Buy • Sell • Consign • Trade

The Market Buying Guide

THE LOWDOWN

WHAT TO PAY Although it was widely criticised when new for its £30k-plus list price, well over twice what even a top-spec iQ cost, the low numbers making it onto the secondhand market have ensured that prices have held up well. For a good example, expect to pay around £30,000, with exceptional cars closer to £40,000. A standard iQ can be picked up for between £2500 and £6000 today. LOOK OUT FOR

Aston Martin Cygnet A failure at launch, the tiny Aston Martin city car is enjoying its swansong IT’S DIFFICULT NOT to be slightly cynical about the Cygnet. Here is a car that was widely reported to have been developed solely to lower the average fleet CO₂ emissions for the Aston Martin range. At launch, the Cygnet certainly got a bit of a thrashing from the press – and the public. Yet the world feels like a very different place almost 15 years later and, while a lot of Aston purists turned their noses up at the idea of a Toyota-based luxury city car, the small number that actually bought and drove them – Stirling Moss included – absolutely adored them. The Cygnet also turned out to be one of the least depreciating modern Aston Martins of all time. At its core, the Toyota iQ on which it was based was actually a very clever little car. It was not dissimilar in size and shape to a Smart, but was slightly wider and a foot longer, making it considerably more spacious inside. It even offered a pair of rear seats in the back, which realistically made it capable of ‘comfortably’ carrying three adults. Criticised for being too expensive at over £12,000 for the top-spec version, it was typically wellengineered, and a (relatively) decent thing to drive. Aston Martin took that as a base and began production of its version in 2010, initially offering it only to existing brand customers. It soon went on general sale for a hefty £30,995 – around three times the price of the regular iQ! Mechanically, the Cygnet was pure Toyota, powered by a 1.3-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, generating 97bhp and 91lb ft of torque. The manual gearbox was standard, with a CVT gearbox available for an extra £1120. The latter is generally considered to be the better of the two options.

So how did Aston justify its price? Cosmetic changes to the iQ were significant, and all carried out on a dedicated production line at Gaydon. The front bumper is bespoke, and there’s an aluminium grille made to the same quality as the ‘proper’ Astons. The front wings and bonnet have added Vantagestyle vents and strakes, and there’s a (purely cosmetic) rear diffuser. Although the headlights are unchanged from the iQ, they’re disguised with trims and the rear lights are bespoke. It was also painted to a much higher standard, in a range of the usual gorgeous Aston colours. Externally, the transformation was finished off by eight- and 16-spoke diamond-cut wheel designs. The interior is particularly special, with most trim wrapped in high-quality leather and a new ‘waterfall’ centre console design in a style similar to that of other models in the range. Some of the original owners had a lot of fun with the colour options, so you can expect a few lairy examples out there. Although it was widely reported at the time, Aston’s then-CEO Ulrich Bez dismissed the widely held belief that the Cygnet was a ploy to lower CO₂ averages, stating that an Aston Martin city car was something he’d always wanted to do. Aston had hoped to build 4000 Cygnets per year, but slow sales meant that it completed only 789 before pulling the plug in 2013. Just 150 were sold in the UK. It’s fair to say that, while feelings around the Cygnet have softened a lot, it’s still a relatively divisive car. Best to enjoy it for what it is – a beautifully trimmed and built, extremely rare and low-maintenance city car – rather than what it’s not.

Matthew Hayward

Toyota’s legendary reliability means that the Cygnet’s mechanicals seldom cause any issues, especially as they’re generally very lowmileage cars. Although not strictly necessary, a full Aston dealer service history is a nice thing to have and will probably make it easier to sell in the future. Mechanical parts can be ordered through Toyota, at a significant cost saving. Bearing this in mind, the main consideration when buying a Cygnet is to make sure that every bespoke Aston Martin part is in perfect condition: bumper, bonnet, grilles, badges, all the leather interior trim and the diamond-cut alloy wheels. You might not expect any Cygnet to have been modified, but Aston did offer an official suspensionlowering option, which is said to improve the handling somewhat. Other than that, plenty of aftermarket modifications exist for the iQ, such as a supercharger kit, and Aston Works has even built a unique V8-engined version for one customer – so there’s definitely scope for fun if you’re so inclined. Most Cygnets have covered a low mileage, but they’re getting to a point when in-depth maintenance may be wise. Check the age of tyres, for example; they rarely wear out, but may have perished or hardened.

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PETER BRADFIELD LTD PETERBRADFIELD BRADFIELD LTD PETER LTD PETER BRADFIELD LTD

1965 Alfa Romeo TZ1 - Period competition history, known provenance, beautifully restored 1934 Frazer Nash TT Replica Outstanding condition, unparalelledhistory, evocative history, matchingbeautifully numbers. restored 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ1 - Period competition known provenance,

1925 Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model - Original super patinated Vanden Plas with sorted mechanicals 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Roadster by Park Ward Unique and gorgeous. In superb condition with documented history. 1925 Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model - Original super patinated Vanden Plas with sorted mechanicals

1931 Bentley 4½ Litre “BLOWER”

The ‘Blower’ was originally conceived by heroic racer, Tim Birkin in a quest to build the ultimate Bentley competition car. Adding a Supercharger to the 4½ litre dramatically increased its performance, elevating the output from 110 to 175 horsepower. This was enough to carry Birkin to second place in the 1930 French Grand Prix ( 247 miles at an average of 88.8 mph) and enough to convince the company to build 50 production cars to support the homologation of the team cars for Le Mans. Chassis MS 3928 is one of the 50. It left the Bentley works in December 1930 and was sent to Gurney Nutting for coachwork and was delivered to its first owner in March 1931. Marque expert, Clare Hay has inspected the car, researched its history and her report includes a letter from Squadron Leader William Kent who declared it “magnificent, despite lacking creature comforts”. In 1966 YK 1360 is a Short Chassis Speed Model still fitted with its original Vanden Plas coachwork. It has been uprated with a perky the car was bought by Charles Noble and restored to Le Mans specification by Elmdown Engineering. Noble kept it for 58 years.

1925 Bentley 3-4½ Litre 1925 Bentley 3-4½ Litre 1925 Bentley 3-4½ Litre YK 4½ 1360 is aengine Short giving Chassisit Speed fitted its original Vanden coachwork. has been a perky litre a goodModel turn ofstill speed andwith mechanically feels goodPlas on the road. The Ittalented Mr.uprated Getley with at Kings-

engine giving it atogood turn of speed andSupercharged mechanically feels good on the The talented Mr. Getley bury has maintained it. However, aoriginal number of previous owners have taken aroad. dogged in willfully ignoring This4½ is litre aRacing rare acquire an Bentley with certified provenance and history athe SuperYK 1360 is aopportunity Short Chassis Speed Model still fitted with its original Vanden Plas coachwork. Itdelight has been uprated withatataKingsperky bury Racing has maintained it. However, a number of previous owners have taken a dogged delight in willfully ignoring the realistic price. Offered with matching numbers, original registration number, and remarkably even the cars original handbook. paintwork and it has accordingly developed a depth of patina you could drown in. Its bears its battle-scars and witness marks 4½ litre engine giving it a good turn of speed and mechanically feels good on the road. The talented Mr. Getley at Kingspaintwork and it accordingly developed depth of youowners could drown in. Its bears its battle-scars witness marks asbury badges of honour and has appeared witha anumber distinction on at least three have Flying Scotsman Rallies and in raced atand theignoring Goodwood Racing hashas maintained it. However, of patina previous taken a dogged delight willfully the 1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio Unique, highly eligible competition car with good road manners aspaintwork badges of honour and has appeared with distinction on at least three Flying Scotsman Rallies and raced at the Goodwood Revival. types and ‘try-hards’ need not applyyou but could will suit any number of bounders, blaggards or cads.marks andConcours it has accordingly developed a depth of patina drown in. Its bears its battle-scars and witness Also available 1954need Frazer Nash Le will Mans Replica Revival. and ‘try-hards’ not apply but anyScotsman number of bounders, blaggards cads. as badges of Concours honour andtypes has appeared with distinction on atavailable least threesuit Flying Rallies and raced at the or Goodwood Also Ulimate specification, period international comp history, eligible for everything. 1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio Unique, highly eligible competition car with good road manners 1925 Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model 1934 Invicta Snot Type Frazer Targa Florio of 1954 Frazer Nash Le Mansor Rep Revival. Concours types and need apply but will Nash suit any number bounders, blaggards cads. 1934 Invicta S‘try-hards’ Type 1954 Bentley R1952 Type Continantal 1967 Maserati Mistral

Also available Alsofor available See Website more details

See website for more details 1931 Bentley 4½ LitreRBlower 1934 Invicta S Maserati Type Mistral See website for details See Website for more details 1934 Invicta S Type 1954 Bentley Typemore Continantal 1967 1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio 1925 Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model See Website for more details

Seewebsite website for more details See for 8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON LONDON SW7 3HE 8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON LONDON SW7 3HE peter@bradfieldcars.com Tel: 020 7589 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com 8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON LONDON SW7 3HE 8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON LONDON peter@bradfieldcars.com Tel: 020SW7 75893HE 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com peter@bradfieldcars.com Tel: 020 7589 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com peter@bradfieldcars.com Tel: 020 7589 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com 00135515_CSC_010424_D_PeterBradfiled.indd 2

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C HARLES P RINCE

Le Mans

Worldwide Collector Car Sales

1930 Bentley 4.5 Litre Supercharged Le Mans

Without question one of the ﬁnest restorations on a 4.5 Litre. An original matching numbers late 4.5 Litre with the late pattern chassis and heavy crank engine, as per the original 50 factory blowers. Full and colourful history with extensive racing and rally records including the Mille Miglia. Fully split pinned chassis, overdrive, alternator, and many other upgrades

1923 Bentley 3 Litre TT Model Factory Uprated to full Speed Model Spec

1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible. Full history. Uprated to 4.2 Litres

We are always eager to buy important collectors cars. All cars can be seen tried and tested at Quin Hay Farm Petersﬁeld Hampshire GU321BZ or in central London. Please see our website for full stock photos videos and details. Valuations always available.

Int T 0044 (0) 79 85 98 80 70 sales@charlesprinceclassiccars.com charlesprinceclassiccars.com

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1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT (chassis no. #0137/R) 1 of 75 produced Snow Shadow grey with red leather interior Original matching numbers car Original registration number from new Comprehensive history ﬁle Extensive racing history A full body off restoration in 2015 by marque experts Post Vintage, Bodylines and Spraytec

Tel: +44(0) 1772 613114 Email: sales@williamloughran.co.uk Address: The Hawthorns, Gill Lane, Walmer Bridge, Lancashire, PR4 5QN

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2017 Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Zagato 1 owner example comes optioned with Villa D’este package, Carbon fibre centre console, 1-77 Style steering wheel, Fully electric and memory front seats, Alarm upgrade. 69 miles. £389,990

2020 Ferrari 812 Superfast V12 Suspension lifter, Adaptive headlights with SBL function, Scuderia shields, Rear privacy glass, Titanium exhaust pipes, 20” forged diamond alloys, Ferrari main dealer history. 3,000 Miles. £261,990

2018 Lamborghini Huracan V10 LP 640-4 Performante 1 owner from new, dark chrome interior package, Lazer engraved stitching, 20” Loge alloy wheels finished in Gloss black. 16,000 miles. £204,890

2019 Lamborghini Huracan LP640-4 Evo Coupe Multi functional steering wheel in alcantara, Sports ehaust system, Verde mantis brake callipers. 11,000 miles. £176,990

2013 Ferrari 458 Spider Carbon fibre race seats, Carbon fibre drivers zone with LED’s, Painted stripe in Grigio Silverstone, Full PPF, Giallo stitching, Prancing horse on headrests in Giallo. 34,000 miles. £134,990

2016 Lamborghini Aventador V12 LP 750-4 Superveloce

2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV Roadster

1 owner, Gloss carbon exterior, Carbon fibre interior package, Sports exhaust system, 20/21” Dianthus centre lock alloy wheels. 7,000 Miles. £337,990

Satin Carbon fibre exterior, Transparent engine cover, Sensonum sound system, Lifting system, Sports exhaust system, 6,800 miles. £334,990

2018 Lamborghini Aventador V12 LP 740-4 S

2021 Lamborghini Huracan V10 LP 610-2 EVO

Q-citura stitching, Transparent engine cover, Lifting system, Red brake callipers, 20/21” Dionne alloy wheels finished in Gloss black with Diamond face 12,500 miles. £229,990

1967 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Supplied via Jaguar cars of New York in October 1967, Undergoing a full nut and bolt restoration, LHD to RHD conversion, Full UK registration. 120 miles. £189,990

2020 Lamborghini Urus V8 BiTurbo Full electric and memory front seats, Q-Citura stitching in Giallo, Bang & Olufsen sound system, Sliding panoramic roof, Adaptive cruise control, Milltek exhaust system. 53,000 miles. £169,990

Fully electric and heated comfort seats, Piano black interior trim, Satin black tailpipes, 8,500 miles. £204,990

2008 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640# Arancio Atlas with full Nero leather interior and contrasting Arancio stitching, Branding to headrests, Arancio painted brake callipers. 18,800 miles. £189,990

2013 Ferrari 458 Spider Equipped with Carbon fibre race seats, Carbon fibre driving zone with LED’s, Exterior stripe in Argento Nurburgring, Yellow rev counter, Silver brake callipers. 12,000 miles. £169,990

2014 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-2

2007 Lamborghini Gallardo V10

50th anniversary finished in Nero Serapis metallic, This example comes with Fully electric and heated comfort seats, 19” Superleggera alloys finished in Titanium. 11,900 miles. £119,990

Giallo Midas 3 layer pearl, full Nero ade Leather interior with contrasting Giallo piping and stitching. Manual transmission, full electric heated seats, 19 Inch Cassipea alloy wheels in Silver. 23,000 miles. £82,990

BUYING OR SELLING LAMBORGHINI MOTORCARS T +44 01580 714 597 E sales@vvsuk.co.uk W www.vvsuk.co.uk (Viewing by appointment only) Address: VVS UK LTD PARK FARM, GOUDHURST ROAD, CRANBROOK, KENT, TN17 2LJ www.lamborghinibuyer.com Additional Websites: www.justlamborghini.com

A C

H E R I T A G E

1964 AC COBRA 289 Fully matching numbers, recent cosmetic restoration by AC Heritage. Extensive hillclimb history at the hands of Paul Channon, continuous history from new and Channon owning the cobra for forty years from 1969. Supplied with factory hardtop and weather gear, one of the finest examples of the marque through our doors. POA

1955 AC ACECA Period Works Rally Entrant (Monte Carlo, Liège Rome Liège etc.) Ruddspeed 2.6 Ford Zephyr engine upgrade with four speed manual with overdrive. POA

1985 AC MKIV COBRA 15,000 miles from new. Period looking Mk3 dashboard conversion and 15” Halibrand wheel upgrade. One of very few factory supplied hardtop. £125,000

1960 AC ACE BRISTOL Full AC Heritage works restoration completed in 2020. Rare factory supplied hardtop. One previous keeper from 1963 to 2019. £289,995

1956 AC ACE BRISTOL ‘MARY SEED” The first AC Bristol exported to Australia. Set a womens land speed record in 1957. Extensive race history in NSW. Full matching numbers and conservation restoration by AC Heritage. FIA HTP expires 2030. POA

For more information about any of these vehicles, please contact our sales team. AC Heritage · International Broker of Historic & Classic Motorcars · Brooklands Motor Circuit, Surrey, UK Telephone +44(0)1932 828545 · Mobile +44(0)7557 878123 · www.acheritage.com AC HERITAGE

Ferrari 512 BB RHD 1977 UNRESTORED

* Argento Silver * Red Leather * Red Carpets * Last Service Oct ‘23 inc Cambelts/MOT * Optional extras: * Stereo * AirCon * 3 Registered Keepers * ** 19,000 mls only ** £249,995

Mercedes Benz 500SL (R107) RHD 1988/’E’

* Nautic Blue Metallic * Grey Leather & Carpets * Navy Softop * Becker Stereo (w B/Tooth/AUX) * * Original Wallet & Books * 4 Registered Keepers * ** 39,796 mls only ** £52,995

Mercedes Benz SL55 AMG Roadster 2006/56 LOW MILEAGE

* Iridium Silver Metallic * Blk Leather * Grey Carpets * Pan Roof * Climate * BOSE * TV/Nav * * Carbon Interior * Parktronic * 18” Alloys * ** 13,799 mls only ** £49,995

Acquisition, consignment sales, restoration management Enjoy collecting interesting cars.

1963 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Ex Pierre Louis- Dreyfus, engine rebuilt, only 97.000 km. Euro 425.000,-

FOR SALE

1973 Porsche 911 2.4 E matching nrs. Restored by specialists Euro 93.500,-

Mme. Curiestraat 8 Sassenheim The Netherlands +31 (0) 252 218 980

1967 Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Veloce restored, servicebook Euro 59.500,-

www.vsoc.nl

193

Classic Mercedes-Benz Sandwich, Kent

1967 Mercedes 250SL

£119,950

Automatic. Incredibly original, left drive, in rare Medium Grey metallic. 31,000 genuine miles with outstanding provenance and service history. Stunning!

1967 Mercedes 250SL

More photos and details on our website. Export enquiries welcomed, we are 30 mins from Dover

www.silverarrows.co.uk • sales@silverarrows.co.uk • +44 7710 940 049

194

£89,950

Automatic. Wonderful early left drive 250SL in Papyrus White with Navy MB tex trim. Highly original, with a little bit of Hollywood history!

1951 Ferrari 212 Inter: Vignale / Drogo, Mille Miglia 1952, 1954. Ground up restoration. Race and Rally ready.

WE WILL BUY AND CONSIGN ALL FERRARI AND ALL VINTAGE SPORTS RACING & GT CARS PARTIAL TRADES CONSIDERED - FINANCING AVAILABLE

1974 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33-3/Flat 12: Rare, 1968 Fiat Dino Spider: Rare. Frame-up fantastic race record, Ickx, Stommelen, resto; bare metal repaint. Driveline & Reutemann, Monza, Nurburgring, Imola. suspension rebuild; new interior top & chrome. With photo docs. Stunning! All orig., fresh rebuild, race ready.

1970 Porsche 917:5 liter, flat 12. Total comprehensive rebuild by ex-factory 917 specialist. Driven by Derek Bell, Vic Elford, Jo Siffert; used in the making of Steve McQueen’s movie “Le Mans”.

1974 Jaguar XKE V12 Roadster: One of a kind, uniquely built. Bare metal repaint, new interior, 5-sp, Webers, SS headers, Alloy radiator, Two tops.

1960 Mercedes Benz 190SL: Matching numbers, Concours quality restoration. Ready for show or rally circuit.

1965 Porsche 356SC Cabriolet: Match1996 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo, Arena 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8, red/tan, ing #s, 1 of 533. 3-owner, full docs, COA. Red/Tan, 55k miles, clean CarFax, frame-up resto., 4sp OD, Webers, comp 67k miles. One repaint. Euro version. excellent cosmetic/mechanical condition, wheels, headers, electronic ignition. Outstanding original throughout. service records from new. A beauty. Performs better than it ever did.

www.MotorClassiCCorp.CoM 350 ADAMS STREET, BEDFORD HILLS NEW YORK 10507 914-997-9133 • SALES@MOTORCLASSICCORP.COM MtrClassicDec24octaneHalf.indd 1

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195

info@murrayscott-nelson.com

MURRAY SCOTT-NELSON

01723 361 227

1998 TVR Grifﬁth 500

1961 Bristol 406 drophead Coupe

31,000 miles, last owner 15 years, four seater, stunning build, power steering........ ...................£26,995 unique........... .............................£75,000

1974 Lancia Fulvia Monte Carlo

1976 Porsche 911 2.7

Austin Healey 3000 MK 3 BJ8 Phase 2. This car has covered less than 200 miles since a total nut and bolt no expense spared restoration by ourselves and if for sale due to unforeseen circumstances. It is finished in duo tone Colorado red over ivory white with a black leather trim piped in red with black mohair weather equipment. We will supply this car with a full service MOT and warranty. Call for more details. £135,000

factory car, 25,000kms, original Italian LHD, supplied new in Germany, 60,000 car.............. ................................£27,495 miles, very clean and correct......£42,995

1956 Morris Minor

Austin Healey 3000 MK 3 BJ8 Early Phase 2. North American export built July 1964. The car has been subject of an older restoration. Well maintained with only summer use since, finished in the original spec in Healey Ice Blue with blue trim, blue hood & tonneau. Fitted with chrome wire wheels, overdrive and period radio. £49,950

Austin Healey 3000 MK 3 BJ8 phase 2. Ex US Car, older restoration well maintained by Marque specialist lovely condition throughout, recent full interior re trim fitted power steering, overdrive & chrome wire wheels. Now in … for further information please contact us for more information 01723 361227 or call Jon 07831 83027 £54,950

1979 Lotus Elite 504

4 door, 803cc, 21,000 miles with history, 32,500 miles since new, auto, PAS, three owners............ ..................£10,995 complete history, original ........... £19,995

Murray Scott-Nelson, Beaconsfield Street, Scarborough YO12 4EL

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07934 922 579

196

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Ferrari 612 Scaglietti F1 Rosso Corsa 44,513 Miles

£54,995

Stock Number - 22751

Ferrari 430 Spider F1 Nero Daytona 19,138 Miles

Ferrari F430 Spider Manual

Ferrari 458 Spider

Rosso Corsa 53,001 Miles

Rosso Corsa 29,941 Miles

£82,995

Stock Number - 22770

Ferrari 488 GTB Rosso Corsa 14,424 Miles

£139,995

Stock Number - 22807

£79,995

Stock Number - 22741

£127,495

Stock Number - 22778

Ferrari 488 Spider Grigio Silverstone 16,188 Miles

£156,995

Stock Number - 22631

www.tfcgb.com

True Ferrari Connoisseurs Cavallino Building, ME15 9YG

SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST IN HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES Tel: +44 (0)1937 220 360 or +44 (0)7768 800 773 info@speedmastercars.com | speedmastercars.com

1969 Lola T70 Mk 3B - Chevrolet Chassis SL70/143 was one of the 16 B-spec. T70 MK3 GTs constructed by Lola.Supplied new to Swedish Formula 1 driver, Jo Bonnier, chassis 143 replaced chassis 101, an old 1967 example that Ecurie Bonnier had campaigned throughout 1968. The new car was painted the Bonnier team colours of yellow with a broad white centre stripe and single red pinstripe and contested World, British and Swedish sportscar championship events in 1969 plus a smattering of big independent events as well. Highlights of its inaugural campaign included fifth overall and first in class at the Spa 1000km World Championship race, a brace of seconds in the British Sportscar Championship and outright victory in the Paris GP at Montlhery. Regularly driven by Bonnier, Reine Wissel, Ronnie Peterson and on occasion Herbert Muller. Well documented history file and restored by Colin Bennett this car is a fantastic piece of sportscar history that is invited to and eligible for the premier historic motorsport events.

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EXPERIENCE A CONCOURS E-TYPE TODAY

1965 E-TYPE SERIES 1 ROADSTER CHASSIS No. 1E10734 • Now AVAILABLE • ROTISSERIE RESTORATION • Numbers-MATCHING • 4.2 Liter with 3 su carbs • Multiple Show-WINNER

• Opalescent Silver Grey • BLACK INTERIOR • Perfect for showing • includes JDHT CERTIFICATE

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Austin Healey Restoration - Upgrades - Sales - Service - Upholstery - Concours Prep - Engine Build & Rolling Road

Austin Healey 100M Spec + | UK RHD, New RM Paint, over 140HP! This stunning 100 is a menacing machine with Denis Welch engine far in excess of 100M spec, paint by us with 300 miles on it, upgraded suspension, gear set, steering and much more. A lot of fun. £85,000

Austin Healey 3000 MkIII | Power Steering, Upgrades Healey Blue with Ivory Duotone, Phase II model. Lots of popular upgrades for a well-driving, easy to tour in car. Good performance and a presentable machine throughout. £85,000.

1967 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII, Collector’s Item and Fantastic to Drive, Original Healey Gold Metallic, never welded and impeccable condition throughout, repainted by us. A true study in original perfection. New wheels and tyres, major service by us. £79,000 negotiable.

1966 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII. Healey Blue Metallic and Ivory Duotone, known to us for nearly 15 years with much lavished attention on servicing. A great car to use, enjoy and be very proud of with good cosmetics. £64,500.

1964 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII, Original Healey Blue Metallic with Ivory Duotone, one of the largest history les we have ever seen with three huge lever arch les accompanying the car. Maintained by us for many years, strong performance and a great noise! £59,500.

Austin Healey 3000 MkI Two-Seater, Original RHD BN7! Ivory White with Dark Red interior, contrasting white piping. Recent 123 electronic ignition upgrade ﬁtted by us, very nice to drive with a strong, taught chassis and performance where it should be £49,000.

1966 Austin Healey 3000 MKIII UK RHD, Original Healey Blue! Rawles Motorsport built engine, rebuilt gearbox, very strong mechanicals. Some cosmetic ﬂaws but a great driver or rolling project with MOT. Has been reguarly serviced. £28,500.

Austin Healey 100 M Spec Project, UK RHD! Original UK 1955 Austin Healey 100 that had its mechanicals converted in the 60s/70s to M spec. All panels in primer now and a good chassis. A very ideal car for a high quality restoration with all original panels. £POA

Over 30 Cars in Stock!

Rawles Motorsport Ltd, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 4JR

01420 23212

Enquiries@RawlesMotorsport.com

www.RawlesMotorsport.com

199

speedsport gallery

Jacky Ickx Ford GT40 at Le Mans by Michael Turner Large print of a pencil sketch of the Ford Gulf GT40 driven to victory at Le Mans by Jacky Ickx. The print is signed by Jacky Ickx with a dedication to Walter Hayes. This print was originally presented to Hayes by Jacky Ickx and bought from the Hayes family by the Speedsport gallery.

Print PRICE: £500.00

An extensive variety of original motor racing paintings, photographs and autographed items for sale.

T: 01327 858 167 E: info@speedsport.co.uk www.speedsport-gallery.com

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Storage VEHICLE STORAGE BY SLSHOP

Stratford Upon Avon | 01789 337 070 | storage@theSLSHOP.com

0800 13025/03/2019 3806 17:08 www.prestigecarstorage.uk

ESSEX BASED CAR STORAGE

SE England (Tunbridge Wells & Ashford)

T: +44 (0)1580 753939 W: www.jarcarstorage.co.uk

TWO PURPOSE DESIGNED CAR STORAGE FACILITIES Superior Car Storage & enclosed transport

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NEW SITE AT JAR ASHFORD –

2 miles Jcts 9 & 10 M20 38 mins London St Pancras / 15 mins Eurotunnel 206 I-342623.indd 1

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CAR STORAGE IN THE COTSWOLDS CONTACT US

UNITED KINGDOM

S TO R A G E & TRANSPORTATION

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LOCATIONS

STORAG E@CL ASSI CM OTOR H UB .COM CL ASSICMOTOR H UB .COM

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Telephone 01753 644599

2019 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shootingbrake

Mobile 07836 222111

2005 Aston Martin Vanquish ‘S’

Indistinguishable from new in rare Lava red with bespoke black interior. Built to Launch specification, 2,745 miles only with full-service history. No 32 of only 99 cars produced, Very rare and collectable and competitively priced at £396,000

Finished in Artic White with unmarked black hide interior. This is a superbly maintained example with just 17,000 recorded miles from new with a complete service history. It is 2+2 configuration with an excellent specification, sitting on multi-spoke alloy wheels with contrasting red brake callipers. Sensibly priced at £59,950

1997 Aston Martin Wide Bodied Virage Volante, (6.3 Cosmetic)

1996 Aston Martin Wide Bodied Virage Volante, (6.3 Cosmetic)

Finished in Oxford Blue with Cream hade interior. 25,000 miles only with huge service history, beautifully kept, very collectable, unlikely to depreciate. £79,950

2003 Aston Martin Vanquish

Finished in Tungsten Silver with contrasting two tone pale grey 2+2 interior. Unbelievably good condition, 36,000 miles only with a chronologically kept record of all expenditure. Really not expensive at £49,950

1966 Jaguar 3.8 MkII

Finished in Opalescent dark blue with red had interior. UK supplied, matching numbers, never raced but built to fast road spec with high compression fully balanced engine, 5-speed Tremac box, uprated brakes and a handling kit, so much better than when it left Browns Lane. It’s a real driver’s car and wonderful value at £49,950

Finished in Rare Cheviot Red with cream hide interior piped in red, 14,00 miles only form new with continuous service history, completely unmarked, Unlikely to depreciate, £ please ask

2007 Aston Martin DB9

RARE 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. Finished in Midnight blue with Sandstorm hide interior. 39,000 miles only with continuous service history. Last owner for 7 years, Extremely well kept. £31,950

2021 289 Cobra Recreation

By Hawk Cars who we consider produce the very best Cobra copies. Highly detailed throughout with superb build quality, Rover 3.9 tuned V8 coupled to a 5-speed gearbox, Cobra Rocker covers, adjustable pedal box. Sensibly priced at £49,950

Email: martinrunnymedemotorcompany.com | www.runnymedemotorcompany.com 208

Protect your ride, 365

Accidents don’t just happen on the road. At home or in storage, mishaps like fire, theft or falling paint tins can cause serious damage. So whether a nice winter day calls for a drive, or you want to make sure your favourite vehicle is safe while it’s tucked away, a policy through Hagerty keeps your classic protected as it should be, all year long.

Scan to start your quote at hagerty.co.uk All third party makes, models, and vehicle names are property of their respective owners. Their use is meant to reflect the authenticity of the vehicle and do not imply sponsorship nor endorsement of Hagerty nor any of these products or services. This is a general description of guidelines and coverage. All coverage is subject to policy provisions, exclusions and endorsements. Hagerty determines final risk acceptance. Policies underwritten by Markel International Insurance Company Limited or Aviva Insurance Limited. Hagerty International Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Firm Reference Number 441417). Hagerty is a registered trademark of The Hagerty Group LLC, ©2024 The Hagerty Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Hagerty Group, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hagerty, Inc.

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INSURANCE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL Keys in the ignition. Hear it roar. Each car a different melody, a unique mix of throttle, turbo, temerity. Cars that purr like yours need an insurance policy that sings in the same key.

Call our UK team on 0344 728 0371 adrianflux.co.uk Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Trustpilot rating checked on 1st October 2024

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Autobiography Interview by Elliott Hughes

Mate Rimac The real genius of electric cars and now expanding his brief way beyond them

I WAS BORN IN Livno, Bosnia, in 1988 and it was quite a backward place in those days – both of my parents were still riding horses and cars and roads were very uncommon. In 1990 the Bosnian War started, so my family emigrated to Germany, and, all of a sudden, cars were everywhere. It was like heaven. Neither of my parents had anything to do with cars but they’ve told me that I was always obsessed, even when I was a baby – I have no idea why. Once we were in Germany, I just absorbed as much about them as I could from TV, F1, books and magazines, but I was too young to do anything in a practical sense. One of the most vivid memories of my time in Germany happened in 2001 when I saw my first Bugatti. I was with my parents in Berlin and the Veyron prototype was being exhibited. It looked quite different to the production car, but I was completely blown away. The fact that I’m steering Bugatti today – a company with 115 years of history – is something I never thought could happen. Bugatti is one of the strongest brands in the world and the Tourbillon really shows what you can do with it – Bugatti is renowned for doing extreme things. But you have to have somebody with the guts to do it; it was Ettore Bugatti in the beginning, Romano Artioli in the ’90s and then Ferdinand Piëch in the 2000s. I’m glad that it is now me, but it’s a huge responsibility because it would be very easy to screw it up in a big way. We moved back from Germany to Croatia in 2001 and it was very difficult for me. Croatia was totally different: the school was different, the people were different and I had a pretty hard time. I wasn’t a great student but I chose to study mechatronics, which is a combination of electronics and mechanics, because it was the closest thing I could study related to cars.

I was an average student but I was doing a lot of my own projects in my parents’ garage at the time. My mechatronics professor took notice of what I was doing and saw something in me, so he told me to enter a local electronic innovation contest. I didn’t want to do it, but he made me enter and I managed to win. After that, I entered a contest on a national level and thought I had absolutely no chance, but I ended up winning that one as well, which was a huge surprise. I was then sent around the world to represent Croatia in these competitions and I won a bunch of gold and silver medals and wrote two patents when I was 17. I still have all those medals to this day. But my real passion was cars. So, when I was 18 I bought a 1984 BMW E30 323i because I wanted to start racing. I also joined a bunch of car clubs and we went on overnight coach trips to the Mercedes and BMW museums. We would all get on the bus, drive all night, visit the museum during the day and then drive back. I was a huge BMW fan and my dream at the time was to work as an engineer for them. Now we are partners! Everything I did at school converged with cars in my mind, so I decided I was going to build an electric car. I told my professor and he said: ‘Let’s build an electric Yugo.’ Yugos were built in Yugoslavia and they were basically the worst car in history! But then my BMW engine failed and I thought ‘OK, instead of just replacing the engine, why not do something a little bit different?’ So that’s when I came up with the idea of replacing the combustion engine with a forklift motor and some batteries. This happened in 2008 and even back then I thought electric cars would become a thing, so I realised that this could also be a business. That’s when I decided to start Rimac Automobili. I had two heroes at the time:

Christian von Koenigsegg and Horacio Pagani. One of the first things I did when I started my company was to take the four guys who worked with me on a trip to the Pagani factory in my VW Passat. We did a tour with about 30 other people and met Horacio and showed him what I wanted to do. Pagani and Koenigsegg had both been in business for many years when I started Rimac, but now we are a lot larger than them. I still have huge respect for these guys but it just shows how quickly we have built the company – especially in Croatia, where there was absolutely nothing like this before. It’s crazy. Now we also have a tech business and build batteries for other car companies – I could never have imagined that this would have happened. There are now 2500 people working for us across the three companies. I must say that I’ve personally slowed down a bit. I used to often work until 3am and every weekend, Christmas and Easter, but I’ve reduced that to working from 8am until 8pm or something like that, and then I often have dinner with a guest or a customer. So, it’s still a full day, but at least I don’t work weekends or until 3am as much as I used to anymore! Elon Musk is 17 years older than me and he got involved with Tesla when he was a few years younger than I am now. His work ethic is insane; if I had retained the same intensity for another 17 years I’m not sure if I would have wanted to have dedicated my entire life to this when there are other things in life, such as family. But this job is full-throttle or nothing – you can’t have a normal life. You need to be a role model to your colleagues and for that you need that intensity. I’m trying to build a company that will last another 100 years. I realised recently that I’ve already done everything that I set out to do. I wanted to build a crazy electric hypercar with four motors, torque vectoring and Drift mode and I’ve done it. Then, when I became involved with Bugatti, I knew what I wanted to do with the Tourbillon and it turned out perfectly. With the technology business we are now in a real ramp-up phase after finishing the campus and we are doing some really big projects with companies like BMW. Next, I want to see trucks upon trucks of batteries going out, being shipped around Europe. Recently we also started a stationary energy business that has some really innovative technology and I want to see that deployed around the world. And then, we also have the autonomous RoboTaxi business that’s really exciting: I hope to see that running without any human operators over the next few years. But of course, there are more ideas for the future and you’re going to see some very interesting stuff over the next few months…

Octane (ISSN 1740-0023, USPS 024-187) is published monthly by Hothouse Publishing Ltd, UK. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named World Container INC 150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256. US Postmaster: send address changes to Octane, WORLD CONTAINER INC 150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA.

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2011 PORSCHE 997-2 CARRERA 4 GTS MANUAL One of 20 GTS 4 models produced for the UK market with the six-speed manual transmission. Finished to a great specification and only 8,500 miles in the hands of four owners with a full history.

976 ALFA ROMEO 2000 SPIDER VELOCE Probably the best UK RHD example following a £100,000 restoration by all the right people. Incredible detail and comes with a comprehensive history from new.

1975 ALFA ROMEO 2000 GTV An excellent very original UK RHD example. 53,000 miles with a comprehensive history. Just how a 105 Bertone coupe should be. Fully sorted and great on the road.

1983 FERRARI 512 BBI One of 42 UK RHD examples. Lovely original spec, matching numbers, 43,000 miles with fully documented history from new. All books, tools. Exceptional.

1970 MERCEDES 280SE 3.5 CABRIOLET Supplied new to racing legend Roy Salvadori and one of 68 UK RHD examples. Refurbished to a high standard in 2009 and remaining in very nice order throughout.

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RM 30-01 Skeletonised automatic winding calibre 55-hour power reserve (±10%) Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium Declutchable variable-geometry rotor Oversize date Power-reserve indicator and function selector Case in 5N red gold and grade 5 titanium

A Racing Machine On The Wrist