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A lasting legacy for the next generation
IF YOU MAKE YOUR LIVING FROM THE HISTORIC AND CLASSIC VEHICLE INDUSTRY, JOIN US NOW.
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IGNITION
EVENTS + NEWS + OPINION
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COMING UP…
Spring and the traditional classic car season might be a little way off yet, but you’ll not want for things to do in the meantime
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Restomods 2.0 – the next generation
400bhp Maturo Stradale heads a barrage of cars taking the trend way beyond Porsche 911s
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The Brighton Run
Nowadays properly titled the headline-busting ‘RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run’, the 126-year-old event faced the worst weather for decades when 330 largely weather-gear-free pre-1905 cars set off from London for the coast on 6 November. Despite the lashing rain and flooding, 272 of the starters successfully completed the 60-mile trip from Hyde Park to Madeira Drive in Brighton, including two that were running on sustainable fuel. Oldest finishing car was Bernard Holmes’s 1896 Reynaud.
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COMING UP…
Your guide to the first shows, concours, tours and rallies of the new year. Fill your boots!
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NEWS FEED
Free introduction to car design; rodding greats to be inducted; K7 maintenance deal; festival back on; Quail’s 2023 focus; endurance rallying winners; baby Bugatti; Swiss highlights
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GET OUT THERE!
There are dozens of tours and rallies on the calendar for 2023. We’ve done the easy bit by listing some here; you have the much trickier task of choosing between them all…
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VSCC trials alkylate fuel
Club experiment succeeds on Winter Driving Tests
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Postcards sent stellar
Early Maranello ephemera prices enter another realm
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FURTHER AHEAD…
Intrepid adventurers, start prepping your cars now for these long-distance challenges in 2024
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The petrol supercar is not ready to die
Are exciting new launches a last hurrah or a new dawn for petrolheads?
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French for beginners
Former police officer Barry Wiseman’s Citroën 2CV
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NEWS FEED
Dynamic duo in Norfolk; Paddock Club auctions; Masters of Motoring; brace of new auction sites; diary dates; Scramble donations; Dixon’s honour; ticket savings; concours winner
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BMW looks to the past for thrills
New limited edition echoes a ’70s legend
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Max Girardo
Multilingual former classic car auctioneer now running his own dealership from state-of-the-art Oxfordshire premises
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JAY LENO
The Collector
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Going, going, and still going!
Auctioneer Duncan Kensington Moir has enjoyed his Jaguar XK120 for 21 years
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DEREK BELL
The Legend
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STEPHEN BAYLEY
The Aesthete
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Paul Harmer
His superb photography has graced many a page in Octane; now it’s the turn of his favourite things
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ROBERT COUCHER
The Driver
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JAY LENO
The Collector
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MAD WORLD
Bugatti celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2019 by announcing the 1600bhp Centodieci. Now it’s a reality, Stephen Archer has his warp-speed perceptions altered
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THE DEREK BELL TOUR – IBERIA
JOIN ME FOR A 5 - DAY DRIVING ADVENTURE THROUGH PORTUGAL AND SPAIN
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DEREK BELL
The Legend
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BOOK ENDS
One man’s dedication to the marque led him to buy the Centodieci – but it’s far from his only Bugatti…
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STEPHEN BAYLEY
The Aesthete
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WHAT DAY OFF?
The boss of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown, relaxes away from Formula 1 by taking to the track in his Jaguar XJR-10
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West Bromwich
The Jensen brothers of the West Midlands became famous for their GT cars, but the story began with the 1935 White Lady – newly restored to its former glory
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ROBERT COUCHER
The Driver
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THROUGH THE ROOF
In the early 1980s, a designer sought a calling card. With backing from The Observer newspaper, this unique glass-topped BMW 635CSi show-car was the result
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Gavan Kershaw
How to engineer the perfect Lotus road car? Have a racing background and more than 30 years in the job, it turns out
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The Spring Auction
Saturday 11th March, Frome, Somerset
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GREEN AND MEAN
Rare in the USA, let alone the UK, this ultra-low-mileage performance Camaro has had notable racing driver owners – both then and now
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Big Issues
The HCVA is the vital professional voice of our £18 billion industry, working tirelessly to protect the future of classic motoring for everyone. Progress has been significant but the ever changing landscape results in this being a constant challenge.
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Dishing the dirt
Ever wondered how special a totally original, unrestored Shelby Cobra would feel? This guy should know: as well as the ‘Dirtbag’, he’s owned 50 of them. Preston Lerner finds out more
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OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
It’s 20 years since Porsche launched its first SUV, the Cayenne – to the dismay of purists. Time suggests that any controversy was unfounded
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TWO DECADES ON…
From first to last, Porsche couldn’t help but enrich the recipe
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A NOBLE ENDEAVOUR
The Ascari Ecosse is one of the more obscure supercars of the 1990s, yet being engineered by Lee Noble suggests it could be one of the most thrilling. Glen Waddington finds out
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HARDLY THE LAST RESORT
Circuito Ascari is a playground in paradise for petrolheads
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RED HOT SILLY PEPPER
In 2003, evo pitted the Cayenne Turbo against the Mitsubishi Evo VIII at Bedford Autodrome. Richard Meaden was in the driving seat
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The other famous XK 120
Ian Appleyard’s ‘NUB 120’ scored all the column inches – but its sister car deserves just as much recognition, as Matthew Hayward discovers
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The clear leader
This humble 1950 Fiat 1100 was coachbuilt by Castagna with a radical panoramic windscreen. Massimo Delbò enjoys a new perspective from the driving seat
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EIGHT into FIVE
This unique DB5 was created by Aston Martin’s Experimental department as a test-bed for its new V8 engine. Peter Tomalin takes the wheel
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Long-term relationship
1969 ALFA ROMEO SPIDER VELOCE
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OCTANE’S FLEET
These are the cars – and motorbikes – run by the magazine’s staff and contributors
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WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Hot rod enthusiast Bruce Meyer owns eight of the world’s most desirable 1932 Ford ‘Deuces’ – and the Bob McGee Roadster is a personal favourite. In this extract from his recent book, Ken Gross explains why it’s so significant
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Winter sports
1999 PORSCHE BOXSTER
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Peter Dumbreck
You may remember him best for the flip at Le Mans in 1999, but Dumbreck could also be the busiest driver you’ve ever heard of, as Matthew Hayward finds out
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THE EYES HAVE IT
This ‘frogeye’ Sprite was an early works rally car that was later much-modified to compete on the Targa Florio, Circuito del Mugello and at the Nürburgring
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Joining the chain gang
1927 FRAZER NASH TT REPLICA
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Doris goes to Monte-Carlo
1954 DAIMLER CONQUEST
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THE HISTORIC MOTORING Awards 2022
The Londoner, London
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Body beautiful
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i SE
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OCTANE’S FLEET
These are the cars – and motorbikes – run by the magazine’s staff and contributors
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French bliss
CITROËN 2CV, SM AND BX
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That Phantom feeling
2022 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM Mk8 SERIES II
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Milan gets muddy
2022 ALFA ROMEO TONALE
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Count Stanisław Czaykowski
War hero, aristocrat, and a brave racing driver who deserves more than a mere footnote in history
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Can I keep it, please?
Other interesting cars we’ve been driving
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Tizio lamp
Created by an industrial designer to meet his own needs, the Tizio is the only lamp you need, er, mate
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Please do try this at home
If your watch is already broken, a bit of DIY investigation can’t really do any additional harm… can it?
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Pinion Atom
Just five years old and already a classic
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Billy Cotton
Band leader, TV celebrity, war veteran – and speed merchant
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The Harrington jacket
Invented in Lancashire, immortalised by Hollywood, still cool 86 years on
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Keep it to yourself
Watch thieves are becoming ever more prevalent, so it pays to be self-aware
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1978 BRITISH LEYLAND PRINCESS
By Cult Price £188.95 Material Resincast
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Rolex 1016
Good enough for Bond, good enough for you
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‘ELECTROMATIC’ STUDEBAKER
by Distler
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F50 smashes records in Miami
RM Sotheby’s ends 2022 on a high with a blistering Florida sale
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A Quiet Greatness: Japan’s Most Astonishing Automobiles
MARK R BRINKER and MYRON T VERNIS, £295, ISBN 978 0 578 34683 0, available from quietgreatness.com
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1955 MESSERSCHMITT KR200
By Oxford Diecast Price £33.95 Material Diecast
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1959 BMW 507 Roadster
Mecum, Kissimmee, Florida 4-15 January
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1966 MERCURY CYCLONE PACE CAR
by Yat Ming
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Easier to drive than a truck?
RM Sotheby’s, Paris, France 1 February
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Up Periscopio!
Artcurial, Paris, France 3-4 February
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BMW collection soars in Munich
Bavarian Legends Collection raises 7,725,625 at new RM venue
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AUCTION DIARY
Please confirm details with auction houses before travelling
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1970 Bristol 411 Series 1
£59,950 from Dylan Miles Ltd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK
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1981 Rover SD1 Touring Car
£150,000 from Classic Motor Hub, Gloucestershire, UK
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BMW 6-series (E24)
Sharp looks, smooth engines: few cars are as cool as a 6-series
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Protecting the future of classic motoring for everyone
The UK is the acknowledged world-leader in the restoration, preservation and enjoyment of historic and classic vehicles.
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Volvo 480
This rare Swede not only looks great but is also a surprising bargain
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Pete Wood
Veteran car enthusiast who is an unrivalled expert at uncovering the back-story of historic vehicles
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Luke Roberts
Having seemed destined for a career with an F1 team, he now runs a motoring-themed brewery at Bicester Heritage
