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 Issue 200 / February 2020

CONTENTS

11
 EAGLE
SINCE 1 98 4

EAGL E GB.COM
+44 (0 )1 82 5 8 30 96 6
 Issue 200 / February 2020

CONTENTS
68

118

FEATURES
the 200mph Ferraris
page 68
Spectacular celebratory 23-page special
featuring 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari
and the race-bred exotics in-between

the brooklands 200

page 96
Back to the hallowed banking in the cars
that raced there in the 1920s and 1930s
106 132
Ford rs200
page 106
Graham Robson’s eye-witness account
of how this Group B great came about

200mph speed Freaks

page 118
From golfers to peregrine falcons

200 grand: how to spend it

page 126
Sage advice from experts – plus what would
make the bucket-lists of the Octane team

the octane interview

page 132
Once ‘Mr 200mph’, racer and record-breaker
Andy Wallace has since gone well beyond

senna vs lauda: the rematch

page 138
A face-off between two Mercedes-Benz
racers – plus 200bhp milestones

13
 Issue 200 / February 2020

CONTENTS
24
REGULARS
EVENTS & NEWS
Page 24
Pictures from the greatest events; diary dates;
a place to visit; new Cars exhibition opens at V&A

GEARBOX
Page 50
The Octane team’s personal favourite things

COLUMNS
Page 53
Rowan Atkinson joins Jay Leno, Derek Bell,
Stephen Bayley and Robert Coucher
162 170
LETTERS
Page 63
Happiness is a home-built Riley special

OCTANE CARS
Page 148
Classic seat-belts for Massimo Delbò’s fintail
Mercedes; Alfa male Evan Klein buys an Audi TT

OVERDRIVE
Page 158
178 192
2 Alfa Romeo SZ on Mexican Targa Baja; topless
Porsches tackle the stunning North Pennines

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Page 170
Two centuries on, engineer Richard Trevithick

ICON
Page 172
Legendary engine: Chevrolet’s ‘stovebolt’ six

CHRONO
Page 174
Why £200 can buy a fabulous starter watch

BOOKS, GEAR, MODELS

Page 176
Read it, want it, covet it, use it, ogle it

THE MARKET
Page 187
What’s sold and selling; buy a Nissan 200SX

DAY IN THE LIFE

Page 266
Rover 200 stylist David Saddington

14
 TM
R A C I N G
F E W
H A P P Y
Organisé par
Fathers, sons
and Porsches
9-11 OCTOBER 2020

INFORMATION + APPLICATION > www.VaterUndSohn.racing


cameron maynard
eDitOr’S WeLCOMe
200, not out
WoW, 200 issues of Octane. Already. It
seems like only yesterday that it was launched
into an expectant market by that intrepid
gang of four, two of whom – Robert Coucher
and Sanjay Seetanah – remain core members of
the team to this day. Group advertising director
Sanjay even secured backing via a snatched
phone call to mobile phone magnate and then-
owner of Crystal Palace FC, Simon Jordan,
when he (Sanjay, not Simon Jordan) was on a
Spanish beach with a horrible hangover after
a ‘somewhat destructive’ stag night.
That entrepreneurial opportunism and
carpe diem attitude remain an integral part
of Octane’s chemistry to this day… along
with unimpeachable editorial standards and
aesthetic excellence, naturally. We should
likewise honour the inestimable Mark Dixon,
who has also been chipping away at this
coalface since the very early days.
I will stop there before this becomes a roll
call (apologies to Glen, Heff, Matthew, Jane,
Sam and so many more who warrant their own
ticker-tape parades) but suffice to say that, as
the shortest-serving member of the editorial
team – I came on board with issue 175, meaning
involvement in only 12.5% of Octane’s history
– I feel a bit of a fraud writing this column.
Even so, that honour has fallen to this
mere parvenu, so, welcome to this special
16
Issue 200 / February 2020
edition of this unrivalled magazine. You will
note that, while we have warmed to the 200
theme, we have (hopefully) done so in a very
Octane way, not allowing that ‘200ness’ to
compromise the breadth and depth of the
stories it has been applied to – though Andy
Wallace would nowadays be more likely
thought of as Mr 300mph!
Indeed, just as Wallace is still setting new
benchmarks more than 25 years after hitting
217mph in a Jaguar XJ220, so Octane still
strives to raise the bar every issue. We hope
you’ll agree that our unprecedented assembly
of Ferrari hypercars certainly does that, while
we are delighted to welcome back to the fold
for this special celebration our much-missed
columnist Rowan Atkinson (page 57).
Let’s hope we can persuade him to stick
around for the next 200 issues!
James Elliott,
editor in chief
featuring
john barker
‘I love time-lapse films but to go from 1984
to 2013 in 48 hours via Ferrari’s supercars
was astonishing and enlightening. Highest
peaks in a mountain range of experiences
were driving a 288 GTO Evoluzione and
taking a 760bhp ex-IMSA F40 LM on the
road – utterly brilliant madness.’
Enzo’s editor on 200mph Ferraris: pages 68-92.
graham robson
‘I fell in love with the Ford RS200 on the day
it was conceived, and have been besotted
ever since. As someone who helped develop
the car, wrote much about it, and drove little
else for four years and 85,000 miles, I might
have got bored with it – but never did. If only
I had kept the last one to pass me by.’
Read Graham’s insights on pages 106-116.
allan winn
‘Researching the 200 Miles races showed
just how challenging doing 200 miles at high
speeds on Brooklands and Donington in the
’20s and ’30s was. That they were run to
near-Grand Prix standards by the small but
ambitious Junior Car Club was a remarkable
feat that deserves wider appreciation.’
Small cars, big miles, high speed: pages 96-104.
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NEXT MONTh EDITORIAL
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James Elliott
james@octane-magazine.com

porsche 909 deputy editor

Mark Dixon
mark@octane-magazine.com
assoCiate editor
Glen Waddington
glen@octane-magazine.com

Bergspyder art editor

Robert Hefferon
roberth@octane-magazine.com
markets editor
Matthew Hayward
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international editor
EXCLUSIVE! On the road in Robert Coucher
robert@octane-magazine.com
Porsche’s heroic hillclimber editorial administrator Jane Townsend-Emms
senior Contributor John Simister
italian Correspondent Massimo Delbò
design assistanCe Ruth Haddock

Issue 201 test driver John Barker

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IGNITION / Month in Pictures

IGNITION
E v E n t s + n E W s + o pi n i o n

24
Our heartfelt thanks
to all Octane readers
While putting together this special 200th
issue of Octane, we spent plenty of time
congratulating the people who have helped
make it possible – but the fact is it would
not exist without you, our readers. It is you
who have made Octane great. Thank you!

25
IGNITION / Month in Pictures

Rally of the Tests

7-10 November
Participants on the Historic Endurance Rally Organisation epic from
Torquay on the English Riviera to Chester sampled pretty much all the
road and weather conditions that this sceptred isle has to offer, as crews
tackled a series of regularities and tests plus challenging night stages.
Fittingly in the 60th anniversary year of the Mini, this ‘toughest yet’ running
was won by Paddy Hopkirk’s Mini-Cooper S – pictured right – after the
rally great loaned it to the highly experienced team of Steve Entwistle and
Mark Appleton. It was Entwistle’s first time on the top step of the podium
but Appleton made it back-to-back wins (and six in total), having
partnered Paul Wignall to victory in an Alfa Romeo last year.
Images Will Broadhead Photography / HERO
IN ASSOCIATION WITH

27
IGNITION / Month in Pictures

cotswold historic sporting trial, 9 november

organised by the Stroud and district motor club and historic
Sporting trials association, this sixth running of the event
summed up what ‘mud-plugging’ is all about!

concept-car beauté pure,

29 november – 23 march
Star exhibits at this new show in
compiègne, france, include giugiaro’s
1963 chevrolet corvair testudo, a
fascinating leyat propeller car and more.

from top: charlie wooding; mario laguna

28
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IGNITION / Month in Pictures

Horsepower and Horses,

6-10 november
this fabulous gathering from the ferrari Club of
america took place in Scottsdale, arizona, and
included a rare opportunity to drive the new apex
motor Club 2.27-mile private race track near phoenix.
there was also an exclusive party at the penske
racing museum, a road rally and concours.

from top: howard koby x3; mario laguna

interclassics brussels, 15-17 november

the ex-peter Sellers 1964 ferrari 500 Superfast was one of the highlights of the popular belgian show,
but was trumped for rarity by a good number of classics including one of only two remaining 1955
ghia Jaguar Xk140s and the sole-surviving 1950 alfa romeo 6C 2500 Sport by pinin farina.

30
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IGNITION / Events Diary
COMING UP…
While Brits embark on prime rally season, in sunnier
climes the concours are already commencing
1 January
Brooklands
New Year’s Day Gathering
Classic car owners and enthusiasts
haul themselves off the sofa and
head to Brooklands to kick off
2020. All manner of machinery
will assemble on the circuit’s
famous banking, and the museum
will be open all day, too.
brooklandsmuseum.com
1 January
Vintage Stony
This busy little event in Stony
Stratford is notionally for
pre-1940 cars and bikes, but
there’s always an equal amount of
post-1940 stuff. There’s nothing to
see post-2pm, though, so don’t roll
out of bed too late.
vintagestony.co.uk
5 January
Bicester Heritage
Sunday Scramble
An opportunity ‘to clear the head
and the engine’ after Christmas
and, of course, to explore the
workshops and showrooms of the
specialists at Bicester Heritage.
bicesterheritage.co.uk
34
9-12 January
Autosport International
There’s something for fans of just
about every motorsport discipline
at Birmingham’s NEC, and
tyre-smoking antics on the UK’s
largest indoor racetrack, too.
autosportinternational.com
11 January
Historic Rally Car
Register Open Day
The HRCR descends on the
British Motor Museum at Gaydon
for a free event aimed at would-
be rallyists. Championship
organisers, competitors and
specialists will all be on hand
to provide plentiful advice
and encouragement.
hrcr.co.uk
16-19 January
InterClassics Maastricht
Some 35,000 visitors are expected
to attend the well-established
Dutch show, which has chosen
‘Forgotten Classics’ as its theme
for 2020. For purposes of clarity,
that really means ‘Great Cars from
Defunct Marques’.
interclassicsmaastricht.nl
22-26 January
Cavallino Classic
This Palm Beach event is chiefly
known as a top-drawer gathering
of Ferraris, but it also features a
concours open to other marques
and action at Palm Beach
International Raceway.
cavallinoclassic.com
26-31 January
The Winter Trial
As ever, the exact route for the
Winter Trial is being kept secret
until shortly before the off, but we
know it will start in Prague and
finish in St Wolfgang in Austria,
with some testing roads and
conditions in between.
thewintertrial.nl
29 January – 5 February
Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique
Crews set out from cities across
Europe to gather in the French
department of Drôme, where the
real fun begins. Over five days
competitors will tackle regularity
sections and 1000m-plus peaks
as they slither towards Monaco’s
picturesque Port Hercule.
acm.mc
31 January – 2 February
Bremen Classic Motor Show
Drawing around 45,000 visitors
and 650 exhibitors, the Bremen
show is an inclusive affair, with all
eras and marques represented.
classicmotorshow.de
1 February
The Measham Rally
That date is slightly misleading,
as this is a night rally finishing on
2 February, with cars this year
setting off from Leominster,
Herefordshire – rather than the
traditional Leicestershire – for
what the VSCC calls ‘the ultimate
pre-war motoring challenge’.
vscc.co.uk
5-9 February
Rétromobile
Tractors are set to take centre-
stage at Rétromobile in 2020, the
organisers having gathered
together 30 rare and important
machines in addition to the usual
array of outstanding classic cars.
retromobile.com
7-9 February
Boca Raton
Concours d’Elegance
Duesenberg will dominate at the
14th Boca Raton Concours as the
grand old American marque
celebrates (by one measure, at
least) its centenary.
bocaratonconcours.com
8 February
Concours in the Hills
Fountain Hills, Arizona, has long
been known for – you guessed
it – its giant 170m fountain, but
it has more recently received
attention for this relaxed gathering
of around 1000 cars, which last
year raised $155,000 for a local
children’s hospital.
concoursinthehills.org
15 February – 5 March
Southern Cross Safari
Open to old hands and first-timers
alike, the Southern Cross Safari
will take entrants on a 3600km
African adventure through Kenya
and Tanzania. The schedule allows
for ten game drives, so crews
should meet all of the region’s
four-legged residents before
flying home.
rallytheglobe.com
IGNITION / A place to visit this month
british motor museum
Its roots lie in British Leyland but all of the UK’s automotive history
is now authoritatively and lavishly celebrated here
Despite its potentially confusing name-
change in early 2016 when it became the
British Motor Museum, this impressive facility
just off the M40 (and now backing onto JLR) is
habitually known as ‘Gaydon’ by enthusiasts,
just as near-namesake the National Motor
Museum is simply ‘Beaulieu’.
Having morphed out of the British Leyland
Heritage Collection over decades, its modern
incarnation was established in 1983 when the
British Motor Industry Heritage Trust was
granted charitable status. It initially focused on
British cars from British marques, and has
benefited from some great legacies to showcase
the best, most innovative and most gloriously
mundane that this nation had to offer.
Construction of the current site, the
impressive ‘Deco echo’ Heritage Motor Centre
adjacent to what was Rover’s design and testing
facility on the old RAF Gaydon V-bomber
aerodrome, started in the early 1990s. It was
opened in 1993.
‘Gaydon’ has grown up a lot since then.
British-built cars from overseas brands are now
welcome, and the museum also has custody of a
lot of vehicles from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage
Trust – plus the James Hull Collection that was
bought lock, stock and barrel by Jaguar.
36
Words James Elliott
The museum has always been especially
good at fundraising and pitching for grants.
Following an initial National Lottery-funded
redevelopment in 2006-07, which introduced
the mezzanine floor, it received ‘designated’
status from Arts Council England in 2014.
A further fundraising drive culminated in the
museum’s reopening with its new name after a
£1.1 million revamp in 2015. In addition, a new
£4 million, state-of-the-art Collections Centre
was opened, covering 4500 square metres,
whose viewable (but not accessible) restoration
workshop opened at the same time.
Nowadays, the museum packs in (and they
are packed in) around 300 cars, and it runs a
busy schedule of events ranging from the UK
Slot Car Festival (16-17 March) to the 25th
anniversary of the MGF (26-27 July). One
current display, which will run until July,
is the popular and thought-provoking The Car.
The Future. Me.
The layout of the semi-circular building is
simple, with a timeline of British-built cars
running for a century from 1896 along the
outer wall. Within it are dedicated areas for
Jaguar, Land Rover, sports cars and motorsport,
as well as concepts and designs. There’s also a
large café and the inevitable giftshop.
Clockwise from above left
Historical jewels include oldest Mini, first
pre-production Land-Rover and ‘Old Number 1’
MG; the millionth Austin (a 16) was signed
by workers in 1946; sports cars abound.
Some might say that the huge British Motor
Museum doesn’t have the homely charm of
smaller facilities, but the weight of the history
associated with the exhibits easily makes up
for that and there’s a huge amount to browse.
Whether it be the Rover-BRM gas turbine Le
Mans racer; the first Land-Rover, HUE 166; or
a wealth of Minis, including a raft of prototypes,
the selection is stunning.
It seems hard to believe that there is a single
British enthusiast who hasn’t already visited
but, if you haven’t, you must. If you simply
haven’t been for a while, particularly if your last
visit was pre-revamp, it’s time you went back.
British Motor MuseuM, Banbury road,
Gaydon, Warwickshire CV35 0BJ. open 10am-5pm
daily (Collections Centre opens 11am) including
bank holidays, except 24 December to 1 January.
Adults £14.50, children £9 (5-16 years), under-fives
free, concessions £12.50, family ticket £40 (two
adults and up to three children). Find out more at
britishmotormuseum.co.uk
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTOr CArS IN THE WOrLD

Illustrated 1965 Lancia FLaminia Super Sport Zagato (concours restoration)

cLient portFoLio
1931 Aston Martin Team Car ‘LM7’ (ex-1931 and 1933 Le Mans 24 Hours)
1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider America l 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Zagato (ex-1956 Mille Miglia)
1965 Ferrari 275 GTS (Ferrari Classiche certified) l 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Volante l 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet
1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS (European specification) l 2003 Bentley Continental R Mulliner (4,800km from new)
2011 Bugatti Veyron Supersport (one owner and 3,600km) l 2017 Ferrari F12 Tour de France (one owner and 1,500km)
Please note that to respect client confidentiality not all motor cars available may be shown

KidSton S .a. 7 avenue pictet de rochemont, 1207 geneva, SwitZerLand teL+41 22 740 1939 www.KidSton .com
IGNITION / News
V&A celebrates motoring
New automotive history exhibition runs until next April
Words James Elliott
A new exhibition honouring the car
has opened at London’s Victoria & Albert
Museum and will run until 19 April. Previewed
in Octane 193, ‘Cars: Accelerating the Modern
World’ is in the Sainsbury Gallery and examines
how the car was a major catalyst for change in
the 20th Century via some 15 cars and 250
related objects. It highlights three areas on
which the subject had a massive impact: our
relationship with speed; manufacturing; and the
landscape around us. While ‘Going Fast’ and
‘Making More’ need little explanation, the
‘Shaping Space’ element explores in depth the
car’s impact on our environment, not in the
sense of pollution, but on the landscape and
how it opened up the world to motorists. It
also looks at the fluctuating supplies of and
attitudes towards fuel, a Messerschmitt KR200
illustrating that fuel consumption concerns for
whatever reason are nothing new. A nuclear-
powered concept car, the Ford Nucleon, is a
rather more extreme example of how these
issues might be tackled.
Curator Brendan Cormier said: ‘The V&A’s
mission is to champion the power of design to
change the world, and no other design object
has impacted the world more than the
automobile. This exhibition is about the power
of design to effect change, and the unintended
consequences that have contributed to our
current environmental situation.’
The eclectic selection of cars on show begins
with what is acknowledged as the first, an 1888
Benz Patent-Motorwagen that proved the
potential and reliability of cars when Bertha
Benz undertook the first ever long-distance
drive by covering 60 miles.
Other benchmark cars (whether or not that
means commercial success or technological
blind alley) include Harley Earl’s Firebird 1, the
1953 General Motors jet-powered concept, plus
Hens Ledwinka and Paul Jaray’s 1934 Tatra
40
Right
London’s Victoria & Albert Museum hasn’t played
host to an exhibition of this nature before. This one
isn’t only about cars but also their impact on industry,
the built environment and the people who use them.
It’s hosted in the museum’s Sainsbury Gallery.
T77, the first car to conspicuously employ aero
and streamlining science. Less eyecatching
though no less important is another Earl design,
the 1927 LaSalle Roadster that is credited as
being the first factory-built vehicle that was
consciously styled to disguise its mass-produced
roots. Unsurprisingly, a 1925 Ford Model T
reflects the origins of the assembly line (though
obviously we would argue that a Curved Dash
Oldsmobile should have the honour, even if it
had a lesser impact).
Interesting diversions from the march of
progress include the extravagant Labourdette
Hispano-Suiza HB6 Skiff Torpedo. Bought from
the 1919 Paris Salon by Suzanne Deutsch de la
Meurthe, it was subsequently fitted with an
enormously expensive tulip-wood body. There
is also the Tomas Vazquez low-rider Tipsy/
Guardian Angel based on a 1962 Chevy Impala,
and Peter and Merle Mullin’s 1937 ‘Million
Franc’ Delahaye 145, which won the 1938
French Grand Prix in the hands of René Dreyfus
and was featured in Octane 192.
The motoring exhibits are brought right up to
date by the Pop.Up, an autonomous flying
machine from Italdesign, Airbus and Audi that
is on display in the UK for the first time. It was
selected because it combines four current
innovations that could transform future
transport: electric power, autonomous driving,
service-orientation, and flying.
The exhibition is about more than the cars
themselves, incorporating motoring fashions
such as headgear, driver aids from Michelin
guides to high-tech sat-navs, mascots – including
Lalique – and posters that help to describe social
context. One oddball exhibit is Graham, Patricia
Piccinini’s 2016 sculpture commissioned by the
Transport Accident Commission and depicting
a human evolved to withstand a car crash.
Tickets cost £18. For further details, visit
www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/cars.
‘The V&A’s mission
is To chAmpion
The power of
design To chAnge
The world’

41
IGNITION / News

NEWS FEED
Top cars at Heveningham Concours, RIP Marc Nicolosi, recognition for Winn, Chip
Ganassi expo, how cars are designed, 60th anniversary of the RAC Rally’s forest stages

that emerged form the ashes of JD Frank Stephenson, from Netflix.

Classics, is moving from Maldon
to Chelmsford. The company will
continue its association with both
the Goodwood Revival and the
Mille Miglia.
tim Scott
In the film Stephenson offers
much insight into the most
admired of the cars he’s had a
hand in, including BMW Mini,
Fiat 500 and McLaren P1.
‘Chasing Perfect throws open the
doors to the creative process and
gives the audience an insight into
what exactly goes into the design
of a car,’ said Stephenson.

The Chips are up

High flying at Heveningham Hall The Petersen Automotive
The fifth annual Heveningham Concours motorsport and aviation Museum has opened a new
festival will take place on 27-28 June. Once again the tiered terraces exhibit to celebrate Chip Ganassi.
behind the Palladian Suffolk mansion will host 50 of the finest and rarest Chip Ganassi Racing: Fast Tracks
motor cars while the aviation concours will feature a dozen historic to Success showcases significant Chattanooga on track again
propeller aircraft. Preceding the public event on Friday 26 June, the vehicles, trophies and more, The Chattanooga MotorCar
Heveningham Tour will guide entrants and special guests through the including ten cars ranging from Festival was deemed such a
Suffolk countryside and take in a stop for lunch. A country fair and the the 1983 Patrick Wildcat MK9B success on debut that dates for
Horsepower Hill sprint will complement the concours. Chairman of the raced by Ganassi himself to his 2020 have already been
motorsport judging panel, Max Hunt, said: ‘For our fifth anniversary, we best finish at the Indianapolis 500, announced. The festival will take
are pulling out all the stops for an incredible show. All proceeds from the to the Lexus-powered 2006 Riley place on 16-18 October, with
event go to charity, and the concours also provides a full scholarship for a MkXI raced by Scott Dixon at the events in West Village, the
student to undertake the post-graduate MA in Intelligent Mobility at the Daytona 24 Hours. Tennessee Riverfront and the
Royal College of Art.’ See www.heveninghamconcours.com for more. Westin Hotel. The Time Trials
Between the Bridges and the High
Jinks Rallyes will run on Saturday
Mr Rétromobile dies and Sunday; the Rendezvous of
Frenchman Marc Nicolosi has the Greats Concours d’Elegance
died aged 84. He started by takes place on the Sunday.
restoring cars, but later founded
Simon WinSon

Paris show Rétromobile, standing

A win for Winn
Allan Winn was the Lifetime
Achievement Award winner at the
inaugural Royal Automobile Club
Historic Awards on 21 November.
The UK-only event honoured the
motoring and aviation journalist
for his work in the media, as a
director of the VSCC, and his
ongoing service to Brooklands.
The evening offered up just eight
trophies including Motoring
Spectacle, won by Concours of
Elegance at Hampton Court, and
Competitive Event, taken by the
Chateau Impney Hill Climb.
down only in 2003 to focus on the
French Bugatti club, of which he
was president. Our condolences
to his wife Isabelle; children
Anne, France and Baptiste; and
grandkids Pauline and Alexandre.
Woodham Mortimer moves
Woodham Mortimer, the
Essex-based race prep and
classic-car restoration business
Osborne heads for Audrain
Octane contributor and classic car
expert Donald Osborne has been
appointed chief executive officer
of the Audrain Automobile
Museum’s parent company.
Based in Newport, Rhode Island,
Osborne will oversee branding,
marketing and more for the
museum, Audrain’s Newport
Concours d’Elegance & Motor
Week, and the relaunch of
Audrain Motorsport.
A perfect stream
Enthusiasts can now stream
Chasing Perfect, the Lionsgate
documentary about designer
HRCR stages celebration
The Historic Rally Car Register
Open Day returns to the British
Motor Museum at Gaydon on 11
January and will mark 60 years of
the RAC Rally’s use of forest
stages. There will be rally cars
from the 1950s to the ’80s and
organisers of the UK’s six HRCR
championships. The 9.30am-
3.30pm event is free but entry to
the museum is extra.

42
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IGNITION / News
Gunning for your classics
Honourable Artillery Company concours looks beyond the elite
A leAding internAtionAl concours is
reminding enthusiasts that their cars could end
up on the prestigious concours field rubbing
shoulders with multi-million-pound desirables.
Now in its fourth year, the London Concours
takes place at the Honourable Artillery Company
in the heart of the City of London on 10-11 June
and organisers are courting public entries for
consideration by the steering committee.
So much so that some classes have been
introduced to attract classics not normally seen
on concours fields, recognising that frequently
just as much time, effort and money goes into
restoring cars and curiosities of lower value as
more commonplace desirables.
For example, cars in the Lost Marques class
last year included everything from Trident
Clipper and Gordon-Keeble to Bristol, Austin-
Healey, Invicta and a Frazer Nash Le Mans
Replica. The class was declared to be such a
success by judges and public alike that it will be
repeated again in 2020. Other notable classes are
likely to be a major celebration of Bugatti, Aston
Martin, Hypercars, and Sixties Soft-tops.
Andrew Evans, managing director of
Thorough Events, which organises the concours,
44
said: ‘It was interesting to note that many of the
rarest cars on the field last year were public
entries, including some real oddballs, one-offs
and others that we just found irresistible.
‘Of course, we all like to see a lot of exotica
and glamour at a concours – and naturally there
will be plenty of that, too – but usually that extra
element that makes it really special comes from
somewhere less obvious. Similarly, if people are
emotionally invested in car we think they have
just as much right to show it on the concours
field – it’s as much about condition as cash.’
Unlike some concours, there is no charge for
displaying a car and owners who are showing
their classics will be well looked after with entry
passes and hospitality. You can nominate your
car at londonconcours.co.uk/car-entry.
London Concours tickets are on sale now and
Octane readers can save £15 by visiting www2.
theticketfactory.com/london-concours and quoting
OCTANEVIP2020LC at the checkout.
Clockwise from top
The Honourable Artillery Company is an oasis
in the busy city; previous entries include the
Fiat ‘Beast of Turin’ and a Ferrari BB.
Bond cars star
at Film Museum
New LR Defender included
With the officiAl trailer revealing
that cars will play as big a role in the
forthcoming Bond movie as they have in
previous films in the series, interest in No
Time To Die has reached fever pitch long
before its April release.
Several vehicles from the film – Daniel
Craig’s last outing as Ian Fleming’s dapper
secret agent – are now on show in the
‘Bond In Motion’ exhibition at the
London Film Museum in Covent Garden.
Held in association with Eon Productions,
it is the largest official collection of original
Bond vehicles in the world. Over 100
items are on display including concept
drawings, storyboards, scripts, model
miniatures and costumes, as well as full-
size cars, boats and motorbikes.
The new exhibits include Bond’s Aston
Martin DB5 stunt replica, an Aston
Martin V8 (reprising the same model’s
previous role in The Living Daylights) and
Series III Land Rover, the character Ash’s
new Land Rover Defender 110, Primo’s
Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE and Nomi’s
Royal Alloy GT125 scooter.
Chris Corbould, a veteran of 15 Bond
movies (nine as special effects supervisor),
said: ‘Aston Martin built eight bespoke
DB5s, along with an extensive spares
package capable of completing the rapidly
evolving action sequence in Matera. They
also supplied three Aston Martin V8s, and
two of the latest DBS Superleggera.
‘At the same time discussions were held
with Jaguar Land Rover over the first
batch of eight new Land Rover Defenders,
a mission shrouded in secrecy as the world
had no idea at this stage of the design.’
Stunt driver Mark Higgins added: ‘I
drove the DB5s in No Time To Die. All had
a role in different configurations and were
fantastic to drive. It’s a very special car.’
londonfilmmuseum.com.
 THROUGHOUT THE FIRST 200
issues of Octane, Fiskens has advertised
and sold countless examples of the World’s
finest historic automobiles. Congratulations
to all those at the magazine, both past
and present, on your double century from
everyone at Fiskens. As a result of our
joint success we are actively seeking new 14 Queens Gate Place Mews
consignments to showcase within the London SW7 5BQ
pages of the next 200 issues. For further +44 (0)20 7584 3503
details please call the Fiskens team www.fiskens.com
IGNITION / News

Prodrive launches heritage scheme

Famous constructor of rally and race cars now authenticates, certifies and restores
IT’S NOT LIKELY to be a cash cow to rival
the more advanced and sophisticated Italian
operations, but rally nexus Prodrive has
launched its own authentification, certification,
restoration and support scheme. The Banbury
outfit – a rare sight to lift enthusiasts’ spirits as
they trudge up the M40 breathing in brewery
smells – says Prodrive Legends is a response to
ballooning demand from owners for the
provenance of past Prodrive cars to be verified.
While that might seem daft to people who
have seen just a handful of Prodrive cars
competing at the highest level, the truth is that
the company has ‘built’ more than 1100 rally
weapons over the past 35 years. These include
700 Subaru rally cars, including nearly 100
Impreza and Legacy Group A machines and
160 Impreza World Rally Cars. In the 1980s
Prodrive also built nearly 40 BMW E30 M3s
and, more recently, almost 50 Aston Martin
racing cars based on the DB9 and a further 180
on the previous-generation Vantage.
The company acknowledges that with ever
more championships catering for its cars, plus a these operations, including chassis, engine, Above and below
huge hike in values thanks both to that and the transmission and bodyshell preparation, will be Services include competition
engine rebuilds to factory
increased interest in rally cars with significant carried out in-house in Banbury. specification; Prodrive built many
history, the service is probably overdue. Paul Howarth, head of motorsport operations, race cars for Aston Martin.
It is not just about rallying. Although the says: ‘Many of these cars are now appreciating
World Championships for Richard Burns, Colin classics with immense value to their passionate
McRae and Petter Solberg remain prominent, owners. With the formation of Prodrive
Prodrive has constructed or prepared cars from Legends, owners can now bring the cars home
Porsche’s 911 SC RS to the latest Aston Martin to the same company – and even many of the
Vantage GT racers. It has scooped World Sports same people – who originally designed and built
Car and Le Mans titles with Aston Martin and them and took them to multiple wins.
Ferrari,plusBritishTouringCarChampionships ‘We have all the original build data and we
with BMW and Ford. also hold the rights to reproduce key parts.
The programme, which covers only Prodrive Sourcing genuine components that are
vehicles, includes a fixed-price authentication notoriously hard to find doesn’t pose an issue
service, factory-spec engine rebuilds and for us, thanks to the network of contacts we
whole-vehicle work, from servicing and race have established since the early 1980s.’
preparation to ground-up restorations. All See www.prodrive.com for more.

WHY WE LOVE… was a tall, MPV-flavoured supermini. Its key

attribute, though, was that its structure was

The Audi A2 formed of aluminium. This made the A2 enticingly

Today’s new Audis are hard to love. They are
brash, leering things with fierce front grilles,
forcing their domination on a cowering world.
Contrast that with the neatest, cleverest, most
forward-looking and least-appreciated Audi of all:
the diminutive, demure and delightful A2.
Back in 1999, when the A2 appeared, the
shapes of popular cars were morphing towards
MPVs rather than the SUVs of today. So the A2
light, so it was both lively and ultra-frugal,
especially with a three-cylinder turbodiesel under
a bonnet not designed to be routinely opened –
fluid access was via the four-ringed flap.
And it looked properly Bauhaus-Audi: simple,
unadorned, form-follows-function. It was a neat
and very desirable object, yet only 176,377 A2s
found buyers in six years. Too expensive, said
some. Too weird, said others. Now we realise
the A2 was far ahead of its time. Find one, and
enjoy the future past today. John Simister

46
IGNITION / News
Man & MaCHInE
The old ones are the best
Mike Dobby gave up a new Porsche 991 GT3 in favour of
this 1972 911 2.4S with an amazingly complete history
Words and photography Paul Hardiman
‘I’D haD about 25 911s but never an old
one,’ says Mike Dobby. ‘I was driving around in
a new 991 GT3 RS in bright orange at the
wrong side of 50, feeling a bit of a dick, so I
thought I should have something older and
cooler. I like old things. I was looking for a pre-
impact-bumper model and bumped into Alan
Drayson at Canford Classics, near Blandford
Forum. I like the 2.4S because it’s less raw and a
bit more usable than the 2.2 with its dogleg
’box. I reckon there are fewer now than RS 2.7s,
as so many have been made into the other.’
The car that caught Mike’s eye had partially
suffered that fate, having been colour-changed
to black and then red and latterly growing a
ducktail. But it had the most fantastic history.
‘It turned out to be one of only two right-hand-
drive ’72s made in Gemini blue. As soon as I
heard it was still matching-numbers I bought it,
sight unseen. Since buying it, I’ve traced each of
the five owners – the last one had it for 34 years.’
That history includes just about every bill,
including the first engine service at AFN on 13
December 1972. It totals £13.05, including
£1.90 for ‘2½ gallons of Rotella’ [a high-
performance oil made by Shell back then]. And
lots since, including accident repair and several
bouts of getting the sunroof to work properly.
‘It’s a very well-used example – over 240,000
miles – and it was a daily driver until about five
years ago. It had been badly bodged; ironic,
given that one former owner was in the car
48
restoration business, and it needed a lot of new
metal. Inevitably, costs over-ran what it’s
notionally “worth” but I bought it because I
like it, and I won’t be selling it!’
Alan confirms it was one of the worst he had
seen. The restoration took more than two years,
returning the 911 to its original 8686 blue
paint and beige leatherette. Mike continues:
‘Meanwhile, I tried to contact all the previous
owners. The first, Tristan, is still going strong
and can’t wait to see the car again. I have a
photo of it at his house when it was delivered. It
must have been quite a thing to have new at the
age of 25. I’ll visit him soon.
‘He sold the car to his brother, Edwin, who
has suggested we meet up, and he will give me
dinner and a good bottle of wine! The third
owner, Nic, is in Dorset. He gave me a picture
of the car in black, painted by Roger, the fourth
owner. Eithne, Roger’s widow, has been
brilliant, finding bits such as the filler cap and
the original AFN numberplates. We have a
code: she’s “Miss Marple”, and I would get the
occasional message saying “Miss Marple has
found this…” I absolutely love the provenance,
and will be visiting each of the owners in 2020.’
Due to an insurance cock-up, it happened to
be Octane that enjoyed this effectively as-new
47-year-old on its 80-mile journey home. Mike
followed, occasionally pulling alongside on the
motorway for a proper gloat. ‘It looked fantastic
on the road – it’s a very cool car.’
In tHIs MontH: FEBRuARy 1956
AEC Routemaster bus
enters service
The red London bus, Beefeaters, red phone
boxes, Coldstream Guards and Tower
Bridge – all conjure up a tourist’s snapshot
of London. More than that, though, such is
the strength of their cultural symbolism that
the Giles Gilbert Scott-designed telephone
box and the Routemaster double-decker bus
almost define Britishness.
The AEC (Associated Equipment
Company) Routemaster was developed in
association with London Transport from
1947 onwards by a design team headed by
Arthur Durrant, while the simply styled
bodywork was created by industrial designer
Douglas Scott.
Durrant, Scott and their team set out to
create a low-maintenance bus with some
unique features for a vehicle of its type.
Wartime aircraft production methods were
used, such as a stressed skin of lightweight
aluminium alloy to cover a metal body frame.
This design eliminated the need for a large
and heavy conventional chassis as used in
previous double-deckers, thereby reducing
both weight and fuel consumption.
As with its predecessors, the
Routemaster’s engine was mounted at the
front which enabled the rear to be very low,
with an open deck to the pavement. This
allowed boarding and alighting away from
bus stops and, with a conductor on duty,
ensured minimal boarding time and
increased efficiency. As well as shaping the
body, Douglas Scott designed the interior
with its hard-wearing moquette fabric and a
vivid design that looked inviting both in
strong daylight and under tungsten lighting.
The first RM1 Routemaster came into
service on 8 February 1956 on route 2,
Golders Green to Crystal Palace. Alterations
after this first run led to an entirely new
9.6-litre diesel engine, while revisions and
variations over the years included
lengthening (the RML version), an open top
deck and front entrances. The basic design
remained in service until 2005, however, a
remarkably long period of usefulness. A total
of 2876 Routemasters were built of which
1280 survive to this day, many used as
heritage transport vehicles the world over.
Neil Godwin-Stubbert
VIVA IL PALIO
S I E N A , I TA LY
2 9 T H J U N E – 3 R D J U LY 2 0 2 0

This spectacular 5 day/4 night motoring tour takes in the finest driving roads in Tuscany
as it meanders through timeless scenery to Il Palio, the historic horse race around the
main piazza in Siena.

Meticulously planned routes each day through rural Tuscany

Intimate 5-star hotels, gourmet cuisine and fine wines, including relaxed lunch stops
Exclusive hospitality and grandstand seats in Siena for Il Palio
Limited to just 20 cars, classic and modern

For a brochure call Chris on 01635 867705 or email chris@v-management.com

IGNITION / Gearbox

TEAM OCTANE
1. As a train-mad 12-year-old in 1976, I vividly
remember the Inter-City 125 High Speed
Trains being introduced, and only now are
they being withdrawn after millions of miles
of service This huge wood-and-glassfibre
Between us we’ve brougght you 200 issues of Octane, metre long – was made
so you know we love ca ars. Here are some el agent’s window by
of our other favourite th
hings ompany that also built
TV, including Blake’s 7,
various Bond films. MD

pher, but I enjoy taking

s while abroad. What today
nap and Twitter upload was
ssion, furnished by being
lympus OM20 camera by
1 s wonderful pictures, and
tisfying clunk as the shutter
great, which is probably
hese years. MH

an odd fascination with

m on holiday, squirrelled
den-handled ones from
my uncle, who served in
2 me this M70 bayonet after
s. They always came with
our sister with it’ warnings,
ground down the blade
use this bayonet has
mming guitar strings with
er, created by locating
a hole in the blade. RH

bought this pair of spots

arly ’80s and I immediately
g g him for them, doubly so
after 1997 when I acquired my Triumph (on
which they would look magnificent). He finally
relented in 2016 (classic cars all gone,
London garage a spare sitting room, boo!),
but I haven’t fitted them because in my mind
they now truly belong on a shelf in their
original boxes. Sometimes you just can’t
4 fathom the enthusiast subconscious. JE

5. When my parents downsized a few years

I couldn’t bear to see this Akai reel-to-
rder go. It was a big part of my
my dad used to write songs
hem on it, even releasing a
5 cords in the 1970s with mum,
Marie Grant (he wrote a song for
lled Car Crazy…). I also have a
6 ngs he wrote and recorded with
, who found fame with the theme
Brat-Pack film St Elmo’s Fire. GW

modest watch collection is small but

ely special to me. I still have my first
er watch, a 1976 Seiko Automatic with
ewels! It works perfectly. The everyday job
steel Rolex Submariner; I have two Mille
glia Chopards, both competition number
35. My wife bought me an IWC Spitfire
liegerchronograph and I have a Patek
Philippe & Cie ‘special’. But my most
treasured is the 1968 Rolex Day-Date
my father left me. It is solid 18ct gold with
a 36mm case and is heavy and lovely to
handle. I wear it on a £5.99 nylon strap. RC

50
ACTI VE STOR AG E – PROT E C T, MA I N TA IN , ENJ OY

V Management’s clients not only benefit from storage at

the UK’s finest facility and our comprehensive concierge
services, but they also have access to a calendar of
spectacular events and tours in the UK, Europe and the U.S.

To discuss how we can transform your car world contact

Chris or Ben today.

chris@v-management.coS T O R A G E | EVENTS | LOGISTICS

v-management.com
CONSIGN NOW | APRIL 16-18 | PALM BEACH | 480.421.6694

NO RESERVE

SELL YOUR CARS WHERE THE BIDDERS ARE

35 World Record sales were set by the 1,400 pre-qualified bidders
at Barrett-Jackson’s 2019 Palm Beach Auction.

Consign. Bid. Experience. Barrett-Jackson.com


JAY LENO
The Collector
W
hen I was a kid and my dad wanted to convey
speed, he would always say, ‘That guy’s going a
mile a minute.’ My dad was born in 1910, when
that was a pretty impressive speed. When he
was teaching me to drive, he would always yell
it out and I would always say, ‘But dad, that’s only 60
miles an hour. The speed limit is 65.’
In my formative years, the magic number was always
200. When I started reading car magazines in the early
’60s, members of the 200-miles-an-hour club were few
and far between. And the men who had reached that
speed were treated with an almost mythical deference.
It wasn’t until 1987 that a production car was able to
reach that milestone. That car was, of course, the Ferrari
F40. It took 100 years for the motor industry to go from
zero to 200mph, yet only 33 years to
go from 200 to over 300mph, which
was achieved by the Bugatti Chiron
mere months ago.
‘ANdY WALLAcE
sEEms cOmpLETELY
I was amazed at how little fanfare
that incredible feat generated. Sure,
it was covered in the automotive NOrmAL, buT I
press and on the internet, but that
was about it. I was fortunate enough suspEcT pArTs Of
to speak to Andy Wallace [see pages
132-136], the man who achieved it, hIm ArE mAdE Of
when they brought that record-
breaking Bugatti to my garage. cArbONfIbrE’
Andy is one of my heroes and is
one of the most self-effacing guys you’ll ever meet. He’s
the kind of guy you could sit in a pub with for hours,
listening to his tales of record-breaking in cars from the
Jaguar XJ220 to the McLaren F1 in which he made an
incredible run of 240.1mph, a record that would still
stand today if the fastest production car in the world were
normally aspirated. All of this without a hint of bragging.
No brags, just facts, as my dad used to say.
The first person to drive a car at 200mph was Sir Henry
Segrave, in a Sunbeam at Daytona Beach in 1927. The
Segrave Trophy still exists, and is awarded to the British
national who demonstrates outstanding skill, courage
and initiative on land, on water or in the air. Can we at
least get Andy one of those?
Britain is home to not one but two of the fastest Andys.
Andy Green is the Land Speed Record holder at 763mph,
set in Thrust SSC on Black Rock Desert in Nevada. That
was the first supersonic Land Speed Record to be set, but
now the same Andy is back behind the wheel. This time
he’s in Bloodhound, a car so powerful it has a Formula 1
IGNITION / Opinion
engine just to pump the fuel. He got to 628mph in testing
in November and aims to break 1000mph in 2020 or
2021 if luck, money and technology work out. Clearly
there is something about British Andys.
One of the things I found most impressive about Andy
Wallace’s Bugatti run was the tyres. I had assumed they
were special one-offs Michelin had created to break the
record, but this was not the case. To qualify for the record
you must use the stock tyres that come with the vehicle.
In this case they are Michelin Pilot Cup 2s with an
additional layer of carbonfibre. These are the factory tyres
that will come with all 30 of the Bugatti Chiron ‘301’
models, which have been sold at over $5m a pop.
Other things that differ from the stock Chiron are the Jay leno
exhaust system as well as advanced aerodynamics, such as Comedian and talk show
a fixed wing. If you’re thinking right legend Jay Leno is one
of the most famous
about now that it doesn’t sound like
a stock car, all the features I’ve just
mentioned will be present on the 30
entertainers in the USA.
He is also a true petrolhead,
with a huge collection
‘301’ models that they build. of cars and bikes (www.
One nugget I took away from my jaylenosgarage.com). Jay was
talk with Andy Wallace was that speaking with Jeremy Hart.
these new Michelin Cup 2s will be
cheaper than the original Michelins
that were on the Bugatti when it was
launched. And for those of you
wondering what the point is of
300mph, given that you can’t
possibly do that on the street, it’s
that by pushing vehicles harder and faster we increase
their reliability and durability at highway speeds.
When the Chiron travels at more than 300mph, these
tyres have to withstand 5300g while rotating 68 times per
second. That’s nearly 4100rpm. They are rated to 318mph,
so that gave Andy a bit of a cushion…
The other part of the equation that appears to be totally
stock is the driver. Andy Wallace, at first glance, appears
to be a completely normal British lad, two arms, two legs
and so on. But I suspect certain parts of him have been
made of reinforced carbonfibre, giving him that unknown
quality the rest of us seem to lack.
So, what now? Bugatti supremo Stephan Winkelmann
has already said that’s it, they’ve broken the record and
they’re now moving on to concentrate on other things. I
always thought 300mph in a street car was unobtainable,
yet Bugatti has proved it is possible. Will anybody now
care if the next milestone is 310mph, or 350? And what
about 400? Will we have to wait another 33 years, or will
it happen by 2036 – when Octane 400 hits the shelves?
53
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DEREK BELL
The Legend
A
few years ago, I totted up all the races I contested
aboard Porsches. It amounted to 200. Of these,
the Daytona 24 Hours features highly among the
most memorable for no other reason than I won
the great race three times.
I was reminded of this recently when I participated in
the Classic 24-Hour event for the first time. In so many
ways, and on so many levels, this was among the most
pleasurable race weekends I have ever experienced. This
was because of the venue, the cars I raced, the guys I was
paired with, and the team I was driving for.
Kevin Jeanette is one of the most respected Porsche
experts in the world. Visit his Gunnar Racing workshops
in Florida and you will often find him rebuilding an
engine from a 550 Spyder, shaping panels for a 356 or
repairing composite bodywork for a
962 sports-prototype. He can turn
his hand to anything.
Kevin and I have a lot of shared
‘DID I REALLy wANT
TO BE OuT ThERE
history. His talents stretched to
building cars from scratch, and I
drove one of his creations in the ON ThE DAyTONA
1991 running of the endurance
classic at Daytona. BANKING AT NIGhT,
It was a strange race in that I knew
before the start that I wasn’t going TRyING TO RELIvE
to finish. By that, I mean there was
no intention of seriously racing for pAsT GLORIEs?’
24 hours. Kevin had fashioned a
962-engined machine dubbed the Gunnar-Porsche 966,
which looked a bit like an old Can-Am car. He had
struggled to get sponsorship, so he brought the car to
Daytona ostensibly to make the start and then park it in
the paddock.
It was cool for me to drive the car alongside my son
Justin and Jay Cochran. We ended up qualifying in 13th
place and tooled around for a few hours at the start. It
handled really well, particularly on the infield section
where it was seriously quick.
Kevin was eager to support the US troops during the
first Gulf war, and BF Goodrich agreed to contribute
funds to an Army charity for every signature written on
the car by the end of the race. The car was white when it
arrived at the track, and virtually black by the end of the
24 Hours. There were thousands of signatures. Jay took
the car out for a few laps towards the end of the race, but
this really wasn’t a serious outing.
It’s funny how I derived so much pleasure from doing
that race, and driving for Kevin in November was a bit
IGNITION / Opinion
like putting the band back together. He had entered two
cars, one of which was the 962 bearing chassis number
‘HR1’ which was built by the much-missed Al Holbert.
We won loads of races in this car in the 1980s, and I
always thought it looked fabulous in its Löwenbräu livery.
This old warhorse is now owned by Rodrigo Sales, and
it turns out that he was really keen to share the car with
me. I was flattered, of course, but I was hesitant to accept
the ride because, well, I only race for fun these days. Did I
really want to be out there on the banking at night, trying
to re-live past glories?
Actually, I’m being a little disingenuous here. I didn’t
need too much persuasion because Justin was already on
board and he was the one doing the persuading. We have Derek Bell
shared cars together stretching as far back as Le Mans in Derek took up racing in
1992, and there’s something 1964 in a Lotus 7, won
two World Sportscar
immensely special about driving in
a long-distance endurance race with
your own offspring.
Championships (1985
and 1986), the 24 Hours
of Daytona three times (in
Kevin’s son, Gunnar, who is 1986, ’87 and ’89), and Le
something of a hotshoe in modern Mans five times (in 1975,
sports-prototypes, was down to ’81, ’82, ’86 and ’87).
share with us as the fourth man. I
have known him since he was a little
boy, and I shared cars with him in
the ’90s, so it was just like old times.
Kevin had also entered a 944,
again in Löwenbräu colours, which
was to be driven by Rod Emory and
Todd Holbert, Al’s son who is a highly respected engineer
in NASCAR. Justin, Gunnar, Rodrigo and I were also
down to perform stints in the 944 as and when we were
needed, so there was plenty for us to do.
We had a blast doing it, too. We weren’t racing for all 24
hours, though, because there were six classes. It was
essentially a series of sprint races, but we all had plenty of
seat time. What I enjoyed more than anything was the
relaxed atmosphere. I wasn’t being pulled in a million
dfferent directions, Justin didn’t need to rush off to do
interviews for television as he normally does on a race
weekend, and the rest of the guys were chilled and just
happy to be there.
This was Historic racing as it should be: a bunch of
mates enjoying motor sport for the sake of motor sport;
nothing more. It was a bit like a group of friends going
from the UK to Spain for a golfing holiday. It wasn’t a lark,
exactly, but we enjoyed each other’s company and we
didn’t worry too much about the outcome. All that said,
we did leave with a class win…
55
 AUTOMOTIVE DEPARTMENT
NOW INVITING CONSIGNEMENTS

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1000 FINARTE and BRESCIA FINARTE - May 2020

Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport (Pinin Farina) del 1947. Porsche Twins IDEM 911 Targa S del 1968
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rOwaN aTkINsON
The Enthusiast
G
reetings. It’s ten years since I last penned a
contribution to this magazine and I wish I could
say that it feels like only yesterday but, by Jiminy,
it doesn’t. In automotive terms it feels like a long,
long time ago. When Octane 78 was published,
122 issues ago, we were at the height of the Diesel Age
and now it is the fuel that dares not speak its name. It was
a time when a Ferrari 250 GTO could be had for less than
£16 million (can you imagine, my dear!?) and when, to
most people, gender fluidity was a concept as other-
worldly as President Trump.
Ten years on, and the internal combustion engine is
withering on the vine and the car industry is shaking
and quaking and flailing about, trying to bring electric
propulsion to market as fast as it blooming well can. Tesla
has been the great innovator and
the company that gave us the first,
proper (if expensive) electric cars of
reasonable range. We now have the
‘I have OwNed
a BMw i3 fOr a
frantic rush of the Johnny-cum-
Latelys, manufacturers mimicking
that definition of a politician as full fIve years aNd
someone who waits to see which
way the crowd is moving and then I have TO cONfess
runs to the front of it and says
‘Follow me!’ ThaT I aBsOluTely
BMW is an interesting company
because it was an innovator not far adOre IT’
behind Tesla; it invested a lot more
than most, much earlier than most, by bringing to market
six years ago the all-electric BMW i3 and, a year later, the
i8 hybrid sports car. And yet oddly it has done nothing
pure electric since: I get the feeling that it spent too much
too soon and got scared.
As it happens, I have owned an i3 for a full five years
and I have to confess, I absolutely adore it. Mine being a
Version 1.0, the range is a bit feeble and the ride is too
harsh but, otherwise, what a fabulous urban and suburban
dart-about. The oft-lauded accelerative whizz from low
speeds, excellent turning circle, virtual one-pedal
operation and, in common with the original Mercedes
A-class, the perfect seat height for cosy entry and egress.
In SUVs, you have to clamber up; in most cars you slump
down; with the i3 you just slide across. Cum dignitate.
What has struck me most about my car at its fifth
anniversary is what excellent order it seems to be in.
There’s ne’er a rattle or a knock or a squeak to be heard.
Admittedly, it’s done only 17,000 miles but in a sense
they’ve been pretty hard miles, negotiating the potholes,
IGNITION / Opinion
speed bumps and general cruddiness of the roads of
central London. Two years ago, a rat got a bit peckish and
ate through a cable to a rear light cluster but otherwise
it’s been no trouble.
What an extraordinary contrast this experience is to
that of car ownership during my childhood. In the 1960s,
any car that was five years old was knocking on the gate
of the scrapyard. Rust was the dominant issue, of
course, particularly in my native north-east of England
where winters could be harsh and rock salt was spread
on the roads with what we used to call a gay abandon.
There doesn’t seem to be anything to rust on the i3… it
has alloy suspension struts, carbon chassis, plastic
body panels. It feels like it could last forever and its ROWAN ATKINSON
potential longevity seems to shine a light, once again, One of the world’s best-
on the silliness of the motor car loved comic actors, the star
of TV’s Blackadder series,
as a disposable fashion item.
We keep our new cars, on average,
for only three years before part-
the Johnny English and Mr
Bean films and much more,
Rowan is also a serious
exchanging or sale. And yet clearly petrolhead and Historic
materials science and constructional racer, with a penchant for
methods have advanced to the point Aston Martins, Rolls-Royces
and the McLaren F1.
when for £20,000 we can easily
make a car that lasts 25 years. It’ll
need maintenance, parts replaced, a
bit of make-do-and-mend, but that
kind of lifespan is well within our
grasp. Electric cars have a real
maintenance advantage, too: an i3
has only 1500 component parts, a BMW 3-series 3000.
Of course, if we all kept our cars for 25 years, the global
car industry would have to shrink to 10% of its present
size, a proposition that would make any German
Chancellor quake in his or her boots. But it could happen;
and perhaps it should happen. To we custodians of older
cars, the future is going to be challenging politically but I
think that environmentally we’re not in a bad position.
Our numbers are proportionately tiny, the sands of time
blew over our manufacturing carbon footprint a long
time ago and we use our cars little.
The big challenge that I foresee is one of fuel supply:
for 120 years, cars both ancient and modern have used
the same propellant. With declining sales and the
prospective ban of new fossil fuel-burning cars within 25
years, the availability of petroleum spirit could collapse as
quickly as that of tape cassettes. We like occasionally to
drive our old cars great distances. Getting your Derby
Bentley from Peking to Paris could become challenging
in a way that you never imagined.
57

STEPHEN BAyLEy
The Aesthete
O
nce I met the test pilot who was the first man to
use an ejector seat. I mean the very first. Despite or
because of the harrowing experience of voluntarily
detonating an explosive charge beneath his
bottom during high-speed flight in a jet aircraft, he
was remarkably phlegmatic. Perhaps he was deaf.
The first man to reach 200mph on land must have had
a similar fearless equanimity. This was Henry Segrave, an
Old Etonian. Someone less fussy about cliché would have
called him ‘dashing’. Anyway, it’s a truism that Old
Etonians with their polished, but very sharp, elbows
always get there first. Speed records included.
I often wonder what Segrave’s 200mph experience
must have been like. Physicists recognise four types of
motion: oscillation, rotary, reciprocating and linear.
Pistons, shafts, planetary gears,
thrashing chain-drive, primitive
tyres getting very hot indeed; on
that March day in 1927, Segrave
‘SEGrAvE drOvE
endured them all for long enough to
achieve an average of 203.792mph
mySTEry INTO THE
over two runs in opposite directions SEA TO AcHIEvE A
at Daytona Beach in Florida.
Four years later, Aldous – Brave rETArdATION THAT
New World – Huxley described
speed as ‘the one genuinely modern THE BrAkES HAd
pleasure’. As if to confirm that speed
is addictive, he added it as ‘a new fAILEd TO PrOvIdE’
drug’. In 1887, amphetamines were
synthesised. They are known colloquially as ‘speed’.
What drugs Segrave was on at Daytona we cannot say,
and no-one thought to ask him before he was killed in the
Lake District in pursuit of the Water Speed Record three
years later. But strong tranquilisers would surely be
prescribed to anyone contemplating a ride in his car.
With nice insouciance, an OE characteristic as
predictable as sharp elbows, the car was called Mystery.
Power came from two Sunbeam Matabele V12s, first
(briefly) employed in an accident-prone French airliner
of 1920. In Segrave’s car, each 22.5-litre unit developed
435bhp. And they were mounted fore and aft, so equitable
weight distribution was not a problem.
Starting was, apparently, a bit of a fuss. The rear engine
was brought to life by compressed air. This was then, if
you were lucky, coupled to the front engine via a friction
clutch. Once both engines were running, they were
synchronised by a dog-clutch so no slippage might occur,
slippage being a problem when you are messing with
nearly a thousand bad-tempered horses. And off you
IGNITION / Opinion
went, nicely synchronised, to a double-ton.
No-one living can remember the original noise, but it
is fair to speculate that it must have reached damaging
levels, which can lead to personality change and violent
reactions. I dare say the high and low frequency vibrations
were an excitatory stimulus. Brain scientists know that
the result can be a shift in the perception of horizontals.
This means that as Segrave wrestled with the hot, noisy
contraption that was Mystery, he was quite literally not
seeing straight. The Florida horizon was wobbling at
200mph. On one run, Segrave drove Mystery into the sea
to achieve a desired retardation that the brakes had
failed to provide.
Now, 200mph seems almost commonplace. The Stephen bayley
Ferrari F40 of 1987 was the first ‘production’ car to claim SB is the individual for
it, but since only 1315 were ever whom the term ‘design
guru’ could have been
built this is ‘production’ only in
the sense that cut-throat Sardinian
bandits may be described as modern
coined. He was the
founding director of
Italian businessmen. But I have seen
300km/h (or 186.5mph) in an Audi
London’s Design Museum
and his best-selling books
include Sex, Drink and Fast
limousine. And I am not brave. Cars and Taste: the Secret
Meaning of Things.
Henry Segrave’s 200mph was a
stirring mixture of personal bravery
and technical audacity. The
thrashing chains were protected by
shrouds to contain the sort of
accident that now and again led to
drivers being decapitated. I don’t
imagine Segrave thought much about this, nor about
crash protection or fire prevention. And then the circus
moved on. In 1935, speed records began at Bonneville in
Utah, where the surface of the salt lake was more nearly
scientific than South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona.
I also suspect Segrave did not think about the aesthetics
of what he was doing. Yet, never mind his vibrating
eyeballs making disturbing patterns of the horizon so that
on leaving the car he looked like an illustration to Stage 5
of the Glasgow Coma Scale, the valorisation of speed was
a matter of culture as much as technology.
Speed alters our sense of space, and the car is speed’s
most willing facilitator. The car democratised modernity:
in the 20th Century, motion became more important
than territory or domesticity.
Of course, all the signs are that in our anxious and
insular moment, territory and domesticity are being re-
prioritised. But that just makes Henry Segrave’s 200mph
folly all the more touching. Nowadays, heroics are best
understood in terms of loss.
59
IGNITION / Opinion
ROBERT COUCHER
The Driver
T
he arms race continues. It seems slightly barmy
but there’s obviously demand for massive engine
power, so the motor manufacturers meet it. You
can buy a road-legal family saloon with 592bhp
from BMW or a Merc with 604bhp. OK, so one’s
an M5 and the other a hot AMG Merc E63, but really…
Until Dieselgate broke in 2015, motor manufacturers
were regarded as a bunch of fun-loving animals, indulging
slightly bonkers boffins who created mad, bad machines
after-hours in their skunkworks. Sadly, it’s more cynical
than that. The industry wants to wring every last dollar,
euro or penny out of the market and really doesn’t care
how it does it. If it sells, they’ll build it. So what if a bit of
alleged emissions cheating and skulduggery is required?
Since the sales of big diesel SUVs stopped dead in their
tracks, a new realism is beginning
to dawn. These 2600kg, 350bhp,
motorised-ego ‘sports’ trucks are
seen for what they are: too big and
‘THE maGIC 200BHp
aRRIvEd wITH OUR
too much, particularly in city
centres. Much better a taxi app and
something small and fun for the pORsCHE 911 sC.
weekend. A classic, perhaps?
I remember when 200bhp was THE sTEp CHaNGE
still something to celebrate, like this
month’s 200th issue of Octane. If the was a BIT sCaRy
classic-car sweet spot is cars from
the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, fOR a yOUNG BlOOd’
with interest growing massively in
later cars of the Eighties, Nineties and Noughties, then
200bhp is still a horsepower to be reckoned with.
In the Fifties, ordinary small saloons from Austin, Ford
and Morris would muster something between 35 and
60bhp. That was plenty for the roads of Britain (and many
other countries), which were crowded lanes wending
their way between villages, towns and cities in that pre-
bypass, pre-motorway age. But car development was
racing ahead and the UK industry had much catching up
to do after being held back for years by the ludicrous tax
on engine bore size. No longer would UK-designed and
built engines be asthmatic, long-stroke old wheezers.
Power outputs continued to rise steadily through the
Sixties and Seventies. By early 1970 a Ford Capri 3000
was pushing out a decent 128bhp, although the cooking
2000 version still managed only 78bhp. The 1973 Porsche
911 2.7 RS cracked 207bhp, which was off the charts.
Those were real horses, whereas Jaguar’s claimed 265bhp
for the original E-type, 12 years earlier, were not. The
truth was nearer 160bhp. And then, as the Seventies
60
became the Eighties, came turbocharging and the next
big power jump.
The first car I drove with any real power was my
mother’s E12-era BMW 525 manual, in poverty trim with
steel wheels and a plain cloth interior. Its 140bhp seemed
a lot at the time and I could get its tail out in slow corners.
I spun it once but never crashed it, and that smooth
straight-six loved to rev.
But, as a 1500kg saloon, the BMW never really felt that
fast. The Volkswagen that replaced it certainly did.
Weighing just 950kg, the five-door Golf GTI – it was a
‘family’ car so it had to have a modicum of practicality –
felt like a rocket ship. Its 1.8-litre fuel-injected engine,
linked to a close-ratio, short-geared, five-speed gearbox, robert coucher
punched out an honest 112bhp and it was shod with fat, Robert grew up with classic
semi-slick Yokohama 008 tyres on cars, and has owned a
Lancia Aurelia B20 GT,
wider alloy rims. No, not quite sure
why it was specced like that (father,
perhaps?) but it felt fantastic on the
an Alfa Romeo Giulietta
and a Porsche 356C. He
currently uses his properly-
school run. Even my mother drove sorted 1955 Jaguar XK140
it like an It Girl. as his daily driver, and is
The GTI would humiliate more a founding editor of Octane.
powerful but heavier 5-series
BMWs on the tight mountain roads
around Cape Town, but the best
sport was harrying the 3-series
Bimmers driven by certain aggro
‘types’ who are legends in their own
lap times but usually come unstuck
when the notorious BMW rear end lets go. I never lost
the GTI because it was so predictable and safe when
pushed. That’s front-wheel drive for you. But I did witness
a couple of 3-series disappear off the escarpment…
For us, the magic 200bhp wasn’t realised until a 1982
Porsche 911 SC arrived. As a later model it had 204bhp
rather than the original 180, and 0-60mph took just
5.6sec. The step change was a bit scary for a young blood.
The light and compact 911 was properly fast. Unlike
the cheeky GTI, the black Porsche would simply
command other cars straight into the left-hand lane by
sheer presence. It was a Porsche, so nothing was faster.
Even BMW 3-Series ‘types’ surrendered. Soon the 911
was nicknamed the ‘Black Fist’, because no one wanted to
mess with 200bhp.
The arms race will cease as the car world changes, and
I won’t miss the overpowered dinosaurs that the industry
has been feeding us over the last two decades. Future cars
will be light, agile and efficient and, as with a good classic,
200bhp will be ample fun. Yes, it’s back to the future.
 1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopio”
delivered new to Rod Stewart

1929 Mercedes-Benz 710 SS Sport Tourer by Fernandez & Darrin

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB #6785

More than 40 international races in period,
winner of the 1966 1000 km di Monza in the GT class

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Letter
of the
month
DIY cars: the best kind of therapy
I WAS PLEASED to read about
Peter Vivian’s Triumph Special
in Octane 199’s Man & Machine
because I also went down the
‘extreme DIY’ route when
building myself a classic car.
However, unlike Peter, I did
things backwards and started
with the engine, or rather a brace
of engines, those being a pair of
ex-Tiger 260 smallblock Ford
V8s courtesy of eBay. One good
engine emerged from the two
and this was mated to a Tremec
T5 gearbox using a five-bolt
‘Toploader’ bellhousing and a
T10-to-T5 adaptor plate. After
hopes, prayers, and some careful
drilling and grinding, the whole
lot slipped beautifully together.
This powertrain then needed
somewhere to sit. After many
fruitless bids, a 1947 Riley chassis
finally landed and the fun bit
began – making it all fit and, more
importantly, work. This meant
designing everything from the
wiring loom to the steering to the
fuel system to the interior to the
brake hydraulics, and working out
how to mate the gearbox to the
axle, the Riley having a torque-
tube. A replacement Ford Atlas
axle was the solution; strong and
with a decent final-drive ratio.
The bodywork came next.
Being a simple soul, I decided
that using no compound curves
would make my life a lot easier.
After a lot of measuring, an order
was placed for a load of 1mm
aluminium sheet to be cut to size.
Once the whole thing was
assembled, it quickly became
apparent that the skinny crossply
tyres weren’t going to handle
about four times the original
power multiplied by a lot less
weight, so some new wheels were
acquired along with a set of lovely
Blockley tyres – bigger at the rear
to give that slight ‘hot rod’ stance.
Amazingly, it all worked and
I proudly drove to a Goodwood
Breakfast Club for its first proper
run. Nothing fell off, broke or
exploded so, buoyed by this
success, I entered for an Octane
Track Day and decided that then
going straight to France for a long
IGNITION / Letters
weekend was a brilliant idea. The
track day proved that the car
handles beautifully, and the trip
to France was also great, despite
suffering nine (yes, nine)
breakdowns, including two
punctures, a failed coil, a sheared
distributor drive, a dodgy battery
cable and a fractured mudguard
stay! My travelling companion
Jeremy, driving his beautiful and
reliable TR6, soon got used to
my catchphrase of ‘I reckon I can
fix this…’
The whole project took ten
months of evenings and
weekends from inception to
fruition, and, as well as being
great fun, served as a massive
distraction and focus for me
during a long period of battling
with acute reactive depression.
For that simple fact alone, I will
never be able to part with the
‘Blue Max’, as the car has become
known, and am already planning
next year’s trips.
Look out for it at the Le Mans
Classic punters’ track laps – she’s
got a theoretical top whack of
156mph, which we might just try
for on the Hunaudières straight, if
my balls have grown big enough
by then and the K-code 289 is
built and in place.
Mike Tearle, Oxfordshire
Eight wheels on my wagon
I have been reading Octane since
your first issue and go through
each one three or four times, in
case I’ve missed something. Sure
enough, on re-reading Octane 198
I spotted a six-wheeled Citroën
CX in Market News.
Well, I can go one better than
that: here’s an eight-wheeled
Citroën. This picture [below] of
an extended XM was taken in July
2009 near the town of Trets in
southern France. There were
plenty more Citroëns parked
close by and what appeared to
be a graveyard of them behind
a neighbouring building.
Barry Burke, Dublin, Ireland
63
 IGNITION / Letters
mAtthEW hOWELL
Friendly gesture
When speculating as to why Ford
gave Colin Chapman a Cortina
Lotus Mk2 [above], as featured
in Octane 199, you left out one
obvious reason: my old boss
Walter Hayes [then head of PR
at Ford UK].
Walter told me that when he
joined Ford at the beginning of
the 1960s his background was
not in motoring but, while
editing the Sunday Dispatch, he
had employed Colin Chapman
to contribute a motoring column
and had realised the tremendous
enthusiasm that existed for
motorsport. He added that,
when the Cortina was launched,
it was apparent that the car was
somewhat lacking in excitement.
The easiest way of spicing it up
was to add a performance model,
hence the Cortina GT, which
soon accounted for 25% of sales.
But Walter realised Ford had to
go further: ‘It became perfectly
obvious that it wasn’t enough and
a “super GT” was needed because
the competitors were beginning
to nibble at us… Colin Chapman
was frankly a bloody marvellous
ideas man, the only ace motoring
man I knew when I joined the
company. I’d paid him so much
money as a journalist that I
sometimes think I started Lotus!’
I’m sure Walter was behind that
gift to an old friend.
David Burgess-Wise, Essex
64
Opportunity knocks
The proposed ‘new museum for
the common man’ [below], The
Great British Car Journey,
described in the News pages of
Octane 199 is wonderful news for
all motoring enthusiasts in South
Yorkshire, Derbyshire and
Nottinghamshire.
May I suggest that the museum
also holds auctions, bus and
truck events – and what about
gatherings of motorbikes or fire
engines, and a tie-up with the
nearby Crich tram museum?
I am sure the clubs will respond.
Michael Shelley, Sheffield
When Russell met Russell
I read with some sadness in
Octane 199 of the death of Russell
Brookes, which brought back
memories of spectating and
marshalling on special stages of
the RAC Rallies in the 1970s.
One evening in the late ’70s, the
Ludlow Motor Club organised a
Rally Forum at which Russell and
Tony Pond told stories of their
rallying exploits to an audience
of what would now be called
‘petrolheads’. Both had brought
along their cars: Russell his
‘Andrews Heat For Hire’ Escort,
and Tony his Dolomite Sprint.
At the end of the evening,
Russell was approached by a
teenage enthusiast who persuaded
Russell to take him for a ride in the
Escort, and away they went
towards the Welsh Borders.
That young man was another
Russell – Russell Bulgin, who
became the sports editor of Motor
and a highly respected journalist.
Sadly, he died of cancer in 2002
at the age of just 43.
Brian Mear, Shropshire
Look to the future
Reading your review of the 2019
Historic Motoring Awards in
Octane 198, I became increasingly
disillusioned with some of its
categories and felt that there is
room for at least one more award.
At the moment the motoring
industry is experiencing its most
revolutionary period since it
began. The UK Government has
proposed that all new cars will be
full EVs or hybrids by the year
2040 and this is going to increase
the uncertainty about the future
longevity of petrol and diesel cars.
I would therefore like to suggest
that a ‘Looking Forward’ award be
added for 2020, to be presented to
the company, club, magazine or
individual that has taken actions
to sustain the historic motoring
world’s position for the future.
Some areas to be considered
might be the impact on the petrol/
diesel supply chain as these
vehicles reduce; education and
apprenticeships to bring a new
generation of enthusiasts to
employers’ doors; and the
sustainability of the first
generation of electric hybrid
vehicles. The Honda Insight was
launched in 1999 and is arguably
already a ‘classic’.
I feel that such an award would
be far more supportive of the
wider classic car world than those
given to £6-million cars that
scratch the egos of maybe 18
or 19 owners!
David Lea, Merseyside
The icing on the cake
I enclose a picture of a significant
barn find [below]: a once-yellow
Jeep, hand-painted in green nail
varnish and hiding in a barn made
from coffee stirrers.
Its that time of year again and
I always create the automotive
diorama decoration for my wife’s
cake. I’m going to need the cake
this Christmas while I weld up
her MGB, but if it’s too cold it’ll
be Octane, eBay and a cup of tea
instead, as I search for that next
barn find…
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year!
James Rose, Devon
Write to
Octane Letters
31-32 Alfred Place
London
WC1E 7DP
letters@octane-magazine.com
Please include your name, address
and a daytime telephone number.
Letters may be edited for clarity,
and views expressed are not
necessarily those of Octane.
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68
the fastest ferraris
200 the double ton...
ThirTy-Two years after the Ferrari claimed the F40 to be
the first production car able to crack 200mph, it’s still a big number.
For the record, the claim was 201mph. Also for the record,
Guinness didn’t recognise it.
This was not because Italian magazine Quattroruote was the only
publication claiming to have got an F40 to 200mph (several others
tried and failed), but because its speed was eclipsed by RUF’s
911-based CTR (211mph) and Porsche’s 959 S (213mph).
However, they both stretch the notion of ‘production’ somewhat;
only 29 of each were made while Ferrari went on to sell 1315 F40s.
Of all performance statistics, top speed is the least relevant. Yet
it has always fascinated, and always will, because it’s such a simple
concept. I bet every car enthusiast can remember the first time
they hit 100mph (1982, A45 Ryton bypass, Jaguar XJ12, if you’re
asking), and the fastest they’ve ever driven (200mph, A9 autobahn,
70
RUF Turbo R, 2003). There’s fame in being the fastest, too.
The Italians were hard at it in the 1960s, first with the Iso Grifo
(161mph, disappointing given the claim of 185mph in my
Observer’s Book of Automobiles), before Lamborghini and Ferrari
started slugging it out, trading the record out over the next two
decades: Miura P400 at 171mph, 365 GTB/4 Daytona at 174mph,
Countach LP400S and LP500S at 179mph and 182mph, and a
return to Ferrari with the 288 GTO at 188mph.
The GTO is where we start this Ferrari special, because without
it there wouldn’t have been an F40. After that car, Ferrari left others
to vie for the accolade of fastest production car. The F50 raised the
Ferrari bar just a fraction to 202mph, while the Enzo claimed an
enigmatic ‘217mph-plus’. Just over a decade later, the 950bhp
LaFerrari claimed the same. And why not, when 200 is plenty? So
this is Ferrari’s 200mph adventure, as told by its greatest supercars.
 This Trio, nose To Tail, is like an automotive version
of the ascent of man, the evolution from ape to homo sapiens.
There’s a visual gulf between the bookends, the curvy 288
GTo having the ground clearance of an off-roader compared
with the sharp-edged, road-hugging F40. it looks like
they’re separated by a decade when in fact it’s just a couple
of years. and sitting between them is the missing link, the
288 GTo evoluzione.
i still can’t get over how the demands of competition
produced a car as beautiful as the 288 GTo, and it drives as
beautifully as it looks. it’s as accomplished an everyday road
car as the Porsche 959 that was expected to be its competition
rival. Both were designed to meet the Group B regulations
introduced by motorsport’s governing body, Fisa, in 1982.
it was probably Ferrari’s and Porsche’s reluctance to
compromise on general habitability, driveability and build
quality that contributed to their both missing the Group B
boat. For homologation, 200 identical models had to be
built for sale to the public, and the rally fraternity got there
much more quickly. The first fully formed, mid-engined,
4WD Group B special, Peugeot’s 205 T16, was ready for the
opening stages of the 1985 World rally Championship. a
year later, several terrible accidents saw Group B abandoned.
Ferrari showed the 288 GTo at Geneva in early ’84 and
72
launched the Testarossa at Paris in october. Two more
different big-horsepower Ferraris you cannot conceive. The
flat-12 Testarossa was an evolution of the 512BB, the GTo
came from the racing department. harvey Postlethwaite
took the 308 GTB, turned its V8 through 90 degrees and
gave it a pair of turbos. The end-on gearbox lengthened the
wheelbase and wider tracks demanded a restyle.
Pininfarina had proposed some aerodynamic
improvements for the 308 in 1977 with its ‘Millechiodi’
concept. Millechiodi translates as ‘one thousand nails’ – the
many rivets that secured the various addenda. some of them
were adopted in a mild form by the 308 QV, but the GTo
went the whole way with the shovel-like front spoiler, the
kicked-up tail and the distended arches.
Chief engineer nicola Materazzi was in charge of the
turbocharging. he lobbied for Japanese ihi turbos rather
than the products of Ferrari’s incumbent supplier, KKK,
successfully demonstrating that the ihi units were better
matched to the engine. The flat-plane-crank V8 had a slightly
reduced bore, dropping its capacity from 2927cc to 2855cc
which, when multiplied by the Fisa’s turbocharged
equivalency factor of 1.4, brought the V8 in just below the
4000cc limit. strictly speaking the engine was a 2.9, but ‘298
GTo’ just didn’t have the same ring to it.
the fastest ferraris
For years, the Gto has been my dream car, my poster
car, my lottery-win car. It would need to be a solid
euroMillions win today but when I first drove one 15 years
ago it cost less than my house. I was terrified that I would be
disappointed after all those years of fantasising, but I needn’t
have worried. It exceeded all my expectations, and more.
so it’s wonderful to get behind the wheel again but, first,
let’s deal with what’s wrong. you sit a bit high. too bad. and
now, the rest…
In the mid-80s, the world hadn’t yet become obsessed
with low-profile tyres and the stiff suspension needed to
exploit them, so the Gto has a well-controlled, supple ride
that allows it to roll into corners. But what really gives a sense
of what the car is doing is the non-assisted steering. The
Gto is proof that, even with fat 225/55 Zr16 front tyres,
you can have completely manageable, accurate and
wonderfully tactile steering without power assistance. The
Gto has such an effortless gait, parrying bumps and
hollows, that you can unleash more of its performance
more of the time.
Given the outputs Materazzi coaxed from this engine for
the evoluzione, the Gto’s 394bhp sounds quite tame. It
doesn’t feel it. Up to about 3000rpm there’s the sound of a
gathering storm, the low rumble of the engine gradually
joined by the sound of ever-increasing amounts of air being
ingested. Then the turbos kick in, the Gto squats a little and
74
you’re off, riding a wave of boost right up to 7000rpm. With
the rear tyres secure on warm, dry asphalt, the power is
addictively exploitable. We had an enzo along when I first
drove the Gto, and on a bumpy, fast Welsh B-road the enzo
had to drop back because its underside kept hitting the road.
For me, that cemented the 288’s hero status. It’s so good that
it’s hard to believe this was simply the car Ferrari had to make
so it could homologate the evoluzione, our next car here.
When Group B got canned, work on the evoluzione
halted. at that point there were three examples, two built
from scratch and one converted from a 288 Gto. sub-
contractor Michelotto later built three more for favoured
clients, and our example here is the first of those.
It seems extraordinary, but Ferrari had plans to rally the
Gto. Materazzi was developing a 550bhp engine that gave
maximum torque at 3800rpm for rallying, and a peakier
650bhp version for racing. The minimum weight for cars in
Group B’s 4000cc class was 1100kg, which would have
allowed Ferrari to place a lot of ballast strategically because
the evoluzione had a dry weight of just 960kg. That’s a
massive 200kg less than the regular Gto, itself quite a
lightweight thanks to the use of composite materials.
you can see where some of the savings are. Windscreen
apart, the windows are all plastic, with holes in. you can feel
it, too: you have so little mass to work against when you
swing the door open that you feel as clumsy as the Incredible
 Clockwise from far left
Evoluzione version of 288
shows wider track and
exposed engine; regular
GTO is almost luxurious
next to Evo, whose shovel
nose is not beautiful;
plastic windows, side
gussets and 650bhp are
288 Evoluzione signifiers.

75
77
the fastest ferraris
‘there will be two black lines but you won’t
see them through the vented rear screen’
Given the F40’s iconic status today, it’s hard to believe
that when it was launched in 1987 many commentators
considered it a rather cynical car, built to cash in on the first
financial boom and the demand for Porsche’s £150,000 959.
Ferrari dismissed these accusations, saying that the F40 was
for customers who wanted nothing but sheer performance.
‘it isn’t a laboratory for the future,’ said Ferrari’s marketing
man, ‘and it wasn’t created because Porsche made the 959. it
would have happened anyway.’
That last assertion may well be true. After all, a chunk of
the development was already done. With the evoluzione,
Ferrari’s engineering brains had worked out how to get much
more power from the twin-turbo v8, how to configure its
cooling requirements and its aerodynamics. That’s how they
were able to bring the F40 to market in just 13 months.
The F40 was essentially a stripped-out, hotted-up 288
GtO, built on the same tubular steel chassis with some
Kevlar/carbon panels bonded to it. Gordon Murray, then
planning the McLaren F1, was famously disparaging,
pointing out that its chassis was very old-tech. And, yes, it
was expensive: in the UK it cost £193,000, more than twice
what the GtO had cost. But…
Designer Leonardo Fioravanti had been given many hard
points to work to, including where all the scoops and ducts
and vents were to go, but the shape that he created was
shocking and exciting, from its low nose to its high-rise wing.
Then there were the stats: 478bhp, making it just a bit more
powerful than the 959, and a top speed of 201mph, making it
just a bit faster and also (drum roll…) the first production
car with a claimed top speed of over 200mph.
There’s always a sense of occasion as you fall as gracefully
as you can into the embrace of the deep-sided, red-fabric
seat. You sit lower than in the GtO so the steering wheel
feels higher and more canted away from you, more kart-like.
The cabin is bare like a race car’s: hollow doors with pull
strings, drilled pedals and exposed Kevlar/carbon in the
footwells that looks like it’s bonded at the joins with daubs of
green bathroom sealer.
however, it’s not as stiff or edgy or spiky as you expect,
which is a bit like meeting a skinhead and finding he’s rather
well-mannered. i’ve had colleagues who finally get behind
the wheel and are actually disappointed that it’s not wilder.
But given how many F40s have been crashed and how many
change hands quickly, their owners having frightened
themselves, it’s probably just as scary as it needs to be.
78
Thumb the starter button, which is like the fuel primer
on a petrol mower, and the cockpit fills with the busy,
impatient blat-blat-blat of the flat-plane v8. As you give the
heavy throttle an exploratory squeeze, the note swells and
get thrashier. There’s a satisfying matching of control
weights and feel; the unassisted steering, brake and
gearshift are all similarly hefty and tactile.
Forget second gear from cold. When it’s ready to play,
the engine will be about ready to go too, so find a safe space
and get the throttle to the floor. The F40 doesn’t disappoint.
it’s more ferocious, louder and hissier than the GtO and it
takes all your courage to keep it nailed, especially if there
are bumps because it’s stiffer, too (but still not tough). And
if the rear tyres got loose…
i’m always amazed at how driveable an 1100kg car with a
470bhp turbocharged v8 and no traction control really is.
You have to build up to it, work out where the boost comes
in and how fiercely, but if you’re comfortable with opposite
lock and have a sense of when the rear tyres are going to
struggle with the spike in torque, you can ride it out and it’s
very satisfying. Dario Benuzzi and his team did a great job
of slowing things down at the limit, so that things don’t
have to escalate beyond your control.
Pick your corner, give it a fixed amount of throttle, wait
for the boost to arrive, wind on the lock to catch it as it
does, hold your nerve and some yards up the road the boost
will tail off and the status quo will be restored. There will
also be two black lines but you won’t be able to see them
through the vented rear screen.
And with the F40 comes an irony, unintended but then
exploited. The 288 GtO was designed for competition but
was never raced. The F40 was designed purely for the road
but soon found itself on starting grids around the world.
The factory protested at first but relented under pressure
from Daniel Marin, manager of France’s Ferrari importer,
and engineer Materazzi, who wanted to exploit all the
potential of the evoluzione. The factory’s go-to specialist,
Michelotto, obliged, producing what was known initially as
the F40 LM and later as the Competizione, because the
factory thought the LM moniker limited its appeal.
it featured a comprehensive package of upgrades,
including lightweight bodywork and a heavy-hitting,
700bhp-plus engine that could, apparently, produce up to
900bhp for qualifying. But before we light that particular
firework, let’s warm up with a stepping-stone: the F40 Gt.
the fastest ferraris

80
Opposite and this page With its bright white alloys and smattering of decals,
Three interpretations of the F40 gt looks a much more serious car than the standard
F40, the fastest – LM,
with adjustable rear wing
F40. but it’s in effect a group N racer, so very lightly modified
– at the front; F40 GT, – a skinhead with tattoos, if you like. This car competed in
here with Brummel logo, the italian gt championship for three seasons from 1992 in
is a Group N car and the hands of Pierre Popoff, a good friend of Enzo, winning a
almost standard.
couple of rounds in ’94. it was then converted back for road
use. in 2013 it was restored to its original race spec, which
involved refitting a race exhaust and brembo race brakes,
converting the car to run on its original magnesium alloys
and, of course, recreating its livery.
it retained its road-car suspension bushing because it was
going to continue being used on the road. And i have to say
it drives beautifully, better than the stock road car. is this the
result of three seasons of development that kept it racing
competitively? Maybe. The brake and throttle are closer
together, aiding heel-and-toe shifts, and the gearshift is free
of the friction that makes some F40 shifts harder work.
i wonder if the larger-diameter, suede-trimmed Momo is
there for leverage, to make slicks more manageable.
Whatever, the upshot is steering that’s lighter and a car that’s
more biddable. Add an engine that comes on boost more
progressively – which would help when exiting the Parabolica
on the limit of grip with a 911 or XJ220 up your chuff – and
you have a very sweet F40. The best i’ve driven, in fact.
Then there’s the F40 LM. Until i got up close, i hadn’t
appreciated quite how serious a race car it was, or its history.
i’d clocked the fixed headlamps, the adjustable rear wing and
the aggressive stance. i’d even noted the Lime rock
scrutineering ticket, but until i dropped my backside into
this car i hadn’t recognised that the most out-of-place detail
was the number plate.
A number plate. i can laugh now. The Lime rock sticker
was the last it wore in the 1990 iMsA championship, where
it was raced by a few folk you might have heard of: hurley
haywood, Jacques Laffite, Jean-Louis schlesser, Michel
Ferté… it’s the second of the 19 cars built, so a genuine LM,
and it scored podium finishes at Mid Ohio and Mosport. it’s
got a reputed 760bhp and now i’m going to drive it on some
british A- and b-roads.
Ahead of the removable Momo is a race-spec Magneti
Marelli digital dash. to the right, the felt dash is studded
with an array of buttons and knobs, most of which i hope
i won’t need (extinguishers, brake bias adjusters and
suchlike). i flick the starter switch, the starter motor whines
double-time and in an instant the engine is fast-idling busily
behind me. i can’t decipher much of the digital dash so i
decide to take the LM on the same run as the others, so i’ll
have an idea of what it’s like once warmed up. if i can stop
stalling it: the clutch is like a light switch. it also has the
turning circle of a supertanker and, like all F40s, woeful rear
visibility. i’m sweating before i’ve escaped the courtyard.
After 15 minutes i accept that there is no smooth way of
changing gear with the straight-cut ’box, only degrees of
violence as the teeth mesh as smoothly as a rugby scrum.
i’m worried that i won’t get to feel the full performance
81
the fastest ferraris

Right and below

F40 LM is one of the
fiercest, fastest cars that
author Barker has driven
on the road; seats hug you
firmly, digital dial display
is almost unreadable.

82
 1968 6 Hours of Barcelona
Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (LHD)
This beautifully restored LHD 4 Cam was first delivered to Barcelona where it was
immediately displayed at the 1967 Barcelona Motor Show by Mr Tayre the Spanish
Ferrari importer. Later sold to a Spanish Gentleman this 275 finished 11th Overall at
the 1968 6 Hours of Barcelona the following year. Latterly the car was exported to the
USA where it was restored by Nobert Hoffer’s Gran Touring Classics. Following which
the car had a successful few years at high level concours events including at Cavallino,
Concorso Italiano and Salon Prive. One of very few 275 GTB4s to have period
competition history this matching numbers car is presented in “as restored”
condition the car has just received a full engine rebuild and is Classiche Certified.

£POA £POA

Porsche 993 GT2 1963 Shelby 289 Cobra ‘Dragonsnake’

The most desirable factory and ultimate specification for a GT2 one can find with the highly
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just 28,100 km and is presented in its original specification of Polar Silver with Black/Grey
Leather, top gradated windscreen, radio delete, A/C delete and manual windows.
One of only eight cars modified with the Shelby-developed Dragonsnake package designed to
maximize its specific racing performance. This Dragonsnake dominated the NHRA’s A/SP, AA/SP,
B/SP and C/SP classes in 1964 and set all-new records in the 1965 season.
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Telephone: +44 (0) 1923 287 687 • Fax: +44 (0) 1923 286 274 • Email: info@dkeng.co.uk www.dke.co.uk
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the fastest ferraris

1987 Ferrari F40

Engine 2936cc mid-mounted V8, flat-plane crankshaft, DOHC per
bank, 32 valves, two IHI turbochargers, Weber-Marelli IAW engine
management Power 478bhp @ 7000rpm Torque 426lb ft @
4000rpm Transmission Five-speed manual transaxle, rear-wheel
drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: double
wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes Ventilated discs
Weight 1100kg Top speed 201mph 0-62mph 4.1sec

1992 Ferrari F40 GT

Engine 2936cc mid-mounted V8, flat-plane crankshaft, DOHC per
bank, 32 valves, two IHI turbochargers, Weber-Marelli IAW engine
management Power 478bhp @ 7000rpm Torque 426lb ft @
4000rpm Transmission Five-speed manual transaxle, rear-wheel
drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: double
wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes Ventilated discs
Weight 1100kg Top speed 201mph 0-62mph 4.1sec

1987 Ferrari F40 LM

Engine 2936cc mid-mounted V8, flat-plane crankshaft, DOHC per
bank, 32 valves, two IHI turbochargers, Weber-Marelli IAW engine
management Power 760bhp @ 8100rpm Torque N/A
Transmission Five-speed manual transaxle, rear-wheel drive
Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: double
wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes Ventilated discs
Weight 1050kg Top speed 228mph 0-62mph N/A

because the V8 falters a bit between 3000 and 4000rpm, but

when I find an empty straight and sink the throttle in second
gear the V8 clears its throat after 4000rpm and starts to
build boost at about 5000rpm. Big boost, fast.
The sound of air being sucked in is now fighting for
dominance with the V8’s light beat; the sound and the shove
suddenly escalate and at about 6000rpm (who knows – I’m
not looking) there’s a devastating explosion of torque. We
jump into hyperspace, the scenery now reversing past the
Lexan side windows in a soupy green blur as the air is
squeezed from my chest. Then my right foot lifts and we are
wrapped in normality again.
Oh. My. God. I’ve driven lots of very fast cars and this is
as BANG!-fast, fill-your-pants scary as any of them.
I go in search of big, smooth, wide roads. Third gear to
minimise the risk of wheelspin, the pedal goes to the floor
and stays there. We take off at 6000rpm, the acceleration
shifting us into another tunnel-like reality, and a moment
later I register that the V8 is banging its head against the
8000rpm limiter. I grab fourth just to calm things, the
straight-cut gears engage with the sound of a door slamming
and I release the throttle. I check the door mirrors expecting
to see the tarmac behind rucked up like a Wall’s Viennetta.
I know it would wear slicks on track, and as well as a
900bhp qualifying tune there was probably a softer tune for
wet running, but, seriously, what an absolute weapon the
F40 LM is. And what a privilege to have spent an hour in it,
finding smooth, meandering roads and massive junctions to
turn around in, and still not getting anywhere near
comfortable with the explosive delivery, the astonishing
brutality. This is the full-on, cage-fighter F40. It shouldn’t
really be on the road, but it’s fantastic that it is.

84
‘the f50’s stock was
higher with owners
than with the press,
who drove it just a
few laps at fiorano’
How do you follow the f40? with a car that’s much
more technically advanced and delivers, said ferrari, ‘the
emotion of formula one’ thanks in part to an f1-derived
V12. yet the f50 also claims the title of Maranello’s most
misunderstood supercar. In fairness, the f50’s stock was a
lot higher with owners than with the press, not least because
initially the factory allowed journalists to drive just a handful
of laps at fiorano. And then there was how it looked; not
since the XJ-S replaced the E-type had there been a more
disappointing follow-up.
It was a four-wheeled contradiction. Its skeleton was an
aerospace-built carbon tub, its heart was derived from the
3.5-litre engine used in the 1989 f1 season, the first of the
post-turbo era. Sure, the V12 had ditched the pneumatic
valves and 14,000rpm redline and had grown to 4.7 litres,
but it was bolted directly to the tub and together with its six-
speed transaxle was a load-bearing structure, supporting the
inboard suspension, rear bumper and bodywork. Hardcore,
then. But its body styling was softcore, lacking the aggression
of the f40, so much smoother, swoopier and… convertible.
It didn’t stack up for me. Then, in 2004, I drove one and it
did. up against the 288 GTo, the f40 and the Enzo in that Opposite and this page
evo magazine group test, the f50 came out on top. By Enzo (top) trades
road-car usability for
consensus. It didn’t displace the 288 GTo as my favourite
ferocity; F50 has
ferrari supercar, but I appreciated why it had won. carbonfibre shell like
Compared with the turbocharged cars it was raw and direct, LaFerrari nearly two
with a compelling, steely-edged mechanical and dynamic decades later; each of
fidelity that engaged and rewarded. oh, and its V12 revved the three was its era’s
ultimate Ferrari.
thrillingly to 8500rpm and its gear shift and non-assisted
steering were sublime.
fifteen years on, 520bhp is no big deal but what’s even
more striking is the lack of, well, everything. The interior is
largely uninterrupted swathes of glossy carbonfibre and grey
Alcantara, with dimpled rubber flooring. There’s no radio,
the windows are wind-up, and the slim centre console
houses just a couple of air conditioning dials, a handbrake
and the open gate of a carbon-topped gearlever. Everything
you need and no more.
The V12 idles smoothly with a complex beat and your seat
shakes like it’s bolted to it, which in effect it is. A dab of
throttle sees the revs flare and die in an instant, like a
motorbike engine, while the seat fizzes. despite a linkage
87
the fastest ferraris

88
over six feet long with four UJs, the gearshift is more tactile Opposite and this page
and slicker than in any of the V8 cars. You end up rev- F50, with removable roof, promised
an F1-car experience on the road but
matching every shift because it’s a pleasure, not because you Enzo’s nose looked more the part;
need to. Enzo, launched 2002, was first of the
The engine is a gem, too. It lacks the low-end torque of the ultimate Ferraris to use paddleshifts.
V8s so you have to work to find the power but, boy, is it
rewarding work. The free-revving V12 has a thrilling, manic
top-end that you can fully exploit because the chassis is so
much more supple and composed than the F40’s. The heft of
the manual steering never quite leaves it but it’s manageable
and full of feel, as are the unassisted brakes.
The F50 is an absolute joy going fast or slow, a beautifully
polished, tactile and exploitable supercar. It’s not as brutally
fast or exquisitely made as the other all-carbon, race-
inspired V12 supercar that grabbed most of the attention
when it was launched, but – shock – the F50 is way better to
drive than the McLaren F1.

On paper the enzo looks like an evolution of the F50.

parked alongside, it looks like an alien space craft. It’s such a
three-dimensional design, its plump, diamond-shaped
centre slung between pontoons housing the wheels. pull up
a dihedral door and the cockpit looks alien too, a complex,
gappy amalgam of parts, like a Lego kit trying to do curvy,
peppered with buttons and dials and switches. There’s no
gear lever, shifting duties being assigned to carbonfibre
paddles and an automated, single-plate clutch, but we have
power assistance for steering and brakes, aSr (traction

89
‘the enzo’s v12
reaches 6000rpm,
and it feels like
an afterburner
has kicked in’

control) and a collection of coloured mode buttons on the

steering wheel that in future Ferraris will coalesce into the
now-ubiquitous manettino toggle switch.
The Enzo also introduced the new six-litre ‘F140’ V12,
and what an astonishing engine it is. Smoother, more bassy
and more musical than the F50’s V12, it also feels twice as
potent, as I rediscover with a start the first time I squeeze the
throttle and the back end shimmies. It delivers 660bhp, plus
485lb ft of torque at 5500rpm, but I reckon most of that
torque is available from just over tickover. ASR is an essential,
not a ‘nice to have’; goad the F40 and eventually it’ll bite but
the Enzo’s V12 has so much grunt that its fat Bridgestones
don’t stand a chance.
There’s more to come from the V12, much more, but first
you have to adapt to the steering which is assisted and
manageable but rather lacking in feel, and the gearshift,
which offers brilliant rev-matched downshifts but feels long-
winded on upshifts. Or brutal if you don’t bother to lift. After
the F50, it feels like you’ve traded in a lot for stupendous
performance.
But stupendous it is. Tickover to 8000rpm is an emotional
journey, the character and tone of the V12 softening then
swelling then softening again before the revs rise ever more
confidently, they reach 6000rpm and it feels like an
afterburner has kicked in. The F50’s V12 is manic enough
over the last couple of thousand revs but the Enzo destroys
it, simultaneously rearranging your underwear. Just keep an
eye out for bumps because, excellent as the ride is, that long
nose is vulnerable to scuffing.

I’d lOVE TO hAVE been in the meeting at Maranello

where it was decided that what the successor to the Enzo
needed was another 300bhp. I guess there were some outside
factors influencing the decision, namely the Mclaren P1 and
the Porsche 918, cars with 916 and 893bhp respectively. And
so, in 2013, a little over a decade after the F50 was launched,
Ferrari announced the 963bhp laFerrari.
The good news is that at its heart was an evolution of the
Enzo’s V12, now enlarged to 6.3 litres and developing a

This page and top right

Enzo’s V12 delivers 650bhp but LaFerrari adds another
300, some of it from electricity; LaFerrari dashboard is
ultra-simple at rest; three interpretations of the ultimate.
mighty 800bhp. Add in 120kw (163bhp) of electric power
from its KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and you
get a sensational 963bhp at 9000rpm. The LaFerrari weighs
1480kg in its lightest form; that’s a little over 100kg heavier
than the Enzo, but impressive given the weight of the KERS,
its attendant batteries and the bulkier double-clutch gearbox.
With the key in your hand, you’re buzzing as you walk
towards the LaFerrari, in thrall to an emotional cocktail
that’s two parts anxiety, two parts excitement. It’s worth
around £2m and it’s got an even higher power-to-weight
ratio than the ballistic F40 LM. At least it has stability control
and anti-lock brakes, I tell myself. Release the dihedral door
and there’s almost a foot of asphalt to step across to get to the
slim carbonfibre tub. Drop into the Alcantara-trimmed
bucket seat, tug on the parachute handle to pull yourself
closer to the pedals, and unexpectedly the pedals glide
smoothly towards you.
Dead ahead is an evolution of the Enzo wheel with the
manettino toggle and… a quartic rim. I wasn’t expecting that.
It helps frame the digital instrument pack and suggests a
super-fast steering ratio requiring no more than a handful of
lock. The V12 fires, its bass voice competing with a collection
of whines and hums for vocal dominance. Deep breath.
Here’s the thing. The LaFerrari is easy to drive. It’s a
comfortable car with good forward visibility (in the rear
view mirror, you can see the engine better than the road).
Its steering has good weighting and is measured in its
1995 Ferrari F50
Engine 4699cc mid-mounted V12, DOHC per bank, 60 valves, Bosch
Motronic engine management Power 520bhp @ 8500rpm Torque
347lb ft @ 6500rpm Transmission Six-speed manual transaxle, rear-
wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear:
double wishbones, inboard coil spring/damper units with pushrods and
rocker arms, anti-roll bar, variable electronic dampers Brakes Ventilated
discs Weight 1230kg Top speed 202mph 0-62mph 3.7sec
2002 Enzo Ferrari
Engine 5998cc mid-mounted V12, DOHC per bank, 48 valves, Bosch
Motronic engine management Power 660bhp @ 7800rpm Torque
485lb ft @ 5500rpm Transmission Six-speed sequential semi-auto
transaxle, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion, power-assisted
Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, inboard coil spring/
damper units with pushrods and rocker arms, anti-roll bar, variable
electronic dampers Brakes Ventilated carbon-ceramic discs
Weight 1365kg Top speed 217mph 0-62mph 3.7sec
2013 LaFerrari
Engine 6262cc mid-mounted V12, DOHC per bank, 48 valves, Bosch
Motronic management, plus electric motor Power V12: 800bhp @
9000rpm; electric motor 163bhp Torque V12: 516lb ft @ 6750rpm
Transmission Seven-speed sequential semi-auto double-clutch
transaxle, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion, power-assisted
Suspension Inboard coil spring/damper units with pushrods and rocker
arms, anti-roll bar, variable electronic dampers. Double wishbones at
front, multi-link system at rear Brakes Ventilated carbon-ceramic discs
Weight 1480kg Top speed 217mph 0-62mph 3.0sec
91
the fastest ferraris
‘a half-hearted prod of the throttle summons up
instantaneous, enormous urge. it’s a shock’
response, not too sharp away from centre, its gearbox is as
discreet and well-mannered as a butler, and lumps and
bumps disappear beneath the wheels noiselessly. Only the
brake feel spoils the party, being a little inconsistent
underfoot, presumably as electric regeneration and regular
hydraulics divvy-up the stopping duties. And then a half-
hearted prod of the throttle summons up instantaneous and
enormous urge. It’s a shock.
I was expecting some kind of build-up but that’s the
contribution of the KERS: Ferrari has used the instantaneous
response of the electric motor to sharpen throttle response
and bolster the V12’s low-end torque. It works brilliantly, the
delivery surreally crisp. And while you occasionally sense the
faint, steadying hand of traction control, there’s obviously
good mechanical grip too.
Keep it pinned and the big V12 soon gets into its stride, its
shove ramping up and up until it’s into dizzying, Looney Tunes
territory. It’s incredible. Fully exploited, the LaFerrari’s reach
is epic and relentless, the amazing gearbox changing up at
9000rpm with seemingly no break in the accelerative
onslaught. The desire to see how long that push is sustained
is hard to resist but this isn’t the place. The LaFerrari is an
92
amazing accomplishment, a staggering piece of engineering,
and it begs just one question: what on earth comes next?
TRyIng TO dEcIdE which of these eight is the best is like
being asked to choose your favourite child, but I’ll try. I love the
rarity, looks and everyday usability of the 288 gTO, and the
surprising exploitability and sense of occasion of the wild F40.
The LM racer is one of the most explosively powerful cars I’ve
ever driven on the road, and you’ve got to love the absurdity.
The Enzo gets wilder with the passing years; it’s a complex
sculpture of a car and its potent V12 is so rich in character that
you never tire of using it. The LaFerrari elevates that idea to a
whole new level. But, against expectation, I have a new favourite:
the F50. I still can’t love the looks but in every other way it has it
all: a thrilling, vocal, easily exploited V12, a sublime manual
shift, superb steering and dynamics that encourage you to press
on to 200mph given the chance. Or just enjoy it at an amble. End
Thanks To Will Kitchener and everyone at Heveningham Hall
for the spectacular location. The 2020 Heveningham Concours and
Country Fair is on 27-28 June, see heveninghamconcours.com
Thanks also to Tom Cribb of cascaisclassics.com
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the JCC decided to run it as two separate races for 1100cc (15 cars,
starting at 8:30am) and 1500cc (17cars, starting at 2pm). Cars now
had to wear 18in number discs but the coloured bonnets (now red
and green for 1100s, white, blue and yellow for 1500s) continued.
That year’s winner was K Lee Guinness in a Talbot, his 88.06mph
average slower, after a stop for ignition trouble, than the pace of 1921
winner Segrave, who came third. HR Godfrey won the 1100cc class
in a GN at 74.41mph.
The two-race format was continued for 1923, the big difference
being that silencers would be compulsory even though they would
not be mandated for all Brooklands events until the following year.
Average speeds were rising inexorably: this year’s overall winner was
Maurice Harvey, whose Alvis averaged 93.29mph with its new
overhead-valve 12/50 engine in a special narrow chassis. The best
1100 was R Bueno’s Salmson, which averaged 82.83mph. The fastest
laps recorded were even more impressive: both JA Joyce in his
1500cc AC and George Eyston in an Aston Martin got around at
99.61mph, and even Robert Benoist’s 1100 Salmson did a lap at
92.57mph. Leon Cushman drove his Brescia Bugatti into second
place at 91.10mph, and Joyce managed third place despite having to
stop three times for shredded tyres.
The 1924 event reverted to a single race, with the innovation of a
class for 750s, which, as might be expected, was dominated by Austin
7s. The colour-coding of the 39 starters in three classes continued,
this time with the 750cc cars wearing yellow, the 1100s in red and the
1500s green. This turned out to be a race of extraordinary
performances, especially by the team of three 1500cc Darracqs
driven by K Lee Guinness, George Duller and Henry Segrave. They
finished in that order, all within two seconds of each other. Guinness’
winning average speed was 102.27mph – a new world record over
200 miles – and Segrave got the fastest lap at 106.55mph.
For once, the smaller classes were outclassed, with only two
finishers in both the 1100s and 750s – though Owen Wilson-Jones’
85.7mph average in his 1100cc Lagonda, and EC Gordon England’s
75.61mph in his Austin 7, were fine efforts. EB Ware provided much
of the excitement when the rear tyre of his Morgan three-wheeler
burst after fouling the bodywork, causing Ware and his mechanic
serious injuries in the resulting crash. The carnage inspired Harold
Beart to stop and cut part of the rear bodywork away on his Morgan.
The 1925 event saw a major change in the circuit layout. Where
previous runnings of the 200 Miles race had used the full Outer
Circuit, now the cars would turn onto the Finishing Straight at the
Fork, turn through 180° at a hairpin (just a barrel in the middle of the
straight) and go back down to re-enter the Outer Circuit via a second
hairpin at the Fork. This detour lengthened the circuit to 3.1 miles
and gave spectators in the Paddock grandstand something to see. It
also reduced lap speeds considerably over those of previous years:
the winner from the 28 starters across three classes, Segrave in a
1500cc Darracq, averaged only 78.89mph – 0.01mph faster than his
team-mate Masetti, who waved him through just before the finish.
Even more circuit-layout changes followed in 1926, with a double-
hairpin bend and an S-bend in the Finishing Straight, and an
impressive 44 entries (23 in the 1500 class, 17 in the 1100 and four
750s) lined up. The top end of the 1500 class was pretty much to
Grand Prix standard, with four GP Talbots, six Bugattis, two Thomas
Flat Irons and two of the revolutionary straight-eight FWD Alvises,
and although repeat-winner Segrave’s speed over the 73 laps in his

Anti-clockwise from top left

Newton has a British name but was designed by an
Italian with Italian parts; Halford Special features twin
overhead camshafts and a Roots-type supercharger;
Alvis finished sixth in the 1924 race in the hands of
Frank Halford, who built his Special for the following
year; owners chat with author Winn, second from left.
 ‘The Halford Special’s
original engine is believed to
have been the first turbocharged
engine used in a racing car’

99
Junior Car Club 200 miles raCes

1923 Newton
This Newton was one of two built specially for the 200 Miles race, but it was destined never
to take part. Built in Italy at a cost of £6000 (approaching £400,000 in 2019 money) and to the
designs of Olivio Pellegati, with many parts apparently manufactured by Isotta-Fraschini, it
featured a complicated 70bhp, 1100cc, four-cylinder engine with gear-driven twin overhead
camshafts, five(!) oil pumps, a fixed head, ball and roller main bearings and twin Claudel-
Hobson carburettors. The oil tank for the dry-sump system is built into the bulkhead, with
air-cooling tubes leading through into the cockpit. After its failure to do the 200 Miles, this car
was owned by Brooklands racer Ivy Cummings, was rescued by Nick Sloan in the 1960s and
was eventually restored by Geoff Hare, using a spare engine reconstructed by the late Bill May
around a new plain-bearing crankshaft. Owned (and again rebuilt) by Keith Taylor for the last
10 years, as of November 2019 the car is for sale with Robert Glover at Bicester.

1924 Alvis
The car here at Brooklands was one of three built as successors to the
special 12/50 that won the 200 Miles race in 1923. The overhead-
valve 1496cc engine was again based on the 12/50’s, but with
dry-sump lubrication. It drove a differential-less back axle fitted with
a single drum brake, with a similarly ineffective transmission brake
behind the four-speed gearbox. The special low-slung chassis was
liberally drilled for lightness and the complete car weighed just
560kg. In the 1924 race the Alvis team finished 6th (Frank Halford,
with this car), 7th (Alistair Miller) and 8th (Maurice Harvey), but
they were outclassed by the new supercharged Talbot-Darracqs.
This car was used by Dunlop for testing track tyres at Brooklands,
including a ‘skidding demonstration’ by Paul Dutoit at the 1927
200 Miles meeting, and was eventually restored and raced by the late
Eric Benfield. Bought by Keith Taylor in 2002 and further restored,
chassis 2391 now wears most of its original body which had been
saved by Nick Jarvis. It was recently purchased by Francis Galashan.

100
Halford Special
The Halford Special started life as one of a number of customer cars based on Aston Martin’s 16-valve
Grand Prix cars of 1922, and was rebuilt by Frank Halford to the new 1500cc Grand Prix formula in 1925.
The new six-cylinder engine, to Halford’s own design, featured twin overhad camshafts, and as originally
fitted is believed to have been the first turbocharged engine used in a racing car. The turbocharger
installation was unsuccessful and the second engine built was fitted with the Roots-type supercharger the
car still wears. The Halford Special was one of seven cars to start in the first-ever British Grand Prix, held at
Brooklands in August 1926, from which it retired with transmission troubles, but it finished 10th in the
200 Miles race six weeks later after several stops for overheating. Sold to George Eyston, the car came
fourth in the 1927 French Grand Prix at Montlhéry. It was then bought by Viscount Ridley, who fitted the
first engine sans turbocharger to a Bugatti Type 35 and the second one to a speedboat which promptly
sank. James Cheyne rescued all the major components in the 1970s and rebuilt the car, which now lives at
Brooklands Museum and is still occasionally campaigned. It was the subject of a full feature in Octane 84.

101
Junior Car Club 200 miles raCes

Clockwise from right

The start of one of the first 200
Miles races shows the enormous
width of the Brooklands grid; it’s
1923, Campbell has just retired his
Fiat and the team inspects the
damage; Campbell takes solace in
a cigarette; in the same race, RC
Morgan (Aston Martin number 16)
is neck-and-neck with G Duller
(Marlborough Thomas car 18); the
field rushes into the banking but
there’s tyre trouble; J Goute has
just won the 1925 race in his
Salmson; it’s 1938, long before
‘health and safety’ was invented,
and ten gallons of ultra-volatile fuel
have just been poured into car
number 18 in 20 seconds.

102
103
JUNIOR CAR CLUB 200 MILES RACES

‘Eyston led but retired with a broken

valve, and Campbell won despite
losing two of his car’s four gears’

-
k
. w
com e - End

Dick Seaman, running his nine-year-old Delage - - ,

ran non-stop to win at an average of 69.28mph, taking both the THANKS TO Brooklands Museum for the location; and James Cheyne,
outright and first-1500 prizes and netting himself £350 as well as the Francis Galashan, Robert Glover, and Julian and Keith Taylor.

104
 Races and rallies are won and lost in the workshop
Offered for sale

1926 3 Litre Speed Weymann with original one off coachwork by Freestone & Webb
LIBRARY PICTURE

1928 4 ½ Litre currently receiving a nut and bolt rebuild by our works 1923 3 Litre with original coachwork by Gurney Nutting

1931 4 ½ Litre Saloon with original coachwork from Maythorn 1929 4 ½ Litre from a long term ownership

L O N D O N R O A D , H I L L B R O W,
W E S T S U S S E X , G U 33 7 N X
W I L L I A M @ V I N T A G E B E N T L E Y. C O M
T E L E P H O N E : + 4 4 ( 0 ) 17 3 0 8 9 5 5 1 1
ford rs200

Ford RS200
the inside story
Renowned author Graham Robson
worked as a consultant to Ford in the
RS200 days. This is his eye-witness
account of its development
Photography Zach James Todd, courtesy of Canepa

106
107
ford rs200
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the heady
days that surrounded the birth of
Ford’s RS200. I wasn’t responsible for
the design, nor the concept, but I was
very much involved in the ‘Why don’t we…?’
discussions from the beginning.
Late one Friday evening in January 1983, in
deepest Dorset, I was lazing in front of a roaring
fire, with a snoring bulldog alongside me on
the sofa and a glass of Scotch whisky to hand,
when the phone rang. It was well after 10pm
and I was not expecting anyone to contact me,
so I was amazed, puzzled and – soon –
enthralled by the story Stuart Turner, Ford’s
director of public affairs, began to unfold.
Since 1975 Stuart had not been directly
involved in running Ford’s motorsport
programmes but, through his boss, friend, and
(in some ways) his mentor Walter Hayes, he
had never lost touch with what was happening.
His opening remarks made everything that
followed extremely clear: ‘This conversation is
not taking place.’
The call lasted for more than an hour, a long
and detailed run-down of what had been,
should have been and might yet have been
happening in Ford’s immediate motorsport
future. It inspired me so much that the
following morning I wrote a detailed resumé
for him, and I’ve kept a carbon copy to this day.
His message was simple, and brutal: ‘Our
motorsport policy is in trouble. Walter [Hayes
– Ford’s PR supremo] wants me back in place
of Karl [Ludvigsen]. We’ve got to kill off the
Escort RS1700T. We need a new Group B car.
I’m calling several people for their views. Can
we talk? What do you think?’
An hour later he had milked me dry of ideas,
and I was happy to know that my thoughts
lined up with those of more technically minded
experts. By midnight he had signed off,
expecting my written thoughts delivered to his
home (not to the office) within three days.
I wrote down those thoughts under 12
headings – like everyone else, as I learned later,
I mentioned four-wheel-drive, a target of more
than 400bhp, the need to build 200 cars off-
site, and the need for a star engineer to do the
concept layout. And a week later, the phone
rang again…
108
‘I think we all agree about the general layout.
I’m calling the machine B200 for obvious
reasons, but I can’t get my bosses to understand
how special it has to be. Walter [Hayes]
understands, but not the others. Do you have
any pictures of the Lancia Stratos ?’
I did: not only images but an Autocar
cutaway drawing.
‘Perfect, let me have them tomorrow, please.’
And thus began the story of this very
special car.
25 February 1983 It had been quiet for about
six weeks. Then, suddenly, Ford of Europe
announced that Karl Ludvigsen was to move
on and that Turner was to take over as director
of European motorsport. At Ford this move
reverberated like an earthquake, for Turner
wanted to get things moving fast. Almost
immediately I was asked to work up a ‘club
activities’ package (one-make Championships,
quiz series, forums, special visits to RS
dealerships, Find-a-Rally-Driver competition,
all that stuff) – but I heard no more about
the ‘B200’.
14 March 1983 Both the RS1700T and
the C100 Group C project were abruptly
cancelled. As Motorsport’s manager, Peter
Ashcroft, later told me: ‘The board meeting
was in the morning, Stuart’s “stop order”
followed by phone, before lunchtime, and
work stopped that very day.’
Media reaction to the cancellations was
vitriolic. ‘What on earth is going on?’ they
wanted to know. I knew, of course, but I was
not about to say.
27 March 1983 I dined with Turner and he
told me what was already brewing. Further
‘We need a new
down his ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ – the
document he had prepared as a policy mantra
Group B car.
– work had already started on a turbocharged
Escort XR3 and on a much more powerful
I’m calling several
Sierra XR4i. His product planning guru, Mike
Moreton, would manage those programmes
people for their
without interference for some time. views. Can we
Setting his targets high, and agreeing that a
mid-engined four-wheel-drive Group B car was talk? What do
essential, he had asked Brabham’s Gordon
Murray if he would lay out the new car, and had you think?’
seen both Keith Duckworth (to talk about
four-wheel-drive technology) and Brian Hart
(about engines). The delay – and there was a
delay – was because Murray said he could not
spare all the time needed. And in any case,
Bernie Ecclestone, his boss at Brabham, was
against the idea.
Murray and Moreton were convinced that
such a car, of which 200 would have to be built
to gain homologation, could not be constructed
in-house. Lotus, Tickford, Aston Martin, TVR
and Reliant were all being considered as
contractors. All had been approached, and all
were interested. Reliant was keenest of all
and could produce body shells.
28 April 1983 The search for a star designer
was proving frustrating. Although, in Turner’s
words, Gordon Murray was keen (‘The genius
has taken the hook…’), he could not tackle
the job without leaving Brabham and going
freelance. Ecclestone didn’t like that, and
forcibly said so.
The only way to benefit was if Turner and
Brian Hart could spend an evening tapping
Murray’s brains. And so they did. ‘We listened
enthralled as he set out his ideas on how a
special sports car should be engineered. It was
a memorable evening, and a masterclass in
design,’ Stuart later wrote.
Mid-May 1983 Turner decided on a ‘design
competition’ among respected freelancers, to
choose a concept. Phone call after phone call
mentioned names as diverse as Patrick Head
(Williams), Tony Southgate, Mike Loasby,
Giampaolo Dallara, Derek Gardner, John
Barnard and Nigel Stroud.
Three of them – Loasby, Southgate and
Stroud – were invited to provide a ‘paper
project’, based around Ford-Cosworth BDT
turbocharged engines (200 of which were
already in stock from the aborted RS1700T
programme. Turner’s design brief said: ‘Key
objective: to produce an outright International
109
ford rs200

1986 Ford RS200 (road spec)

Engine 1803cc mid-mounted DOHC four-cylinder, 16 valves, Garrett turbocharger, Ford/Bosch fuel injection
Power 246bhp @ 6500-7000rpm Torque 215lb ft @ 4000-5000rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, four-wheel drive, three
viscous-coupling LSDs, adjustable torque split Steering Rack and pinion, unassisted Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones,
coil springs, telescopic dampers Brakes Discs, four-piston calipers, no servo Weight 1180kg Top speed 150mph 0-60mph 5.0sec

rally winner. Nothing must be allowed to
compromise this.’
And: ‘NOT a lie-down racing driving
position. Windscreen angle is critical in
rallying. No body styling is required – this will
be done by Ghia.’
Late May 1983 News arrived that John
Wheeler, the ex-F1 designer who was based at
Ford Motorsport’s Boreham HQ and had
engineered the RS1700T, was offended at not
having been invited to tender for a new
design. He insisted on being involved, and
became the fourth to submit a scheme.
10 July 1983 While carrying out a
commentary job at a classic car show at
Knebworth, I was visited by Turner, who, in
cloak-and-dagger style, slipped a package into
my briefcase, winked, and backed off without
saying a word. Inside were the four design
proposals, for my information, which I still
have. All were very well presented, but all
differed in several basic ways.
Clockwise from above
Fiesta vents and
switchgear outshone by
red torque-split lever in
cockpit; 420bhp
Ford-Cosworth turbo
four; rear clamshell lifts
to reveal the RS200’s
engine and transmission.
Within days Turner and Mike Moreton had
studied them, and preferred Southgate’s and
Wheeler’s designs to the other two schemes,
decided to amalgamate their best features, and
forged ahead. Southgate’s concept had been
technically elegant but rather race-car
orientated, while Wheeler’s was a more
practical car for ‘side-of-the road’ servicing on
events. Southgate’s design, in other words,
was beautifully detailed, while Wheeler’s was
more ‘quick and dirty’ where maintenance was
concerned.
The object was to build the first car at once,
with 200 to follow by the end of 1984, and
to aim for homologation on 1 January 1985.
August 1983 Boreham went into a state of
lockdown, with no casual visitors – certainly
not me – allowed through the doors while
preparation work started for building the first
B200. At one stage, pieces of Sierra bodywork
(cut-down doors, front roof and screen) were
mocked up on the floor, with king mechanic
living with an RS200
Graham Robson ran one
as a daily driver in the ’80s
While between 20 and 30 RS200s were
used in motorsport, the rest mainly went into
the heated garages of collectors. Back in the
mid-1980s, only two individuals ran them as
‘daily drivers’: one was Bob Howe, the man
tasked with selling every car, and the other
was yours truly. Back then I was running the
Ford-controlled Owners’ Club, and writing
much service material about the cars.
Both of us changed our cars frequently but
what Ford really needed was for us to provide
the ‘endurance’ mileage experience on cars
that might otherwise be unfamiliar even to
the manufacturers. It followed that we were
probably the only individuals who got used to
being swept under the entrance barriers at
Boreham: ‘We know that there are only two
of you running RS200s every day, so we let
you in…’ Even the gate guardian, a bossy
fellow known as ‘Cosworth’, got used to us.
Howe also carried out demonstrations to
every customer who visited him to assess
a car, and completed over 100,000 miles.
Over four years I had the use of four cars and
covered 85,000 miles, which included
pursuing the Pirelli Classic Marathon
to and from Cortina in Italy.
One got used to treating an RS200 gently
first thing in the morning, until the engine oil
pressures came down to operating levels (or
you’d suffer a burst pipe – that happened to
both of us), and to resisting all attempts by
Capri 2.8i or Sierra RS Cosworth owners to
get involved in open road races – which they
would always abandon after trying to emulate
the RS200 on corners or roundabouts.
Once we got used to the abysmal
performance of the heater, zero rear visibility
for the driver, and the abrupt clutch operation
that required a Master’s degree in subtlety,
life could be, and usually was, blissful. It
helped if we kept away from traffic jams (for
a BDT engine could be tempted to boil over),
but there were compensations. I might be
ugly, but when I was driving my RS200 every
pretty girl seemed to smile.
111
ford rs200
Mick Jones acting as the ‘mannequin’. At the
same time, the other mechanics were kept busy
working on turbocharged Escorts and the
forerunners of what would become the Sierra
RS Cosworth.
Meanwhile, Ghia (Ford’s styling house
subsidiary in Turin) started work shaping the
body. Turner’s three-page brief noted that he
wanted ‘an ageless design… an exciting (but
unaggressive) design with a “Ford family
flavour”. A “Porsche Sierra”, perhaps…’
Mid-September 1983 On his way back from
the Italian GP (at Monza), Turner called in at
Ghia, collected a package of styling sketches
112
and showed them off at a meeting held at
Boreham, which concluded that more work
was needed.
‘The big argument,’ Turner later commented,
‘was over the working environment for the
drivers. We wanted an upright screen so that
there would be no distracting reflections when
flashing through forests. Ghia wanted a more
raked and sporting one. Eventually we won.’
20 September 1983 Bob Lutz (by that time
running Ford’s worldwide automotive
operations from Detroit) chaired a meeting in
London, where approval was finally given to
spending $293,000 on the first prototype:
one car – no more, just one car – could be
produced. Now the rush really intensified.
Along with expert help from ART (the
Woolaston, Glos, firm in which John Thompson
and Tony Southgate were involved), who built
the first chassis tub, it was hoped to get the
prototype running by January 1984. Even
though Turner had been reluctant in 1983, FF
Developments (‘Ferguson’ as they were still
known by almost everyone) got the job of
designing the four-wheel-drive system; JQF of
Easton Neston, near Towcester (their premises
were in Lord Hesketh’s mansion), looked after
the re-engineering and slight enlarging of

RS1700T engines from 1786cc to 1803cc;
while a specialist in South Wales, Ken Atwell
(maker of the GTD40 kit car), was hired to
make the original body moulds.
By this time the official model name – RS200
– had been chosen, and would appear on every
Ghia sketch thereafter.
It could not be done overnight, but time was
now definitely the enemy.
January 1984 Turner held his annual pre-
season motorsport press conference in
London, where he stonewalled all media
questions about new models. Immediately
afterwards, in a private briefing, I learned that
the first ART chassis/tub had been completed,
the rest of the running gear was making steady
progress, and Ghia had satisfied Ford with its
final styling suggestions. A clay mock-up was
being completed in Turin and would shortly be
transported to Ken Atwell in South Wales.
Unhappily, the timetable was already slipping,
and there was now no chance of getting the car
on sale by the end of 1984.
12 March 1984 This was The Big Day – for
everyone from Hayes downwards, and
especially for Turner. At long last Ford’s top
brass would see the completed car (beautifully
finished and liveried for the occasion, though
‘Given a chance,
petrolhead Bob
Lutz would have
driven the car out
into Oxford Street
for its first trial’
it was yet to turn a wheel) for the first time.
And the cloak-and-dagger aspect was
maintained to the very end.
Instead of showing off the car at Boreham,
or even in the styling studios at the company’s
design/development HQ at Dunton, an
upstairs showroom at Ford’s personal export
garage in Balderton Street, off London’s
Oxford Street, was chosen. Stuart Turner, John
Wheeler and Mike Moreton were all there to
make the presentation – Turner making the
marketing pitch, Moreton the manufacturing
survey, and Wheeler the whys-and-wherefores
of the technical layout – and all were anxious
to get speedy approval.
Their visitors, led by Bob Lutz and joined by
Alex (later Lord) Trotman, were impressed –
and so they should have been, for it had taken
only 5½ months to progress from project
approval to having a car to show. What followed
seemed surprisingly straightforward.
The request to build five more pre-
production prototypes, followed by a further
$600,000 to be spent on testing, development
and certification work, came first, followed by
instructions to Mike Moreton to finalise a
production contract with an outside concern.
Given a chance, the renowned petrolhead Bob
Lutz would have driven the car out into Oxford
Street for its first trial, but that was premature,
even by his elevated standards.
Even so, after the directors, and then Prince
Michael of Kent, had taken a look at the new
machine, I was briefly allowed into the upper
sanctum in Balderton Street. So there it was…
and that was what the original phone call of
January1983 had been all about.
Now, though, Ford’s job was to follow up
by turning the pretty prototype into 200
production cars. Not only did they have to
refine the design, but they had to find a
location at which to build the 200 cars – and
that would take them until the end of 1985.
Time truly was running out.
Thanks To Canepa Classic
and Collector Cars, canepa.com.
113
ford rs200

Above
Care to count ’em? The RS200
‘production line’ at Reliant’s factory
in Shenstone, Staffordshire – chosen
because of the company’s expertise
with plastic bodies.

200: the magic number

The FIA demanded 200 cars for Group B homologation –
and Ford was no less creative than others in achieving that
Words Graham Robson

car makers have always had to build a
certain number of new cars, and prove it to the
FIA, before they could be used in motorsport.
It’s called ‘homologation’ and the cheats
looking for loopholes have been active for
many years. You want examples? Well, Vauxhall
with two Chevette HSs when they claimed to
have made 400, Lancia with 190 of the Stratos
when they claimed 500, Austin-Healey’s 3000,
which started using aluminium cylinder heads
before selling a single one, Ferrari with just 39
250 GTOs when they should have had 100,
BMC with just two Mini-Cooper 970Ss when
they claimed 1000…
So the FIA tightened things up in the 1980s
and started to demand proof – real cars, all to
be lined up, all to be counted – before allowing
them in. From 1982, Group B homologation
demanded 200 cars to be built. Lancia (with
the Rally 037), Peugeot (with the 205 T16),
and Audi (with the short-wheelbase Quattro)
all followed the rules, while Lancia (with the
Delta S4) and Austin-Rover (with the Metro
6R4) were sure to follow.
In 1985, therefore, Ford set out to build 200
RS200s, looking for speedy homologation, but
it just made it – only just, mind you – by the
end of January 1986. That’s what the much-
publicised group shots from the Shenstone
factory are all about. Some of the last cars were
thrown together and looked suspiciously
incomplete; not long after the FIA inspection
team flew home, no fewer than 46 of them were
hastily stripped out, and the parts put on the
shelf at Boreham as spares-on-the-hoof.
Ford, however, had done the honourable
thing, originally making six prototypes and 194
‘production’ cars, before Bob Howe became a
one-man sales department at Boreham and
started finding customers. It took until mid-
1989 to shift the last, after which the ‘replica’
and ‘cloning’ industry got under way.

114
ford rs200

Following
Now you saw it, now you didn’t… in a competitive Group B car, Mark Lovell won
although the FIA’s abrupt ban on Group B the British Rally Championship outright – and
rallying meant that the 420bhp RS200 this was only the beginning for what seemed

the
competed only for a year, for Ford fanatics it
was a glorious period. Malcolm Wilson drove
to victory on its first outing – the Lindisfarne
rally, September 1985 – while in 1986 there
to be a remarkable car. The four-wheel-drive
system not only proved that it was effective, but
that it could excel on all types of surface.
In the meantime, Mark Rennison bought

fireworks were 19 outright wins in six countries, almost

The RS200’s Group B
rallying career was all too
brief – though it led to
domination elsewhere
Words Graham Robson
all at European championship level.
Because of the ban after the death of Henri
Toivonen and Sergio Cresto in the 1986 Tour
de Corse, the factory’s World Championship
campaign had barely got started, yet cars driven
by Stig Blomqvist and Kalle Grundel set fastest
stage times on all four of them, and recorded
third overall (in Sweden) and fifth (in the
Lombard-RAC). It was bad luck (broken wheel
studs) that prevented outright victory in the
Acropolis, where they led for a time, and where
their pace on Greece’s rough stages disturbed
the arrogance of Peugeot and Lancia rivals.
In a few short months the RS200 proved that
it could win anywhere and everywhere – from
icy Scandinavia to the heat and dust of Spain,
and from the twisty tarmac of Holland and
Belgium to the gravel-surfaced stages of Great
Britain. Here at home, and in his very first year
one of the first non-‘works’ cars, had it prepared
for loose-surface sprint events, and immediately
began to dominate the British rallycross scene.
Once ex-works rally cars became available,
there was a rush of customers from all over
Europe to emulate him, and to use such
machines, and the RS200 would set every
winning standard for several seasons to come.
For 1987, and until the FIA stepped in,
Boreham’s chief engineer John Wheeler had
been planning an ‘Evolution’ type (of which
20 would have to built), which would not only
have been 100kg lighter but would have used
the brand-new 2.1-litre Hartpower BDT-E
version of the famous Ford 16-valve engine. On
its first full-power run in 1986, the BDT-E had
pulled more than 500bhp, while 600bhp was
seriously forecast for the near future. Later,
rallycross entrants proved that even this was
a conservative estimate. End

116
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.
200MPH MARVELS
154
mph
WORLD’S FASTEST TRACTOR
JCB FASTRAC TWO
OK, so the official speed record
is 135.191mph, based on two
runs in either direction over
a 1km distance, but British
company JCB’s Fastrac Two
record-breaking tractor touched
153.771mph one-way at
Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire
last November. So let’s call it
154mph. Not surprisingly, the
world’s most telegenic lorry
mechanic and TT motorcycle
ace Guy Martin was at the
wheel, describing his experience
as ‘a proper privilege’. The
7.2-litre, six-cylinder Dieselmax
engine was tuned to deliver
1016bhp (and 5mpg), but just
as big a challenge was sourcing
tyres that could withstand these
ultra-high speeds – they’re
normally rated at 40mph.
Top and right
JCB’s Fastrac Two and
Volvo’s The Iron Knight
both make use of regular
production parts to
qualify for their ‘fastest
in the world’ titles.
120
171
mph
WORLD’S FASTEST TRUCK
VOLVO ‘THE IRON KNIGHT’
Who’d have thunk it – those
crazy Swedes coming up with
the world’s fastest truck? Driven
by former European truck
racing champion Boije
Ovebrink, Volvo Trucks’ The
Iron Knight ran to 171.12mph
while setting 500m and 1000m
truck records at an airfield in
Sweden. Even more mind-
boggling than its 2367bhp is
a maximum torque figure of
4425lb ft, which validates the
main point of the exercise
– good PR for the truck’s I-Shift
Dual Clutch transmission,
as used in Volvo’s FH-series
wagons. It continues a fine
tradition of loony Volvo trucks
established by The Wild Viking
in 2007 and Mean Machine in
2010. We suspect someone on
the design team watched a lot
of Wacky Races as a child.
200
mph
FASTEST BIRD (AND ANIMAL)
PEREGRINE FALCON
Think a cheetah is fast? It’s
certainly the fastest land animal,
with a maximum speed of about
70mph – in short bursts – but
it’s a comparative tortoise next

to the peregrine falcon, which
reaches over 200mph when it
dives for a kill. The highest
measured speed for a peregrine
falcon is reputedly 242mph,
making it the world’s fastest
bird – and, as a result, the
fastest member of the animal
kingdom. When beginning its
stoop, as the falcon’s dive is
called, it folds back its wings
and tail, tucking its feet so that
it can use them to strike its prey
mid-dive and either kill or stun
it, before turning in mid-air to
catch it. The purity and elegance
of nature’s design is in stark
contrast to that ‘other’
well-known aerial diving
machine, the Junkers Ju-87
Sturzkampfflugzeug, better
known as the Stuka. Its
maximum safe speed in a
vertical dive was 375mph.
200
mph
TERMINAL VELOCITY
FOR A HUMAN BEING
If you’ve ever wondered what
kind of speed you’d reach if you
fell out of a plane, the answer is
120mph, give or take. That’s the
terminal velocity for a human in
the conventional free-fall
‘Aaaagh!’ position. If you pull in
your limbs to reduce air
resistance, you can get up to
about 200mph – like the
peregrine falcon, which uses
a similar technique – but a
competition speed skydiver can
reach over 300mph, and the
infamous Felix Baumgartner has
managed 840mph by making
his jump at high altitude, where
the air is much thinner and
therefore presents less drag.

Right an nd above
Peregrine falcon is the
speediesst animal of all;
Junkers Ju-87 ‘Stuka’ was
faster in a dive, but a lot
less hand dsome e.

121
FASTEST SPEED ACHIEVED
IN A ONE-MAN BALLOON
Bagging a genuine ‘first’ in the
21st Century is not easy, but
late US aviator Steve Fossett did
it in style when he completed
the first solo flight around the
world in a balloon, The Bud
Light Spirit of Freedom, during
June-July 2002. Starting and
finishing in Australia, he spent
almost 15 days in a freezer-sized
cube made from Kevlar and
carbonfibre, breathing oxygen
from a liquid oxygen system,
eating military ration packs and
sleeping on average about three
hours a day in short naps.
According to the Smithsonian
National Air and Space
Museum, which displays his
gondola capsule in Washington
DC, he achieved speeds of up to
204mph – with a balloon that
was designed by British balloon
maker Donald Cameron.

204
mph
FIRST MAN TO HIT A BALL
OVER 200MPH: JASON ZUBACK
Regardless of whether you
consider golf to be ‘a good
walk spoiled’, there has to be a
certain fascination with seeing
just how hard and far you can
hit a spherical lump of plastic
and rubber. World Long Drive
Champion, the Canadian golfer
Jason Zuback, became the first
man to smash a ball of any kind
above 200mph, when he drove
a golf ball to 204mph during an
episode of TV programme
Sports Science on 1 January
2007. That speed has since been
bested by Maurice Allen, who
recorded 211mph in Orlando,
Florida, in August 2012.
211
mph
FIRST MAN TO TRAVEL AT OVER
200MPH: JOSEPH SADI-LECOINTE
When it comes to going fast,
air trumps land beats water in
terms of minimising drag – so
it’s not surprising that the first
man to top 200mph did so in an
aircraft. On 10 September 1922,
Nieuport-Delage test pilot
Joseph Sadi-Lecointe averaged
201.8mph over 100km in his
350bhp monoplane (pictured
above); it would take Henry
Segrave until 1927 to reach a
similar speed – 203.79mph – on
land with the 1000hp Sunbeam.
Sadi-Lecointe worked for the
French Resistance during WW2
but was captured and tortured
by the Gestapo; he died from
his injuries soon afterwards.
230
mph
CRUISING SPEED OF
AN MQ-9 REAPER DRONE
We call it a drone; the maker
– rather sinisterly – describes it
as a Persistent Multi-Mission
ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance
and Reconnaisance) and Strike
Aircraft. Whatever: its model
name, ‘Reaper’, doesn’t leave
much doubt about its killing
capabilities. The MQ-9 Reaper
is a weaponised version of the
remote-controlled aircraft first
used by the USAF in the 1990s
for spying on terrorists and
other undesirables, but quickly
adapted to carry Hellfire
missiles and laser-guided
bombs. It transports them at a
230mph cruise, but can scorch
up to 300mph if required.
Below and bottom
18th Century guns have
muzzle velocities starting
at about 270mph; MQ-9
Reaper can travel
at 300mph.
265
mph
MUZZLE VELOCITY OF A
BLACK-POWDER MUSKET
A more pretentious alternative
to the rhetorical question ‘How
long’s a piece of string?’ might
be ‘What’s the typical muzzle
velocity of a black-powder
musket?’ There’s a massive
number of variables here, from
the type of weapon, size of
musket ball, the amount of
powder used – and whether the
ball is ‘greased and patched’,
which means that a slightly
undersized ball is wrapped in a
piece of cloth, traditionally
greased in the US backwoods
with bear fat, to help it slide
down the barrel. Longer barrels
generally give higher exit
velocities than shorter, ranging
from about 265 to 820mph.
123
200MPH MARVELS

300
mph
DODGE TOMAHAWK
MOTORCYCLE CONCEPT
300mph? On a motorcycle?
Sounds like fantasy – and that’s
because it is. When Dodge

unveiled its Tomahawk concept
at the 2003 North American
International Auto Show, it
brazenly claimed a top speed of
300 to 400mph, depending on
which executive you talked to.
In fact, this 8.3-litre V10
Viper-engined ‘bike’ – having
two close-coupled wheels at
either end made even that
definition controversial –
has never been ridden above
100mph, and Dodge always
batted away questions from the
press about how that mythical
300mph-plus speed might be
realised, and refused requests to
test it. Veracity aside, it certainly
caused a stir – you can just
imagine Judge Dredd astride
a Tomahawk as he lays down
the law in Mega-City One.
450
mph
SCALEXTRIC 1:32 SLOT CAR
No less an authority than James
May – who, in 2009 for an
episode of his TV series Toy
Stories, oversaw the creation by
400 volunteers of a 2.95-mile
Scalextric track around the
original site of Brooklands race
circuit – has estimated that the
maximum speed of a typical
Scalextric car is 13-15mph.
Scaled up by 32, that’s
416-480mph; let’s say 450.
The official Guinness World

267
Record of maximum scale
Above and right speed for a Scalextric car is
Visions of the future:
China made it real with a
983.88mph, set by a Honda F1
maglev train, but Dodge model in 2008. Jenson must

mph faked it with its 2003

Tomahawk motorcycle.
have been on particularly good
form that day… End

SHANGHAI MAGLEV TRAIN

These days it’s getting hard to
find a country that doesn’t boast
a 200mph train; even the UK
has witnessed a record 208mph
set by a Eurostar on our side of
the Channel Tunnel. But China
has eclipsed all its rivals by
building a maglev (magnetic
levitation) railway that is not
only capable of 267mph but
operates at that speed on a daily
basis. Running 18.6 miles from
Longyang Road station to
Pudong International airport
in Shanghai, the journey takes
just 7min 20sec. As a reviewer
wrote on Tripadvisor: ‘When
you meet another train [passing
in the other direction], it is
about two seconds of surprise
and heart failure.’

124
200 GRAND AND HOW TO SPEND IT

H O W W O U L D Y O U S P E N D I T ?

£200,000 is enough to buy a fabulous car – but the

one of your dreams? Perhaps not. A collection?
Maybe. Here is some sage advice

126
 S AY S . . .
TWO HUNDRED is a fulsome number. More opulent than
100 but not as flash as 500. And 200 – especially 200
thousand pounds – is a decent amount to conjure with when
it comes to motor cars; collector cars in particular.
As this is our 200th edition we thought we’d indulge in a
little mental gymnastics and consider where best to park
200 large. You could plonk down £195,363 on a new Ferrari
488 GTB without a single option (or about £150k for a used
one). A fabulous piece of kit but hardly imaginative and the
list price indicates that £200,000 is not that large a sum at
the tail end of 2019. Looking at the ads in Octane issue
number one, dated 1 July 2003, I see that good used Ferrari
F355s were priced at around the £50,000 mark, with 360s
roughly £70,000. The classified ads included many E-type
Jaguars at around £20,000 and the Ferrari 250 GTO we
featured on the cover was valued at £7 million – today it’s
worth £50 million. Clearly the power of £200k has shrunk
substantially in the intervening 16 years.
Being motoring journalists, those of us on this magazine
regularly get asked ‘What classic car should I buy?’ – often
shorthand for ‘Which one will appreciate the most?’ In that
case, don’t take our advice: none of us has made any long-
term money out of the market because we tend to buy cars
we like, not as investments. It would have been much more
lucrative to have been car dealers instead of launching
Octane in ’03! I suppose contributor Delwyn Mallett has the
most impressive collection of valuable classics but, much to
his wife’s dismay, he never sells anything. And Harry
Metcalfe’s collection is certainly valuable but, then again,
Harry is canny enough to make money out of thin air.
There really is no answer to what classics you should buy
because everyone has different opinions and desires. A car
dealer will tell you to ‘buy the best at the best price’. As you
will see at the end of this feature, we Octane types have
wildly varying ideas on how to blow £200k on cars. In my
opinion, in order to be enjoyable and effective, a collection
of cars should be a pleasure to use in a very personable
manner. Where you live – in a crowded city or out in the
countryside – has an impact. What sort of storage do you
have? Do you want a car for concours, touring, rallying or
racing? Having one of our cover-feature Ferraris locked up
somewhere across town is not my idea of enjoyable
ownership. To be honest, I suppose I have never actually
been a car ‘collector’; instead I have always driven my
classics. My first was a 1957 Alfa Giulietta that served as a
daily commuter as well as a Historic rally car. We drove all
over Europe competing in numerous rallies and events, so
the Alfa was solid but certainly not a concours contender.
Selling that, I then owned my 1964 Porsche 356 C for
decades, again as my daily driver in London, as a rally car,
and finally as a classic racer. That ended badly.
My current classic is a 1955 Jaguar XK140 that suits me
perfectly. It is my driver but, living in central London, I don’t
have to drive every day. It is garaged nearby (all my cars have
been garaged, which is essential for safety and longevity)
and it, too, has been driven around Scotland, the UK and
Europe on various rallies. The XK is a practical fixed-head
coupé with 2+2 seating and, with its 3.8-litre engine, it loafs
along motorways as happily as it whips down country lanes.
What I’m getting at is that I’m happy with one classic car
at a time because of my location and interests. I do not race
the Jaguar because I have finally worked out that having a
road car in racing trim doesn’t work. When I morphed my
356 into a Historic racer it was fun on circuits but otherwise
it was harsh, noisy, uncomfortable and generally bloody
unpleasant. So if I landed £200k (I would have to contact
our friends at JBR Capital to raise the required funds) I’d
subject my XK to a full nut-and-bolt rebuild: repaint, retrim
and mechanical tweakery that, done properly, will get
through about £130,000. It doesn’t really need it, of course,
but getting it spot-on would be a pleasure. The remaining
£70k I’d spend on entering some of the best rallies and tours.
But if I moved out of London to somewhere with space
for a small collection I know exactly what I’d want. I realise
that one classic car cannot do it all; a couple of
complementary cars would provide the full range of driving
127
200 GRAND AND HOW TO SPEND IT
‘A couple of complementary cars would
provide the full range of driving enjoyment’
enjoyment. First an open vintage car. Desirable examples are
expensive so it will have to be a Special of some description.
I saw a beautiful VSCC-eligible 1930 Riley 9 Brooklands
Special for sale recently; enormous fun for around £70k. I’d
need a trailer too, which would be around £3000, and then a
vehicle would be needed to pull it. Got to be a classic Range
Rover! A late five-door Vogue SE with a manual gearbox,
finished in Ardennes Green. That would fit the bill perfectly.
Ten grand should secure a good one.
A trailer offers all sorts of other opportunities, including a
proper Historic racing machine, and one of the all-time best
is the Alfa Romeo 105-Series Giulia. Balanced, predictable,
fast enough and an all-round brilliant racing car for someone
starting Historic racing with a budget of around £50k. Then
a modern classic, and the weapon of choice has to be a used
Jaguar F-type 3.0 supercharged coupé: 335bhp for £35k!
And finally a ‘nipping to the shops the long way’ car with
ultimate appeal, a classic 1960s 1275cc Mini-Cooper S in
dark green with cream top, wide steel wheels, hubcaps (but
no naff rally lamps!), a Downton-tuned engine and roof-
mounted aerial. Suddenly it’s a Best of British collection!
But don’t take it from me; the professionals out there have
more nuanced advice on how to dispense with £200,000.
PETER WALLMAN, ex-RM Sotheby’s, now a consultant
and commentator on the classic car world, has a very
imaginative answer to the quandary. ‘This could not be
easier, especially as I believe in practising what I preach. My
recommendation would be a Series 1 E-type Jaguar FHC –
one of the sexiest cars ever built and incredibly usable. With
the rest of the budget I would mix things up and go for a Riva
Ariston, the Ferrari of the boat world and an icon of the Jet
Set La Dolce Vita era. It would be possible to have both the
E-type and the Ariston from the same build year. Two 1960s
icons for £200,000 – sounds like a pretty good deal!
‘Rent a house on Lake Como, Lake Maggiore or Lake
Garda, drive your E-type down to Italy for your Easter break,
have your Riva dropped in the water each day by one of the
specialist boatyards (which are relatively affordable) and
enjoy the very best of beauty, glamour and pure pleasure on
both wheels and water – just be sure to add a pair of classic
wooden water skis to ensure you keep in trim after all the
delicious lunches on the lake.’ Peter owns both a Riva and
an E-type Series 1 so he does actually live the dream.
ANOTHER IDEA COMES from classic and racecar
specialist Peter Bradfield. ‘Steve McQueen said “Racing is
life. Anything before or after is just waiting,” so with
£200,000 you could get out of the grandstand and onto the
grid! You can buy a properly race-prepped Mustang for
around the £100k mark and squander the rest on birds and
booze, to misquote George Best. Or more seriously, use the
rest to bankroll three seasons of Historic racing. If that’s all
too racy for you, then £200k will buy you all sorts of pre-war
machinery and get you involved with the pre-war rally and
128
race scene. Did I mention that I have a Lagonda LG45 Le
Mans rep for sale for £175,000?’
THE DEALER GRAEME HUNT has world-class
experience of Bentleys. ‘We recently had a lovely 1956
Bentley SI Continental four-door James Young in the shop,
finished in Mist Green with tan upholstery for around
£190,000. A rare and properly coachbuilt Bentley for real-
world money. That leaves £10k to spend on a 1980s Bentley
Turbo R as your everyday smoke. What an elegant
combination,’ suggests Graeme.
AND FROM THE Scottish Embassy in Kensington,
otherwise known as Fiskens, Gregor Fisken concurs to some
degree: ‘With £200k in your pocket I would most likely
recommend a Bentley S1, S2 or S3 Flying Spur. It wouldn’t
be concours standard for this price but it would certainly be
a very usable and fantastic-looking car. Alternatively, if you
have a passion for Ferraris and ’70s cars, then a 308 GTB
Vetroresina would be an excellent choice. Finally, for those
who are keen on the slightly earlier models, I would suggest
a Jaguar XK120 or XK140. They are great fun and very
reasonable and may even leave you with a little spare change.’
MARTIN CHISHOLM’S Classic Motor Hub in
Gloucestershire has a great selection of well-priced and
exciting machines. He has a very smart 1977 Aston Martin
V8 S on the shop floor, one of only 184 in S spec. Manual
with an Oselli Enginering 6.0-litre engine, this grand Aston
looks the business. Says Martin: ‘It is priced to sell at
£179,950, which is very good considering £130,000 has
been spent on it recently. The Moonbeam Grey is very
attractive along with the black leather. It just has to be a good
buy. I also have a cracking, low-mileage 1976 Ducati 900
Super Sport with all matching numbers. It’s similar to the
Duke raced by the legendary Mike Hailwood when he won
the Isle of Man TT in 1978. It’s priced at £32,000 –
motorcycles are still much more affordable than classic cars
and this is one of the most collectable motorcycles ever.
Together they’d just meet that total budget,’ says Martin.
OUR FAVORITE BROKER from Geneva, Simon Kidston,
finds this price point a challenge for more than one motor
car and suggests the following: ‘The best 911 2.4S out there.
Or a Lamborghini Islero, which is a great car but underrated.
A Maserati Ghibli SS coupé, down from its peak and now
good value compared to a Daytona. Then again, you could
choose a Fiat Dino 2400 Spider and end up with lots of
change to spend driving it on Grand Tours through Europe.’
SO THE ANSWER to spending £200,000 on a car or cars is
to work out what best suits your driving requirements and
practicalities such as garaging or storage and let your
imagination run riot. Buy the best you can – insist on cars
that have been restored at least once. Then get out and drive.
WE’VE FOUND NEW HOMES FOR OVER £1M WORTH OF CARS
We make selling a pleasure by telling your classic car story like no other sales or auction
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If you want to know how we can help you sell your classic, with no seller commissions
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www.TradeClassics.com
OR CALL US ON 01926 426 635
200 GRAND AND HOW TO SPEND IT
Here’s how the Octane staff would spend it
I am constantly forming sets of cars in
my head. ‘Fleets’ wouldn’t be the right
word: these need to be complementary
vehicles that interlace to serve all my
purposes, and ‘collection’ is just too big a
word for someone who has always found
that, whenever ownership extends beyond
three classics, something gets neglected.
My imaginary ‘sets’ have ranged from
cheap (TR7 V8 coupé and Lada Niva)
to super-exotic (250GT SWB, yes just
that; in my mind it is a whole set of cars
in one). I came closest to achieving
classic nirvana in real life when I was lucky
S AY S . . . enough to own a 1966 Elan, 1968 Jensen
130
Interceptor and modded 1965 Triumph
2000 at the same time. Admittedly it didn’t
span the eras, but that ‘set’ gave me a
two-door, two-seat, four-pot manual sports
car; an automatic V8, two-door, 2+2 GT;
and a four-door, four-seat, straight-six
executive saloon. Truth be told, if I bought
the best examples, and ‘upgraded’ to an
FF, I could spend £200,000 recreating
that set now (amazing, considering it cost
me £12,100 to assemble last time round).
Mind you, I’d settle for Alfa Duetto, Ferrari
308 GT4 and Maserati Quattroporte 1,
or maybe BMW Z1, Porsche 911S 2.4 and
Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9. Hmm…
 S AY S . . .
They might betray my age, but I’m a child
of the 1990s and these cars represent
a golden era for reliability and usability.
A V12 Ferrari is certainly one to cross off
the bucket list, and I’d start with a 456.
It would have to be a manual, preferably
finished in Tour de France Blue. These
start at about £30,000, but I’d want to
spend £50,000 on a mechanically sorted
one. Few cars are as engaging and
perfectly honed as Honda’s Integra Type
R for £10,000, in my opinion. For thrills?
It would have to be the hairy-chested TVR
Cerbera, in a lairy colour for £30,000.
I was born in Blackpool, after all!
I couldn’t limit my selection to just
youngtimers. A hydropneumatic Citroën is
non-negotiable, and nothing compares to
the magnificent SM. I’d budget £50,000
for a good one. A Busso V6-engined Alfa
Romeo has somehow never crossed my
driveway, so the Alfetta GTV6 has to be
top of my list. The £25,000 price you have
to pay for a decent example today is worth
it for that noise alone. Bringing a German
flavour to my garage, and effortless
beauty, would be the Audi 100
Coupé S for £35,000.
S AY S . . .
I’m going to try to do it in three. Well,
three-ish. A modest collection that
satisfies my tastes, fulfils my desires, ticks
a couple of petrolhead boxes. First a
Porsche. A 911, of course. But all the old
air-cooled ones I once fancied are a bit
rich for my theoretical small fortune, so it’s
a 996-generation GT3. Sure, the smart
money has been on the 997s, which have
never depreciated, but there’s something
a little rawer and more edgy about the
996. An easy £65,000 gone right there.
Something a little more vintage too,
please: a Lancia Aurelia B20 GT. I don’t
care which series, they’re all lovely, that
perfect blend of subtle style, aristocratic
engineering and an engaging drive –
something refined for when the 996 is
giving me a headache. Should be a
decent one out there for £125,000. Plus
something a bit Space Age. The Neil
Armstrong era, that is. I had a ratty-looking
NSU Ro80 for a decade and loved it, but
it’ll be a nice one this time. For £10,000.
Anything I save is my rotary contingency.
So, I’m spent up. Can I keep my 1989
BMW 320i Convertible for the summer,
or is that cheating?
S AY S . . .
That wise old bird Robert Coucher once
told me that you should only ever own one
classic car, so that you can focus all your
attention and energies on it; good advice
I’ve never forgotten, even if he seems to
have done so in the preceding pages. I’ve
never quite managed to achieve such an
enviable situation, either – but maybe this
is my chance. As someone who naturally
gravitates to the vintage end of the classic
spectrum, a Vauxhall 30-98 would be high
on my list, and Brightwells sold the ideal
example – a rakish Mulliner-bodied 1923
two-seater with a fabulous history – for
£185,000 last July. But for a long time
now I’ve hankered after a Rolls-Royce
Silver Ghost. I’ve been lucky enough to
drive a few for long distances – including
London to Edinburgh, using top gear only
(see Octane 102) – and they really are
special: capable of cruising at 50, 60 or
even 70mph all day long, and surprisingly
easy to drive. I know I’ll struggle to find
a nice one for £200,000 – and certainly
not an Edwardian car – but the US-built
Springfield Silver Ghosts, 1921-26, are
less expensive. Think I’d better cross my
fingers and haunt the auction rooms. End
131
 THE OCTANE
INTERVIEW
Andy Wallace
Record-breaker, racer, test driver. Or, as we shall
refer to him here, ‘Mr 200mph’. And then some…
Words Richard Heseltine Portrait Bugatti
His eyes widen at the memory. Andy
Wallace, sports car superstar and go-to guy for
speed record attempts, is recalling the first time
he breached 200mph. ‘The funny thing,’ he
says, straining to be heard over fellow diners
in a Buckinghamshire pub, ‘is that a lot of what
we do requires mental recalibration. You build
up to things. At the end of 1986, I received a
call from TWR asking if I would be interested
in driving a works Jaguar at Le Mans the
following year. I said “Thanks, but no. I am
going to be an F1 driver.” That never happened.’
Fortunately, they called him back in 1988.
‘A test was set up at Paul Ricard. I had no
experience of Group C or anything like it, but I
knew the circuit. I had raced there in a Formula
3000 single-seater that weighed about 500kg
and stayed glued to the road. Martin Brundle
was there with an XJR-9 in high-downforce
trim, and Jan Lammers and Johnny Dumfries
were testing the low-drag Le Mans version. I
was to have a go in both. Paul Ricard has quite
a long straight and the sprint car just gobbled it
up. It was the first time I had ever gone so
quickly, and from memory I touched 205mph
with it swerving all over the road. You really
needed all of the circuit. Cornering speeds
were limited only by how fast you dared go;
how much you trusted the car beneath you. I
got the drive, raced at Road Atlanta with John
Watson, and then at Jerez with Wattie and John
Nielsen, by way of a warm-up.’
Then came Le Mans. ‘There was no test
weekend that year, but I knew that 6000rpm on
the Mulsanne equated to 200mph. I remember
heading down that long, long straight first time
out, the car being unsettled by the grooves
worn into the track surface and the camber
changes. Plus, of course, there were slower
132
Group C2 cars out there. It certainly focused
my attention, but I thought I was going jolly
fast. That, and how I was a bit scared and
wanted my mum. Then another factory Jaguar
came past me like I was standing still. Next
time around, I went through the kink – which
my team-mates insisted was flat – with every
intention of not lifting. My right foot was
buried in the bulkhead on the approach, my
toes curling up, but I still had a little lift. Then,
on my third attempt, I didn’t lift at all. We
ended up doing 248.5mph that year. Once you
know you can do something, it’s OK. It’s the
build-up that’s the problem.’
Instantly likable and winningly modest,
Wallace has retired from competition, but the
58-year-old forgets this from time to time. As
we meet, he is a few days from heading to
Florida for the Classic 24 Hour Daytona
Endurance Race – he and his team-mates won
last year’s by a second. Becoming an ace
wheelman was his childhood dream and it
would appear that he cannot quite go cold
turkey. ‘I grew up 30 miles from Silverstone
and would cycle over to every meeting I could.
It was usually dark when I’d set off, and often
raining, but I loved it. I didn’t enjoy school,
though, and left when I was 16. I joined British
Gas, qualified as a service engineer, a means
to an end. I was going to be a racing driver.’
There was no family money, however, which
precluded a spell in karting. ‘I had seen a few
pre-1974 Formula Ford races and thought that
looked like something I could just about stretch
to. I tried to get a loan, but banks didn’t
consider teenagers to be a good bet. So I
scrimped and saved and spotted an ad in
Autosport for a 1973 Hawke DL11, for £1250. I
phoned the owner, who brought it down in the
 andy wallace interview

back of an old converted bus from Scotland to

meet us halfway, at Sandbach Services on the
M6. I then tore around the car park in this
single-seater. We negotiated, he knocked ten
pounds off the asking price, I loaded the car
onto a trailer I’d bought off Jonathan Palmer for
50 quid, and towed it home behind dad’s
Austin Maxi. I then took the Hawke apart and
pretended I knew what I was doing.’
Unfortunately, the dream debut in 1979 was
curtailed by a shunt. ‘It was a general test day at
Silverstone. I was going down the Club straight
and this Clubmans car came past, only to pick
up a puncture that prompted a lurid spin at
Woodcote. I clipped him and went end-over-
end. The next thing I know, “Silverstone Sid” is

Clockwise from below

Le Mans 1988, and Jaguar’s first win there in 31 years,
with the XJR-9 driven by (RH page, left to right) Johnny
Dumfries, Jan Lammers and Wallace; Daytona 1990, the
XJR-12 of Wallace, Lammers and Davy Jones takes the
bugatti

flag; Le Mans 1995, with Derek and Justin bell; early win
in a pre-74 Formula Ford race, Mallory Park, 1980.

‘I thought I was goIng jolly

fast. that, and how I was a bIt
scared and wanted my mum’

134
 lifting me out of my car. It took me seven
months to fix the Hawke.’ A year later, our hero
netted six wins from 13 starts to claim the title
before moving up to contemporary Formula
Ford for 1981. Fast-forward to 1985, and
Wallace was runner-up in the British Formula 3
series. A year later, he demolished the
opposition in the same category driving for
Robert Synge’s crack Madgwick Motorsport
team, the highlight of his campaign being
victory in the blue riband Macau Grand Prix.
‘In many ways, that was the best and worst
thing that happened to me,’ he muses. ‘That was
the race we all wanted to win, and you had a lot
of drivers stepping down to F3 from other
categories to do it, including some from F1. I
won both heats, the first after I jumped
Lammers. Jan has the best car control of any
driver I have ever seen. Even so, he was heading
into the barriers at the Lisboa corner late in the
race until I dived up the inside. We banged
wheels, which got him pointing straight again,
and we came home first and second. We
getty images
bugatti
laughed about it later on and it was Jan who
recommended me for a seat with TWR. I beat
Emanuele Pirro in the second heat and was
offered a test with Benetton F1 at Donington
Park, but it wasn’t a straightforward experience.
There was me, Giovanni Amati, Otto Rensing,
David Hunt, and Emanuele who had two years’
experience in F3000. The Benetton had a four-
cylinder BMW turbo engine with massive
horsepower and huge turbo-lag and ran ultra-
hard-compound Pirelli tyres. I was second-
fastest behind Pirro.’
There would be no graduation to the top
table, though. ‘It’s just one of those things. If
you look back at winners of the British F3 title
going back ten years prior to that, they all went
on to F1: Senna, Brundle, Palmer, Piquet,
Dumfries and so on. Tyrrell wanted me for ’87,
but it was contingent on me finding £600,000.
Arrows also offered me a drive, but it was the
same story. My single-seater career stalled,
although Robert Synge put together an F3000
programme for 1987, but we were trying to do
it on an F3 budget.’ He neglects to mention
that he led the series’ finale in Spain for 50 laps,
only to be tripped up by an errant backmarker.
A change of disciplines beckoned. ‘I kicked
myself for turning the TWR drive down first
time around, but I grabbed the opportunity to
race for them in 1988 with both hands. The
boss, Tom Walkinshaw, wasn’t a pussycat, but
he gave you the tools with which to do your
job. I remember that second outing with the
team at Jerez. We should have won, but I was
obliged to take to the grass on a fifth-gear
corner after a C2 driver dropped it and blocked
the track. I had to pit to clear all the muck out
of the radiators, which allowed Sauber through
to win. Tom was not at all happy, and I took the
blame. He was a tough taskmaster and didn’t
want to hear excuses. He reasoned that he was
paying you to do a job and he expected results.
I got £5000 for Le Mans in 1988.’
Wallace and team-mates Dumfries and
Lammers famously won a race not exactly
lacking in drama. Octane columnist Derek Bell,
getty images
motorsport images
135
 andy wallace interview
alamy
bugatti
Hans Stuck and Klaus Ludwig had been major
threats in their factory Porsche 962C, only for
the latter to run out of fuel trying to eke out an
extra lap. Cue an epic comeback for the Anglo-
German line-up. For Jaguar, the race was no
less problematic. ‘The transmission was the
weak link. Jan taught me how to drive quickly
while taking little out of the car – I hadn’t done
a 24-hour race before. Jan nursed our car home
with the Porsche on the same lap; the
transmission had been hopping out of gear, so
Jan grabbed the first available ratio – fourth –
and left it there. He knew the works Porsche
team was listening to our radio broadcasts so he
didn’t let on that we had a problem. The final
pitstop was heart-in-mouth stuff, but we
claimed Jaguar’s first victory at Le Mans for 31
years. When the mechanics took the gearbox
apart, the innards tumbled out.’
136
Winning Le Mans on his debut led to a full-
time seat with TWR, big wins including the
1990 Daytona 24 Hours before switching to
Toyota; both in the World Sports Car
Championship and IMSA GTP. ‘Dan Gurney’s
AAR team ran the American side of things and
he was great to drive for. Would I fit in? He put
you at ease straight away. I won the 1992 and
’93 Sebring 12 Hours driving with Juan Manuel
Fangio II. It was with the same chassis, too.’
Wallace bagged 25 major sports car victories
to the end in 2012. The closest he came to
repeating his rookie win at Le Mans was in
1995 when he shared a Harrods-liveried
McLaren F1 GTR with Derek and Justin Bell.
‘It rained for most of the race. Derek was great,
and just got on with the job. We were leading
from 3am to a few hours before the end. Then
the clutch master cylinder failed. We had to
Left from bottom
that’s the steely eyed stare of a
man who’s taken a bugatti Chiron
to 304.77mph. Needless to say,
that didn’t happen here, up the
Duke of Richmond’s driveway…
leave it in sixth gear and nurse it home. We
finished third.’ He did at least claim three
consecutive rounds of that year’s BPR Global
GT series aboard the same car alongside
Olivier Grouillard.
Two years earlier, Wallace had established a
new production car speed record of 240.1mph
in an F1. He had already gone 217mph at Fort
Stockton in a Jaguar XJ220 so he seemed a
natural fit for record attempts. ‘The risks are
just the same as when you’re racing,’ he muses.
‘By that, I mean of course it’s just you on the
track, but there is plenty that can go wrong. I
am used to speed, but you don’t just get into a
car and go as fast as you can without proper
preparation. Even then, you put your faith in
your equipment. I have driven lots of supercars,
and there are quite a few that are nowhere near
as fast as their makers claim. I have worked
with various magazines over the years, testing
cars on track, the autobahn or wherever, and
have had bits fall off them. That doesn’t exactly
boost your confidence. When we did the
McLaren record attempt at Ehra-Liessen, the
engineers from Michelin were concerned that
we would have a problem if we got to 400km/h
[250mph]. Fortunately, the fastest we managed
was 242.956mph [with the rev limiter
removed], so we were fine…’
Wallace talks about such record attempts as
though nothing could be more normal. For
him, they are, but then there was that bid at the
same venue in Lower Saxony in August 2019
where he guided his Bugatti Chiron Super
Sport 300+ to 304.77mph. ‘The problem with
going so fast is that everyone wants to talk
about it,’ he mock-groans. ‘I have worked very
closely with Bugatti for many years. As such,
I have probably done 70,000 miles in Chirons.
I know them well; know what they will do. That
said, I do remember being ushered into a room
and told what they had in mind for a record
attempt. I thought: “Er, OK…”
‘We were out there for a week and, again, it
was a case of building up to it. There are things
that don’t affect a car particularly at even fairly
high speeds, but which become problematic
when you’re going at more than 200mph. For a
start, part of the circuit had been repaved.
Where the new surface met the old was what
amounted to a step. It made your eyes pop out
each time you hit it. I spent half my time
looking at the windsocks dotted around the
track, and there were massive sidewinds. There
were times when I doubted my sanity for
attempting it, and I will admit to driving
everywhere at 10mph below the speed limit for
a week after I got home…’ End
139
 This page
The 20 Mercedes 190
Cosworths get ready to line up
for the start of the 1984 Race
of Champions, Moss on pole,
Senna 11th and Lauda (no 18
– there was no 13) 17th.
D
oesn’t sound much these days, 200bhp. Repmobile
turbodiesel territory. Long ago the bar for
qualification as a hot hatch, and we’re well beyond
that now. Base Boxster 718? Pah, that’s 300. But in
the mid-1980s, 200bhp really meant something.
Considerably more than the Porsche 944 could
muster, for a start: that car needed a turbo to raise
the standard 162bhp to 220. Back then 200bhp was a heck
of a lot for a family saloon. Enough for it go racing. More
than enough, even, for a certain Ayrton Senna to see off far
better-established competition.
Niki Lauda for one; he finished second to Senna in the
1984 Race of Champions. They were both driving the brand
new Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16, as was the whole field:
this is how the 190 Cosworth, as it was better known, made
its dynamic debut. And now, for the first time since that race
– 35 years on, a quarter-century since the world lost Senna,
and at the end of the year in which Lauda passed – those two
cars are back in proximity. On track. One more time.
The location is Sindelfingen, Mercedes-Benz’s own test
circuit, which snakes between the industrial buildings on
the site where the S-Class is (still) largely handbuilt and
where customers can collect their car direct from the factory.
Senna’s car never left Merc’s ownership; as soon as it won
that race, it was taken back into care. If you have visited the
Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, you may well have
seen it. Still the odometer reads only 2000km. It is
completely original. Senna himself took delivery of another
one in schwarzblau a year later.
You might have seen Lauda’s car too, but that went straight
into the hands of Hugo Boss heir Jochen Holy after the race.
Each of the drivers was offered the chance to buy their race
car (more on them later, but it’s reckoned that’s why 1970
Le Mans winner Hans Hermann didn’t try too hard!). Today
Lauda’s is owned by Swiss collector Daniel Iseli, the same
guy who drove his 1965 Mercedes-Benz O 319 bus on this
year’s Silvretta Classic rally in Austria (see Octane 196).
‘I’ve always been a Formula 1 fan and I watched the 1984
Race of Champions, so I knew about the cars from the
beginning,’ says Daniel. ‘I heard about the Lauda car via a
friend who deals with exclusive cars in Germany. It was
owned by an Austrian called Heinz Svoboda; we became
good friends and brought Niki Lauda together with the car
three years ago. I bought it in the summer of 2018.’
Daniel had met Lauda several times, and tried to reunite
him with the car for his 70th birthday, but he was already too
ill. And, apart from his connection with the driver, Daniel
has a special fondness for the 190 as a racing car: ‘That race
in 1984 was very important: the first time the Mercedes
factory itself had raced since the catastrophe at Le Mans in
1955. I think of this car as the Evo Zero. It re-started
Mercedes racing. The Senna and Lauda cars are the only
known remaining originals from that race. I have all the
documentation, every piece of paperwork, and it has been
certified by Mercedes-Benz. I drove it recently with my good
friend Jochen Mass.’
And then Daniel suggested to Mercedes that the two cars
get together, so here we are. Both are resplendent in
rauchsilber, both still wear their race numbers and their
combatants’ names. Both are little changed over the standard
Cossie but, then, its tech spec was deliberately set-up for
this kind of thing. So let’s take a history lesson and find out
a little more about our mounts.
‘Mercedes-Benz first began talking about a “compact
class” car in the 1970s and the W201 was launched in
1982,’ Gerhard Heidbrink of Mercedes-Benz Classic tells
141
Senna and Lauda’S 200bhp racerS
 1984 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16
Engine 2299cc DOHC four-cylinder, 16-valve,
Bosch electro-mechanical fuel injection
Power 185bhp @ 6200rpm
Torque 174lb ft @ 4500rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Steering Recirculating ball, power-assisted
Suspension Front: double wishbones, coil springs,
telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: multi-link, coil springs,
telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar, hydropneumatic self-levelling
Brakes Discs, optional ABS Weight 1220kg
Top speed 144mph 0-62mph 7.5sec

me. He goes on to talk about such worthy aims as meeting

the USA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations,
burgeoning environmental concerns, and the need to appeal
to younger (and commensurately less affluent) buyers. The
190 was the result, launched with four-cylinder petrol
engines of little more than 100bhp even in fuel-injection
form. Clearly an injection of sex appeal was also needed. ‘So
we looked at a sporting version,’ says Gerhard, ‘and we spoke
to Cosworth about developing the engine.’
In fact, UK-based Cosworth had originally begun work
on a 320bhp version of the engine, with the aim to go
rallying – only Audi’s Quattro rather put paid to Benz’s plans
for the 190, so the company looked towards the Deutsche
Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM, or ‘German Touring Car
Championship’) instead, and developed a roadgoing version
as its basis for homologation.
Cosworth took Mercedes’ 2.3-litre four-cylinder as its
starting point and developed its own ‘Coscast’ cylinder head
(made in Worcester) with twin overhead camshafts and 16
valves. With a wet sump and Bosch fuel injection in place of
the rally engine’s dry sump and Kugelfischer set-up, outputs
were 185bhp at 6200rpm and 174lb ft at 4500rpm, with the
ability to rev to 7000rpm and clearly the potential for further
development – which it got with the 2.5-litre 2.5-16 and
subsequent, lairier, bewinged Evo versions, peaking at
232bhp in road trim and 350 for the track. Like I said,
200bhp was more than enough for Senna’s victory…
Shorter, firmer coil springs, self-levelling and stiffer drivers was invited to drive identical Mercedes-Benz 190E Clockwise from top
bushes and dampers made the most of the baby Benz’s 2.3-16s in the Race of Champions, held in May 1984, ahead Cosworth-developed
four-cylinder eventually
sophisticated multi-link rear axle, which still underpins of the first F1 race there in the october. Mercedes-Benz had produced 350bhp; extra
today’s cars and was pioneered in the 190 after 80 designs taken the top three places in the first ever race at the gauges and dogleg first;
had been drawn up and 40 of those built and tested on a Nordschleife, back in 1927, and this event marked its return Octane takes Senna’s
lunar-rover-style rig. A bodykit reduced drag to Cd0.32, a to circuit racing after a hiatus of 29 years. seat; both cars meet
again on the banking
quicker rack (and smaller-diameter steering wheel) Among those 20 drivers were nine former F1 World
at Sindelfingen.
tightened the steering, a bigger tank (70 rather than 55 Champions ( Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Denny
litres) meant it could race for longer, there was an oil cooler, Hulme, James Hunt, Jody Scheckter, Alan Jones, Keke
a close-ratio Getrag five-speed manual gearbox with dogleg Rosberg and, of course, Lauda), plus Senna and Alain Prost,
first, and a limited-slip differential. Perfect for racing – or an both of whom would go on to claim the F1 crown. other
all-time great sports saloon for the road. stars included Stirling Moss, John Watson, Klaus Ludwig
In August 1983, three 190 Cosworths went to the Nardo and Carlos Reutemann, while Senna’s contemporaries, as
test track in Italy and set three world records, recording a well as Prost and Rosberg, included Jacques Lafitte and Elio
combined average speed of 154mph (248km/h) over the de Angelis. Senna was the youngest and had the most to
50,000km endurance test and establishing 12 international prove, being only four races into his Formula 1 career with
endurance records along the way. With its reputation for Toleman. His historic (and heroic) second place in the wet
reliability duly established, the 190E 2.3-16 then went on at Monaco was just weeks away.
display at the Frankfurt motor show a month later. As for the cars, they came from the regular production
line, specially prepared by project engineer Gerhard Lepler,
AND So To THE Nürburgring. Not the Nordschleife; we though little actually changed other than the fitment of
all know what happened to that after Niki Lauda’s terrible racing seats and harnesses, plus a rollcage, slightly lowered
accident there in 1976. No, Formula 1 racing was soon to suspension, and a lower final drive ratio.
start at the new Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit – and what And car no 11 – Senna’s – has never changed since. I lower
better than a celebrity race to kick things off? A roster of 20 myself into the driving seat and note the standard-fit Becker

143
Senna and Lauda’S 200bhp racerS
‘suddenly both these cars are
hammering around, reliving the
day when last they met’
Above from left Grand Prix radio, Zebrano console trim, even the switch for
Lowered and with the rear-seat ‘taxi lamp’, prominent on the dash to the left of
uprated springs and
dampers, yet check out
the instrument binnacle and still functional. It’s all at odds
those roll angles – and with the cage and racing bucket.
this is on the cool-down Fire up and there’s a gravelly response from under the
lap; Senna meets his bonnet: that’s standard Mercedes four-cylinder fare, but
race-fan public for
the slim rim of the (still broad) four-spoke wheel feels good
the first time.
in the hands, and the stubby gearlever falls surprisingly
easily across and down to the left into first. Such shift
patterns are often better in left-hand drive.
So I ease out onto the Sindelfingen track and bring up the
pace. Sure, this ain’t the ’Ring, and we’re not allowed to race,
but the fact is that I’m sitting in the seat once occupied by
one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, so I’m not going
to quibble. The revcounter is redlined at 7000rpm, but 6000
feels more respectful, much of each lap conducted in third
and fourth, with a drop to second for the tightest hairpin.
Every major turn here at Sindelfingen is banked, and you
squeeze out of that right-hand hairpin, drop out of the
banking, then left and up again, through the most technical
section of the track and then flat-out through third, then
fourth, and – briefly – fifth, aware of the circuit’s 160km/h
(100mph) limit. This is one benign racer, hunkering down
into supreme neutrality as it proves the benefits of that
multi-link rear axle, and feeling agile, with plenty of
feedback through the steering and a supple ride despite
the lowered suspension.
You also notice that the self-imposed 6000rpm limit is
quickly achieved, even in top, so that lower final drive ratio
has clearly traded top speed for acceleration. Yet the 190
doesn’t actually feel like a great sprinter. Clearly it’s
deceptive, as the standard car posted a 0-62mph sprint of
7.5 seconds, so it’s no slouch, and this one obviously
achieves speed in less time on this gearing. But the torque
delivery is so even, hunting out the upper rev-range with no
discernible surge, that it’s undramatically quick. Even the
144
soundtrack remains resolutely mechanical, with no
histrionics. Which is perhaps befitting of a sporting Benz.
Lauda’s car is a little more dramatic, though only in that it
sounds more hardcore: its exhaust note is noticeably louder.
Daniel has joined the circuit, too, and suddenly both these
cars are hammering their way around for a handful of laps of
Sindelfingen, reliving the day when last they met.
The race stats from that historic meeting back in 1984 are
revealing. Moss was on pole, with Brabham in P2, Rosberg
third on the grid. By the end of the first lap, Reutemann was
leading, ahead of Jones, then Senna, who had been 11th on
the grid. Perhaps even more impressively, Lauda had
worked his way to fourth from 17th. Moss dropped back to
third on lap 2, Jones leading Senna, with Reutemann down
to fourth, ahead of Lauda. Senna led on lap 3, ahead of
Reutemann and Lauda, then Lauda took second – and the
pair remained in formation for the rest of the 12-lap race,
with Reutemann ultimately finishing third. It was Senna’s
first win among the big names.
And the 190’s first victory, too, though obviously that was
a given no matter who was driving. But, importantly, while
Senna’s calling card was soon followed by increasing success
in F1, so the 190 Cosworth begat generations of successful
sports saloons – both on track and in dealerships.
In 1988, Mercedes entered the DTM series, which it won
overall in 1992 with Klaus Ludwig driving a 190 Evo II. That
was the 190’s swansong, but DTM was by then part of the
brand DNA – as was an overtly powerful small saloon. After
Mercedes-Benz took a controlling interest in AMG in 1999,
there followed a string of AMG-branded C-Classes, and
today’s Mercedes-AMG C63 S brandishes 503bhp from a
twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8.
It’s a far cry from what brought Senna his early victory,
but taking to those banked corners in the very car driven
by that man makes you understand how heroic such
a seemingly modest power output can make you feel. End
200bhp heroes
the 200 club
Racing saloons
Well, we know the tale of the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 now. It
spawned a whole bunch of competitors too, not least (from nearby
Munich) the BMW E30 M3. It arrived in 1986 and, just like the Merc,
featured a 2.3-litre four-cylinder based on the company’s existing
2.0-litre block but with a purpose-designed twin-cam, 16-valve cylinder
head. Straight out of the box, in non-catalyst form, it was good for
200PS – that’s metric horsepower, or Pferdestärke as the Germans
prefer. And as we conservative Brits call it, 197bhp!
But no matter, it was soon upgraded to 212bhp, before subsequent
Evo and 2.5-litre models achieved 235bhp and made the most of the
M3’s unique aerodynamically enhanced bodywork, wide track,
upgraded suspension and Getrag dogleg gearbox.
Ford unleashed the Sierra RS Cosworth that same year, with a lairy
rear wing to keep its three-door body pinned to the tarmac at 300km/h
(188mph!) when racing and a 2.0-litre Pinto four with Cosworth
twin-cam, 16-valve cylinder head – and fully 204bhp from the off,
though it took the turbo route to achieve that.
A year later came the RS500 Cosworth, a 500-off homologation
special engineered by Mike Moreton with a beefier block, bigger turbo
and 224bhp for the road. An instant legend, not least because racing
versions were so successful it got banned.
146
Rally RaideRs
Can you believe Audi’s ur-Quattro is about to turn 40? Inspired by
VW’s four-wheel-drive Iltis military vehicle, floorpan from the
otherwise uninspiring 80 saloon, styling made iconic by Martin Smith’s
boxy wheelarches. And it went on to transform the world of rallying –
and roadgoing performance saloons – forever. There isn’t a prestige
manufacturer that hasn’t pinched Audi’s four-wheel-drive schtick.
But what of its motive force? Yup, 200 of those German horses, so
‘only’ 197 beefier British ones. Only two valves per cylinder though,
and a single camshaft, but an intercooled turbocharger to take its
grumbling 2144cc five-cylinder towards the magic number. The
ultimate 2226cc twin-cam 20-valve arrived in 1989 with 217bhp.
If Audi turned the rallying world upside-down in the formative
Group B era, then Lancia went on to dominate it again in Group A,
winning a record six successive World Rally Championships. You can’t
do that without a good homologation car as a basis, yet few would have
predicted what would become of Lancia’s pretty, if unspectacular,
Giugiaro-styled, Fiat Strada-based Delta when it was launched in 1979.
The 163bhp Delta HF 4WD appeared in 1986, with a turbocharged
2.0-litre twin-cam four, boosted to 182bhp for 1987’s Integrale, then –
finally – 200PS for the 16-valve version from 1989. It peaked at 212bhp
for the 1993 Evo II. Not bad for a Torinese shopping car.
 200bhp was plenty in days gone by. Don’t believe us? Here are some hero cars
Words Glen Waddington
SportS carS
We could simply have called this the 911 category. Amazing to think
that the Porsche arrived with only a 130bhp 2.0-litre flat-six in its tail
while Jaguar boasted of its E-type’s claimed 265bhp. But, although
Porsche produced racing flat-sixes with power to rival Jaguar’s, for its
road car the ultimate until 1973 was the 190bhp 2.4S. And then came
the pivotal Carrera RS 2.7, with a 207bhp fuel-injected 2.7-litre flat-six
under its ducktail spoiler.
Suddenly 200-ish horses were the new norm. The 2.7-litre capacity
was standardised for the new impact-bumper generation from 1974,
and the Carrera MFI version carried on with the RS engine, yet wasn’t a
limited-production homologation car. The torquier Carrera 3.0 arrived
in 1976 with 200PS (OK, near as damn it in old money) – and then the
Turbo took things to a whole new level.
Meanwhile in Blackpool… is probably not what you were expecting
to hear next. Equally surprising is that 200bhp proved elusive at TVR
until Peter Wheeler took over and put a V8 back in the place from which
it should never have taken its leave. Enter the 350i, a wedge-shaped
road-rocket with Rover power, emulating the concept of the original
1960s Griffith – and, at 197bhp, beating its output by 7bhp. Racer
Andy Rouse teased a fuller-fat 275bhp from the expanded 390SE’s
engine two years later, in 1985.
Hot HatcHeS
The magic 200bhp is a surprisingly recent achievement in this category.
Around the time of the Sierra Cosworth, Ford’s junior contender was
the Escort RS Turbo. With only 132bhp. Pah! And back then you were
looking at just 112bhp in your Golf GTI; 139bhp in 16V form. Even the
MkIV offered only a paltry 115bhp in standard 2.0-litre spec, though
the 20-valve Turbo spiced things up a little. But it took the MkV to
properly approach the big barrier, summoning 200 German horses
from 2003 as the iconic hot hatch returned to form. The sought-after
Edition 30 from 2006 upped the wick to 227bhp – and wasn’t alone in
that territory, with Ford’s Focus ST and Renault’s Megane R26 on par
and the Seat Leon Cupra and Vauxhall Astra VXR beating it by 10bhp.
Now’s a good time to track one down, and you could say the same of
Renault’s Clio 197. Shorter, lighter and more nimble than the more
family-friendly Golf and its fellow players, the Clio first went large on
power with the flyweight 172 in 1999, but edged closer to the magic
number with the RS 197 when the third-generation Clio arrived, and
had the sharper chassis to match in stripped-out Club trim. A 2009
facelift dragged power up to 200PS.
A mention here for the ‘breadvan’ Civic Type R, too: all power and
no torque, but a cult following. Seek out a JDM import, with LSD and
212bhp over the UK’s 197bhp. And an 8500rpm redline… End
147
by Octane staff and contributors
OCTANE CARS
ow n i n g + D R i V i n g + m a i n t a i n i n g
Solving the child seat conundrum
1967 Mercedes-
Benz 230
MassiMo Delbò
In Octane 198 I mentioned
that I’d driven my Fintail Mercedes
to the UK so that I could have
seatbelts installed at Quickfit SBS
in North London. During emails
with Quickfit’s technician Pawel,
148
we’d discussed the technical
requirements for my young son’s
child seat, because I wanted to be
sure that it would be compatible
with old-style belts. Not
surprisingly, fitting a child seat is
one of the most common reasons
for installing seatbelts in a classic
car – but what is surprising is that
there’s no standard procedure to
make them work together.
I’d already chosen a child seat
made by Allison Baby UK on the
basis of tests conducted by TCS,
the Swiss Touring Club, which
praised its safety compared with
some more obvious choices, and
so I contacted Damon Marriott,
their head of product
development, for advice.
‘It is impossible to prepare, as
we do for modern cars, a list of
classic cars that could be equipped
with our child seats,’ said Damon.
‘There are too many types of
aftermarket seatbelts for us to
create a standard procedure.
However, it is mandatory that the
anchor point does not protrude
more than 3-3.5 inches from the
seat itself – a longer one could
break in an accident. On the other
hand, there’s no problem at all in
using a seat without the Isofix
base, which was primarily created
to add stability to the seat.
‘Of course, if using a child seat
in a car without the Isofix base, it
has to be securely belted in;

Above
Massimo drove his Mercedes all the way from Italy to the UK and chose seatbelts
in an unobtrusive shade to match the seats. The clever bit was in doubling-up
on clasps: traditional-style lap straps and child-seat-compatible anchors.
otherwise it could turn into a kind
of loose cannon inside the cockpit.
Inertia-reel belts are preferable to
adjustable statics, because the
latter are very difficult to fix
properly. We suggest replacing a
child seat every five to seven years,
depending on how much it’s been
used and how it’s been stored: a
car parked outside in the sun or in
the cold causes a seat more stress
than one that’s parked in a dark
and heated garage.’
For my 230, after a lot of
deliberation I picked seatbelts that
were closest in colour to the seats,
so they are less obvious from
outside. However, because the
traditional-style metal buckles
and clasps are not certified for use
with child seats, I opted for two
kinds of anchor: the classic
buckles and clasps for when it’s
only adults who are travelling in
the car or when the seatbelts are
not in use, but in addition, hidden
octANe’S FLeet
These are the cars – and
motorbikes – run by the
magazine’s staff and
contributors
RobeRt coucheR
International editor
l 1955 Jaguar XK140
l 1988 Mercedes-Benz
560 SEC
ANDReW eNGLISh
Contributor
l 1960 Triumph TR3A
l 1962 Norton Dominator
l 1965 Aston Martin DB5
GLeN WADDINGtoN
Associate editor
l 1983 Porsche 944
l 1989 BMW 320i Convertible
SANJAY SeetANAh
Advertising director
l 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio
l 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante
MARk DIxoN
Deputy editor
l 1927 Alvis 12/50
l 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in
l 1966 Ford Mustang 289
l 1994 Range Rover 4.0
l 1997 Land Rover Freelander
JAMeS eLLIott
Editor-in-chief
l 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI
MassIMo delbò
l 1968 Jensen Interceptor
SAMANthA SNoW
Advertising account manager
l 1969 Triumph Herald
13/60 Convertible
l 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
JohN SIMISteR
Contributor
l 1961 Saab 96
l 1972 Rover 2000 TC
under the seat cushion and ready l 1989 Mazda MX-5 Eunos
to be pulled out when necessary,
modern black buckles for use with RIchARD heSeLtINe
the child seat. Contributor
Since arriving back home in l 1966 Moretti Sportiva
Italy, we’ve finally been able to l 1971 Honda Z600
use the 230 for taking our son
to school in the morning and to MASSIMo DeLbÒ
Contributor
the ice-cream parlour in the
l 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230
afternoon, and everything worked l 1972 Fiat 500L
perfectly. So far, so good: let’s l 1979/80 Range Rovers
hope I never have to put the l 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL
system’s effectiveness to the test. l 1985 Mercedes-Benz 240TD
149
OCTANE CARS / Running Reports

OCTANE’S flEET
These are the cars – and
motorbikes – run by our
staff and contributors

jESSE CROSSE
Contributor
l 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390

l 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

DAviD BuRgESS-WiSE
Contributor
l 1903 De Dion-Bouton

l 1911 Pilain 16/20

l 1926 Delage DISS

MARTyN gODDARD
Photographer
l 1963 Triumph TR6SS Trophy

l 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII

DElWyN MAllETT
Contributor
l 1936 Cord 810 Beverly

l 1937 Studebaker Dictator

l 1946 Tatra T87

l 1950 Ford Club Coupe

l 1952 Porsche 356

l 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

l 1957 Porsche Speedster

l 1957 Fiat Abarth Sperimentale

l 1963 Abarth-Simca

l 1963 Tatra T603

l 1992 Alfa Romeo SZ

TONy DRON
Contributor
l 1932 Austin Seven

SARAh BRADlEy
Contributor
l 1929 Ford Model A hot rod

l 1952 Studebaker Champion

l 1956 Chevrolet 3100 pick-up
l 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner
l Various motorbikes
EvAN KlEiN
Photographer
l 1967 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super
l 2001 Audi TT Quattro
MATThEW hOWEll
Photographer
l 1962 VW Beetle 1600
l 1970 VW Beetle 1300
hARRy METCAlfE
Contributor
l 20 cars and 15 motorbikes
To follow Harry’s adventures with
his cars and bikes, search for
Harry’s Garage on YouTube.
2001 AuDi TT
QuATTRO
Evan KlEin
It all starts wIth these
ideas you have rolling around in
your head. You want something,
really, really bad, and you don’t
know why but you must do
something about it. When I was
12, I had to have a Schwinn ten-
speed bike to complete my
existence on this planet. And so I
cut yard after yard of lawn until
I had saved enough.
Then, last year, the cravings
started again. I had to have an Audi
TT and it had to be a five-speed
Quattro, a first-generation coupé in
silver. Don’t laugh; I know it’s a
hairdressers’ car but it is also quite
iconic in its styling and in a time of
$50,000 GTVs it makes a lot of
sense. I happened to meet Freeman
Thomas, the designer of the TT, and
we talked at length about it. The
planets were beginning to align.
So I am now the owner of a 2001
Audi TT Coupé. It’s a Quattro,
1.8-litre with a five-speed. One
owner from new, full service
history, garaged its whole life and
80,000 miles. I drove out in the
Giulia to view the Audi but didn’t
tell her what we were doing. I
pointed her away so she wouldn’t
see. The TT looked amazing in the
morning sunshine, so a quick drive
and a deal was struck. I called
AAA to flatbed the Giulia home;
the truck driver asked: ‘Nice Alfa,
did you just buy her?’
I took the TT to the Art Center
College of Design car show in
Pasadena. Freeman was one of
the judges and we’d already
arranged a signing of the TT. At
this point my life had once again
become complete.
Now, while I still have the
Giulia, she’s not driven as much,

150

but she still gets attention when
I go to the supermarket. A
father with his son approached
one evening and his ten-year-old
boy declared the Giulia the most
beautiful car in the world. I let
him sit in it and he sat there
silently before reaching out to
touch the steering wheel, a
moment that I’d swear changed
his life. I watched them walk
away, father’s arm around boy’s
shoulder, sharing the experience.
There’s something to be said for
design. I doubt this ever happens
to Prius owners.
When I drive the Audi I find
I’m pretty much invisible, which
evan klein
Clockwise from above left
On display at the art Center College
car show; meeting TT stylist Freeman
Thomas – who then signed his work;
Giulia got a lift home while evan
followed in air-conditioned (if
less socially visible) comfort.
is OK, but occasionally another
Audi owner will say to me ‘You
know, I used to have one of
these…’ The TT is almost 20
years old, starts first turn of the
key, its AC blows cold on
insufferably hot days in LA, and
I now trust her. Who says classics
need to be temperamental? I
have a wife for that.
151
OCTANE CARS / Running Reports
Ranging near and far
1955 LANd
ROvER & 1994
RANgE ROvER
mark dixon
THE COUNTRYSIDE in winter
is not a place to live if you like a
shiny car. Make a two-mile trip to
the shops and you come home
looking as though you’ve just
driven a rally stage, so I rarely
bother cleaning my daily driver,
the 2006 Volvo XC70 that I
inherited from my late father – and
which you can see on page 167.
The Volvo is the perfect rural
battlewagon but of late I’ve been
wondering whether I should sell it
and use my P38A Rangie instead.
The Volvo hasn’t been the cheapest
thing to run – a total automatic
gearbox rebuild at 120,000 miles
was the latest kidney punch to
the wallet – and if I’m going to be
spending money on a car, I’d rather
do it on something that’s on the
way up from the trough of its
depreciation curve, rather than
still tracking downwards.
152
The jury’s still out on whether I burbled over to the farm in the pump diaphragm is perished –
this would be a sensible move. P38. New condenser fitted, the possibly due to the ethanol in
These Range Rovers have a poor Landy coughed into life and settled modern fuel – but, stupidly, I
reputation for reliability but my to a smooth idle. Success? didn’t think to look inside the carb
own experience suggests that the Yes and no. The engine will now and check whether fuel’s being
more you use them, the better they run perfectly at tickover – but it delivered. I blame the cold for
are, so I’ve swapped cars for a hesitates and splutters when you making me not think straight.
while to see whether I love the try to drive away. I suspect the Once that’s sorted, I still have to
Rangie enough to put up with its problem lies with the carburettor swap the dynamo over for a recon
17mpg fuel consumption – the accelerator pump, which is unit and find out whether that
Volvo gets 42. supposed to squirt extra fuel down solves the total lack of electrical
One vehicle I haven’t used for a the carb when you goose the charge. Think I’ll pick a warmer
while is my 1955 Land Rover 107, throttle. It could well be that the day for that job, however.
which has been parked up on a
nearby farm since developing a
fault whereby it would start and
run for a few minutes, then begin
to cut out before finally dying
completely. I mentioned this to
my friend Philip Bashall, who runs
the legendary Dunsfold Collection
of historic Land Rovers in Surrey
(www.dunsfoldcollection.co.uk),
and he immediately suggested that
it was the condenser in the
distributor at fault – it’s the classic
symptom of a condenser starting
From top
to fail as it warms up. Range Rover was made for
Philip, bless him, posted a good- conditions like these; Land Rover
quality condenser out to me FOC, is running again – but not well.
and on a rare dry and sunny day
 00.1.831.430.9940
C A N E PA . C O M

“You Can’t Drive Money” - Jerry Seinfeld

Want to learn more?

To find more pictures and information on our inventory above and to see the rest of our collector
vehicles for sale, please visit our website at canepa.com or give us a call at 00.1.831.430.9940.
4900 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066
OCTANE CARS / Running Reports

Struggling Studebaker
1937 STudEbAkER
diCTATOR COupE
Delwyn Mallett
My Studebaker Dictator
Coupe’s not entirely intentional
transformation into a Rat Rod
steadily progresses as it continues
gently to biodegrade before my
eyes. Unfortunately it has lived
outside for too many years and its
South African paint job is jumping
ship, revealing the original metallic
blue paint beneath.
The photo doesn’t show the
myriad tiny cracks that have
turned the surface of the Stude
into a good facsimile of a dried-out
lakebed. It’s possible to pick off the
flakes of paint with a fingernail. I’m
consumed with shame for my
neglect, the only consolation being
that in Street Rodding circles the
‘rat’ look is not only acceptable,
but desirable. And then, a few
weeks ago, as the first cold spell
struck, the Stude’s time-expired
battery proved barely capable of
churning 216ci of flathead six
into life…
A new battery has worked a treat
and the beast now fires up instantly
but is not running as smoothly as
it should. There are no obvious
misfires but, checking the exhaust
manifold with my new toy, an
infrared temperature gun, reveals
that the front three cylinders are
running much hotter than the rear
three, and number six exhaust port
Above and left
is barely heating at all. Deteriorating paintwork
Hmm! I’ve tried swapping plugs is high fashion in certain
around but it doesn’t seem to make circles; temperature probe
any difference. A compression test revealed a cold spot in the
exhaust manifold.
is the next thing on the agenda.
The wooden pole propping the
bonnet is, by the way, a Health and
Safety precaution because, during
a similar exercise, it crashed down
on me while I was leaning over the
engine. It hurt, a lot!

Fuel for thought

1955
JAGuAR Xk140
ROBeRt COUCHeR
the beSt thing about my
Jaguar XK140 is that it’s so polite.
The few times it has ‘failed to
proceed’ it has done so at home,
so I can have it repaired while
retiring to the comfort of my
drawing room.
Looking in my Little Black
Book, in which I detail all
maintenance records and running
costs for MNJ 812, I note the last
time I had recourse to trouble the
Automobile Association was 31
August 2018, when the five-year-
old battery died. No matter; the
AA man had me on my way within
the hour with a new battery
guaranteed for another five years.
Recently I went to get the Jaguar
out of the garage and noticed a wet
trail being laid behind it. Neat
petrol was pumping out, so I
quickly parked it back in its bay
and had a look. Buried under the
twin SU carbs is the Filter King
fuel filter, which I thought was
replaced not long ago. But
according to the Black Book, that
was in June 2012!
So I made the call and AA man
Warren arrived in about half an
hour. He unbolted an inner wing
section and removed the rubber
fuel hose that connects the solid
fuel pipe to the Filter King. It had
perished along its entire length.
‘Ethanol,’ muttered Warren. Yes,
modern fuel doesn’t do our classics
any favours. He carefully made up
a new connecting hose, consisting
of two different-diameter sections
with a central joint. The fuel leak is
now cured but I will have the
entire fuel line checked at the next
service because it seems that it
is being seriously degraded by
modern petrol.

154
OCTANE CARS / Running Reports
Marvellous Margate
1965 AuSTiN-
HEAlEy 3000
Martyn Goddard
The weaTher forecasT
was for high winds and heavy
showers but, undeterred, I rolled
the ’Healey out of its garage and
headed to the Oh So Retro car
show in Margate, Kent, just a few
miles from home. Despite the
forecast, I set out along the coast
with the soft-top down and myself
kitted out in Barbour coat and over-
trousers, prepared to take on all that
the northerly gale and rain could
throw at us. After all, this was my
last event of the season, so it was
worth making the effort.
Despite an early start, I found
myself in a queue waiting to enter
the show, perched on the cliffs at
the Palm Bay recreation ground.
Others were full of admiration for
the ’Healey’s lack of roof in
horizontal rain; a group of chaps in
a Ford Escort quipped that they had
left their soft-top in the garage.
Now in its sixth year, on a good
day the Oh So Retro car show
156
attracts 1500 cars, bikes and
scooters and has plenty of trade
stands, live music and food vans to
keep autophiles happy. I parked the
3000 MkIII next to a Jaguar XJS
Convertible and a Porsche 924, but
these were not typical of the day.
The show that celebrates all that is
classic and cool is slanted towards
younger car lovers and is the better
for it. When you walk the
showground, all sorts of makes,
models and specials catch the eye.
One of my favourites was a
Lakester-style ‘belly tank’ special
built from a P51 Mustang fuel tank
that had been dropped over the
English Channel in World War Two
and washed up on Dungeness
beach. It was turned into a racer
using an inverted Standard 12
chassis and a Ford V4 engine
coupled to a Volvo gearbox. After
unloading it, the owner zoomed
between the show cars, which was
much appreciated by the crowds.
I doubt that 1500 cars braved
the weather this year, but the
number of young people who
turned out to show off their cars can
only be good news for the future
enjoyment of owning and using
classics. Me? I had a fine day.
Above from top
Martyn and the ’Healey went
topless and braved the rain; live
music was the reward; ‘belly
tank’ special wowed crowds;
varied mix of cars at the event.
other
news
‘I’m about to go postal
with the Subaru-
engined VW Beetle
conversion – sending
off the Scooby wiring
loom to be modified
and buying an adaptor
plate from Germany’
Matthew Howell
‘My 944 will vacate the
premises temporarily
while building work
takes place, but it
needs an MoT first.
The puddle of coolant
I just found beneath it
is more of a worry...’
Glen Waddington
‘You know how the
phrase “no news is
good news” is
ambiguous? Well, not in
this case – there’s loads
of news on the Jensen’s
bodywork, all of it bad’
James Elliott
‘A set of Espada pistons
is on its way from
America, the cylinder
heads have been rebuilt
and the block soda-
blasted, which means
reassembly of the
V12 will soon begin’
Harry Metcalfe
 Ferrari 375MM CPA 1953

For the 1953 running of the Carrera Panamericana, Ferrari were represented by
Franco Cornaccia’s “Scuderia di Guastalla”. Three near identical 375MM coupes
were entered, Guido Mancini providing the best result with fourth overall.
Italian master model makers BBR have created all three team cars as fine
1:18 resin hand builts, each limited to an edition of only 150 examples.

Just £328.50*
*RRP £365. Postage £8.50 UK, overseas at cost. Please use voucher code OCT375MM when ordering.

Our Banbury showroom is open one Saturday per month 12 noon-5pm

Next open Saturdays - January 11th, February 1st & March 7th
Grand Prix Models
4 Thorpe Close, Thorpe Way
Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 4SW, UK
Tel: 01295 278070 Fax: 01295 278072
mail@grandprixmodels.com

www.grandprixmodels.com

157
by Octane staff and contributors
OVERDRIVE
Other interesting cars we’ve been driving
Borderline lunacy
ONCE A YEAR a bunch of
gearheads gathers for the Targa
1992 ALFA Baja. We spend four days chasing
ROMEO SZ each other around Baja Mexico.
EVAN KLEIN
I know what you’re thinking:
cartels, bad gas, what if we break
something… and what about The
Wall? It’s none of that.
I’ve done it a few times now.
This year my friend Nick of Classic
Avenue and I took his 1992 Alfa
SZ. He’d just picked it up and this
would be a good run for it. With
only 30,000 miles, what could go
wrong? There’s a full support crew
so nobody gets left stranded…
well, if someone breaks down, we
pull over, stare at the problem as if
we can help, laugh at them and
head on.
The rally meets in San Diego the
night before, then at sunrise there’s
a drivers’ meeting, the ‘be
responsible’ stuff, and if you have
any guns, don’t bring them across
the border – and 30 minutes later
we’re at the crossing. There’s no
queue to get into Mexico; it’ll be a
different story coming back.
The Federales escort all 51 cars
through the towns with lights
flashing as we run the red lights.
The highways are beautifully
paved, and empty of cars. It’s
amazing. We go from desert, to
mountains, to wine country to the
coast. You want to go fast? Go fast.
A Cadillac passed us doing
165mph… That’s fast enough.
A favorite of the rally is a section
called La Rumorosa, an 11-mile
stretch of one-way desert
mountain highway, 11 miles up,
11 miles down. It’s fast and twisty,
it’s on the side of a mountain, filled
with random obstacles such as
18-wheel trucks. So twisty that it’s
not uncommon to see an 18-
wheeler on its side. This is, of
course, where I decide to do car-
to-car chase photography. I hang
out the back window of an old
Mercedes and ask the driver to just
be smooth. Off we go, Nick pulls
the Alfa close, Steve in the Trans
Am, Tony in the Mustang, and at Above left and right; below
some point a Federale with lights In convoy on the open roads of
Baja Mexico; the ensemble
flashing joins in. Everyone hits gathers at the hotel in Ensenada;
their marks, thank you. At the base Mexican Federale escort
of La Rumorosa is now a gas ensures problem-free transit.
station with barbecue restaurant;
of course we regroup there, they
have barbecue.
Next stop is Ensenada, a coastal
city two hours away; we take off in
a group, cruising at a nice pace, no
OVERDRIVE / Other Cars
traffic, smooth highway, and
missing the turn-off… you’d think
you could just turn around… but
nooooo, the GPS in our phones
reroutes us. The scenic way.
Once at the hotel in Ensenada
there’s a great sense of camaraderie.
The hotel lot is filled with our cars,
people are fixing the broken stuff,
a couple of local guys hand-wash
for a few bucks as the sun sets.
After dinner, time is spent with the
cars, beer, and the very important
‘let me tell you’ stories.
We leave Ensenada and head
inland to wine country. The
Federales are there again, turning
160
us loose once free from the city.
The locals get a kick out of all the
cars, waving and taking pictures.
Porsche guys always take the lead,
but the Alfa holds its own. There’s
a red-and-green button on the
console: Sport and Non Sport. We
push it in and out, wait… push
some more. Nick and I agree it
does something, suspension
tightens and gets lower. OK, leave
it in Sport. The Alfa is quite
comfortable, the seats are
supportive, cabin open, AC works
fine, temp gauge never moves,
even the gas mileage is quite good.
No radio but we don’t notice.
Our Alfa does great – only one
incident, we hear a rattling on the
way to Ensenada when the tailpipe
weld breaks. We tie it up with a
piece of wire and keep going. A
local muffler shop in Ensenada
takes care of it for $11 with no
waiting. Eleven bucks!
On the final day we leave early
to cross the border, thinking we’ll
be clever and beat all the border
traffic. While trying to find the
border it appears we have run two
stop signs, and were doing 35 in a
25, or so a border Federale in
Tecate tells us, and it’s going to be
very expensive; we need to see the
judge and the cashier, could take
all day, we might be able to see the
judge today or tomorrow… and
it’s 6000 pesos. Hmm, 6000 of
anything sounds expensive. But
you’re a man of the law, isn’t there
something you can do to help us?
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink? Seems
$30 will do the trick.
Now, one thing that’s universal
in any country: no-one likes a line
cutter. The border crossing into
the USA at Tecate takes about two
hours, the line crawls, vendors try
to sell you anything that fits
through your window. After
paying our fine we get in line and
wait patiently, then the other rally
cars show up, about 25 cars, and
try cutting into the line. This
doesn’t go down too well.
Horns start honking. People
jump from their cars. Arms are
waving, fingers pointing. Then the
‘Line Police’ show up. There is
actually a Federale police force to
keep people from cutting in. All 25
cars… back to the end of the line,
justice is duly served.
Would I do it again? Yes. Entry
fee plus hotel, gas and food came
to less than 1000 bucks for the
four days. What car we are taking
next year I don’t know, but the
change jar in the kitchen is already
filling up with quarters.
Left and below
Evan’s friend Nick’s Alfa was
perfect for the Targa Baja, bar
an exhaust problem fixed for
$11; if you fancy it, check out
www.classicavenue.com.
OVERDRIVE / Other Cars

A night with the stars

sOft-tOp
pORschEs
glen waddington

This is hardcore. And yes,

I’m in a soft-top 911. But because
it’s a Speedster, not a Cabrio, I
think we get away with that. And
because it’s a Speedster, it’s
basically a GT3, and therefore also
pretty much the ultimate iteration
of the last-gen 911. And because
it’s a Speedster, with no roof, out
here at night in the wilds of
Northumberland, this is almost
the best place to be sitting on the
entire planet. Stars above like I’ve
never seen them before – out here
in the National Park it’s officially a
Dark Sky area – and you can hear
the cry of the exhaust as if, well, as
if it’s just behind you, in an insanely
revvy 911, with no roof.
Almost? There is actually one
better seat, and it’s the one next to
me, because right now I’m not
driving. It’s my turn in the

162
 Left
In the red corner, the 911 Speedster. In
the white corner, the 718 Spyder. Boxster
T plays in yellow. Location is the North
Pennines. Weather: brass monkeys.
morning. Rarely have my ears been
so serenaded, though. You can
immerse yourself in that soundtrack
more as a passenger, as it turns out.
We swap cars, and I take the
wheel of the 718 Boxster T. In it I
follow the Speedster. The Speedster
is still all I can hear. But – crucially
– it’s not getting away from me. The
718 gives away 200bhp and it’s kind
of slippery out there, yet I’m quite
relaxed. We’ll find out much more
about both cars come daylight.
Daylight comes. The stars are
gone but – my goodness! – what an
epically beautiful place. It goes by
in a whirl but, if you fancy seeing
it for yourself, locate Alston and
Romaldkirk and play to your heart’s
content anywhere between and
around them. Quiet, too. As in little
traffic. Plenty of exhaust noise…
I’m in the Speedster’s driving seat
at last. At my command, a 503bhp
naturally aspirated flat-six (0-
62mph in 4.0sec, 192mph!) via a
six-speed manual gearbox. A
beautifully trimmed yet largely
unadorned interior; you even turn a
key to start it. Clock the 9000rpm
redline. Feel the reassuring accuracy
of the gearshift, optimum pedal
weighting, and gorge on that
‘503bhp. You rippingly intoxicating flat-six howl.
The Speedster even gets 10bhp
seldom use full more than the GT3: as run-out
throttle. When limited editions go, this one has me
sold. Except they’re all sold, too. For
You do, there’s £211,000. Of 1948 cars built, this is
the last of the UK allocation. And
usuallY a bit of a it’s about to be reallocated. Tough.
dance to be had’ Out on these roads, I find there’s
a weight of responsibility driving it.
It gets better with every corner,
dripping with feedback, remarkable
grip on frosty roads. But 503bhp.
You seldom use full throttle. When
you do, there’s usually a bit of a
dance to be had. It’s an amazing
sports car; more suprisingly, thanks
to its deft ride, also a brilliant GT.
Just not one I’d be comfortable
using to the full 100% of the time.
Not yet, anyway.
So I switch to the 718 Spyder.
In essence a soft-top version of the
Cayman GT4 and the ultimate
Boxster, with a 414bhp 4.0-litre
flat-six: yup, a proper 718, though
the engine is a bored-out turbo-less
version of the base 911’s.
Straight away I feel more at home.
It’s that bit more compact. Still so
quick (0-62mph in 4.4sec, 187mph)
yet less intimidating. There’s a more
mechanical-sounding voice, less
blaring, still glorious. And an
8000rpm redline. I don’t ever get
tired of these lofty rev limits.
But it’s still a bit slippery out
there and this thing is on track tyres.
Basically cut slicks. So I’m more
cautious into, through and out of all
these fabulous bends than I’d like to
be. The odd wiggle puts me in self-
preservation mode. Can’t help it.
There’s a lot less drama in the 718
Boxster T. Oh, and… heated seats!
Perfect in these chilly conditions.
It’s really a tarted base-model and,
at £53,000, just about undercuts the
345bhp Boxster S but advertises
with lightweight-style detailing its
20mm lowered ride height and
adjustable sports suspension. And
296bhp will have to do.
Some base model! 296bhp? This
is one enjoyable sports car, even if
it sounds rather dull after those
soaring sixes. Then I discover the
Sport setting. The dampers quell
any float. The throttle is sharper.
Suddenly it’s rather closer to the
scythe-like Spyder (I’d dialled back
its damper setting because the ride
was too harsh on these B-roads).
Except I’m more relaxed here.
Using more of it. There’s an
occasional torque gap; hardly worth
calling it turbo-lag, and frankly the
power is ample. You don’t need
more than this. And T spec gives
you some GT3-style bits and
cosmetic flavour. Makes you feel
like you’ve joined an exclusive club.
Spyder ownership used to be an
exclusive club, but the 718 version
is built to demand, and yours for 20
grand more than the T. That’s not so
much more to pay for that flat-six
accompaniment, but on these
roads, with so little traffic, I never
once feel short-changed by the
Boxster T. And that little letter is
important: its chassis genuinely
allows you to make the most of
everything else it offers.
It’s in exalted company here, but
never underestimate the basic car.
The T is utterly heroic in its own
way. And you soon stop noticing the
soundtrack. Something you won’t
ever say about the Speedster…
163
What would Jerry and Margo say?
2017 VOlVO
V60 POlEstaR
glen waddington
Few cars have ever summed
up conventional British middle-
class life to quite the degree of the
Volvo estate. Perhaps it was Jerry
and Margo in The Good Life
who were to blame: their 145 was
typecast to similar perfection as
Penelope Keith herself.
But things have changed in the
ensuing years. Just take a look at
this page: a Volvo estate for snowy
weather or even a little mild mud-
plugging, and this road rocket.
Albeit one with solid build and a
boxy boot. Enough to put you in
mind of Rickard Rydell’s 1994
Volvo 850 BTCC racer (with the
nodding labrador in the back).
Which is, I guess, where the
image transmogrification began.
The pricy Polestar 1 has recently
been making headlines for its
stylish looks and powerful hybrid
164
powertrain, ahead of other brace keeps distortion at bay, six’s warble to this rampant yell.
Polestar-branded Volvos in the mounts and bushings are stiffer, And sure, you’ll wish Lotus had
pipeline. As this V60 is about to and six-pot calipers grip the fettled the numb and curiously
leave Volvo’s press fleet, technically 371mm front discs. Hard. stiff steering, but it’s quick to react
it’s already a heritage model… It feels distinctly BTCC on the and the ride becomes more
Polestar had its origins in road, with a stiff, high-frequency bearable with speed. Given proper
Touring Car racing too, became bob to its gait that obliterates any bends and a smooth surface, this
Volvo’s performance brand partner underlying suppleness at low V60 is a devastatingly effective
in 2009, and was sucked into the speed. Acceleration is strong and ground-coverer: it’s fast, and
mothership in 2015. The V60 traction unimpeachable, though requires minimal driver input, but
Polestar was launched in 2014, you’d probably prefer the original you’ll pity the labrador in the boot.
originally with a 345bhp turbo
straight-six, then upgraded to
362bhp in 2016 via a supercharged
and turbocharged 2.0-litre four,
with four-wheel drive and an
eight-speed auto transmission.
Carbonfibre aero enhancements
define this late model visually.
What you might remember
more than that is the suspension
spec: upgraded coils and telescopic
dampers sound fairly normal, but
the latter are made by racing
specialist Öhlins and they’re
adjustable, not by a dash-mounted
rheostat but via a proper tweaker’s
affair that involves getting under
the bonnet at the front and
reaching under the car at the back!
A carbonfibre-reinforced strut

2019 volvo v90
robert hefferon
FAmIlY hOlIDAYS beckoned.
In Devon, not exactly on the
doorstep. And during a heatwave, as
it turned out. I needed the right car
for this 250-mile trip…
Volvo took on the challenge with
a V90 T5 R Line and our trip to
Devon became less of a worry.
Peace of mind is something Volvo
is serious about: all V90s have a
few impressive monitoring systems
as standard, such as City Safe,
Oncoming Lane Mitigation, and
Run-off Road Protection on top
of the famous DRLs.
The contents of our house crept
gradually into the hall ready for
loading, and traffic was building
according to all reports. But first
things first: I was taken aback by
how good this car looked. My
old impression of a Volvo was that
of a solid workhorse whose styling
gave way to practicality, but this
one gleamed with contemporary
Scandinavian finesse. Nevertheless,
although the black, diamond-cut
alloys screamed kerb appeal, they
were fitted with sensible tyres that
made sure the kerbs wouldn’t be too
appealing. Somebody has put a lot
of thought into this and it shows.
It’s just as stylish inside too, yet
neither comfort nor style wins over
the other. Sexy yet sensible.
There are three driving modes
to play with: Eco, Comfort and
Dynamic, the choice offering a
degree of input in a car that
otherwise requires very little.
Comfort provided just that, and
racked up a respectable 38mpg
average. Dynamic helped by
stretching out the gears though it
seemed to rev too high at times,
making my fingers twitch towards
the paddleshift. And I turned off the
lane assist function, which felt too
much like battling an arcade game.
All told, the V90 took our
holiday in its stride, ferrying us
around with ease, comfort and
style. The perfect car for removing
the stress from a long drive with Below
family and chattels on board. The head-up display
shows a legal limit of 60mph,
though Robert stuck to a lot
less in narrow Devon lanes…

My Volvo is a D5, which means a

2006
volvo XC70
mark dixon
IF YOU’D ASKED me four years
ago whether I could see myself
driving a Volvo, you’d have received
short shrift. But then my father died
from cancer, quite suddenly, and I
inherited his 2006 XC70 estate.
And now I’m a total convert.
Partly that’s because, on the rare
occasions we have conditions like
the ones pictured left, the four-
wheel-drive Volvo, on a set of winter
tyres, is pretty much unstoppable.
Heated seats are a revelation to
someone who’s spent most of his
life driving old cars, too.
2.5-litre turbodiesel, automatic
transmission and 40+mpg, and it’s
supremely relaxing to drive while
also capable of surprising swiftness.
It’s easy to understand why they
were so popular with the traffic cops
as motorway patrol cars. And, of
course, being a Volvo estate, it will
swallow a huge amount of stuff.
But I also find the second-
generation XC70 a really handsome
machine. Northumbrian Peter
Horbury styled the original which,
with its curved hips and nose, was a
radical departure from Volvo’s
previous boxiness; the second-gen
looked even cooler, thanks to a
wider track, higher stance and extra
body cladding. In my opinion, it is
not so much a future classic, more
one that’s already arrived.

165
OVERDRIVE / Other Cars
Gangster wrapping
JAGUAR Mk2
BEACHAM 5.0 V8
Ton Roks
The Jaguar Mk2 has long been
a favourite of tuners. And the urge
to make one of the world’s most
attractive sports saloons even faster
has never abated. In New Zealand,
Beacham has been restoring and
modifying Jaguars since the late
166
1980s. It has rebuilt hundreds,
some more radical than others: the
company is currently working on
the development of an E-type with
a carbonfibre body.
Greg Beacham is now an old
hand at building Jaguar’s latest
engines and innovations into his
cars. He has, for example, evolved
from the old XJR’s supercharged
straight-six to the latest V8, with
or without a supercharger.
This is the first XJ-based Beacham
5.0 V8 Mk2: what Beacham has
stuffed into it is miraculous. It looks
like a standard 1962 Mk2, though
the larger wheels and fatter rubber
are clues to the 400bhp V8 under
the hood (supercharged, it comes
with a crazy 510bhp!). The
bulkhead and inner wings had to be
cut away to make it fit…
It still feels like a trad gents’ club
within, though when you hit the
ignition, the same cylindrical gear
selector greets you as in a new XJ,
rising from an XJ centre console
containing the same air-con and
infotainment systems. Even the
digital instrument pack is the same!
The XJ also donates its ABS,
central locking, electric windows,
electrically adjustable seats and
Chris Dillon
mirrors with memory. Beacham
even manages to hide the parking
sensors in the bumper rosettes.
You start the engine without a
key and the cabin is filled with a
potent V8 rumble. Not too loud, of
course: this is a sports saloon for
distinguished gentlemen, but floor
the throttle and cars disappear in
the rear-view mirror.
Beacham has also transferred the
XJ’s suspension, which along with
the XJ brakes is more than a match
for the V8. The pace and grace of a
Jaguar have been preserved and,
though there is now much more of
the former, the XJ hardware never
prevails in such a way that it
eliminates the Mk2’s character.
Above and left
Prowling exterior style
is little altered, though
the dashboard quickly
gives away the XJ
transplant game inside.
ADVERTISING FEATURE

The Established
Octane would like to thank these specialists for their long-standing support. Over the years,
they have become recognised and highly respected as leaders in the classic car world

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Founded in 1977, DK borrows the initials of the christian names of
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ZEUS
BRAKING SYSTEMS
for Classic Jaguars

A British engineering
company, Zeus specialises in
replacement braking systems
for the classic car sector and
the classic Land Rover market.
Based in Devon, the company
manufactures its products on
site along with its sister
company Ashwater, which
produces chrome components
for the classic car sector. This
year sees Zeus celebrate its
30th anniversary, something
of a milestone, and next year
sees Ashwater reach its 40th.
Carcoon was set up in 1993, when we established a new As we welcome the next
standard in car care. It seems a long time ago now, and yet it’s generation of the family into
still hard to believe that the Carcoon brand is recognised in so the companies we look
many countries around the world. Only last week, one of our forward to future challenges.
international customers told us that Carcoon is the We are determined to develop
internationally recognised benchmark in ultimate car care. new products and to improve
Regardless of what politicians tell us about Europe, the rest our engineering performance.
of the world still loves to buy a British product! Having made changes to
improve our green credentials,
we continue to invest in new
technologies. Most of all we
are proud that the products
that leave us are actually made
by us. We know our customers
appreciate this and we
appreciate their custom
and support.
The final word, however, is
in celebration of the open
road. As a family company we
should say that most of all we
love to drive. Not much
compares to the cool air of the
mountains and the throaty
roar of an engine coming out
of a sharp bend and so we
hold true to our company
motto: live, dream, drive!

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ADVERTISING FEATURE
The Established
Octane would like to thank these specialists for their long-standing support. Over the years,
they have become recognised and highly respected as leaders in the classic car world
Since 1996 PermaBag® has grown to become
one of the world’s most reliable humidity
control systems for long-term storage of
cars and motorbikes, used by thousands
of satisfied customers.
PermaBag® was specifically designed to
address the need to safely and reliably store
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time, without the need for electricity.
PermaBag® is a large airtight zip-up bag
that protects cars and motorcycles from rust,
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moisture from inside the bag, achieving ideal
storage conditions of less than 50% relative
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Kent High Performance Cars
has been ‘Maidstone’s best
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Starting back in 1984 at
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PermaBag® works for months and years,
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+49 40 351947
British Motor Heritage is a unique
independent company that manufactures
a comprehensive range of body shells and
panels for British classic cars from the
original manufacturers’ tooling.
The Heritage brand is renowned
worldwide for both quality and originality.
All Heritage body shells and panels are
manufactured using the original press dies
and assembly jigs, which are continually
inspected and refurbished as necessary
F E R R A R I P A R T S S P E C I A L I S T
S U P E R F O R M A N C E
Superformance was started by Mike Elliot
in 1979, with the aim of supplying parts for
the Ferrari-engined Fiat Dino. However
with the crossover of parts to the Ferrari
Dino they were soon supplying Ferrari
owners as well, which led to the company
expanding over the years to cover parts for
the complete range of Ferrari models from
classics to the modern day. An excellent
reputation for engine rebuilding came by
way of the Italian genius Ron Lusardi,
known as the ‘Dino Doctor’.
Superformance was taken over by
enthusiast and businessman Colin Sowter
in 2006 and under his stewardship has
expanded its operations in the purpose-
built 20,000sq ft of warehousing it
occupies today. The company is based in
Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, and is a leading
supplier and remanufacturer of current and
obsolete Ferrari parts, supplying all the
parts to enable owners to maintain, restore
and keep their cars on the road.
Superformance is celebrating 36 years
in business, now the largest independent
supplier of parts for Ferrari cars, providing
unrivalled engineering and technical
expertise, with continuous remanufacturing
of obsolete and unavailable parts. Big
enough to cope and small enough to care
– and now official distributor for Hill
Engineering – Superformance offers
express delivery worldwide 24/7.
www. superformance.co.uk
admin@superformance.co.uk
+44 (0)1992 445 300
to maintain optimum performance.
The manufacturing process combines
traditional hand-crafting skills, authentic
production information, drawings and
patterns combined with state-of-the-art
technology, while only top-grade
automotive steel is used.
Distribution is through an international
network of Heritage-approved specialists
that support owners and enthusiasts with
the highest levels of product knowledge
and expertise. Our product range has now
expanded to Tex Automotive Ltd, which
manufacturers a comprehensive range
of wing mirrors and windscreen wipers.
sales@bmh-ltd.com | www.bmh-ltd.com

Borg & Beck is an iconic
brand in the world of
automotive components,
with more than a century of
original equipment (OE)
heritage when it comes to
the design and manufacture
of clutch systems and
components. As the original
supplier of clutches to the
majority of British-built
vehicles dating back to the
1930s, the Borg & Beck
brand is world-renowned
and today offers the
aftermarket a comprehensive
range of classic car
components.
With a comprehensive
range of more than 40
classic clutch references, the
company caters for more
than 200 applications, dating
back to 1935, and covers all
the much-loved iconic
classics such as the Aston
Martin DB4, Jaguar E-type,
Morris Minor, and the
Triumph TR range.
One of the Borg & Beck
clutch engineers remembers
burst-testing the original
Ford Escort clutch plate
when it was introduced back
in 1967! He has worked with
Borg & Beck Clutch all his life
and is proud to be able to
make these clutch kits
available today.
A recent addition to the
range is a clutch kit for the
MG Metro Turbo, 1983-1989.
This may at a glance seem
madness, as those that are
into their classics know that
there are not many of these
vehicles left driving around.
But while many may have
rusted away and become
almost forgotten, their soul
lives on, as they effectively If you need a clutch for any British-built
became donor vehicles for classic, then fit the original brand. To find
the DIY tuners who wanted your nearest Borg & Beck Classic Clutch
to increase the power of their Specialist contact info@borgandbeck.co.uk
much-loved classic Mini. www.borgandbeck.com

GROUP

Martin Robey has been established for over 40 years, manufacturing parts for
classic Jaguars. We put the E-type and Mk2 back on the road and we are
recognised for having the finest parts service available, with a fully
computerised system offering an over-the-counter, retail and trade, national/
international mail order service 24/7. We can offer a complete E-type
monocoque or a sub-assembly system for all versions, prepared and ready for
painting, a unique service that has now been running for over 40 years. We also
manufacture galvanised fuel tanks for classic Jaguars, including E-type Series 1,
made from zinc-coated steel with zinc-coated components.

E-type Front End Assembly

DESCRIPTION PART NUMBER PRICE (EX. VAT)

Autoglym supplies the world’s finest car care SERIES 1 BD36166 £ 7,858.88
products and has been the choice of the
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brand proudly holds two Royal Warrants and SERIES 3 BD36747 £ 7,866.96
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Halfords or online at www.autoglym.com. +44 (0)2476 386903 | info@martinrobey.co.uk | martinrobey.com

Aldridge Trimming is a family run business that
has been established for well over half a
century. The company was founded in the
1930s and initially provided a local general
trimming service for cars of the ’20s and ’30s.
Over the years, we have evolved and
expanded, gaining a world-wide reputation
for providing quality British-made interior
trim to original standards. Today, as well as
the mail order side of the business, we also
provide a bespoke trimming service to classic
car owners. With a large workshop covering
over 30,000sq ft, along with skilled trimmers
and machinists, we have the capacity to
provide trim-fitting services for more than
100 classic cars every year.
While mainly focusing on Jaguars (from
the 1950s onwards), we also provide trim for
Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, Fords (from the
1960s and ’70s) and Mercedes-Benz (from
1964 onward). We can manufacture anything
from a sunvisor to a complete interior trim set
for virtually any classic car.
We provide an extensive range of trim
kits for local and international mail order,
as well as being a supplier for some of the
major Jaguar, Ford and Triumph restoration
companies, both in the UK and worldwide.

www.aldridge.co.uk | +44 (0)1902 710805 | mail@aldridge.co.uk

Gone but not forgotten
Words and photograph mark dixon

richard
trevithick
A little over 200 years ago
he built a ‘road locomotive’
– just one highlight of an
incredible life and career

in 1802, just yards from the building in which

this magazine is put together every month,
engineer Richard Trevithick demonstrated a
steam-driven carriage on London’s Tottenham
Court Road. It was, according to his biographer
LTC Rolt, a new kind of vehicle ‘that paved the
way for the motor bus and private car of our day’.
It wasn’t Trevithick’s first attempt at a ‘road
locomotive’; he’d already built another version
with which he’d made several trial runs near his
Cornish home town of Camborne. That one
came to an inglorious end after it crashed into a
ditch opposite a country pub and then set fire
to the lean-to into which it had been recovered,
after the passengers forgot to attend to the
boiler while they were feasting on ale and roast
goose inside the pub. Both the locomotive and
its shelter burned to the ground.
Such mishaps were typical of Trevithick’s
life, which had more drama than you’d find in
any series of TV’s Poldark. Born to the manager
of a Cornish tin mine in 1771, Trevithick grew
up in the heart of the ‘Wild West’ Cornish
mining industry but was more than capable of
looking after himself, being tall, heavily built
and extremely strong. As a party piece he
would extend his arm with a 56lb weight
suspended from his thumb, and then write his
name on a beam six feet above the ground.
Trevithick was a natural engineer at a time
when steam power was revolutionising the
Cornish mining industry. Tin, copper and lead
had been dug up there since Roman times but,
to access the deeper seams, pit shafts had to be
sunk, which were prone to flooding. Fellow
Cornishman Thomas Newcomen had come up
with a solution by devising the world’s first
practical steam engine in 1712 to pump them
out – strictly speaking, an atmospheric engine,
because it used air pressure on a piston against
a vacuum caused by making steam condense in
a cylinder, rather than the pressure of steam.
But it was hugely inefficient and consumed vast
amounts of coal.
.
The challenge was to make a better engine,
and Birmingham company Boulton & Watt did
just that. They saturated the Cornish mining
industry with licence-built machines on which
royalties were payable. From his late teens,
Trevithick became a constant thorn in B&W’s
side as he designed and built engines that
worked much more efficiently but always
somehow evaded B&W’s patent restrictions.
In 1800, however, the patents expired and
Trevithick could give full rein to his ambitions.
It was the start of an incredibly fruitful period
for the 29-year-old engineer, who had recently
married Jane, the daughter of a local foundry
proprietor. She proved the perfect complement
to Trevithick, being patient and steadfast where
he was tempestuous and fickle, and they would
go on to have six children together.
Two radical innovations by Trevithick were
to change the future of the steam engine
forever. One was to connect the piston to a
crankshaft with a flywheel, rather than an
overhead rocking beam. The other was the
invention of the high-pressure boiler. At a
stroke, Trevithick had made steam engines
potentially portable.
In 1804 Trevithick built the world’s first
railway locomotive, to pull wagons laden with
iron castings on the Penydarren tramway in
South Wales – older readers may remember the
1:32-scale Airfix kit. He very nearly succeeded
in laying a tunnel under the Thames in London,
and he was constantly coming up with ideas to
use steam power and iron construction in ships.
However, his mercurial nature was his
downfall and he was bankrupt by 1811. Four
years later, he set sail for South America, a
continent where his mine engineering skills
should have made him rich. Instead, he fell into
an incredible succession of adventures that
included being conscripted into Simón
Bolívar’s revolutionary army; earning £2500 by
salvaging a wreck – and then losing the lot in an
ill-fated pearl fishing venture; and narrowly
avoiding assassination by brigands in the pay
of another supposed business partner.
Trevithick also crossed Costa Rica overland
from coast to coast with a Scottish trader called
James Gerard, the first Europeans to do so –
having almost drowned in a river when their
raft overturned. Later on, he was saved from
being eaten by an alligator when a passing army
officer managed to shoot it.
Back home in England and virtually
penniless, Trevithick died on 22 April 1833, at
the age of 62. The high-pressure steam engines
he had invented would transform the world but
he never received recognition in his own time.
Instead, he was buried in a pauper’s grave and
its exact location is not known today.

170
Icon
Words delwyn mallett
chevrolet
StoveBolt Six
All hail America’s longest-
serving engine, a mere
72 years in production
Introduced In 1929 and known as the
Cast Iron Wonder, the Stovebolt Six or the
Blue Flame Six, the Chevrolet OHV in-line six-
cylinder engine was the only engine offered by
the company for a remarkable 27 years, until
the advent of its V8 in 1954. Even that was far
from the end though, and the Stovebolt
remained in production for an even more
remarkable total of 72 years, with versions
powering British Bedford trucks and even
built under licence in Japan by Toyota from
1935 until 1992.
Launched as the ‘six for the price of a four’ to
upstage rival Ford’s Model A sidevalve four-
banger, the Chevy mill displaced – rather
inconveniently for our 200-themed issue –
194ci, but we think that’s near enough to 200 to
count. The ‘Cast Iron Wonder’ sobriquet was
due to the use of cast-iron pistons in the early
versions, but the engine is now generally
referred to as the ‘Stovebolt’ after the bolts
used to hold down the valve cover and engine
sideplates. Stovebolts were fairly crude, coarse-
threaded, slotted-head bolts most commonly
used to bolt together – you’ve guessed it –
wood-burning stoves.
ALAMY
172
With pushrod-operated overhead valves,
the Stovebolt propelled Chevrolet out of the
‘flathead’ era, but lubrication was still by
gravity for the main bearings and ‘dip and
splash’ for the connecting rods (fully
pressurised lubrication finally arriving in
1954.) With a compression ratio of 5:1 it
produced 50hp – 10hp up on the A. By 1932
output was upped to 60hp and Chevrolet, once
the underdog, was outselling Ford in the two
companies’ seesaw battle for the number one
spot. In 1934 displacement crept over the
200ci line to 207, and a substantial 80hp to
counter Ford’s 75hp in its new, sensational V8.
The term ‘Blue Flame’ also arrived in 1934,
coined by Chevy’s ad men to add consumer
appeal to the Stovebolt – nothing to do with
wood-burning stoves, but the colour of the
flame in what was claimed to be the more
efficient combustion chamber of the six.
In 1937 displacement was further increased
to 216.5ci and 85hp. It also gained a fourth
main bearing, as well as oil squirters to lubricate
the con-rod bearings. Displacement continued
to grow in car and truck versions, with 235ci
and 261ci versions joining the line-up. Post-37
engines are now usually referred to as Blue
Flames to distinguish them from Stovebolts,
although the term remained in advertising
puffery until it became the official designation
of the motor in the Corvette.
Meanwhile, down in South America,
General Motors of Argentina spotted an
opportunity to outperform Ford in the shape
of up-and-coming racer Juan-Manuel Fangio.
GM
‘driving a Master Coupe,
Fangio won the 5900-Mile
road raCe FroM Buenos
aires to liMa and BaCk’
Fangio had been making a name for himself at
the wheel of Fords in South America’s
massively popular marathon road races. In
1940 he was officially supported by GM and,
driving a 1939 Master 85 coupe, won the
extraordinary 5900-mile road race from
Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru, and back. In his
solid-axle Chevy, Fangio averaged 53.6mph.
He won four more races in a war-interrupted
row in 1941 and ’42 and 1948 and ’49.
The Corvette, America’s first homegrown
sports car, arrived in 1953, powered by a tuned
version of the big-bore truck engine. With
Blue Flame emblazoned on its valve cover and
sporting triple sidedraught Carter carbs,
higher compression, a sporty cam and sports
exhaust, the six then pumped out a more-than-
respectable 150bhp, especially when compared
with mum and dad’s cooking 105.
Of course, the six has been somewhat
overshadowed by the launch of Chevrolet’s
legendary small-block V8 the following year,
but there was plenty more life in the old
warrior. Variants remained in production for
another 47 years to make it the longest-lived
American engine.
Chrono
Words mark mcarthur-christie
Your first steps
Just £200 is enough to buy a seriously credible watch –
and more than likely set you on the path to rack and ruin
Watches are a dangerous – and expensive
– addiction. You might start by pressing your
nose to the watch-shop window and thinking
‘I rather fancy that G-Shock. Hmm, £85 is a bit
much…’ but soon you’ll be chasing vintage
motorsport Heuers at a few grand and thinking
£85 for a decent Cordovan leather rallye strap
seems like good value.
So, with that wealth warning in mind, where
can you start? Bluntly, wherever you like:
pretty much any watch (except one of those
nasty fake gold fashion things or a smartwatch)
has its merits. You could pick up a Casio F-91W
for a cappuccino under a tenner and have a
proper classic on your wrist. For true watch
people, price doesn’t dictate interest.
But let’s take £200 as the figure at which
things start to get interesting. That will get you
something good, worth hanging onto, and will
usually act as a gateway drug to the ruinous
addiction that is watches.
The best place to start will not be your local
high street. Not only are the chances good of
your budget being eaten by parking charges or
a ticket, but most watches in the window will
be new. That means they’ll carry a retailer’s
mark-up and a serious premium for your wrist
being the first they sit on. Then there’s 20%
VAT on top. So, even before the retailer’s
margin, your £200 really buys you a maximum
174
alamy
£160 of watch. You could easily end up paying
£200 for a brand-new watch that’s worth less
than £50 secondhand.
Rather than buying new, therefore, seek out
secondhand watches. Where a £200 new watch
is mostly tax and margin, the same price gets
you a lot more watch when you buy used.
So, where to start looking?
There’s no substitute for seeing – and
handling – a watch in the metal. Go online and
find a watch fair near you. There are a good
number around, usually at the weekends and
usually packed with plenty of £200 watches.
Even better, at a fair you get the chance to talk
to someone who knows their stuff and is
probably an enthusiast.
Turn up early with cash and, unless you spot
a 1016 gilt-dial Rolex Explorer for £200 (come
on, anyone can dream), have a good look
around at a range of watches before parting
with any of it. It’s frustrating as hell to buy the
first good ’un you see, only to find three more
in better condition at half the price on the other
side of the hall. Ask (nicely) whether the watch
you have taken a fancy to has been serviced;
that’s often good news. Be pleasant and
interested and you’ll be surprised at how often
something choice and interesting comes out
from a box under the table.
The same applies to junk shops and antiques
‘Where a £200 neW Watch
is mostly tax and margin,
the same price gets you
a lot more secondhand’
markets. There’s often an old watch lying in
a cabinet if you’re not lucky enough to find
a full-blown watch stall.
Then there are online auctions. As well as the
ubiquitous eBay, a lot of bricks-and-mortar
auction houses now have online portals you
can bid and buy from. Register before the
auction, set your £200 limit and don’t be
persuaded up from it.
Forget the big names such as Rolex and, to
some extent, Omega (although you might get
lucky with the latter). Instead look for Seiko –
they’re usually great value – and the lesser-
known makers such as Rado, Waltham or Oris.
You might even pick up a gold presentation
watch with its own story engraved on the
caseback. Bizarrely, these seem to sell for less
than their quality would suggest.
Wherever you spend your £200, there are a
few simple checks worth doing. It’s just like
buying a car – you’re looking for evidence of
care or abuse, history and the little signs that
tell the watch’s back-story.
Check the case and, if you can get the seller
to open the watch, the edges of the caseback
itself. You’re looking for no signs of attempts to
pry in with the wrong tools and a clean
movement with no rust or black patches. It’s
worth seeing if there are any tiny, light
engravings (or pen marks) on the inside
caseback – they’re watchmakers’ marks that
usually denote a service or work done. They’ll
show it’s had at least some love.
Give the watch a wind. Does the crown turn
smoothly? Do the hands rotate without
catching? Does it actually run for more than
a few seconds with an even-sounding tick?
Whatever you find, the main thing is to pick
something you like, rather than focusing on any
sort of investment potential. That way you’ll
get a watch you’ll enjoy wearing and any hike
in value is a bonus. You don’t have to spend a
fortune to get something that’ll make you smile
every time you look at it. Just like old cars.
 HALL & HALL

1952 Aston Martin DB3 “Works” car chassis #5

One of the five Factory Team cars and winner of the 1952 Goodwood Nine Hours driven
by Peter Collins in the 1952 season it also competed at Le Mans, Sebring, Monaco, Silverstone and
in the Mille Miglia. Supplied by us to the current owner, it has proved highly competitive
in historic events, most recently with a win in the 2017 Goodwood Freddie March Trophy.
Offered with a spare engine etc.

www.hallandhall.net
Email: vince@hallandhall.net
Tel: +44 (0) 1778 392562
Rick Hall: +44 (0) 7710 971277
Rob Hall: +44 (0) 7770 845554
Books
REVIEWED BY octane staff and contributors
Book
of the
month
The Aston Martin V8 1969-2000
RUSSELL HAYES, Palawan Press, £600 and upwards from www.palawan.co.uk
As serial Aston Martin owner
Rowan Atkinson writes in the
foreword to Palawan’s latest tour
de force: ‘The best stories are
human stories and this one is
helped hugely by its focus on
people; almost 40 interviews
were carried out with those who lived this history.’
Which is why this monumental tribute to the
original V8-powered Astons includes gems like this
one, from Lady Tavistock on life with her husband’s
‘wedge’ Lagonda, the first to be delivered: ‘We had
to drive it everywhere because they [Aston Martin]
wanted us to be seen in it, and we had to have a
low-loader follow us wherever we went because you
had no idea when it was going to decide to stop.’
OK, so £600 (minimum – the price goes up as the
available stock of books diminishes) is hardly small
change, but this is a fabulous production. Or rather,
two, because besides the main 530-page paving-slab
of a book you also get a separate volume containing
all the technical specs plus a complete chassis
register taken from the factory build sheets. And, if
you really want to push the boat out, you can order
a bespoke leather-bound edition for £3000 or more.
Needless to say, every possible aspect of this
lengthy chapter in Aston’s history is covered in
detail. So, obviously, we have not just the
production road cars, from DBS through to Virage
and 1990s Vantage – Zagatos included – but also
the Touring-bodied pointy-nose DBS prototypes
(‘When they came over they wanted repainting,
and there was filler everywhere,’ recalls engine
builder David Morgan), and the many
competition cars that used the V8. The latter
176
include Robin Hamilton’s racers, the Nimrods,
AMR1s and even the John Pope Special – a Vauxhall
Magnum fitted with a twin-turbo V8.
The cars, however, are just one part of the story,
and the machinations of the many players who ran,
or at least attempted to run, Aston Martin are
unravelled in fascinating detail. Again, there are
some brilliant quotes. Victor Gauntlett, on seeing
the receipt that Peter Livanos had just been given for
a 288 GTO deposit on the Ferrari stand at Geneva:
‘Bloody hell! What are we doing messing about
actually building cars when you can sell people bits
of paper promising to build them!’ Then there are the
inevitable what-might-have-beens: Aston’s bid to
buy MG in 1980, and – even more intriguingly – the
proposal for a tie-up with Lamborghini, so that
Newport Pagnell could use its Urraco 2.5- and
3.0-litre V8s in a new, smaller Aston.
As Rowan also observes in his foreword:
‘Goodness, things were done differently then and
it’s a joy to be reminded of it.’ Exactly so – and this
definitive work is a joy in so many ways. MD
Man On Fire
JIM DOWDALL, The Message Medium,
£9.99, ISBN 978 1 99993 815 4
If you want an enjoyable, pacey
and easy-to-read paperback for
a train or plane journey, this
autobiography is just the ticket.
Jim Dowdall is a stuntman
who began his career as an
armourer, showing stars such
as Clint Eastwood and Michael
Caine how to operate machine-
guns in WW2 movies, and
progressed to planning and
co-ordinating some of the
biggest stunts in cinema,
including many Bond films.
He’s a great story-teller and,
at not much over 100 pages
long, his book is one of those
can’t-put-it-down reads you can
devour at a single sitting. MD
Classic Car Auction
Yearbook 2018 2019
ADOLFO ORSI & RAFFAELE GAZZI,
Historica Selecta, € 70,
ISBN 978 88 96232 11 8
Chances are, if you’re going to
buy this book, you probably
own the previous 11 editions.
It’s the ultimate reference for
every significant auction result
over the past 12 months – from
August 2018 to August 2019.
The market insight from the
heads of each auction house is
surprisingly honest too. There’s
a focus on the year’s top ten
sellers, before heading into the
marque-by-marque listings of
every important result. If you
live for the world of classic car
auctions, then nothing printed
can come close. MH
 w w w.hortonsbooks.co.uk

Collector’s
Porsche 964 Cooper Cars book

30 Years: 1988-2018 DOUG NYE, Osprey Publishing, 1983, value £55+

ANDREAS GABRIEL, Berlin Motor Books,
€ 99.80, ISBN 978 3 9814592 4 1
The 964 marked a major leap in
911 world, a brand new floorpan
and even plans for a brand new
body, yet, while 86% of the car
was new, it looked very familiar
indeed. Purposely so. Therefore
I particularly enjoyed the pages
herein devoted to the changes
that weren’t made, and why.
And also the section on the
stillborn ‘965 Super-Turbo’:
pretty much a more production-
friendly 959 that suffered such
problematic cooling issues that
the prototype in Porsche’s
own museum has an Audi V8
stuffed in the back end.
This 378-page book kicks
off on Q&As with Helmuth
Bott and Friedrich Bezner,
before delving into detailed
production history. There’s
also background on the Porsche
company for context, then the
main meat is divided into
in-depth descriptions of every
single 964 iteration. Including
the ones that didn’t happen.
There are many niches within
the 911 world, and currently this
is probably the most specific of
them. Yet if you love your 911s,
you should give this elegantly
produced book a read. I’m pretty
sure you’ll learn something. GW
Covering the
history of the
single-seater
and sports-
racing Cooper
cars, and the
Mini-Cooper too, this is a
typical Doug Nye production
– which means it’s extremely
thorough and well-written;
one of those books that every
serious collector should have
on their shelf.
First published in 1983,
it was reprinted in 1987 and
1991, and then again by
Motorbooks in 2003. Doug
Nye was fortunate to be
loaned Cooper’s own photo
albums; later versions have
more photos (and the 2003
edition introduces the BMW
Mini Cooper, too) but a key
feature of every book is the
appendix of Cooper chassis
records and race results
towards the back. A bonus is
that, despite being close to
400 pages long, it’s concise
and easy to handle.
Standard versions typically
retail for about £55-65 but
the 1987 limited edition that
was signed by John Cooper is
worth £125. Rarer still are the
100 leather-bound copies of
the first edition that were
signed by the author and can
now fetch £350-400.
Ben Horton

The Ford that beat Ferrari

JOHN S ALLEN & GORDON J JONES, Evro, £90, ISBN 978 1 910505 47 2

Dino Days
PHILL BRIGSTOCK, Upfront,
£30, ISBN 978 1 78456 650 0
This could be the worst book
in the world and I’d still
recommend it because all
profits will be donated to the
Sporting Bears, of which the
author is a member. That
charity comprises a bunch of
generous souls who offer dream
rides in their cars in return for
donations. What’s that, you still
want to know about the actual
book? Well, it’s a 220-odd-page
landscape hardback with a
foreword by Mike Brewer and
offers an entertaining and very
personal account of a family’s
life with 200-plus classics. It is
laced with 300 photos, some
wonderful anecdotes and very
relatable adventures. JE
Timing is everything and it’s circuit and, of course, the ‘new’ Ford GT and its
no surprise, given the recent class win at Le Mans in 2016.
Hollywood treatment, that Slender though the 2019 additions might be, it
a Santa’s sackful of Ford and is important to remember that Allen and Jones’
Ferrari at Le Mans books (and original pictorial history – charting the GT40 from
reprints) has tumbled onto the development to the tracks via works and privateers
pre-Christmas marketplace. – is beautifully illustrated, brilliantly detailed and
You can currently take your packing enough chassis and driver data to keep any
pick of everything from stocking-fillers to substantial enduro racing nerd happy. If you have either of the
tokens of love but, with this edition of Octane previous editions of this book, you don’t really need
coming out on 24 December, we are talking about to shell out on this one. If you have neither, however,
some pretty last-minute shopping if this is what you this is a great opportunity to add a truly essential
want to pick up for your friend, loved one… or self. title to your classic library. JE
We’re pleased to say it is worth the effort.
From the ever-reliable EVRO stable and costing a
not-insubstantial £90, it is an updated version (the
third edition, actually) of a book that was originally
published in 1985. The last edition was when
Haynes re-issued it in 2005 to coincide with the
launch of the then-new GT and this doesn’t add
a massive amount to that. The 2019 update is
basically a 15-page section in the back, largely made
up of pictures and briefly covering latter-day GT40s
(‘continuation’ cars and reps), the 2005 Ford GT
(which was partially covered in the last edition),
GT40s that are regulars on the Historic racing

177
Gear
COMPILED BY CHRIS BIETZK
OMOLOGATO
ARROW MCLAREN SP
AUTOMATIC 2020
In August, IndyCar outfit Arrow Schmidt
Peterson Motorsports and McLaren
announced that they would join forces,
and the partnership has already borne fruit
in the shape of this team watch, which
features a Miyota 8215 automatic
movement and eye-catching splashes
of McLaren’s signature papaya orange.
£550. omologatowatches.com
PLAYFOREVER LUFT
The latest addition to Playforever’s range
of toys too good for kids is based on an
air-cooled 911 Targa. It’s pictured here in
shiny ‘Crow’ and gold, but several other
colours are in the works.
£35. playforever.co.uk
178
1934 LONDON
MOTOR CYCLE AND
CYCLE SHOW POSTER
The London Transport Museum
has digitised a vast collection of
posters once displayed on the
Underground – including this
charming design by the Scottish
painter Anna Zinkeisen – and
reproductions are now available
to buy in four sizes.
From £20. ltmuseumshop.cco.u uk
MASERATI
ELECTRIC
SCOOTER
A Maserati suited to life in
the city, this scooter will
squirt along at 25km/h and
boasts a range of 30km,
while its 8.5in wheels will
cope with our dreadful
roads on those occasions
when the pavements are
being inconsiderately
hogged by pedestrians.
¤1000. maseratistore.com
 DODGE A100 T-SHIRT
BY DEUS EX MACHINA
The cab-over A100 pick-up was more
composed than the similar, nose-
standing Ford Econoline, but every
A100 owner should still have a bit
of tasty two-wheeled ballast
to position over the rear axle.
¤49. deuscustoms.com
AUSTRO-DAIMLER SLOT CAR BY VELASOR
Considerably more carefully crafted than your average slot car,
this 1:32-scale replica of the Austro-Daimler Sascha features delightful details
such as a rotating hand crank, knock-offs that actually knock off, and a tubby,
moustachioed driver who is immediately recognisable as Sascha Kolowrat –
the man after whom the zippy 1.1-litre Austro-Daimler was named. It’s considerably
more expensive than your average slot car, too, but you get what you pay for here.
¤440. velasor.com

ETTORE BUGATTI BRONZE

OVER AND ABOVE BY JOHN KETCHELL
The 1903 La Turbie Hillclimb was marred by an accident that did
for Count Zborowski (the elder), but it is remembered, too, for the
performance of the fabulous Mercedes-Simplex 60hp. Otto Hieronimus
hustled the car along the course in record time, and man and machine
have now been immortalised on canvas by John Ketchell.
£2500. historiccarart.net
BY GREG MORGAN
Like Ettore’s cars, this new, 25cm-tall likeness
will be offered in small numbers (an edition of just 20)
and at a substantial cost (£3500). And, like Ettore’s
cars, it’s so beautifully made that nobody will be
able to take issue with the price.
£3500. greg@gregmorgan.co.uk

179
Models
REVIEWS AND PHOTOGRAPHY MARK DIXON

Classic model
WORDS AND PHOTO: ANDREW RALSTON

Peugeot 404 Coupé

by Eligor
Jacques Greilsamer was a man
ahead of his time. In the 1960s
– when collecting toy cars was
1:18 scale very much a children’s hobby
– he opened a specialist model

1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast SII shop in Paris and co-authored

Catalogue of Model Cars of the
World, an ambitious attempt to
By BBR Price £355.95 Material Resincast
list every known diecast and
In the mid-60s, the term ‘hypercar’ had yet to be invented Chassis 6307SF was despatched in May 1965, though plastic replica car.
but, had it existed, it would undoubtedly have been applied the blue racing stripe was added after its arrival in the Perhaps it was inevitable that
to the Ferrari Superfast; partly due to its $14,000 cost States. BBR’s ‘kerbside’ model (no opening panels) is Greilsamer would move from
and partly because of its 175mph performance. But the limited to 72 examples and has a superb finish and selling and writing about models
Superfast was also extremely rare, with only 36 built, and particularly fine interior, complete with seatbelts and metal to producing them. In 1975 he
you had to be a serious ‘player’ to own one. Comic actor buckles. The wire-spoked Borrani wheels are perfect, too, launched Eligor, a new brand
Peter Sellers, Woolworths heiress Barbara Hutton and right down to their tiny metal valve stems. It’s pretty much that combined the names of two
unrelated businesses run by his
race driver John von Neumann were Superfast owners. faultless, which helps justify the Superfast-level price tag.
father – ‘Elite’ and ‘Vigor’.
The Eligor range managed to
expand rapidly by using
redundant moulds from a much
bigger French toy company,
Norev. Soon, an extensive range
of classic cars and vans was on
offer, particularly cars of the
recent past that people were
beginning to feel nostalgic
about: obvious French subjects
such as the Citroën Traction
Avant and DS21, but some
British cars too, including Jaguar
E-type, Triumph TR5 and
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
There were also some
unexpected choices such as a
196 errari 2 0 1949 Al 2500S 1 earcat 1958 Chrysler New Yorker and
Renaissance £250.95 Tron £189.25 Matrix £96.95 Peugeot 404 Coupé.
Appropriate price for a top-rank Heavily curved side-glass characterised With its ultra-short wheelbase, this Stutz
These had all been available
handbuilt of the GTO in which Graham the Zagato-bodied ‘Panoramic’, must have been a proper hot rod, and
as Norevs a decade or so earlier
Hill won the 1963 Tourist Trophy. accurately depicted in Tron’s replica. Matrix’s model looks quite stunning.
but, whereas most of the Norev
cars were in plastic, the Eligors
had diecast bodyshells. More
significantly, the Norevs were
supposed to be for kids to play
with, whereas Eligor was one of
the first to see the potential of
the adult collecting market.
In an often-turbulent industry,
the brand remains a significant
player today. Now owned by
Établissements Louis Surber,
Eligor not only continues to
market its own models but also
1959 Lotu us Elite 2 1 y ris WRC 1961 BMW 700RS fulfils large orders for part-work
Spark £58.95 Ixo £35.95 Avenue 43 £93.95 magazine companies such as
Superficially simple in outline, but The incredibly complex livery and battery A really fine interior, complete with Atlas and Hachette, which have
there’s plenty of detail on this model of spoilers and mirrors make Ixo’s model spaceframe detailing, adds charm to this brought many more people into
of the Clark/Whitmore Le Mans entry. of this Monte rally car look great value. model of Hans Stuck’s hillclimb winner. the collecting hobby.

180 Models above are to 1:43 scale and available from Grand Prix Models, +44 (0)1295 278070, www.grandprixmodels.com
SIX MONTHS TO CR AF T IT
ONE CLICK TO ORDER IT
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info@theslshop.com
 Edited by Matthew Hayward

MARKET NEWS BU Y I N G + S E L L I N G + A N A LY S I S

TOP 10 PRICES
NOVEMBER 2019

£5,268,000 ($6,812,500)
2017 Pagani Zonda Aether
RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
30 November

£5,137,500 ($6,643,750)
2002 Ferrari F2002
RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
30 November

£3,310,500 ($4,281,250)
2015 Ferrari FXX K
RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
30 November

£1,657,500 ($2,143,750)
1982 Ferrari 126 C2
RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
30 November

Middle East’s mixed messages £1,222,500 ($1,581,250)

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
Gullwing
Some success for RM in Abu Dhabi, but others struggle in Riyadh RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
30 November
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE that RM Sotheby’s is the truck called ‘THOR’ that achieved a final price of
first auction house to hold a sale during a Formula 1 $13.2 million. Baffling. £1,114,000 ($1,440,625)
Grand Prix weekend, but that’s exactly what it did – Silverstone apparently fared better with sales of 2011 Aston Martin One-77
generating $31.3 million in sales on the start-finish about $16m, a big proportion of that coming from the RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
straight of Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit. $5,885,000 sale of a 2017 Pagani Zonda Riviera. 30 November
It was a mix of classics, old F1 cars and modern Because neither auction house published the full
supercars, with a 2017 Pagani Zonda Aether (pictured results from these auctions, they have not been £1,048,500 ($1,356,250)
above) taking the top spot at $6,812,500. That’s a new included in our top ten results for November. 2014 Koenigsegg Agera R
record for a Zonda at auction. The one-off 1996 Bonhams’ Bond Street auction saw one of the most
RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Zagato Raptor (previewed in Octane 199) sold for intriguing Aston Martins head under the hammer, a
30 November
$1,086,250, and a track-only 2015 Ferrari FXX K – 1961 DB4GT ‘Lightweight’, pictured below. It’s one
the first ever offered at auction – ended at $4,281,250. of just nine built to Lightweight spec and, thanks to
£840,000 ($1,086,250)
As you might expect, the crowd here was receptive its continuous maintenance, it has never been
1996 Zagato Raptor Concept
to the classic F1 cars, such as Michael Schumacher’s restored. It sold for £2,367,000, making up a large
RM Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
2002 Championship-winning Ferrari F2002, which proportion of the £4.4m sale total. Many cars passed
became the second-most valuable F1 car to go unsold, the sale rate dipping below 30%. 30 November
through an auction at $6,643,750. What was Highlights from online-only auctions this month
described as the only surviving Ferrari 126 C2, driven include a 1977 Porsche 911 RSR recreation via The £638,000 ($825,000)
in 1982 by Patrick Tambay and Mario Andretti, was a Market at £52,000, a stunning 2000 Lotus Elise S1 for 1993 Porsche 911 Reimagined
crowd favourite with a final price of $2,143,750 £19 750 f C ll C d 1960 D l by Singer
Silverstone Auctions and Worldwide Auctio M Sotheby’s, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
both held sales for the first time in Saudi A 30 November
alongside the Riyadh Car Show. Both have fai
release more than a few figures for each auction £618,750
needless to say not much sold. K500.com rep 1965 Aston Martin DB5
that Worldwide sold just four out of 120 ve Silverstone Auctions,
although one of those was a custom 1984 Pet Birmingham, UK. 10 November

187
 THE MARKET / Reports

DAVE KINNEY’S CAR OF THE MONTH BARGAIN OF THE MONTH

2005 Ford GT
Mecum Kansas City
5-7 December
IN A UNIVERSE WHERE most Ford 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD
GTs offered at auction have fewer than Mecum, Kansas City, Missouri
3000 miles on them, the 15,122 mileage The final (for now?) series of the
Ford Thunderbird is not a sports car
on this ‘black with white stripe’ car is
or GT, but a no-fuss usable
almost unheard of. Along with the black boulevardier. This is by far the
leather, all four options were specified cheapest yet seen at auction; normal
from new – stripes, grey painted calipers, asking prices start at twice the
BBS wheels and McIntosh stereo. It sold $7700 seen here. A stylish V8 rarely
for a high bid of $247,500. comes cheaper, but cheap at auction
is always a gamble. Does the car
Two others of this series Ford GT were
have rust? How many miles and how
offered for sale in Kansas City: a Heritage many owners has this car had? It’s
Edition (Gulf Livery) car with 562 miles probably worth the risk…
that failed to sell at a reported $400,000,
and a ‘white with blue stripes’ four-option
car with 2943 miles that also failed to sell SURPRISE OF THE MONTH
at a high bid of just $260,000.
The introduction of the new Canadian-
built Ford GT in 2017 was a game-changer
in many ways. Even with scheduled
production of just 250 cars per year, it has
put some pressure on earlier models.
Although the previous GT’s
supercharged 5.4-litre, 550bhp V8 with
six-speed manual powertrain is hard to 1946 CHEVROLET FIRETRUCK
Mecum, Davenport, Iowa
top, the new GT is a hit. Many of those An amateur-level restoration with
owners who will only settle for the latest plenty of parts left untouched,
GT are selling their earlier car to make perfect for parades and ready to be
way for the new, but some are arguing left outdoors for extended periods of
that the 2005-2006 cars were the final time if need be. For a long time
‘analogue’ GTs and worth holding on to. these smaller vintage fire trucks
were the most valuable, as they had
Both arguments have valid points. In the a chance of fitting in a garage, but
meantime, there seem to be dozens of now many of the bigger trucks with
every model to choose from. powerful engines are in favour. That
could be why this one sold well
Dave Kinney is an auction analyst, an expert on the US market scene and publishes the Hagerty Price Guide. below its expected price at $3850.

HAGI MBCI INDEX AS ALL OTHER SEGMENTS were either

unchanged or posted losses in November the
Moreover, the MBCI is the only HAGI
marque index that is up year on year, by
MBCI was the sole index to make a gain, 6.97%. Even more indicative of the Mercedes
trading up 2.70%. The most marked contrast is difference is the market-leading three-year
210
with the Ferrari index, which actually dropped growth of 10.26%, which contrasts with losses
back by 5.63%. in most other segments.
205 Indeed, in this market phase the different In short, though outpaced in peak growth
dynamics of Mercedes are nothing short of years, Mercedes’ more moderate performance
200 emphatic. While MBCI remains within a gentle came to the fore as other, more volatile market
upward trend channel dating back to 2015, areas fell away more sharply. Simply put,
195 albeit with a flattening gradient, this is not the Mercedes has held on to growth longer.
case elsewhere. Its relative stability, which in part is a
190
Additionally, with the MBCI marginally up function of the marque’s unrivalled depth and
185 year to date, by 0.07%, there remains a breadth of collectable cars, is a characteristic
possibility that it may end the year in the black; with considerable appeal to committed
180 likewise Porsche, which is up 0.30% YTD. In long-term enthusiasts, who will appreciate that,
contrast the HAGI Top overall market measure with considerably less drama than elsewhere,
Nov-16
Jan-17
Mar-17
May-17
Jul-17
Sep-17
Nov-17
Jan-18
Mar-18
May-18
Jul-18
Sep-18
Nov-18
Jan-19
Mar-19
May-19
Jul-19
Sep-19
Nov-19

would have to bounce 6% in December to end
the year in credit, and it is surely beyond the
MONTH/YEAR scope of Ferrari, barring the miracle of a near
Vertical axis is based on a benchmark of 100 set at 31 December 2011.
The HAGI MBC index charts the prices of key collectable Mercedes-Benz cars. 10% leap in December.
the value of the MBCI has doubled since
inception in 2011.
See www.historicautogroup.com for more.
Dave Selby

188
 1961

JAGUAR E-TYPE,
‘CUT 7’
EX-DICK PROTHEROE

The first Protheroe E-type to wear the

registration ‘CUT 7’

Campaigned extensively by Protheroe with

great success

6th overall in the 1962 Goodwood Tourist Trophy

Winner of the 1962 Autosport National

Championship

Vi sit www.he nd e rson-fe ll owe s. c om or c onta c t us on + 4 4 ( 0 ) 20 7 07 8 0 8 3 5 Prepared by E-type devotees Valley Motorsport
E XCE PTI O N A L MO T O R C A R S meet IM PE C C A BL E S E RV I C E & offered with valid HTP
THE MARKET / Auction Previews

The hard work is done…

Collecting Cars, online auction, UK January 2020
Taking on somebody else’s stalled
project can be a daunting task, but some cars
are worth the effort. We can think of few that
appeal more than this 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4,
which is simply crying out to be completed
after spending more than 45 years in pieces.
Following a minor accident in the mid-
1970s, it was the subsequent recovery of the
car by wrapping chains around the body that
caused the most significant damage. As the roof
took the brunt of the damage, it was sold to an
enthusiast looking to build a Daytona Spider
out of the damaged Argento Auteuil Berlinetta.
The roof was cut off and discarded, then, as
the full scale of the job unfolded, the project
was put on hold and sold shortly afterwards.
Other projects came and went at its new
home, but the Daytona sat around uncompleted
for over 30 years before a friend of the owner
decided to take it on himself in 2006.
The past 13 years have been a real labour of
love. Returning the car to its original Berlinetta
configuration has not been easy, and the
ground-up rebuild started with specialist
repairs to the frames. A genuine Scaglietti front
end had been sourced by the previous owner,
and Maranello Concessionaires supplied the
new rear section and roof panel. Their
metalwork was carried out by Ferrari
coachbuilder Alwin Hietbrink.
It’s a long way from being a running and
driving car, but it retains its original engine, said
to be in excellent internal condition. All the
parts needed are believed to be with the car.
The Daytona will be auctioned via Collecting
Cars’ online platform in January, and it still
requires a serious mechanical rebuild and some
reassembly. The hard work is done, but it still
needs a final push to get it over the line.
After more than 45 years without turning a
wheel, it certainly deserves a second chance.
collectingcars.com

Quality and quantity RM Sotheby’s, Arizona, USA 16-17 January

bigger doesn’T necessarily by Fleetwood. It is restored to an

mean better, but in the case of
Cadillac’s V-16 it was an exercise
in engineering excellence. The
first car to feature a V16 engine, it
had in effect two V8 engines
sharing a common crankshaft.
Collector John D Groendyke
has sought out the very finest
examples of the V16 over the past
ten years. Of the 17 he currently
owns, he will offer seven at RM’s
Arizona auction in January.
At the head of the pack
(pictured on the far right) is a
1930 Cadillac V-16 Sport Phaeton
exceptional standard, retaining its
correct engine, axles, original
coachwork and much more. It’s
estimated at $900,000-1,200,000.
Other examples on offer include
an Imperial Convertible Sedan,
an All-Weather Phaeton, a Town
Sedan, a Convertible Coupe, plus
Five- and Seven-Passenger Sedans.
By 1934, a total of 54 different
body styles was offered by
Fleetwood. Perhaps that’s why
Groendyke enjoyed building this
collection in the first place.
rmsothebys.com

190
 qUICk GLANCe AUCTION DIARY

29 December
Oldtimer Galerie, Gstaad,
Switzerland
2-12 January
Mecum, Kissimmee, USA
11-19 January
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, USA
15 January
Worldwide Auctioneers,
Scottsdale, USA
15-19 January
PAUL WALkeR COLLeCTION DB HBR4 ‘Le MONsTRe’ Leake, Scottsdale, USA
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, USA Artcurial, Paris, France 16 January
11-19 January, barrett-jackson.com 7 February, artcurial.com Bonhams, Scottsdale, USA
An interesting mix of 21 vehicles from the collection Although it started out its racing life in 1959, winning the 16-17 January
of late actor Paul Walker will be offered as part of Index of Performance in the 1959 Tour de France, the RM Sotheby’s, Phoenix, USA
Barrett-Jackson’s huge nine-day Scottsdale auction. DB was then modified – with an 11cm-lower roof – and
A rare BMW M3 Lightweight and an earlier E30 will go entered in the 1961 Le Mans 24 Hours. Thanks to the 16-19 January
under the hammer, as well as a modified Nissan 370Z increased top speed of 118mph, it finished 20th overall Russo & Steele, Scottsdale, USA
– used in the fifth instalment of the Fast & Furious film and came second in the Index of Thermal Efficiency. It’s 17 January
series. There are also various pick-ups and motorcycles a well-known and restored example which takes part in Coys, Maastricht,
offered, all of which will be sold with no reserve. many events, and is estimated at ¤140,000-180,000. The Netherlands
17-18 January
Gooding & Co, Scottsdale, USA
21-26 January
Mecum, Las Vegas, USA
(motorcycles)
25 January
Anglia Car Auctions,
King’s Lynn, UK
Osenat, Roanne, France
31 January
SWVA, Poole, UK

TUCkeR 48 MeRCeDes-BeNz e36 AMG 2 February

Charterhouse, Shepton Mallet,
Gooding & Company, Scottsdale, USA Anglia Car Auctions, Kings Lynn, UK
17 January, goodingco.com 25 January, angliacarauctions.co.uk UK (motorcycles)
It’s hard not to love Preston Tucker’s vision of the future, Fast Mercedes-Benz estates have a timeless appeal, and 5 February
even if it was a huge commercial failure. The fact that just this 1993 E36 AMG is a particularly rare example which RM Sotheby’s, Paris, France
50 were built makes it extremely valuable today, and the was imported from Japan in 2016. That means its 6 February
‘Car of Tomorrow’ had many innovative design features extensive service history is presented in Japanese, but Bonhams, Paris, France
including an intriguing rear-mounted flat-six. Chassis it’s also left-hand drive. It’s fully UK-registered, though,
number 1034 will be offered by Gooding & Company and despite being sold by Anglia back in 2016 it has 7 February
at its 2020 Scottsdale auction, at which it is expected remained in storage ever since. Showing just 34,313km, Artcurial, Paris, France
to sell for $1,750,000–2,250,000. it’s estimated to sell for £20,000-30,000. 8 February
Mathewsons, Thornton-le-Dale, UK
9 February
Charterhouse, Shepton Mallet, UK
17 February
ALsO LOOk OUT FOR… Shannons, Sydney, Australia
Given that many motorists cannot pilot a hatchback around 22 February
a supermarket car park safely, it is hard to understand why Coys, London, UK
anybody would want to give them the opportunity to pilot an Morris Leslie, Errol, UK
aircraft. This, though, was the dream of a string of inventors 22-23 February
in the 20th Century: a car, accessible to the fender-bending Silverstone, Race Retro, UK
masses, that could take to the skies.
25 February
By the late 1950s, more than a dozen ‘roadable aircraft’
Barons, Sandown Park, UK
had been built. Some crashed, some went up in flames
before leaving the ground, and a small number flew. All 29 February
provoked terror in folk with a healthy sense of self- Classicbid, Stuttgart, Germany
preservation, and none made it to production – but one 2 March
contraption came closer than most. Taylor could not find quite enough would-be owners to Shannons, Melbourne, Australia
Developed in the USA by Molt Taylor, the Aerocar I make production viable, and ultimately just five Aerocars
consisted of a two-seater runabout and a separate fuselage were completed. This airworthy 1954 example is thus an 4 March
with folding wings. These were towed behind the car and extremely rare old bird and, though it failed to sell recently Brightwells, Leominster, UK
could be attached in minutes, though it’s not a job you’d at $895,000, it is likely to fetch a healthy six-figure sum at In association with
want to rush… A Lycoming O-320 engine sent power either Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction on 18 January.
to the front wheels or to a rear-mounted propeller. barrett-jackson.com

191
THE MARKET / Showroom Stars

SHOWROOM BRIEFS

1968 Matra 530 Vignale

¤POA
If a regular Matra 530 isn’t
unusual enough, you could
always buy this one-off
Vignale-bodied example,
originally shown at the
1968 Geneva motor show.
ac-good.com (FR)

1960 Triumph TRS 2012 Tesla Roadster

£295,000 from Pendine, Bicester, UK
Forming part oF the trio of Triumphs that
successfully took on the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1961,
this pretty TR roadster forms a particularly interesting
piece of the company’s history.
Named TRS, it features the experimental twin-cam
engine developed by the Triumph Competition
department and nicknamed ‘Sabrina’ after a busty
TV character, played by Norma Sykes. Car and engine
had just one goal: success at Le Mans.
Work on an all-new lightweight engine began in
1958, with the twin-cam four-cylinder producing a
healthy 150bhp. It would initially power a heavily
modified TR3S in 1959, though all three entries
retired with small but race-ending faults.
For 1960 the TRS was developed to take on the
challenge. As a precursor to the TR4, it was based
around heavily modified TR3 underpinnings, built up
around the experimental powertrain with glassfibre
body panels. A total of four were produced – three
racers plus a spare. They finished the 24 Hours race in
1960, but failed to complete the minimum distance
required for classification, being beaten by an MGA.
The team didn’t give up though, and for 1961 the
AUS $175,995
Tesla has made a huge impact
on the automotive world, but
three Triumphs returned with further modifications its first electric road car was
to conquer the race, finishing first in class, and ninth, developed with Lotus in Hethel.
11th and 15th overall. Seems a world away from the
After Le Mans all three ended up in the USA and new Cybertruck…
classicthrottleshop.com (AU)
were sold through the dealer network to privateer
racers. This example – 927 HP – didn’t actually go on
to do a lot of racing. It passed to a second owner in
1972, who kept it until his death. It was sold to the
current owner in 2008 and he commissioned a
detailed rebuild to the correct 1961 Le Mans spec.
Thankfully the Triumph was in very original
condition and after two years the car was up and
running again – powered by a rebuilt Sabrina engine. 1930 Rolls-Royce 20/25
It competed in the 2010 Le Mans Classic, and has £45,000
been used and enjoyed ever since. It’s surprising just what good
Offered for sale by Pendine with an asking price value these saloons can be.
just shy of £300,000, it’s a lot of money. But factor in This beautiful example features
a unique body from Southern
the rarity and significance of the car and its engine and
Coach Work, and the overdrive
it makes sense. If you want access to any of the big will make it eminently usable.
international motorsport events, this practically vintageandclassiccars.co.uk
guarantees entry. Try to find something of equal
standing, and it starts to look very appealing.
pendine.com

1964 Cheetah
$675,000
One of three Cheetahs built for
Alan Green Chevrolet but used
as a promotional car. Nice paint
and whitewall tyres give the
illusion that this is a more
road-friendly example. It’s not!
hymanltd.com (US)

192
1967 FERRARI 275 GTB/4 12,000 POA 984 AC AUTOKRAFT COBRA MK IV 6,000 POA 2011 PORSCHE 997 GT3 RS 4.0 12,000 POA

HENDON WAY MOTORS

EST. 1952

For Collectors of Modern Art,

experts in Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, and AC Cobra

W: www.hendonwaymotors.com T: +44 (0)20 8202 8011

THE MARKET / Buying Guide
Nissan 200SX (S13 & S14)
You don’t have to be a drift king or queen, but it probably helps
It’s hard not to mention drifting when talking
about the 200SX. The sport gained international
popularity in the early 2000s when this turbocharged,
rear-wheel-drive coupé was cheap and easy to modify.
Drifting success is one of the reasons why Nissan’s
200SX gained a cult following in the UK, and also
explains why there are few unmodified cars left.
There is, however, a lot more to the 200SX than its
ability to go sideways. Impressive performance,
reliability and smart looks made it one of Japan’s many
early-90s market disruptors, Nissan embracing rear-
wheel drive in an incredibly well-balanced machine.
Launched in Japan as the 180SX, the three-door
liftback coupé was sister car to the two-door Silvia,
both sharing the S13 chassis designation. Differences
include more traditional coupé styling for the Silvia
and pop-up headlights for the 180SX. To add to the
confusion, the liftback S13 had a different name in
each market: 180SX in Japan, 240SX in the US and
200SX in the UK and Europe.
We got the 167bhp 1.8-litre turbo CA18DET
engine, with a five-speed manual or four-speed auto,
but, underpinned by MacPherson front suspension
and an independent multi-link set-up at the rear, it
was still quick and capable. Even if it lacked the sexy
styling of the Italians or prestige of the Germans, the
200SX offered buyers something different.
Euro-spec cars were also generally better-equipped,
with many optional NISMO parts fitted as standard to
cope with the extra cooling requirements of sustained
high-speed driving. A facelift arrived in 1992, with
194
THE LOWDOWN
Higher-mileage and slightly
rougher examples of the S13
start from around £4000, rising
smoother-looking bumpers and different wheels. to about £8000 for cars in top
Production of the European S13 stopped in late 1993, mechanical and bodily
although the fastback continued in Japan until 1998 condition. Perfect original cars
are out there, but be prepared
– receiving a further facelift and update in ’95. to spend upwards of £12,000.
That wasn’t the end for the 200SX, however. For The S14 remains slightly
1995 Nissan launched the S14 Silvia in Japan, a car cheaper, with solid cars starting
that then came to Europe as the 200SX. The two-door from about £3000, rising to
coupé was slightly longer, wider and lower, while about £10k for top examples.
handling was improved and, although it weighed The best-preserved cars tend
to be low-mileage automatics,
more, it was more upmarket. To make the most of its which makes manual cars more
197bhp output from the new 2.0-litre SR20DET pricey. Modified examples of
turbo engine, it was given a limited-slip differential. either generation can be
A mild 1996 facelift brought in more modern- significantly more.
looking projector headlamps and tinted rear lights.
There were various mechanical changes, too, including What to look out for?
Buy a car with a solid shell
an improved turbocharger. Production finished at the because rust can be tricky to
end of 1998, spelling an end for the 200SX in Europe. eradicate. Also inspect carefully
The Silvia lived on in Japan, with a much-improved for signs of crash damage.
S15 model up to 2002. This was not officially imported Modifications are common
to the UK, although many made their way here. and shouldn’t necessarily be
Time, abuse and salt have not been kind to the shied away from. Extra power
can easily be liberated and, if
200SX and few UK-market S13 200SXs remain, done sensibly, is nothing to
pushing up prices for survivors. Finding later S14s is worry about. Steer clear of
easier, but their numbers are dwindling fast, too. anything claiming a big power
There’s a growing interest in the market for Japanese output without documentation
classics of this era, though, and the 200SX has a cult of how it was achieved, though.
following. They’re reliable, easy to look after and even Check for signs of engine
abuse, such as smoke, knocks
quite practical, and there’s a great international or taps – it’s strong but has its
community keeping them alive. Find a good one, limitations. Synchros can also
cherish it and be prepared to have lots of (probably take a beating, so make sure
sideways) fun. Matthew Hayward all gears engage smoothly.
 PETER BRADFIELD LTD

1928 Bentley 4½ Litre

Chassis AB 3357 is a very attractive short chassis Birkin spec Le Mans style Bentley. Originally supplied as aVanden Plas Sports
Tourer it retains a high level of originality including the desirable long bonnet. Significantly the car has Pre-War Race history
and competed in the Donington 12 Hour Race in 1937.The car has a freshly rebuilt engine with Phoenix crank and rods and
accordingly runs cool and smooth. As well as its matching engine the car retains its original C Type gearbox which is quiet
and easy to operate. In addition a modern overdrive and and servo brakes make this an ideal car for touring and rally use. It
comes with a weighty history file, fully known provenance and has been with its current owner for over 10 years and with the
previous owner 61 years.
Also available:
1964 Shelby Cobra
See website for more details

8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON ONDON SW7 3HE

peter@bradfieldcars.com Tel: 020 7589 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com
 1958 XK150 Competition Roadster LHD
Recently arrived, a fabulous fully race prepared XK150 to 3.8 S specification.
Extensively uprated with a 300 bhp Les Trafford engine, racing clutch, full synchro gearbox, uprated competition
brakes and suspension, racing harnesses, bucket seats etc.

This car has previously competed successfully in the JEC XK Series and benefits from a recent mechanical
overhaul and as such presents a fantastic opportunity to acquire a highly
competitive XK150 ready for the 2020 season.

£110,000

Also available is a superb selection of Jaguar Sports cars and other prestige marques
suitable for both road and track use. Please contact us for further details.

Race Preparation • Restoration • Servicing • Sales • Transport • Storage

Based in East Sussex, CKL are the leading specialists in + 44 (0) 1424 870 600
road and racing Jaguar & Listers of the 1950s and ’60s.
Our purpose built facility incorporates: www.ckl.co.uk
• Engine Room ckl@ckl.co.uk
• Panel Shop
• Paint Shop CKL Developments Ltd,
• 8 Lift Workshop Woodcote, Marley Lane Business Park,
• Large Vehicle Storage Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0RE
 1986 EX-WORKS FORD RS200 ‘C200 JJN’
Chassis #61 is one of the most successful works RS200s (5 overall wins), and the most travelled car of 1986.
This is the first time the car has ever been on the open market.

DRIVING HERITAGE
 1991 Brun C91 JUDD
Chassis C91-001, a unique car in the world
Developed by Walter Brun's Swiss Team
3.5-litre Judd engine, carbon-fiber tub
Only 2 owners, kept for 25 years by its current owner
Eligible for many prestigious races

Come and visit us Hall 1 Stand M027

www.ascottcollection.com
Xavier Micheron
Phone: + 33 (0) 9 67 33 48 43
Mobile: + 33 (0) 6 17 49 42 50
Email: cars@ascottcollection.com
Paris - France

1 9 5 5 CO OP E R T4 0 / 195 5 L I S T E R KN O B BL Y / 19 72 S U RT E E S TS 9B F 1 / 1977 ALPINE A31 0 GTP / 198 2 AT S D 5 F1 /

1984 VOLVO 240 TURBO GROUP A / 1987 PORSCHE 962 CK6 / 1988 MARCH BUICK 86G / 1989 TIGA GC 289 C2 /
1990 SPI CE S E90 C / 199 6 V E N T U RI 6 00 L MS / 200 0 L O L A B 2K/40 / 2 009 OR EC A FLM -09
2 0 15 P O R S C H E 9 18 S P Y D E R £POA

GT Silver with Onyx Black leather, number 118 of 918 made, lightweight sports bucket seats,
electric height adjustment for passenger seat, car cover and battery charger, 174 miles

T H E L E A D I N G S P E C I A L I S T I N S O U R C I N G T H E R A R E A N D U N O B TA I N A B L E
+44 (0) 1772 613 114 | sales@williamloughran.co.uk | www.williamloughran.co.uk
Top Row: 1964 Cheetah, 1965 Maserati Sebring, 1971 Ferrari 365 GTC/4, 1963 Shelby Cobra 289
Second Row: 1930 Bentley Speed Six, 1928 Bentley 4.5 Litre, 1922 Bentley 3 Litre, 1938 Lagonda Rapide
Third Row: 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, 1937 Delahaye 135, 1937 Jaguar SS100, 1929 Dupont
Bottom Row: 1988 Lamborghini LM002, 1967 Ferrari 330GTC, 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SC, 1908 Columbia Electric

TM
 Our passion is classic competition cars
1970 PORSCHE 911 2.3 S/T 1973 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 2.8 RSR
(911 030 1151) (911 360 0756)
P.O.A. P.O.A.
• M491-OPTIONED FACTORY S/T • ONE OF JUST 55 RSR 2.8-LITER BUILT
• THE ONLY REMAINING REPSOL 911 • 4TH OA AT 12 HRS OF SEBRING 1973
• FIVE OWNERS FROM NEW • ALL NUMBERS CORRECT AND ORIGINAL
• VERY WELL DOCUMENTED • ON-THE-BUTTON AND WITH CURRENT FIA HTP
• EXTREMELY ORIGINAL • WELL DOCUMENTED WITH FACTORY DELIVERY NOTE

1970 Chevron B16 (DBE-15) 1990 Spice SE90P Chevrolet (013)

One of 23 genuine B16 built with continuous history. Well documented and 1990-91 USA Works C1-class Spice with excellent history. Front running car
race-ready w/ current FIA HTP and good spares incl. 2nd engine. P.O.A with extensive spares freshly prepared for the 2020 Group C season. P.O.A

(#4) 2002 Porsche 996 GT3-RS

Ex-Oliver/Redman. 100% race-ready with fresh DFV, crack-test, etc. Iconic Matching numbers w/ rebuilt RS-Tuning engine & gearbox, new seat, fuel cell,
high-airbox UOP Shadow and very eligible for 2020 Monaco HGP. P.O.A belts. Extensive spares. 100% ready for the 2020 GEL & MEL races. EUR 245,000

We have a wider variety of great cars for sale. Please call or visit our web-site for more information.
www.rmd.be - salesinfo@rmd.be - +32 (0) 475 422 790 - Schoten, Belgium

Car of The Month
1961 DB4 GT Zagato Recreation
Our much lauded re-creation
DB4 Zagato is built to bespoke specification -
CALL for details.
£1.5M + VAT
1960 DB4 Series II Coupe
This splendid DB4 is presented for
sale in it’s colour of Royal Claret with
Magnolia Hide interior.
£349,950
1967 Aston Martin DB6 MKI RHD
In Autumn Gold / Black. Full
restoration recently completed by
Aston Workshop.
£399,950
1968 Aston Martin DBS Prototype
We offer for sale this stunning DBS
V8 Prototype.
£129,950
2006 V8 Vantage Coupe
We are delighted to offer for sale
this 2 owner low milage V8 Vantage.
In Titanium Silver and Black hide.
£28,990
2009 DBS Manual Coupe
Toro Red over Obsidian Black with
red stitching. Only 19,820 Miles
£94,990
Classic Car Specialists
Sales | Restoration | Parts | Servicing | Enginology
+44 (0)1207 288 760
www.carbarn.co.uk
Established over 30 years ago,Aston Workshop has become
internationally renowned for its award winning engineering and
restorations. Our team of over 30 specialist workshop staff undertake
some of the most well regarded and bespoke Aston engineering
globally available.The culmination of which has led us to create
bespoke cars such as our authentic DB4 Zagato recreations.
With over 260 years of collective knowledge in the business we are
an internationally prominent independent Aston Martin specialist
with many unique products for the enthusiast marketplace.These
include right and left hand drive conversions, European and tropical
air conditioning systems, 6 speed automatic gearbox conversions
and a comprehensive suite of warranty backed engine upgrades,
re-engineered parts and enhancements - all developed in house over
decades.A vast number of our products are only available from Aston
Workshop.This combined with our depth of expertise in bodywork,
paint, trim and chassis work ensures we occupy a most highly regarded
position in the world of independent Aston Martin specialists. No
task on your Aston is too big or too small, and with so many years of
experience at your fingertips, using Aston Workshop makes a smart
choice. Our North East base also makes us ideally placed to offer
competitive prices.
Located in the quiet County Durham countryside, our world class
restoration and servicing facility works consistently to develop new
and innovative engineering solutions alongside our sales team which
operate from our 45,000 sq ft Aston Workshop complex.
The team strive to ensure buying a car from us delivers our customers
both peace of mind and the dream Aston Martin experience.The
cars we offer have been subject to a comprehensive programme
of workshop inspection.We are happy to discuss all aspects of the
vehicles history and condition to both experienced enthusiasts and
those customers new to the brand.
If you are thinking about selling your Aston Martin we are keen
to speak with you. Even if your car needs restoration, mechanical
attention or has been unused in its recent history we would welcome
a no obligation conversation.We offer professional nationwide
collection using our in house covered transport service.We are happy
to work around your personal requirements and can offer a variety of
solutions for customers within the UK and worldwide for both right
and left hand drive examples.We have a large database of customers
actively looking for all models of Aston Martin to purchase across
all eras of production. From concours winning cars to unfinished
restorations and barn finds, we are interested in your vehicle.
For a professional and confidential sales discussion call Francine on
07787 407 113 or Alex on 07827 353 195.
WWW.HISTORIKA.COM
instagram.com/historika911
facebook.com/historika911
twitter.com/historika911
YOUTUBE.COM/HISTORIKA911
Call 07836 384 999 or 07717 212 911

Over the years we have become Using this wealth of experience

increasingly well known for
our pre 1966 Porsche 911 FIA
builds and these builds have
gained overall and class wins
throughout Europe.
and knowledge we can ensure
to deliver you a car that is highly
competitive, exceptionally
finished and most importantly a
joy to drive from the outset.

Cars already in build and available for purchase.

1965 Porsche 911 – True 65 MY 1965 Porsche 911 – Ex Ake

non adjustable front strut car. Andersson Historic FIA
Photography: Rob cooper.
Trophy Winner.

Y e s t e r d ay ’ s P o r s c h e s . P r e s e r v e d f o r T o m o r r o w. E n j o y e d T o d a y.
F I N E C A RS / / r es to r ati o n / / r ace p re pa r ation / / R A R E pa rts
WWW.HISTORIKA.COM
instagram.com/historika911
facebook.com/historika911
twitter.com/historika911
YOUTUBE.COM/HISTORIKA911
Call 07836 384 999 or 07717 212 911

We have owned, driven, raced We have our own in-house

and restored these icons for
in excess of forty years. So if
you are thinking of restoring or
purchasing a classic Porsche we
can help – from pre-purchase
inspections, including chassis
X- Rays or car history research,
through to preservation and
restoration.
Main PHOTOGRAPH: RéMI dargegen
master craftsmen, factory
Celette body jigs and brackets,
NOS hard to find panels and
parts. This ensures we carry out
sympathetic and period correct
work that retains the integrity and
value of your Porsche. We pride
ourselves on our team and our
award winning finished product.

Y e s t e r d ay ’ s P o r s c h e s . P r e s e r v e d f o r T o m o r r o w. E n j o y e d T o d a y.
F I N E C A RS / / r es to r ati o n / / r ace p re pa r ation / / R A R E pa rts
 Est
1986

Porsche 911 2.7 MFI Targa - £149,995

One of just 6 UK delivered 1975 2.7 MFI Targa’s. A stunning, matching numbers example in concours condition with a
comprehensive history. Powered by the legendary RS Touring’s 210bhp engine with an identical kerbweight.

Ferrari FF
2012 registered in Nero Daytona with
Nero hide. Fantastic spec including
extensive carbon options + passenger
display. Full Ferrari history and just
14,000 miles. £109,995
Porsche 911 997 GT2 Clubsport
UK supplied C16 RHD GT2 Clubsport
with just 4157 miles in beautiful
condition with a fantastic spec
including both carbon packs. Capable
of 210MPH, 0-60 in 3.6 seconds all with
RWD and a manual gearbox. £159,995
Ferrari 328 GTS
1989 in Rosso Corsa with Crema Hide.
UK Supplied, 14,000 miles with ABS
and rear aerofoil. Fantastic service
history, one of the best available.
£89,995
Porsche 911 GT3 RS Weissach
VAT qualifying with a huge
specification including the Weissach
pack. The ultimate modern 911 in
perfect condition with only delivery
miles. A race car for the road. £POA

Alfa Romeo Stelvio NRING
VAT Q with delivery mileage, carbon
ceramics, carbon interior and exterior.
An extremely rare 510PS Super-SUV in
perfect condition. Ideal to use everyday
and on the track! £74,995 + VAT
Lamborghini Aventador
Anniversario LP720
Vat Q. One of a limited edition of
100 units built for the marques
50th Anniversary with signature
detailing and factory power increase.
As new condition with delivery miles.
£208,329.16 + VAT
Mercedes SLS Roadster
Vat Q. 2012 in Obsidian Black with red,
with full Mercedes service history and
just 27,000 miles. Reverse camera,
AMG ride control, neck level heating
and blind spot assist.£95,829 + VAT
Porsche 993 Cabriolet
1997 in Arctic Silver with Midnight
Blue leather. Varioram engine, six
speed manual with Cup alloys and air
conditioning. Only 45,000 miles and a
stunning history. £59,995

All of the above vehicles, and many more, are shown on our website with full details and photographs. You can also keep up-to-date with our latest stock via social
media. Established over 30 years ago, Park Lane (UK) Ltd has built a reputation of integrity in the global trade of motor vehicles. Wherever you are in the world, we
will be able to assist in the purchase of your next vehicle. We are always on the look-out for similar exceptional vehicles to purchase. Please do call us.

+44 (0)1420 544300 • parklaneuk.com • sales@parklaneuk.com

@parklaneukltd @uk.carsltd @parklaneuk

Park Lane (UK) Ltd . Unit 9 . Alton Business Centre . Omega Park . Alton . GU34 2YU

Car of The Month
1962 Mercedes 190SL (LHD)
We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning Mercedes
190SL.This exceptional example comes comes with a new
mohair hood and tonneau cover and is finnished in its original
Graphite Grey.
£119,950
2015 Porsche 911 3.8 Turbo
Carrera White with Black Leather
interior and with only 13,782 miles
this is a stunning example.
£94,950
1990 Mercedes 300CE Coupe
This Mercedes 300CE Auto Coupe
is in excelent condition and comes
with extensive history.
£9,950
1933 Morris Isis Sport Coupe
This Morris Isis Sport Coupe is
finished in red over black with red
hide interior.
£35,990
1976 Ferrari 208 GT4 “Dino”
This beautiful and rare 2+2 Ferrari
has covered only 24,000 Miles and
only 1,500 Miles since an extensive
rebuild.
£65,950
2003 Land Rover Defender 110
Finished in Epsom Green metalic
with Techno Grey interior. Only
44,650 Miles and 2 previous owners.
£23,950
Classic Car Specialists
Sales | Restoration | Parts | Servicing | Enginology
+44 (0)1207 288 760
www.carbarn.co.uk
Since opening its doors for the first time in 2012, Car Barn has
earned a robust reputation for dealing in a huge variety of classic and
exotic vehicles. Nestled in a quiet rural part of County Durham, our
bespoke facility comprises a peaceful showroom with a countryside
outlook and a thriving restoration and service workshop.
We are proud to offer a friendly and approachable service for both
UK and international customers and offer a variety of sale and
purchasing options to suit our customer’s individual requirements.
We strive to provide a diverse portfolio of high quality cars for sale
in our showroom to ensure we can offer our customers both their
dream purchase and a robust investment to cherish.Whether you are
a first time classic buyer or you’re looking to expand your collection,
we are well placed to help you find the right vehicle.
If you are looking to sell a classic or exotic vehicle, whether it be
left hand or right hand drive, a restoration ready barn find or an
all original gem, we would love to hear from you to discuss your
requirements.We have an extensive customer database and a
significant array of sales and marketing options at our disposal.
Call Alex on 07827 353 195 for a confidential and professional
response to your enquiry.
Car Barn sales are supported at our class leading facilities by our
team of skilled long serving technicians. Our experts bring with them
a vast knowledge and experience of historic cars of all marques.The
team regularly care for a variety of models for customers throughout
the country. Our fully equipped workshop offers everything from
health checks, regular serving and repair through to full restorations
including upgrades and bespoke works. No task is too big or too
small, and with so many years of experience at your fingertips, using
Car Barn makes a smart choice. Our North East base also makes us
ideally placed to offer competitive prices.
For routine same day servicing or repair work why not take
advantage of the award winning restaurant the Black Horse Beamish,
only 100m from our doors and pass the time whilst our technicians
care for your vehicle?
Please call Peter on 01207 288 760 to discuss your individual
workshop requirements.
 SPORTS CLASSICS
LONDON

1963 Aston Martin DB5

A unique and important Aston Martin back on the road after 51 years
CONCOURS RESTORED WITH ORIGINAL MATCHING-NUMBERS ENGINE & GEARBOX
DOCUMENTED WITH FACTORY BUILD SHEET & AMHT INSPECTION TO CONFIRM ORIGINAL 33,927 MILES

The car will retain its 5515 PP registration number with the original 1968 tax disc
displayed in the windscreen. This is a truly remarkable car, in every sense and surely one that
will be viewed as the most authentic DB5 ever to go on sale.

C O NT A CT PAU L G I O V ANNI , 6 KEN DR I C K PL AC E, R E ECE ME W S, LO N D O N S W 7 3 H F U K

T : +4 4 (0 ) 2 0 7 2 0 5 2 7 7 7 | M : + 4 4( 0 ) 7889 758365 E: S AL ES @SP OR TS CL AS SIC S LON D O N .C O M

WWW.SPORTSCLASSICSLONDON.COM
 At Paragon, we have superb in-house workshop and preparation facilities. Each car is supplied fully serviced with a new MOT
and our 12-month/12,000-mile comprehensive parts and labour warranty.

911 RS Touring
Jet Black • Black Seats • Manual
Gearbox • 15” Fuchs Wheels • Fully
Restored • Matching Numbers
1973 (L)
911 Carrera RS (964)
Maritime Blue • Leather Bucket Seats
Manual Gearbox • 17” Magnesium
Cup Wheels • Rear Roll Cage
96,328 km (59,855 miles) • 1992 (J)
911 GT2
Polar Silver • Black Leather Sport
Seats • Manual Gearbox • Porsche
Ceramic Composite Brakes • Sports
Exhaust • 21,725 miles • 2003 (03)
911 Carrera Sport Targa
Grand Prix White • Dark Blue Leather
Seats • Manual G-50 Gearbox • 16”
Fuchs Wheels • Fully Electric Seats
22,373 miles • 1988 (F)

£574,995 £209,995 £129,995 £84,995

911 GT3 (996)
Guards Red • Black Leather Bucket
Seats • Manual Gearbox • 18” Sport
Design Wheels • Air Conditioning
29,552 miles • 1999 (V)
911 GT3 Clubsport (996)
Guards Red • Black Nomex Bucket
Seats • Manual Gearbox • Porsche
Carbon Ceramic Brakes • Rear Roll
Cage • 43,336 miles • 2004 (53)
911 Turbo (996)
Seal Grey • Black Leather Seats
Tiptronic S Gearbox • Satellite
Navigation • 18” Turbo II Wheels
59,354 miles • 2004 (53)
911 Turbo (996)
Lapis Blue • Dark Blue Leather Seats
Manual Gearbox • 18” Turbo II Wheels
Fully Electric Seats • 75,992 miles
2002 (02)

£79,995 £74,995 £44,995 £39,995

See more of our current stock at paragongb.com

01825 830424 sales@paragongb.com

PARAGON GB LTD FIVE ASHES EAST SUSSEX TN20 6HY

 SYDNEY AUSTRALIA

1989 Porsche 911 Speedster - original 23,000 kms, superb condition 1971 Porsche 911 T - orig. RHD, restored, Signal Orange, full history

1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 - bare metal restoration, Rosso Cordoba, tools 1974 Citroën DS 23 Pallas - fully restored, one owner car, manual

1967 Jaguar Mk 2 240 - restored, upgraded to 4.2 litre, Navy over Grey 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Mk1 Vantage - match. numbers, fully restored

2018 Porsche 911 GT3 - PTS Miami Blue, manual, low kms, superb 2018 Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series - one of only 500 cars, RHD

2018 BMW i8 Roadster - almost new, excellent specs, RHD 2012 Lexus LFA - 1 of just 500 cars, immaculate, 5,500 kms

2019 McLaren Senna - 88 kms, 789 HP, one of 16 Australian cars 2018 Aston Martin DB11 AMR MY19.5 - almost new, 1,500 kms

Australia’s Number One Classic Car Dealer

BAYS 3&4 50-64 PACIFIC HIGHWAY NORTH SYDNEY AUSTRALIA T +61.2.9922 2036 F +61.2.9922 4594
 The UK’s largest Lotus parts stockist.
Please call us for all your part requirements.
12 Old Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove,
Worcestershire B60 1DE. Fax: 01528 575172
TELEPHONE 01527 835656 Email: enquiries@paulmattysportscars.co.uk
@paulmattysportscarsltd www.paulmattysportscars.co.uk

Lotus 24 BRM V8 F1 Lotus Elise 111R Touring Lotus Seven S4 1971 Lotus Elan S3 FHC 1968 HSCC
Road Sport Race Car

Lotus Evora S Sports Racer 4 V6 Lotus 6 1955 Lotus Exige S1 Race Car Lotus Exige S Sports GT3

216
CHARLES PRINCE Worldwide Collector Car Sales

1932 BENTLEY 8 LITRE CLOSE COUPLED COUPE BY MAYFAIR. Chassis No: YX5124
A rare opportuity to purchase an exceptional Vintage Bentley. The very last 8 Litre to be completed by the factory. Short
Chassis. Full history and matching numbers.

1924 3/4.5 Litre Chassis No 387. Full Le Mans Spec rebuild to the very highest standard.
An oppotutity to acquire an ideal International Rally car. Shell bearings, full flow oil filtration,
Arrow rods. Overdrive, alternator. Uprated differential.

Purchase Sales Consignment Valuation

CHARLES PRINCE Worldwide Collector Car Sales

Also Currently Available

1930 Bentley 3/4.5 Litre Le Mans. 1929 Bentley 4.5 Litre DHC by Martin Walter

A small selection of recent sales celebrating the Bentley Centenary

1938 Bentley 4.25 Litre Open Tourer by Vanden Plas 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model By Vanden Plas.

1927 Bentley 4.5 Litre Tourer by Vanden Plas 1930 Bentley 4.5 Litre Blower.

1929 Bentley 4.5 Litre “Le Mans” by Vanden Plas 1923 Bentley 3 Litre Team Car 3rd in Class Pebble Beach

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

 www.brianclassiccars.com

220
 ROLLS-ROYCE AND BENTLEY

Great Easton, Dunmow, Essex CM6 2HD, England

Telephone: 01371 870848 Fax: 01371 870810
E-mail: enquiries@pa-wood.co.uk www.pa-wood.co.uk
 Vintage Specialists

ebe

THE UK’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT FERRARI SPECIALIST | EST. 1968

599 GTB 365 GT4 2+2 812 Superfast 328 GTB

Main dealer service history - 17,000miles 1 of 109 RHD UK cars - Excellent history Only 198 mls - Immaculate Very original - Late ABS example

599 GTB 360 Challenge Stradale 550 Maranello 246 Dino

LHD - 8600 kms - Extensive specification LHD - 22,000 kms - Impeccable condition Rare colour combination - 19,000 mls 27,000 mls - Late E-Series example

D E L IV E RI N G U N R I VA L L ED F E R RA RI S ALE S , S ERVICE & R ESTO RAT IO N FOR OV E R 50 YEA RS

FOSKERS.COM
E M A I L :info@fo sker s.co m | S A L E S : +44 (0 )1474 874 55 5 | M O B I L E :+44 (0)751 5 430 430
B R A N D S H ATC H P A R K , K E N T , DA3 8P U

222
 Sherwood Restorations Ltd Established 1966
Established as one of the leaders in the field of vintage and classic car sales and restoration,
with over 200 years of combined experience, winners of many major Concours d’Elegance Awards

2014 JAGUAR XK 5.0 SIGNATURE COUPE 1968 MGB ‘1860’ ROADSTER – OVERDRIVE 1961 MGA Roadster Mk2
Italian Racing Red with Soft Grain Ivory Hide Interior. 1 Primrose Yellow with Black interior. As clean underneath Chariot Red with Black trim. Bob West restoration some
Owner from New. 42,000 Miles. Full Main Dealer Service as it is on top. This is as good as they get! RHD - £19,995 years ago and still stunning throughout. RHD - £35,995
History Last serviced at 41,933 Miles. Impeccable
throughout. In Jaguar’s words ”A Celebration of Design”.
PLEASE NOTE – PRIVATE REGISTRATION NUMBER SHOWN
IS ‘NOT’ INCLUDED RHD – £28,995

1994 PORSCHE 968 SPORT LUX – 6 Speed MANUAL
Speed Yellow with Black Interior. Aesthetically and
mechanically Superb. Modern Classic that is tipped as one
to buy whilst still affordable. RHD – was £25,995 NOW
£22,995
2003 ASTON MARTIN DB7 VANTAGE – AUTO
Tungsten with Black Interior, 18,600 Documented Miles
‘ONLY’ from new!!!!!!! Specification from new included
approx. £20,000 worth of extra’s, extensive Aston Service
History, Every MOT certificate to verify the incredible
mileage. Stunning throughout as you would expect!!!
RHD - £34,995
1974 MGB 1.8 ROADSTER – OVERDRIVE
Citron Yellow with Black Interior and Hood. One of the last
chrome bumper ‘B’s, restored a few years ago, remaining in
the same superb condition to this day. ideal start to Classic
Motoring, will provide much enjoyment for years to come.
RHD - £13,495

1968 MGC ROADSTER
Glacier White with Black trim. Retaining its original
registration ‘OOB 21G’. Sympathetically modified with
‘touring’ in mind. Comprehensive history. So nice, so
original and so understated. RHD – was £31,995 NOW
£29,995
1989 JAGUAR XJS V12 CONVERTIBLE AUTO
Westminster Blue with Magnolia Hide. Magazine featured
with comprehensive specification and history. Grand Tourer
ready to be enjoyed once again. RHD – was £22,995 NOW
£19,995
1994 PORSCHE 968 CABRIOLET – TIPTRONIC
Grand Prix White with Black Hide and Hood. True Modern
Classic. Has been used for touring at home and abroad
and maintained to the highest standards regardless of cost.
RHD - £19,995

1987 PEUGEOT 205 1.9 GTI
Cherry Red with Grey/Red interior. A truly stunning
example with just 28,000 recorded miles from new!!
Complete and total history from day one. This multi-award
winning example is absolutely superb throughout. One of
the very best!! RHD - £29,995
1973 TRIUMPH TR6 – 5 SPEED
Sapphire Blue with Black trim. Restored and uprated.
Just re-trimmed including hood. Mechanically enhanced
to provide a little more enjoyment. RHD – was £27,995
NOW £25,995
1990 MINI COOPER 1275 RED WITH WHITE CAP
Fully restored by TR Enterprises – with only 2,000 careful
miles covered since. 1293 engine, Minilites, superbly
detailed throughout. RHD - £13,495

If your car is one of the very best, please call with an accurate description, detailing condition, history, ownership, etc. All makes and models required.
Upton Fields Garage, Upton Road, Southwell, Notts. NG25 0QB. Tel: 01636 812655/812682/812700
www.sherwoodrestorations.co.uk | sales@sherwoodrestorations.co.uk
 Y EARS
FERRARI SALES SERVICE RESTORATION F1 CLIENTI

FERRARI 643, 1991, Grand Prix Car, Alain Prost/Jean Alesi

FERRARI 308 GTB/M GR. 4, Track Day Car, 410 HP, eligible for Tour-Auto, Modena Cento Ore

PLEASE FIND OUR CURRENT STOCKLIST ON WWW.MODENA-MOTORSPORT.DE

please visit our website www.modena-motorsport.de Ernst-Tellering-Str. 60 Tel +49(0) 21 73/2 21 84

or send us an e-mail to info@modena-motorsport.de D 40764 Langenfeld Fax +49(0) 21 73/2 16 03
Central London’s Largest Classic Car Showrooms WE HAVE MOVED

1949 Bentley MKVI Mallalieu Special

1934 Singer Le Mans 1970 Mercedes Benz 280SL - Fully Restored Condition

2008 Bentley Brooklands. 23.000 miles only 1935 Bentley 3 ½ litre with Gurney Nutting Sportsman’s
Pillarless Coupe bodywork
www.graemehunt.com
+44 (0) 20 7937 8487 mail@graemehunt.com
 FOR SALE

£POA

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO AQUIRE THIS
1970 ‘VELAR’ PRE-PRODUCTION
RANGE ROVER
Sympathetically restored retaining many of the
original features. One of only 26.
Guarantees VIP entry to all of the 2020 50th Anniversary Range
Rover Celebrations.
All of us at Kingsley share a common love for classic Range
Rovers and Land Rovers having grown up with them around us.
We have been restoring, creating ‘Ultimate Classic Rangies’,
and supplying parts and upgrades for more than 20 years
to clients around the world.
Please see our website for full details of this vehicle and our other
classic Range Rovers for sale.
Tel: +44 (0)1865 884 488 www.kingsleycars.com

1997

1967

911

226
 1961 Jaguar E-Type
Period competition
Roadster 179 WK.
Goodwood eligible.
£P.O.A.
1971 Mini Cooper MK3 Red 1959 Jaguar MK1 1982 Jaguar TWR XJS
£54,000 £64,950 £P.O.A
The Showroom, Park Farm,
Tethering Lane,
Everton, Nr Doncaster,
South Yorkshire,
DN10 5DR
Michael: 07796 685545 /
Joanne: 07795 672702
1957 XK140 Roadster 1959 Jaguar XK150 1962 E Type Series 1 Racer Office: 01777 818061 Email:
£P.O.A £154,950 £165,000 enquiries@sayerselection.com

2011 2017 HSCC JCC CSCC 2016 2014 MASTERS 2017 JEC HSCC
SPA FRANCORCHAMPS JAGUAR CLASSIC GUARDS TROPHY CLASS D SWINGING PETER AUTO SIXTIES GOODWOOD CLOTH CAP GTSCC GT4 TROPHY BEST PERFORMANCE
SIX HOURS CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS CHAMPIONS SIXTIES CHAMPIONS ENDURANCE REVIVAL RAC TT CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPIONS FOR A GT CAR
WINNERS CHAMPIONS 2013 2017 2008 3RD OVERALL 3RD OVERALL 3RD OVERALL 3RD OVERALL 2010 2011
1932 Mercedes-Benz 370 S Mannheim Roadster
The History of the car can be traced back to its origin when sold to its first owner Mr. Stetter of Augsburg/GER before being sold to
Mr. Lehmann of Friedberg/GER in the mid 50’s and who kept it until 2004. The next and 3rd owner had the car completely restored
to its original colour. The car is matching number and comes with a 55 page Mercedes-Benz Classic Manufacturer’s Expertise.
The car is in immaculate condition and ready to be enjoyed by a new owner. Swiss Veteran registered and FIVA Card category A/3
POA

1948 Veritas BMW Rennsport

Chassis no. 85123, Engine no. 105524. Rare, early example of the Veritas marque based on BMW 328 chassis and engine.
Driven by Dennis Poore at Goodwood in September 1949. Impeccably restored by BMW/ Bristol Specialists TT Workshops at a
cost of almost £100,000. Previous competitor in Plateau C of the Monaco Grand Prix Historique. Hugely eligible and immaculately
prepared and ready to compete in vintage racing and rallying.
POA

1959 Jaguar XK 150 Estate „The Tow Car“
Chassis #S825043DN. The famous XK 150 Estate started
life as a RHD 3.8 Coupe. Upgraded to „S“ specification in
1963. The Jaguar was then bought by British race protagonist
Douglas Hull. In 1968 „Peels of Kensington“ coachbuilders
where commissioned to design and built an Estate car.
The car was used to tow Patrick Lindsey‘s ERA single
seater to various race events. 7 binders full with history an
documentation come with the car.
EUR 155’000
1940 Fiat 2800 Touring
Chassis #000561 - Engine #000593. Belived to be one of only
3 Fiat 2800 bodied by „Carrozzeria Touring“ on special order
for Claretta Petacci, Benito Mussolinis „official“ mistress.
From the 2 other cars bodied by Touring, one was sold to the
King of Morocco while the other went to the King of Spain.
Probably smuggled into Switzerland after WWII and sold to
an italian family in Martigny where it was kept for over 50
years and restored. In present and third ownership sinc 1998.
POA

Graber Sportgarage AG 3125 Toffen / Switzerland ch.traber@grabersportgarage.ch

www.grabersportgarage.ch


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230
 CARS FOR SALE

SELLING PRICE: CHF 69’000. – SELLING PRICE: CHF 69’000. –

BENTLEY RO L L S RO YC E
C O N T I N E N TA L R C O U P É 19 9 3 S I LV E R S H A D OW I 19 74
Very nice Swiss car with unbroken service history, major Service including new Outstanding condition throughout; 3 long-term owners from new; superbly
steering box in July 2019, all original books and tools, very well taken care of, maintained by P&A Wood 1991–2013; mostly original paint; extensive history file;
excellent original paint, 110 000 km (fully documented) certainly one of the best

FURTHER CARS ON SALE:

Aston Martin DB4 Series 1 Coupé 1960 / Aston Martin DB4 Convertible 1962 / Aston Martin V8 Volante 1989 / Bentley Continental R Coupé 1993 / Daimler V8 4.0 S/C 1999 / Jaguar XK140 SE DHC 1955
Jaguar XK140 OTS 1955 / Jaguar XK150 3.8 FHC 1960 / Jaguar Mk II 2.4 Saloon 1964 / Jaguar XJS V12 Cabriolet 1991 / Land Rover Series 1 1955 / Range Rover 2-door 1978 / Range Rover 3.9 SEi Vogue 1989
(5-speed manual) / Range Rover 3.9 SEi Vogue 1990 Automatic / Rolls Royce Silver Wraith 1952 / Rolls Royce Silver Shadow I 1974 / Rolls Royce Silver Wraith 1979

Experts for your Passion

We are always interested to buy cars for our stock. Please do not hesitate to contact us for inquiries or assistance: philip.ringier@emilfreyclassics.ch, +41 62 788 79 22, www.emilfreyclassics.ch

231
 SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST IN HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES
Tel: +44 (0)1937 220 360 or +44 (0)7768 800 773
info@speedmastercars.com www.speedmastercars.com

PORSCHE 962 -110

First built and raced by Kremer Porsche, utilising a Thompson built chassis 962-110 raced at LeMans 24hr and the Kyalami
500kms In 1987 before being sold to Jean Alméras for the 1989 World Endurance Championship, including a second
Le Mans 24 hours. At the time this car was the first privately owned 962 in France. More recently raced at Le Mans 24h
support race in 2012.

Brand new... just completed.

AUD $300,000*

61 2 9313 7866 sales@paradisegarage.com.au www.paradisegarage.com.au

DL13746

PH | EMAIL | WEB |

*Excluding taxes, duties, delivery and on-road costs

232
BUGATTI THE UK’S CHIRON, FERRARI PISTA, FERRARI 812,
FERRARI 488, FERRARI TESTAROSSA, PORSCHE MACAN,
PORSCHE CAYENNE, PORSCHE 911, PORSCHE GT3,
PORSCHE PANAMERA, RANGE ROVER VELAR, LAND
ROVER DISCOVERY, LAND ROVER NO. 1 DEFENDER,
RANGE ROVER, RANGE ROVER SPORT, RANGE ROVER
EVOQUE, MASERATI GRANTURISMO, LAMBORGHINI
MIURA, LAMBORGHINI HURACAN, LAMBORGHINI
AVENTADOR,FUNDER FORLAMBORGHINICOUNTACH,
LAMBORGHINI URUS, LOTUS EVORA, LOTUS EXIGE,
ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE, ASTON MARTIN DBS,
ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH, ASTON MARTIN DB4
TESLA MODEL X, TESLA MODEL 3, PRESTIGE, SPORTS
TESLA MODEL S, BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT, BENTLEY
BENTAYGA, ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM, ROLLS-ROYCE
DAWN, ROLLS-ROYCE WRAITH, MCLAREN 720S,
AND CLASSIC CARS MCLAREN 650S, MCLAREN 570S,
MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS, MERCEDES-BENZ AMG
GT, MERCEDES-BENZ GLS, MERCEDES-BENZ C63,
MERCEDES-BENZ PAGODA, JAGUAR F-PACE, JAGUAR
F-TYPE, JAGUAR E-TYPE, BMW M5, BMW M4, BMW M3,
BMW X5, AUDI R8, AUDI Q7, AUDI S3, AUDI RS4, AUDI A5.

This is a small selection of the thousands

of cars we fund every year. Get in touch
for tailored funding and personal support
for your next car purchase.
Talk to Oracle today on 0330 838 7492.
oraclefinance.co.uk 4.9 Star Rating Overall

Please note: we are a credit broker and not a lender. This means we act independently through a wide range of lenders to offer a broad and competitive choice of products and solutions. Oracle Asset
Finance is not affiliated to any motor manufacturer. Please contact us for an individual quotation on any prestige or sports car. Finance & terms are subject to status. UK residents only. Oracle Asset
Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for the sale of consumer credit. Calls will be charged at your standard network rate.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV
Ceramic brakes, High level rear wing small decal
option, 600 miles, 2009, £POA
Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV
Ceramic brakes, high level rear wing, large
decal option, 8,000 miles, 2010,
£379,990
Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster
Carbon exterior upgrade, carbon interior,
carbon fixed air intake sensonum sound system,
250 miles, 2017, £359,990
Lamborghini Huracan LP 640-4 Performante Spyder
Branding pack, Front end Xpel PPF protection,
Gloss black Narvi alloy wheels, Lifting system,
Magneto - Rheologic suspension, 800 miles,
2018, £219,990
Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster
Branding pack, Clear engine bay cover, Dione
forged alloy wheels, Lifting system, Multi-function
steering wheel, 11,000 miles, 2014, £195,990
BUYING OR SELLING LAMBORGHINI MOTORCARS
T +44 01580 714 597 E sales@vvsuk.co.uk W www.vvsuk.co.uk
(
(Viewing by appointment onlyy) Address: VVS UK LTD PARK FARM, GOUDHURST ROAD, CRANBROOK KENT TN172LJ
www.lamborghinibuyer.com
The UK’s Premier Lamborghini Specialist
Lamborghini Aventador LP 770-4 SVJ
Branding pack, Carbon fibre interior package,
Carbon fibre mirror casings, Lifting system, Style
package, Transparent engine cover, Yellow brake
callipers, 2,000 miles, 2019, £399,990
Lamborghini Aventador LP 770-4 SVJ
20/21 inch Leirion gloss black alloy wheels, Carbon
driving zone, Lifting system, Magneto-rheological
suspension, Multi-function steering wheel, Satellite
Navigation, 30 miles, 2019, £379,990
Lamborghini Aventador LP 740-4 S
DAB Radio, Lifting system, Magneto - Rheologic
suspension, Transparent engine cover, Branding
pack, Carbon fibre interior package, 3,000 miles,
2017 £235,990
Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster
Branding pack, Dione forged alloy wheels,
Reverse camera, Satellite Navigation,
Transparent engine cover, 12,000 miles, 2015,
£199,990
Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
Dione forged alloy wheels, Front and Rear parking
sensors, Full electric heated sport seats, Parking
camera, Sensonum premium sound system, Transparent
engine cover, 10,000 miles, 2014, £189,990
Additional Websites: www.justlamborghini.com
Lamborghini Aventador LP770-4 SVJ
Matte carbon fibre exterior pack, Carbon
fibre kick plates with illumination, Comfort
seats, Branding pack, Full carbon fibre interior
package, 50 miles, 2019, £389,990
Lamborghini Aventador S LP 740-4 S
5th Year warranty, Carbon exterior pack, Carbon
fibre engine bay trim, Sensonum premium sound
system, Transparent engine cover, 3,000 miles,
2018, £269,990
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster
Q-citura stitching, Hemera alloy wheels,
Ceramic brakes, Lifting system, 5,000 miles,
2009, £219,990
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Coupe
Q-citura stitching, Hemera alloy wheels, Ceramic
brakes, Lifting system, Branding pack 5,000
miles, 2009, £199,990
Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
Carbon fibre engine bay trim, Carbon fibre
exterior pack, Carbon fibre interior package,
Lifting system, Style package, 13,000 miles,
2013, £184,990
enquiries@hurstpark.co.uk

with

Period style seat belts for pre-1973

vehicles, not forgetting your
modern classic post-1973

• Seat belts and harnesses supplied and fitted • Bespoke service • Original belts refurbished
• New original equipment available on certain vehicles

T: 0208 206 0101 E: sales@quickfitsbs.com W: quickfitsbs.com

235
 C M

copleycars@gmail.com

www.copleymotorcars.com

1959 AC ACECA “BRISTOL 100 D2” ASTON MARTIN DB2/4 MKIII

BLUE/BLACK RHD £155,000 1958 SILVER / BLACK, RHD

AC COBRA MKIV 1997 AC SUPERBLOWER

BLUE / BLUE INTERIOR, RHD, MATCHING NUMBERS, 1986 RED / BLACK FACTORYHARDTOP, RHD GREEN / GREEN TAN INTERIOR RHD
POA

Web: www.redlinepe.co.uk Tel: 01932 875435 Email: info@redlinepe.co.uk

SALES | RESTORATION | MECHANICAL REPAIRS | SERVICING

236
 www.classic-spares.com

www.murrayscott-nelson.com

£P.O.A.

237
 WinSpeed
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238
 HÖDLMAYR CLASSIC CAR CENTER

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Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Day tona Plexi | Alfa Romeo Giuliet ta
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239
TEST YOUR CAR’S AT THE GLORIOUS
GOODWOOD
LIMITS ON TRACK MOTOR CIRCUIT
THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2020
Fuel up with a delicious breakfast, a hot two-course lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

Individual / Main Driver Ticket: £369 Additional Driver Ticket: £185 Hospitality Ticket: £99

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CARS FOR SALE

OCTANE ADVERTISE
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Browse classic cars for sale or reach a huge international classic LIMITED SPACES
car market to sell yours with a free advertisement in Octane – AVAILABLE
go to subscribe.octane-magazine.com/classifieds

Octane cannot endorse any cars for sale in classified advertisements and recommends
that you meet the vendor and are satisfied with the car before parting with any money.

1962 Austin-Healey 3000 MkII BN7
One of the very last of 355 MkII BN7s. It is also
one of fewer than 50 examples to have been fitted
from new with the extremely desirable centre-
change gearbox, still present and correct. This
car is provided directly from the private Rawles
Motorsport/Cluett collection, and has covered
just 3000 miles since restoration. £77,500.
+44 (0)1420 23212, Sales@RawlesMotorsport.com,
www.RawlesMotorsport.com (T).
1926 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model
First Registered January 1927 to Captain WG Horne.
Originally a Weymann saloon by Gurney Nutting, re-
bodied post-war as unique streamlined two-seater
with single dickey seat for owner’s daughter. Drives
exceptionally well with good braking. Very well-
known car with BDC race history. Bare chassis/body
restoration just completed to the highest standard.
New wheels, Blockley tyres and shocks, re-nickelled.
Owned for many years by current BDC member.
Engine bay and interior sympathetically restored. Car
affectionately known as ‘Little Jo’. Private sale on
behalf of the owner. £285,000. +44 (0)7867 506140
or +44 (0)1621 773913, steveyd47@gmail.com.

1954 Austin-Healey 100 BN1

Ex-Australia RHD car. Nut-and-bolt restoration with
only summer use since. Healey Ice Blue, blue leather
trim and weather equipment. Fitted with its original
3-speed gearbox, overdrive, chrome wire wheels.
£69,950. +44 (0)1723 361227, info@murrayscott-
nelson.com, www.murrayscott-nelson.com (T).
1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII BJ8
Phase II BJ8 model, built on 14 April 1965 with all
final production refinements. Black with red interior,
imported from dry-climate Australia in 2016, in same
ownership since purchase in 1988 from the Healey
Factory of Melbourne as a solid restoration project. Buick 1912 McLaughlin Pheaton
Restoration by Warwicks Autobahn completed 2001. €38.800
All body panels remain original and their fit is excellent. For more information please contact me,
Under 5000 miles since restoration. £78,000. FRANK KENNIS +31 622 420 766
+44 (0)1420 23212, Sales@RawlesMotorsport.com, info@KennisCars.nl www.kenniscars.nl
www.RawlesMotorsport.com (T).

Aston Martin Vantage

Halo AMR Manual
Rare AMR manual, full Halo specification, 1500 miles
only, only a few worldwide, believed to be the only
RHD Halo specification car for sale at the present
time. Immaculate car with full history. £125,000 ono.
+44 (0)7940 372868, rayashall@icloud.com.
Austin-Healey 3000 Mk1 BT7
Original RHD matching-numbers Healey Blue car,
ADVERTISE IN-MAG
98% complete but requiring total restoration. Includes
an original works hardtop. We can price to restore
or supply all parts required for restoration. £19,950.
FOR FREE!
+44 (0)1723 361227, info@murrayscott-nelson.com, subscribe.octane-magazine.com/classifieds
www.murrayscott-nelson.com (T).

1955 Austin-Healey 100 BN1 project

UK RHD car built 11 January 1955 and delivered to
Car Mart Limited of London. Complete and
original, it has been in dry storage for 35 years and
owned by notable figures in the worldwide Healey
community and concours scene. Body panels are
Race Proven Parts original with factory stamped numbers, all cockpit
trim numbers match, all original instruments are
Tel: +44 (0)1543 472244 present, engine number is a factory stamping. Rare 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia -
opportunity to build a car to your specification, low kms, Ferrari service history,
concours-correct or highly upgraded. Please immaculate
call or email to view and discuss specification.
POA. +44 (0)1420 23212, Sales@RawlesMotorsport.
www.bighealey.co.uk com, www.RawlesMotorsport.com (T).

242
 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO - 1977 Lamborghini Espada S III -
one of 599 cars built, Rosso original RHD, fully restored, low
Formula 1, stunning mileage

Ford 1957 Thunderbird

Convertible €49.900
For more information please contact me,
FRANK KENNIS +31 622 420 766
info@KennisCars.nl www.kenniscars.nl
First registered January 1927 to Captain W.G Horne. Originally
a Weymann Saloon by Gurney Nutting. Body replaced after the
war with a unique streamlined design. BDC race history. Well
known car just completed a 3 year body and chassis restoration
with zero miles since completion. New road wheels, spinners
and Blockley tyres. All brightwork re nickled. Exceptional
condition. Long term ownership by BDC member. Private sale on
1993 Jaguar XJS his behalf. £285,000
Fine example of a le -hand-drive, black-on-black,
six-cylinder coupé. Car is located in Montreal, Canada. More information please
US$14,500. Contact Guillaume at +1 514 984 9844
or guillaume.le_nigen@hotmail.com.
email sjdclassics@gmail.com or call 07867 506140

Sales, Service & Restoration

Ferrari Specialist

AS Motorsport ltd

£59,990

1998 550 1984 308

Maranello GTB QV
£69,990 £59,990

2004 360 manual 1995 456 GT 1999 456 M GTA

ASM hand build bespoke versions of the R1 roadster, inspired by the Aston Martin Spider £79,990 £49,990 £78,990
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 DR2

243
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

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speedsportgallery
An extensive variety of original motor racing paintings,
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T: 01327 858 167 | E: info@speedsport.co.uk
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RESTORATION

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244
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 Lifestyle

speedsport gallery

ROY NOCKOLDS - ORIGINAL PAINTING OIL ON CANVAS £2950

Framed with original plaque as presented to Sheila Van Damm
by Shell Mex BP for her achievements in 1954 and 1955
SIZE: 72cm x 62cm

Available to buy - unique original motor sport paintings,

posters, photographs and rare autographed items.
we welcome visitors to our exhibition at BICESTER SCRAMBLE
in room 105 (near main entrance) – Sunday January 5th.

T: 01327 858 167 | E: info@speedsport.co.uk |

www.speedsportgallery.co.uk

NEW PREMISES! CONTACT US

Unit 1, Vantage Park,
Goodwood Drive
Sparkford, Somerset
AYRES
LONDON
BA22 7FQ 01963 441431
info@pipertrimmers.co.uk
www.pipertrimmers.co.uk

After 22 years in business Piper Trimmers would love to welcome you to

our brand new purpose built premises.
Whether you are a private vehicle owner, car retailer, trade customer
or in the automotive industry please feel free to get in touch with your
requirements, we cater for all interior styles from classic to custom
designed interiors.
• Full or partial retrims in top quality leather and vinyl
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keep up to date with all our latest news!
@pipertrimmers @piperupholstery

245
Warranty / Insurance

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Spares & Accessories

www.carrosserie.co.uk
info@carrosserie.co.uk

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Spares & Accessories

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Marque Specialists

Recycled
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Product of 18 months’ Design & Development.

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This kit will not be sold for home fitting, but is available either as a fitted kit to
your donor vehicle, or as a complete turn-key car.
Price subject to condition of donor vehicle and specification.

Morton, Near Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0NS

T. 01778 570286 steve@hallsgarage.co.uk

Tifosi Cars from the Halls Group

252
 Marque Specialists

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clarkandcarter.co.uk

RESTORATION CARS FOR SALE MOTORSPORT SERVICING PARTS

astonengineering.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1332 371566
info@astonengineering.co.uk

253
Marque Specialists

RIKKI CANN Est 1991 Phone: 01702 291818 Fax: 01702 294520
email:
- ASTON MARTIN SPECIALISTS -
Celebrating Over 29 Years of Service and Care

2015

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254
 Marque Specialists

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Contacts:

255
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ACTION - ADVENTURE - ADRENALINE - SINCE 1988

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www.neneoverland.co.uk advice@neneoverland.co.uk
Marque Specialists & Storage Equiptment

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2
 Storage & Equiptment

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 Car Covers

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262
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265
Day in the life
interview giles chapman
DaviD SaDDington
The Rover 200 was the last all-British small car, and this
Midlands-based designer led the team that created it
My dad was a good amateur artist, and when
I was a child he often drew outlines of cars for
me to finish. I was car-mad from an early age,
but I had no idea you could earn a living
designing cars. At A-level I studied sciences
because they couldn’t timetable art with maths
and physics, so I veered towards engineering
and got a place at Hatfield Poly. I hated it. Only
after I’d spotted an ad in Car did I discover
transport design at Lanchester Polytechnic.
I applied with no portfolio, but the interview
went well and they offered me a place in
September 1976. When I graduated in 1980
I was taken on by Chrysler UK at Whitley in
Coventry. Fantastic – I was a car designer.
Mind you, the first thing I designed was an air
intake in the Talbot Tagora’s front bumper!
Now I’ve just finished a 39-year career. My
final role was director of Land Rover interiors. I
was still enjoying my job but I decided, at 62,
that the time had come for retirement. My wife
also recently retired from her teaching career.
I’m still an early riser but I don’t have to drive
from home in Solihull to work any longer. It’s
bliss. So far, there’s been no itchy pen-finger.
I’m loving the freedom – now I can enjoy
freshly-ground coffee at home every morning.
I’ve been part of many developments in
Octane, ISSN 1740-0023, is published monthly by Dennis Publising (UK) Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP, UK. The US annual subscription price is $99. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15,
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Subscription records are maintained at Dennis Publising (UK) Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP, UK. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.
266
David Saddington (right) talks
light clusters with Rover
design chief Geoff Upex.
‘i’m loving the lack of
routine of being retired,
going to jazz festivals
and sculpture exhibitions
whenever i want to’
computer-aided design, but the most joyful
thing remains sitting in, or walking around,
full-size models that will become real vehicles.
I’ve always evangelised about the importance
of detail. You learn so much from small things,
such as getting an alloy wheel with a ‘directional’
design theme into production with the Talbot
Samba Cabriolet. I was proud of that.
There was a great ‘think tank’ atmosphere at
Chrysler/Talbot. We worked on new Peugeots
and Citroëns, too, even ideas for a new 2CV.
Fantastic plans for all-new cars mostly got
shelved, and sadly Peugeot announced closure
in 1983. I was one of the many then taken on by
Austin Rover for its new Canley design centre.
There was a great creative buzz there, hundreds
of designers and engineers, us Whitley-ites,
Austin people, Rover people. I was in the small
car team, and spent eight happy years there –
but ultimately it was frustrating, because the
company couldn’t afford to replace the Metro.
I got married soon after my career started.
I’m so proud of our three children, all lovely
adults now. They’re using their creativity and
talents in different professions: as teacher,
solicitor and computer scientist.
I’ve been working my way through various
home makeover projects, and spending time
framing old pieces of artwork. Today I’ve been
adjusting the gears on my mountain bike. I’m
loving the lack of routine. This summer, for
instance, I’ve been able to indulge my passion
for the arts, going to jazz festivals and sculpture
exhibitions whenever I want to.
At Rover in the early 1990s, we took a ‘let’s
just do it’ approach. That inspired the MGF
team, while Rover looked at something
between the Metro and the 200/Concerto. I
was made chief designer on this, codenamed
SK3. When I asked our young design team if
they’d buy a Rover, hardly any hands went up,
so I said: “We’ll design one we actually want to
own ourselves.” It was a confident, good-
looking car, a chrome grille that worked, bob-
tail, a bit of wedge, and 15in wheels.
The project was paused, but we held a torch
for it and when it became clear something was
needed to keep Longbridge thriving, we had
SK3 all ready to go. It felt like the clouds had
lifted. We gave it a new facia, and improved
boot space by using Maestro rear suspension.
We launched the 200, re-coded as R3, in 1995.
After BMW bought us, it launched the ‘Relax
– it’s a Rover’ ad campaign. But every range
needs a sporty side, and we had to do ours
under the radar with the Rover 200 BRM.
Lowered suspension, 16in wheels, BRG with a
splash of orange on the nose, beautiful custom-
designed seats, and the most powerful VVC
engine. We literally sneaked it out there.
I was promoted to studio director for MG
and Mini, and the new Mini became my focus.
We worked on BMWs at Gaydon, too; my last
full-size clay was a 5-series proposal. Then in
1999 I took over the Land Rover portfolio as
studio director, working on the Discovery 3
and 4 and Range Rover Evoque. No changes of
ownership ever turned off the creative juices.
I retired on the last day of April and we went
straight off for an adventure in the USA and
Canada. On return, I instantly appreciated the
fact that I could pace my days. I love running to
keep fit, and can now do that in daylight hours.
I’ll always be a car fanatic. I own a Mini
Roadster and I drive a Range Rover Evoque.
And I’m particularly excited about the new
Defender because that has one of my team’s
interiors in it, and I’m very proud of that.
31 years, nothing has changed.
There’s still nothing that looks, feels, drives or smells like Powerful, responsive, refined and stylish. A timeless classic.
a Porsche 911. A Porsche 911; more than just a street car, The world with or without the wind in your hair.
perhaps the world’s ultimate sports car? You decide.

1989 Porsche 911 3.2 Cabriolet G50 gearbox, Baltic Blue with Linen leather, 2 owners, 18k miles, all books, original tonneau cover, keys and tools.

1989 Porsche 911 Turbo G50 5 speed, Baltic Blue with Marine Blue leather, 27k miles, all books, tools and keys, Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.

T E L : 01249 76 0 6 8 6 • T H E H A I R P I N C O M PA N Y.C O. U K
T H E H A I R P I N C O M PA N Y C O M P TO N B A S S E T T W I LT S H I R E S N11 8 R H
 TOURBILLON RM 58-01
WORLD TIMER - JEAN TODT

RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES

© Didier Gourdon

GENEVA PARIS LONDON MILAN MONACO MOSCOW MUNICH PORTO CERVO

ABU DHABI BEIRUT DOHA DUBAI ISTANBUL KUWAIT CITY JEDDAH RIYADH

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