Octane 249

COLIN CHAPMAN’S FIRST-EVER LOTUS RECREATED BY HIS SON – AND WE DRIVE IT!

WILDEST

THE

BRAVING THE 440BHP, 193MPH CERBERA RED ROSE LIGHTWEIGHT…

TVR ULTRA-RARE ’55 MASERATI FRUA SPYDER RACING LANCIAS JENSEN AT BONNEVILLE RILEY KESTREL ROLLS SILVER SERAPH ●

£5.99 / ISSUE 249, MARCH 2024

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French delivery, one owner, 9,500 kms from new 2004 FERRARI ENZO €3,500,000 - 4,500,000 *

Catalogue Now Live The Grand Palais Éphémère, Paris | 1 February 2024

bonhamscars.com/paris

The first Chevy-powered Costin-bodied Lister Extensively campaigned in the UK in period at Goodwood, Silverstone, and Crystal Palace Meticulously restored and actively campaigned at the LeMans Classic, Goodwood, and Monterey Reunion 1959 LISTER COSTIN CHEVROLET CHASSIS NO. BHL121

Please refer to department *

Consignments Invited Fernandina Beach, FL | February 29, 2024

bonhamscars.com/amelia

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

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Issue 249 / March 2024

CONTENTS ‘WE’RE SQUIRTING KEENLY ALONG BUMPY BACKROADS, THE LANCIA FEELING ALL-OF-A-PIECE IN A WAY THAT 1930S CARS OFTEN DON’T’

RACING LANCIA V8S, PAGE 98

50

84

5

Issue 249 / March 2024

CONTENTS 62

92

FEATURES MASERATI FRUA SPYDER Page 50

Super-rare concours-winning 1950s deity

TVR CERBERA RED ROSE Page 62

Maddest of the mad for bravest of the brave

74

108

118

LOTUS MkI Page 74

Chapman’s first car – recreated by his son

JENSEN AT BONNEVILLE Page 84

C-V8 chases speed records on the salt flats

THE OCTANE INTERVIEW Page 92

RM’s Rob Myers on his concours plans

RACING LANCIAS Page 98

1930s V8 saloons, converted for competition

ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SERAPH Page 108 1990s V12, too good to be forgotten

RILEY 9 KESTREL Page 118

In one family for three generations 7

Issue 249 / March 2024

CONTENTS 16

REGULARS EVENTS & NEWS Page 16

The month in pictures; diary dates; Octane’s new owners; Hagerty’s top buying tips

GEARBOX Page 32 WILL BROADHEAD

Aston man and Immun’Âge founder Yuki Hayashi

COLUMNS Page 37 140

Sage words from Jay Leno, Derek Bell, Stephen Bayley and Robert Coucher

146

LETTERS Page 45

Life with a 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

OCTANE CARS Page 130

Evan Klein buys an Alfa Romeo Spider in LA

OVERDRIVE Page 140

Classic Mustang goes electric; bespoke Bentley

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Page 144

152 154

148

Spike Rhiando: racer, speedway rider, fantasist

ICON Page 146

British road signage: more than mere words

CHRONO Page 148

Collectable Rolex, Ebel, and new products

GEAR, BOOKS, MODELS Page 152

More for your must-have list of desirables

156

THE MARKET Page 161

Sold and selling; buying Audi’s first super-limo

AUTOBIOGRAPHY Page 194

Nick Hendrix, TV actor and car enthusiast

8

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

Issue 249 / March 2024

FEATURING

JOHN SIMISTER

‘No V8s are stranger than those of pre-war Lancias, with their bank-spanning cylinder heads and eclectic vee-angles. They were never intended to race, but these two did. To drive both on the same day was close to surreal.’

JORDAN BUTTERS

John drives 1930s Dilambda and Astura racers on pages 98-106.

EDITOR’S WELCOME

One for the brave WHEN IT COMES TO TVR there has always been good insane and bad insane. After such a promising restart, the current farce – reborn company, deposits taken, factory won and lost, no customer cars yet built – is clearly the bad insane. The Cerbera obviously is the good insane. The best. I toyed with the idea of buying a Cerbera myself a few years back when the kids were smaller and entry-level cars were hovering around the £15,000 mark. I can’t remember what put me off, perhaps a moment of clarity, or maybe I showed my wife a picture of the chassis and ran through the extent of the side impact protection our precious little darlings would have in the back.

Given the relative values back then, I would probably have been in the market for a Speed Six, with Al Melling’s 4.0-litre engine rather than the V8, but, you know what, even back then I reckon 350bhp would have been plenty.

I’m considerably older and quite a bit tamer now, so it was a different and considerably smaller six that won my heart this month…

Maserati really was at the top of its game in the early 1950s, emphasising the old adage that strong on the track means strong on the road, too. Frua’s design of this little barchetta is spectacular, but the heart of the Maserati is Colombo’s high-revving 2.0-litre gem. The 10

engine is such a mechanical masterpiece that strapping on the little sports car and going for a blast gives the driver the same tech-meets-art vibe as dropping a George Daniels timepiece into your fob pocket.

YOU WILL NOTICE from our lead news story that there has been a significant change to the ownership of Octane: the magazine has recently been taken over by Hothouse Media.

That company is run by Geoff Love and David Lillywhite, both of whom, a couple of decades ago, were among the instigators of this very publication. That can only be good news for Octane – they understand it better than anyone, and hold dear its values in terms of its content, production values and how it best serves its readers. Welcome home, Geoff and Dave.

JAROWAN POWER

‘I started my photography career at Lotus, so shooting there feels like coming home, and the beautifully recreated MkI was a pleasure to shoot. For me, the diminutive car embodies the light weight and engineering elegance that has come to represent Lotus.’

Jarowan’s images accompany Mark Dixon’s feature on pages 74-82.

ANTONY INGRAM

James Elliott, editor in chief

‘I’ve long been curious about the Silver Seraph, which was the first genuinely new Rolls-Royce in my lifetime. It’s somewhat overshadowed by the Phantom that followed but it might be the perfect mix of a more classic feel and heritage and the smooth V12 power of Goodwood-built cars.’

Find out more on pages 108-116.

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PLUS At last! Driving the Alfa 8C that appeared in the first issue of Octane

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1938 BUGATTI TYPE 57C ATALANTE Rare Alloy-Bodied Example with Original Supercharged Engine Chassis 57767

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1960 ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA SZ Delivered New to Guido Bruno Cattaneo Coachwork by Zagato Chassis AR10126.00153

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If you like Octane, you’ll love…

CLASSIC CAR PRICE GUIDE All the freshest valuations and specs for more than 1000 classics from 1945 to 2005.

On sale now, price £10.99, at selected newsagents or online from magsdirect.co.uk.

PRE V

34

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

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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

16

Le Jog, 2-5 December Thirty years since Le Jog’s first 1993 running by John Brown, people were racking their brains to think of another more destructive to the entry list than the 2023 event. The 1500-mile, 75-hour end-to-end reliability trial had one of the highest attrition rates in its history, with just 27 of the 44 starters making it to the northerly tip of Scotland and only four achieving Gold medals. They were Andy Lane and Iain Tullie in their BMW 2002 Tii, the German crew of Klaus Mueller and Eric Schwab in their Lancia Fulvia Coupé, Thomas Koerner in his BMW 320/4 navigated by Mueller’s regular co-driver Rolf Pellini, and MGB GT-mounted Stewart Christie and Andy Ballantyne. With the ever-evolving difficulty of the event now thought to have peaked, HERO-ERA has announced that Le Jog will be taking a break until 2025.

Image: Will Broadhead Photography

17

NEW YEAR’S DAY MEETS, 1 JANUARY

Biggest turn-out was for the 1000-car-plus Brooklands New Year’s Day Classic Gathering in Weybridge, Surrey (top), but just as much passion and variety was on display at other events such as Vintage Stony in Stony Stratford (this image) and The Phoenix Inn in Hartley Wintney.

18

FROM TOP: MICHAEL STOKES; VINTAGE STONY

IGNITION / Month in Pictures

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IGNITION / Month in Pictures

VSCC WINTER DRIVING TESTS, 2 DECEMBER Robert Brown’s Amilcar CGSS kicks up frozen grass at Bicester.

BICESTER SCRAMBLE, 7 JANUARY 6500 people braved the cold for the sold-out first event of 2024 at the ex-RAF base, cars ranging from Austin 7 to Aston Martin Valkyrie.

MOTORING LITERARY & ART FESTIVAL, 2-3 DECEMBER Inaugural Silverstone event deemed a big success.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: TOM SHAXSON; PETER McFADYEN; JOY RICHINGS; BEN LAWRENCE

ROGER ALBERT CLARK RALLY, 23-27 NOVEMBER Escort Mk2-driving WRC star Oliver Solberg and Elliot Edmondson led the rally handsomely until a halfshaft failure on the Sunday evening.

20

1964 LOTUS CORTINA

■ The 1964 British Saloon Car Championship winner, driven by the legendary Jim Clark ■ Three outright victories and eight class wins in this works car claimed the touring car championship for Lotus, Ford and Clark ■ First registered to Lotus Cars Ltd, later withTom Walkinshaw collection and Cortina racer Kerry Michael ■ Offered in outstanding order fresh from appearances in two Goodwood parades

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

IGNITION / Events Diary

10-11 February Per Ardua Ad Infinitum An expert-level regularity rally based in Llandrindod Wells and taking crews out to the famous Epynt military range, as tackled by the rally heroes of old. hero-era.com 16-18 February Oberoi Concours d’Elegance Classics are displayed at the impressive Oberoi Udaivilas hotel next to Lake Pichola in India.

Refreshingly, as well as classes for the usual array of sports cars, landmark models and coachbuilt rarities, there will be one for lowcost cars built in India post-1909. theoberoiconcours.com 17 February The Pomeroy Trophy Entries spanning a century of car design compete against one another in this handicap event, which begins with a series of driving tests and concludes with a 40-minute blast around the Grand Prix Circuit at Silverstone. vscc.co.uk

Rallye Neige et Glace, 17-21 February Image: Zoulou Racing Heritage

COMING UP…

Snowy rallies, muddy trials and indoor shows for us lot, but on the other side of the world it’s concours season 25-28 January Cavallino Classic In Palm Beach, Florida, Gilded Age mansion The Breakers hosts a Ferrari-only concours before classics and sports cars of all types mass at Mar-a-Lago resort. cavallino.com 27 January – 23 February Road to Hanoi Marathon Ho Chi Minh City is the starting point for this epic trip for crews in pre-1977 cars. The route winds through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, the schedule allowing for stops at must-see attractions including Halong Bay and Angkor Wat. rallytheglobe.com 28 January VSCC New Year Driving Tests Brooklands welcomes VSCC members and spectators for the Club’s first event of 2024, with the Tony Jones Trophy up for grabs. vscc.co.uk 22

28 January – 2 February The Winter Trial Starting and finishing in the Polish city of Krakow this time, but venturing into Slovakia and the Czech Republic, too. classicevents.nl

2-4 February Bremen Classic Motor Show All eras and most marques are represented at the Bremen show, which is attended by more than 700 exhibitors. classicmotorshow.de

31 January – 4 February Rétromobile Two significant centenaries will be celebrated at the giant Paris show: there will be a display chronicling the 100-year history of MG, and another dedicated to Montlhéry Autodrome. retromobile.com

3 February Concours in the Hills Held to raise money for a local hospital, this relaxed event in Fountain Hills, Arizona, always boasts a diverse field: among the concours classes this time around is one for classic military vehicles. concoursinthehills.org

31 January – 7 February Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique From cities across Europe (the departure points this time are Glasgow, Bad Homburg, Reims and Milan), crews set out for Monaco and the start of a regularity rally run on spectacular roads in south-east France. acm.mc

4 February Motorcar Cavalcade At the Miami Turnberry resort in Florida, entries contest classes themed by design features – so there’s one class for cars with noteworthy engines, another for cars with extraordinary dashboards, and so on. motorcarcavalcade.com

17-21 February Rallye Neige et Glace Based in the French village of Malbuisson, this one very much does what it says on the tin, serving up wintry entertainment for crews in two classes – Regularity and Trekking. zoulouracingheritage.com 23-24 February International Concours of Elegance St Moritz Otherwise known as the ICE, in reference to the stunning venue: a frozen Lake St Moritz. Classes for 2024 include one for openwheel cars and another for concepts. As always, entrants will have the opportunity to do some hot laps on the lake; the thickness of the ice is carefully monitored throughout! theicestmoritz.ch 23-25 February Classic Madrid Spain’s biggest classic car show returns to the Crystal Pavilion at the Casa de Campo park in the western part of Madrid. salonclassicmadrid.com

Motorcar Cavalcade, 4 February Image: Motorcar Cavalcade

HIGHLAND TOUR2024

23-25 February Race Retro Racing machines and central heating will again delight visitors to Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire – but with more than 140 cars due to be in action on the Live Rally Stages, you won’t want to stay indoors all day. raceretro.com 23-25 February Salão Motorclássico Held in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, at at an exhibition centre that began life as a naval ropemaking factory, and headlined this year by a display celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL. motorclassico.com 24 February Exmoor Trial The VSCC’s 2024 slate of trials begins with a trip to the forests and muddy fields of Exmoor. vscc.co.uk 25 February Retro Classic Tour A 120-mile countryside jaunt, departing from Race Retro. hero-era.com 29 February – 3 March The Amelia This year’s concours boasts 35 classes from vintage GP racers to 1990s performance cars. ameliaconcours.com 29 February – 3 March ModaMiami Debut concours, auction and much more based at the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Florida. modamiami.com

1-3 March Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance Australia’s finest classics gather at Cockatoo Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. sydneyharbourconcours.com.au 3 March Coffee & Classics The Classic Motor Hub in Bibury hosts its first event of 2024. classicmotorhub.com 6-10 March Phillip Island Classic The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest historic racing meet, held on Phillip Island, a couple of hours south of Melbourne. vhrr.com 7-9 March WinteRace A field of 70 pre-2000 cars; an expertly plotted, 420km route through the Dolomites and part of Austria; and lots of snow. winterace.it 8-10 March A Novice Trial Based at Bicester Heritage, this intro to regularities, tests and Tulip books features a 150-mile route and training sessions. heroevents.eu 13 March – 7 April Seoul to Tokyo Following a four-day visit to South Korea’s capital, crews will journey east and then south to Busan, where they’ll catch a ferry that will take them to Nagasaki to begin the second leg of the trip. bespokerallies.com

HIGHLAND TOUR 2024 T H U R S D AY – S U N D AY | 1 1 – 1 4 A P R I L

Join us for a 3-night springtime adventure to the Scottish Highlands, and enjoy spectacular driving, superb food and first-class hospitality.

Entry is open to 15 cars, classic and modern.

Please contact Chris for a brochure.

Call +44 (0) 1635 867705 or email chris@v-management.com v-events.co.uk

23

IGNITION / News

Octane: now under old management

Hothouse acquires Octane and Historic Motoring Awards THE PHRASE ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’ now literally applies to Octane.

Just before Christmas, Octane, the Historic Motoring Awards and other brand extensions such as the Classic Car Price Guide were acquired in full by Hothouse Media, the company run by Geoff Love and David Lillywhite, two of the founders of Octane. The take-over reunites the original Octane ‘gang of four’, which comprised Geoff, David, Octane founding editor Robert Coucher and current group advertising director Sanjay Seetanah.

The move also brings Octane and its associated brands and products under the same roof as multiple award-winning quarterly magazine Magneto, the Concours on Savile Row, The Concours Year Book plus a contract publishing division in charge of a range of other titles. Hothouse Media can now claim to have the most respected and authoritative portfolio of classic car-related magazines and events.

Geoff, David, Robert and Sanjay were already

highly experienced in the classic car market when they launched Octane in 2003 and 249 issues later it remains a highly influential publication, with editions in The Netherlands, France, Germany and Japan and a circulation in excess of 30,000 copies per issue.

In 2007, Octane was sold to Dennis Publishing and continued to grow under the same team – including the launch of the International Historic Motoring Awards – until the departure of Geoff and David in 2016-17 to pursue other opportunities, namely Hothouse Media. Dennis was subsequently taken over by financiers Exponent and morphed into Autovia, Octane’s previous owner.

Commenting on the acquisition of Octane and the Historic Motoring Awards, Hothouse Media managing director Geoff Love said: ‘Octane is a fantastic brand that has been delighting audiences for over 20 years. As we take stewardship of the publication once again, we’re looking forward to working with the

Dakar greats heading back to Paris A major display of Paris-Dakar greats – plus attendance by some of the iconic raid-rally’s leading lights – is set to be the centrepiece of Rétromobile 2024, to be held in Paris from 31 January to 4 February.

Thierry Sabine’s 9000km epic jaunt was launched in 1978, just two years after Rétromobile itself, and has become a global magnet for the most adventurous racers on two and four wheels.

A unique display will showcase some of the iconic vehicles that have left their mark on the history of the race, including Sabine’s own Yamaha XT500, on which he was reported missing for three days during the 1977 24

Abidjan-Nice Rally, an experience that prompted him to launch the Paris-Dakar. Cars on show will run from the famous Marreau brothers’ Renault 4L, which competed in the inaugural event, to a brand new Audi RS Q e-Tron. Visitors can also look out for Daniel Nollan’s Renault KZ ‘La Gazelle’, Peugeot 405 Grand Raid and Porsche 959. Big Rally-Raid names who are due to attend include Cyril Neveu, Claude Marreau and André Dessoude.

Rétromobile director Romain Grabowski said: ‘By revisiting more than 40 years of history through this exhibit, we want to pay tribute to all those involved – drivers, co-drivers, organisers, manufacturers, celebrities,

amateurs, spectators, mechanics – who have contributed to making this event the greatest Rally in the world. Having myself had the chance to take part in the 2022 edition of the Dakar Classic, I think I can say that the Dakar Rally is as much a mechanical challenge as it is a human one, one of those rare experiences that mark a person’s life forever. As Thierry Sabine used to say: “A challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind.” It is precisely this part of the dream that we aim to share with the exhibition’s visitors.’

Other themes at the Paris exhibition will focus on MG and the Linas-Montlhéry autodrome. See retromobile.fr for more.

JAYSON FONG

‘THE MAGAZINE WILL HAVE THE INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT IT NEEDS TO THRIVE IN THE COMING YEARS’ Octane team to ensure that the magazine has the investment and support it needs to thrive in the coming years.’

EditorialdirectorDavidLillywhiteadded:‘We’re excited. Octane and the Historic Motoring Awards have always been close to our hearts and Geoff and I return refreshed and with the resources to take them to the next level.

‘You’ll start to see differences in Octane from issue 250: much-improved paper, faster and more efficient delivery in the US in particular, and the continued evolution of the content.

‘Many of you have asked if Octane will be merged with our existing quarterly magazine, Magneto. No, absolutely not! The two titles will continue to complement one another in the same vein as the Historic Motoring Awards will complement our Concours on Savile Row. ‘Bear with us over the next few weeks as we get everything into shape, and please always feel free to give us your feedback. Meanwhile, you might even be unlucky enough to see my Saab 96 V4 and Subaru Impreza Turbo (yes, I’ve still got them) in Octane Cars…’

25

IGNITION / News

NEWS FEED

Florida isle gears up There is a packed schedule of events lined up for The Amelia Concours in Florida, on 1-3 March. The first day of the Hagerty event features the Broad Arrow auction preview, entrants’ tour, seminars, ride and drive and a Porsche driving experience. Things really ramp up on the Saturday with Cars & Community and RADwood, more star-studded seminars, the auction and The Hangar Amelia. Sunday is the main event, with the 29th Amelia concours and 275 historic vehicles spread over 35 classes.

Look out for this year’s special classes, which include Bugatti Type 57, two classes for Ferrari 250s (GT and competition), a century of Bugatti Grand Prix cars, and Pikes Peak racers. This year’s big ‘honoree’ is 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman/CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, Rick Hendrick. There will be a special display of vehicles from his collection, including the Garage 56 Chevy Camaro ZL1 prepped for last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. See ameliaconcours.com.

Museum secures MG loan The British Motor Museum has secured the long-term loan of eight historic MG cars which had been stashed at Longbridge.

They include the 2003 RDX60 hatchback concept and the first-of-line MGF from 1995, as well as the three development concepts for the MGF, plus MG TF GT, Rover TCV tourer and the 1997 Frankfurt motor show Mini ‘Hot Rod’.

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Chadwick’s circuit debut Having previously tackled the hillclimb at Goodwood House three times, hotshoe Jamie Chadwick is to make her Goodwood circuit debut during the 81st Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport on 13-14 April. The W Series champion will race a Ford Mustang in the Ken Miles Cup and also compete in the Gordon Spice Trophy.

Design award winner Royal College of Art graduate student Luke Woloszczuk Veevers won the inaugural Peter Horbury Fellowship Award. Named after the late designer, it is supported

by Bridge of Weir Leather, Car Design News and the RCA. Key 2024 Quail dates This year’s four major motoring events at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California, will take place on 3 May (The Quail Ride), 4 May (The Quail Motorcycle Gathering), 12-14 August (The Quail Rally) and 16 August (The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering). See quaillodge.com.

Tales from the Vault The Petersen Automotive Museum has opened its Vault Workshop for public tours. The two-hour tours, led by one of the museum’s experts, will take place once a week and will be limited to just 25 guests. See petersen.org.

UAE 1000 Miglia winners Victory in the second 1000 Miglia Experience UAE went to the Italian crew of Rifai and Mozzi in a 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster.

Octane’s Robert Coucher competed in a 1972 MercedesBenz 250CE – watch out for his full story in a future edition.

Carbon footprint The full-carbon-bodied Kamm 912c Porsche resto-mod foretold in Octane 244 has been unveiled.

It weighs 699kg (51kg fewer than the semi-carbon car we tested) and is priced at a heady €400,000 for standard spec and including a donor car (against €360,000 for the semi-carbon car).

Peter Buckles RIP Peter Buckles, co-founder of parts supplier Cox & Buckles, has died.

A founder member of the TR Register and a past director of the MG Car Club, he established the company with Peter Cox in 1975 and was responsible for making thousands of obsolete parts available to enthusiasts. It was later taken over by Moss Europe.

London’s hot dates The dates have both been set for London’s spring and early summer concours. Salon Privé London returns to the Royal Hospital Chelsea on 18-20 April, while the Honourable Artillery Company in The City will be hosting the London Concours on 4-6 June.

Gordon Bruce RIP Former Motor road test editor, Ford PR manager and, from 1982, boss of his own PR company, Gordon Bruce died in December aged 76. A qualified mechanical engineer, he also worked for Lotus and was a motoring author, hillclimber and racer as well as an associate member of the BRDC.

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JOIN DEREK BELL FOR A TOUR OF PROVENCE FOLLOWED BY A WEEKEND IN MONACO FOR THE 2024 HISTORIC GRAND PRIX The event starts with a relaxed 3-day tour for just 20 cars, both classic and modern, which meanders through rural Provence on some of the greatest driving roads in France. Along the way there will be lazy lunches in medieval hilltop villages and overnight stays in some of the finest hotels in the region.

Optional car transport is available.

We then go up a gear as we arrive in Monaco on the Friday, just in time for the final pre-1985 F1 practice session. There’s no better place to witness this spectacle than from the only hotel inside the circuit, the Fairmont, which is our home for the weekend. Optional Hairpin Rooms are available, each with its own terrace directly overlooking the hairpin. There will be first-class hospitality throughout the weekend, starting on the Friday with a private party at Nikki Beach on the roof of the Fairmont.

Request a brochure by getting in touch with Chris Bucknall.

Call 01635 867705 or email chris@v-management.com v-events.co.uk

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IGNITION / News & Obituaries

The classics to watch out for in 2024

Hagerty has revealed its winners for the next year

THE MARKET ANALYSTS at Hagerty UK have revealed the eight classics they tip to take off in 2024, including one featured in this issue of Octane. The annual Hagerty Bull Market uses the company’s market data to check rising values against demand and the results are determined only after months of numbercrunching. The company stresses that the results are not just about the potential to make a quick buck, however, and that all eight of its chosen cars offer a ‘great ownership experience’.

A spokesman said: ‘While the Hagerty Bull Market is aimed at people who want to find,

buy, and drive a classic or modern classic vehicle, the recommendation is always to choose a car the buyer likes first and foremost.

If the car later delivers a healthy return financially, that should be considered as an added bonus.’ Wise words.

First on the 2023 list are the Alvis Speed 20 and 25, the 3.5-litre pre-war Coventry straightsixes having been long undervalued against contemporaries. While you could expect to pay anything from £50,000 to 100,000 for one of the Alvises, at the other end of the scale is the 1994-97 4.0-litre Daimler Six, which can still be snapped up from just £1500.

A pricier contemporary alternative that is likely to get caught up in the fad for Fast Fords is the 1985-91 Escort RS Turbo. With banner headlines over the £722,500 paid for Princess Di’s old runabout, current prices start at just over £8000, which is sure to change. Hagerty predicts: ‘The Escort RS Turbo has so much going for it – a homologation special, the Blue Oval on the bonnet, and now a record sale.’

Other modern classics on the list include the high-revving Honda S2000 and TVR Cerbera, in particular the Speed Eight Red Rose (see p62), while the youngest car on the list is the rather more expensive (at £290,000-560,000) Porsche 997.2 GT3 RS 4.0.

The petrol-powered tips are rounded out by the Maserati Indy, but one rather unexpected inclusion for 2023 is a pedal car, the Hagerty team saying that events such as the Settrington Cup at Goodwood have cemented the Austin J40 as an increasingly valuable ‘car’.

John Mayhead, editor of the Hagerty UK Price Guide, said: ‘The Bull Market is a highlight of my year. Working with our Hagerty analysts around the world to identify what we forecast will rise in value and is interesting and fun to own is really rewarding. This year’s UK Bull Market list is the most eclectic ever, and I think it reflects the diversity of the classic and collector market here in the UK.’ Clockwise, from above left Goodwood has helped propel pedal car demand; Porsche already big money and set to rise more; Indy is a more overlooked Maserati; the Princess Di Escort went crazy at auction (£722,500).

Cale Yarborough b.1939

One of only two drivers to win a consecutive hat-trick of NASCAR titles, Yarborough dominated in the late 1970s, clocking up 83 wins in a lengthy career to make him the sixth most successful NASCAR racer of all time. He also scooped four Daytona 500 victories and, after retiring from driving, was a team owner until 2000. Also a promising boxer and American football player in his youth, the Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee from South Carolina was later a rancher and farmer.

He passed away on New Year’s Eve. 28

Gil de Ferran b.1967

The popular French-born Brazilian racing driver died in Florida on 29 December at the age of just 56. Despite growing up worshipping Emerson Fittipaldi and kicking off his career in the UK, de Ferran was best-known in the USA, where he was a two-time CART champion for Penske, plus winner of the 2003 Indy 500. After retiring from driving in 2003, he went into F1 management, initially with BARHonda and then McLaren before launching his own race team in the USA and even returning to the cockpit for ALMS.

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder “Lucybelle III" Estimate: $3,500,000 - $4,500,000

1946 Delahaye 135 M Abbott Roadster Estimate: $700,000 - $900,000

2020 McLaren Speedtail Estimate: $2,000,000 - $2,400,000

THE AMELIA AUCTION 1-2 MARCH 2024

1954 Dodge Firearrow IV by Ghia Estimate: $2,000,000 - $2,500,000

EVAN KLEIN

IGNITION / Man & Machine

MAN & MACHINE

Wagon wheels

Tom Dolle is living the dream with a ’64 Ford Country Squire

WE BOUGHT OUR house in Palm Springs about 11 years ago and have lived here full-time for the last four. Before that we were in New York, which was great, but it was time for a change: Palm Springs has better weather, an easier lifestyle, and fantastic Mid Century architecture that really appeals to me, since I’m a graphic designer by profession.

The Country Squire sort of chose me. I was looking for a wagon and, while it wouldn’t have been my first choice, it became available at a very good price and was clearly in really great condition. The car was in Los Angeles but friends here in Palm Springs told me about it

and I jumped right on it. Originally it had been bought new in Lubbock, Texas, and then passed to the second owner for about ten years.

The first owner’s name and address are in the instruction manual and I Googled their house out of curiosity because the car is unusually well-equipped for a station wagon – it is loaded with just about every option you could get. It has also clearly been extremely well lookedafter, and I thought perhaps it might have belonged to a wealthy family who bought it simply to do their grocery shopping, but the house turned out to be surprisingly modest.

Maybe they just decided to treat themselves!

WHY WE LOVE…

New Year’s Day meets

While it’s lovely to have a bit of downtime over the Christmas break – assuming you’re in a job that allows such an indulgence – there tends to be a lot of sitting down and eating and drinking too much. By the end of the Christmas week, most of us are champing at the bit to get away from the telly and the in-laws, so what better solution than to fire up the old motor and hook up with like-minded people at a New Year’s Day classic car meet?

Some NYD events, such as Brooklands’ Classic Gathering (pictured right), are so massively popular that they’re more like one-day 30

festivals. That’s why it can be more satisfying to visit a smaller, more intimate meet that’s closer to home, where the classics will mostly be owned by locals and may include all kinds of off-beat machines. Whether it’s an ancient tractor or a pre-war fire engine, chances are you’ll see it at a village or small-town New Year’s Day meet.

However, by far the biggest attraction of the local NYD gathering is that it will invariably be held outside a pub – and the quality of the boozer has to be the deciding factor in whether you should attend. Not for the beer, or even for the food, but because good pubs attract interesting people. Fact.

Mark Dixon

The options include all the extra exterior trim, such as an additional belt-line moulding, bumper guards and a roof-rack, plus fake wire wheel covers. Inside there are power windows, power seats, air conditioning, an AM-FM radio – and the amazing swing-away steering wheel.

Normally you only see these in Thunderbirds, but it was available for the Galaxie-based wagons, and here’s the proof.

This car also has the big 390ci engine coupled with a three-speed auto ’box. It was fitted with drum brakes all-round, but I’ve had a front disc conversion; the last owner lived in Topanga Canyon, LA, and I can only imagine what a handful it must have been on the narrow and twisting canyon roads! Even so, I’ve swapped the radial tyres that it came on to period-correct bias-ply tyres. The radials just didn’t look right and, since I only drive the car in the dry, it’s not a problem using bias-plies. The car still feels comfortable and safe at 50-60mph.

For an old car it’s amazingly reliable. I had a mechanic go through it, changing old hoses and belts and so on, and now it generally behaves itself. Of course it has that floaty ride typical of the era but it drives real well, and there’s so much glass that you have lots of visibility. Press on the accelerator and it really takes off, although the downside is 8-10mpg fuel consumption – you could almost measure it in yards per gallon!

At some point the body was repainted in its original Wimbledon White and had new faux woodgrain side trim fitted. Since we only have a car port here in Palm Springs, I normally keep it under a cover to protect that vulnerable faux wood. Red interiors were popular to offset the white paint, but this one is in tan – I think it may be called Saddle – and it’s all original apart from the carpets, which I’ve replaced because they had gotten a little worn. It’s certainly a lot less dramatic than the interior of one of my two other cars, a 1972 AMC Javelin with the Pierre Cardin silver/pink/purple-striped interior – that’s pretty wild!

IGNITION / Gearbox

1 Three years ago I slipped and snapped my tendon. After surgery these Ecco trainers were my recovery shoes and, even though they are ragged now, I still wear them. If you love something you should keep it and use it as long as possible. That’s sustainability…

GEARBOX

Yuki Hayashi

Historic Motoring Awards judge, Aston Martin collector and, via Immun’Âge, longserving partner of Aston Martin Racing

2 …which brings me on to my Bentley Bentayga. I have had it for six years and have put 230,000km on it with a target of 300,000km. You might imagine that not many people are using Bentaygas like this, but nothing has gone wrong and I still love it, so why change?

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3 My first Aston Martin was a DB7 Volante. Bloxham was closing down so the whole family visited the factory and saw it come off the line. I now have more cars, including Aston Martins from the Bamford, Bertelli and Sutherland eras, buy I keep cars a long time – like shoes.

4 I met Dr Ulrich Bez in 2004 and we talked about how to keep drivers healthy over two-week-long rallies. He was very interested in my product Immun’Âge and invited me to partner with Aston Martin.

We are now the longest-standing official partner of Aston Martin Racing and when Dr Bez wrote a book he put a very nice picture of the two of us in it.

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5 Immun’Âge is a fermented papaya preparation that we believe has lots of health benefits, especially against neuro-degenerative diseases. Endurance racing has been a great arena in which to prove its benefits. We did a successful trial with David Brabham and Darren Turner at Le Mans in 2007 and 2008.

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6 I’ve been collaborating with Darren Turner for over 20 years now. I have lots of lovely gifts, such as a personalised Le Mans water bottle and a signed wheel from the 2009 GT1-winning DBR9. I cherish his helmet, racesuit, shoes and gloves, which he gave me, as well as our collaboration on the AMR-C01 simulator.

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7 Like my family’s Land Rovers, this Land Rover bag has been rugged, dependable and never let me down. It has been my travelling companion for 30 years and goes with me whenever I work abroad.

8 This 1997 Defender 90 Soft Top reminds me of the toys I had as a child. It’s the only one in Japan and part of a limited edition of 500 automatics. It’s a modern car that is fun to drive, like a classic.

9 My Velar, chassis no.4 (YVB 154H), is being restored in the JLR Classic Works Reborn programme and should be ready for next summer, but for now I have this model of it to keep me happy.

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10 Cleanliness is very important to me, a simple, almost religious discipline in the face of great technological changes.

Cleaning every day is good for your soul, as is washing a car!

ASCOT RACECOURSE, SATURDAY 2ND MARCH

THE ASCOT SPRING CLASSIC

MERCEDES-BENZ 190 SL ROADSTER £128,000-£148,000

AN ENTICING LIVE SALE OF 180 FINE CLASSICS VIEWING DAYS

Wednesday to Friday 28th February - 1st March 9am-5pm each day

SALE TIME

Saturday 2nd March Commences 9.30am Doors open 8.30am

FUTURE 2024 AUCTIONS - ENTRIES ARE INVITED

11th May: Farnborough International 20th July: Windsorview Lakes 14th September: Ascot Racecourse 23rd November: Mercedes-Benz World

01753 639170 auctions@historics.co.uk www.historics.co.uk

IGNITION / Opinion

JAY LENO The Collector

I

’m a big fan of the Hellcat variations of the Dodge Challenger, which was first introduced in 2015 with then-unheard-of 707 horsepower. I ordered mine with the six-speed manual transmission. Yes, I know the automatic is faster, but I wanted the ‘latest version’ of my 1970 Challenger, in its day the most powerful muscle car you could buy. It featured the legendary 426 Hemi engine with 425 horsepower, although it was rumoured to be closer to 500. It also came with a four-speed manual transmission and no power steering.

The build quality back in the 1970s was laughable.

The centre console that went around the agricultural pistol-grip shifter was made of plastic and held in place by two screws that ‘fixed’ it to the transmission tunnel. It constantly rattled.

Although the hot rod magazines loved it, the sports car types – Road & Track, Car and Driver etc – not so much. That huge cast-iron lump of a motor weighed a ton and gave the car something like a 60:40 weight distribution. The drum brakes in the back didn’t help much, either.

None of this would have been that big a deal except they kept marketing it as a sports car. Back in the day, advertising used what we now call sexism to promote the car: ‘Wanted. Men who can handle a real road machine. Dodge Hemi Challenger.

‘There are special men who develop an almost spiritual attachment to their cars. They want a no-nonsense road machine that grabs the rough, winding stretch of road and holds on. One that stays low and close to the road like a snake. For these men Dodge builds Hemi Challenger – a trim, taut, tough car that hugs every inch of road that it goes over…’

It concluded: ‘Dodge Hemi Challenger. A special kind of road machine for a special breed of men.’

Can you imagine doing this kind of ad today? HR would have all your stuff in a cardboard box out in the parking lot before you could get to even your second ‘special breed of men’ phrase!

All this is leading up to the fact that I just took delivery of the last and most powerful iteration of the Dodge Challenger – the SRT Demon 170. This will be the final ICE-engine muscle car they produce before everything goes electric. It produces 1025 horsepower

when running on E85, but approximately 900 on pump gas. I’m astounded that they can produce a car that turns in an 8.91sec quarter-mile at 151mph, all while streetlegal and meeting current emissions standards.

Of course, the reason they are ending production is that they’ll no longer be able to meet those standards. So I grabbed the last one, a full-on drag car that comes with everything you need for the quarter-mile: line lock, trans brake, a chiller that re-routes the air-conditioning to cool the intake so the fuel is more dense, as well as an adjustable drag suspension. It is, I believe, the first production car to feature a staggered drag radial tyre from the factory. Carbonfibre wheels help the 170 lose 157lb over the standard wide-body. It can actually lift the front wheels.

Admittedly, you have to do a bit of work if you want to achieve those numbers. The myriad screens and technical data you have to go through to get there is mindnumbing, which is half the fun for those of us reading this magazine.

Of course, trying to access all this at the stop light before it turns green may take a little time. Therein lies the rub. In comparison I drove my Tesla Plaid to Famoso Drag Strip. The car is totally stock and, after I’d checked the tyre pressures and turned off the air conditioner and rolled up the windows, it turned in 9.247sec at 152mph.

Actually 1mph faster.

Is the Demon more fun? Way more! The sounds, the smells, the huge 6.2-litre supercharged V8, with its 164 gallons-per-hour fuel injectors, render the Tesla a comparative sensory deprivation chamber. I love the fact that it is an ‘alternative fuel vehicle’: I can run it on E85, which is $3-a-gallon cheaper, at least here in California.

So what is the future for us dinosaurs and our gasengine vehicles? I think a good comparison would be with the watch industry. Let’s face it: no mechanical product can beat an electronic one for accuracy and ease of manufacturing. But an all-electronic one can’t match a mechanical one for beauty and complexity.

The only car I ever sold in 30 years was my Tesla PD90. I drove it for seven years, it never went to the dealer for anything. I sold it to get a faster one, the Plaid.

I had no problem letting it go. I never really bonded with it, but it served its purpose. My 1963 Porsche Carrera four-cam and my IWC repeater watch I’ll keep forever.

Much like the last true muscle car ever produced.

‘I JUST BOUGHT THE FINAL ICE-ENGINE MUSCLE CAR THEY’LL PRODUCE BEFORE EVERYTHING GOES ELECTRIC’

JAY LENO Comedian and talk show legend Jay Leno is one of the most famous entertainers in the USA. He is also a true petrolhead, with a huge collection of cars and bikes (jaylenosgarage.com).

Jay was speaking with Jeremy Hart.

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Sunday 22 – Friday 27 September

J O I N U S F O R A 5 - D AY D R I V I N G A D V E N T U R E T H R O U G H S PA I N A N D P O R T U G A L When my wife Misti and I first discussed putting together a DB tour a few years ago, little did we know it would become an annual event. What could be better than setting off on spectacular roads with a group of friends, old and new, enjoying fabulous hotels and great food. For our 2024 event we’re returning to Iberia where some of the greatest driving roads in Europe are to be found, taking in Asturias, the Picos mountains, Castile y León and the incredible Douro Valley before we cross the finish line in Porto.

Our tours combine great driving with a relaxed and informal itinerary, meaning there’s plenty of time to enjoy the fabulous hotels along the way. There will be just 20 cars taking part, and you’re welcome to bring whatever you love to drive, whether that’s a classic or a modern supercar.

It’s going to be a wonderful week. We hope you can join us.

DEREK BELL MBE

For further details and to receive the brochure please contact Georgie on +44 (0)1635 867705 or email georgie@v-management.com v-events.co.uk

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IGNITION / Opinion

DEREK BELL The Legend

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t’s that time of year when I look forward to the season ahead, but as an ex-racing driver. My good friend Allan McNish has just left the house, having been in Florida on holiday. Allan is a lovely chap and he was a formidable racer in his prime, with three wins at Le Mans on his CV. These days he has the inside line on what is happening in Formula 1 and beyond thanks to his various professional gigs. It was great catching up on a little pitlane gossip. ‘Eff One’ is currently enjoying a massive spike in interest, not least in the USA thanks to a certain drama-heavy TV series, and sponsors are clamouring to get in. Mainstream manufacturers, too.

I suppose I should say get back in because we have been down this road before. Remember the period from 2000 to around 2008? You had simply loads of car-makers vacuuming-up independents and rebranding them. Budgets spiralled.

Then there was a financial crisis and they all bailed.

I don’t want to sound like a naysayer – I am relatively optimistic about the future, but history tells us that OEMs tend to lose interest quickly. How many times has Renault been in F1 as a ‘name’ rather than as an engine supplier, or Honda for that matter? They stay around for a while and then get cold feet when the temperature changes. It’s a sign of age when you have seen certain brands come and go, only to return, disappear and reappear again.

A lot of drivers are complaining about the bumper schedules and plans to expand the calendar. I find this amusing on some levels because I had seasons when I was in the air as much as on-track, taking in dozens of races on multiple continents. I did it because it was how I earned a living, but also because I wanted to compete.

A weekend not racing was a weekend wasted. I think it’s worse for those on the other side of the pitwall: the mechanics, the truckies, and so on. They are away from their families for long periods without much of a break, but that is the nature of motor racing. When I started out there wasn’t really an off-season, as such. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. There were some seasons when the F1 World Championship started in January, after all.

Then, of course, there was the Tasman Series, about which I have written extensively before now. I thoroughly enjoyed racing in Australia and New Zealand during the winter months, as did superstars such as Jim Clark,

Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and so on. There was also the Temporada series in Argentina. I had the opportunity to drive for Scuderia Ferrari in the races at the end of 1968 but I was already committed to competing Down Under so it ended up being Andrea de Adamich who partnered ‘Tino’ Brambilla. It was a championship for F2 cars and they entered the little Dino 166 that we had raced in Europe. They demolished the opposition, which led us to suspect that the engine capacity may have been massaged a little!

Away from talking about racing, Allan and I couldn’t help but discuss the loss of our great mate, Gil de Ferran, in December. Allan raced against Gil in F3000 before their paths led them in different directions: one to sports-prototypes, the other to the USA and IndyCar. I suppose Gil is better known Stateside than in Europe, where he plied his trade early on, and that is because of what he achieved in national championships. He won two IndyCar titles driving for Roger Penske, not to mention bagging the Indy 500 in 2003. He retired from driving only to unretire on forming his own sports car team, for which he claimed further silverware.

The thing about Gil, though, wasn’t that he was a superb racing driver. What set him apart was that he was also a car whisperer with a gift for set-up. What’s more, he was incomparable when it came to man management.

That is why Honda and more recently McLaren employed him in various capacities. He never appeared flustered and would get his message across without having to bully, cajole, coerce or throw his toys out of the pram. He was simply Gil and everyone wanted to do right by him because he was genuinely inspirational. I can hand-on-heart say that he was one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in motor racing and beyond.

Gil designed his own house, which is about 15 miles away from ours. He loved cooking and I can remember having many wonderful meals with him, his wife Angela and his kids Luke and Anna. My eldest boy Justin and Gil were really close, and he is understandably devastated. For him to die of a heart attack aged just 56 was a shock to us all. There really isn’t much more to say other than that Gil was a lovely human being. As epitaphs go, that beats any of his on-track achievements.

‘HOW MANY TIMES HAS RENAULT BEEN IN F1 AS A “NAME” RATHER THAN ENGINE SUPPLIER, OR HONDA FOR THAT MATTER?’

DEREK BELL Derek took up racing in 1964 in a Lotus 7, won two World Sportscar Championships (1985 and 1986), the 24 Hours of Daytona three times (in 1986, ’87 and ’89), and Le Mans five times (in 1975, ’81, ’82, ’86 and ’87).

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IGNITION / Opinion

STEPHEN BAYLEY

The Aesthete

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eople sometimes ask me what are the rules of aesthetics. I snort and say there are none. Or rather just one. Just as Heraclitus said the only constant is change, so the only certainty in aesthetics is that tastes change. What is valued in one generation is reviled in the next. Until it is rediscovered, when it becomes valuable again. This applies to great art and writing. Many of painting’s Old Masters were unknown until the 19th Century. In the 18th Century, Shakespeare was thought a rustic barbarian. The same wobbly rules apply to car design.

Think of chrome, now rehabilitated after years in disgrace. To demonstrate its triviality, Colin Chapman once said: ‘If it doesn’t work, we chromium-plate it.’ Like so much in the history of car design, chrome has its origins with Harley Earl, Detroit’s wizard of kitsch who brought the queasy glamour of Hollywood to the industrial MidWest: he had once been a neighbour of Cecil B DeMille.

Beginning in 1927, Earl introduced General Motors to what he called ‘Art and Color’. Hitherto brightwork on cars had been nickel electroplating. But somewhere in the prehistoric depths of his dinosaur id, Earl realised that chromium-plating offered more aesthetic opportunities. Chrome is hard, shiny and suggests prosperity. It reflects light, it energises. In his Ballad of Faith, a 1954 poem, William Carlos Williams wrote ‘No dignity without chromium’. That was American taste of the day.

And in that same year, when DuPont’s most popular colour for automobile paint was salmon pink – even if beige tuna was America’s favourite fish – Earl’s most extravagant experiments with chrome were begun.

Simultaneously, white pigment had become so stable that two-tone colour schemes could exploit dramatic contrasts. To these, Earl added chrome not as fine accent but as a third element in body art. A chrome vocabulary evolved in GM’s studios: they spoke of a ‘Sweep-spear’ and a ‘Blitzline’.

Then chrome retreated. Detroit began to notice that Italian cars featured chrome only modestly. By the launch of the Ford Sierra in 1982, advanced car design did not feature chrome at all. And two-tone had disappeared from the designers’ aesthetic options. But following the inevitability of taste’s recurrence, chrome

and two-tone paint have been reinstated. You have the Mini and the Bugatti Veyron. And who, in 1982, when a Ford Sierra had body-colour mirrors, would have predicted in 2024 two-tone Rolls-Royces, some of them not at all understated?

So when might the vinyl roof return? This was a curiosity of the 1970s that revived a fashion of 50 years before when the landau format usually employed leather to suggest a convertible cabin. A vinyl roof allowed humble Hillman Minx to be socially promoted to Humber Sceptre. And, in many cases, vinyl roofs had the benefit of disguising ugly welds, which (I suspect) is what happened with Bertone’s astonishing Volvo 242C. Landaus of the 1920s often had ‘S’ bars on the C-pillar to hint at the possibility of a folding mechanism within: subterfuge has often been an element of the designer’s art.

These reappeared on cetaceous American cars of the 1960s and ’70s, the ’62 Thunderbird being a bad example. There were opera windows, too, unusable glazed C-pillar perforations that not even the grossest American manufacturer combined with ‘S’ bars.

But given the vagaries of taste, who can rule out such reappearances? My context here is the present slump in car design. The sole original motif of recent years is the emphatic horizontal light appearing on many electric cars that, like their neighbours which signal a turning manoeuvre, signal instead the deadly piety brought by being electrified. They are as meretricious as, but less fun than, Earl’s chrome or Virgil Exner’s tail-fins.

But this slump in creativity is neither a cause nor a symptom of electrification. Instead, it’s all about a slump in the status of the designer. Once designers were visionaries and provocateurs, people who were professionally required to live in the future and then return to Earth to show us what it looked like.

Norman Bel Geddes was one such. He created the Futurama at the ’39 World’s Fair. And in 1940 he wrote a book called Magic Motorways, which actually influenced the Federal Highways Act of 1944. It was likely Bel Geddes who put fabulous chrome details in the Chrysler Airflow’s interior.

We have no Norman Bel Geddes today. But the rules of aesthetics say someone like him might return. That would be very welcome.

‘DESIGNERS WERE PROFESSIONALLY REQUIRED TO LIVE IN THE FUTURE AND RETURN TO SHOW US HOW IT LOOKED’

STEPHEN BAYLEY The individual for whom the term ‘design guru’ could have been coined, Bayley was the founding director of London’s Design Museum and his best-selling books include Sex, Drink and Fast Cars and Taste: the Secret Meaning of Things.

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IGNITION / Opinion

ROBERT COUCHER The Driver

R

egular readers might vaguely remember my classic car journey starting with a Lancia. But not anything as exotic as the ‘Steady Special’ or the Dilambda you will read about in these pages. In fact, my Lancia was a wreck that my father had dragged into the back of the garage as a donor car when parts were needed for his 6th Series Lancia Aurelia B20GT, which was in pretty solid condition. So much so, he didn’t really need a spares car, so he came up with the wheeze of gifting the 3rd Series Lancia Aurelia to me as my first car at the age of 16. So began two years of hard labour in the garage, endeavouring to bring the crashdamaged Aurelia back to life.

This ‘wheeze’ was really to keep me in the garage for a few years, out of trouble in pubs and clubs with my ‘normal’ friends who had ‘ordinary’ cars that just worked. My Aurelia was a sort of beige colour, as its damaged panels were finished in undercoat at the front, with some of its original blue hue evident at the rear. Being young and stupid, I decided the dollyhammered and heavily body-filled coupé had to be painted Retail Red. Well, it was Italian with two doors, just like a real sports car, a rare beast 6000 miles south of Goodwood Circuit. Wish I’d just left it in its original blue with blue two-tone cloth upholstery but, in those days, the whole ‘rat rod’ thing had not yet caught on and classics had to be shiny and smartly presented, so in went full black leather trim. A total waste of money.

The Aurelia’s original 2.5-litre engine had been blown up and replaced with a Ford Essex V6 with much more grunt, so it was fast, but dangerously so, considering its drum brakes, narrow tyres, bodged and rusty bodywork, pyrotechnic electrical system and massive thirst for fuel. Thought it best to get shot of it before it killed me, so I swapped it for an Alfasud! Not the best deal ever exacted in the motor trade. But the ’Sud was reliable and handled like an Italian ballerina. Sadly, it also had to go because it was being eaten alive by rust, as they all were.

At about the same time, my father came across another Lancia, a Fulvia this time. Again Rosso, the 1972 Fulvia was a 1600 HF Series 2 Lusso, a roadgoing version of the famous rally cars. Perched atop fat Cromodora alloy wheels, with sculpted bucket seats and snazzy yellow HF badging, it looked the part but was never a real rally HF. Yet, being front-wheel drive, it handled like

a Mini Cooper and could be hurled into any corner at almost any speed and come out smokin’. I once ‘borrowed’ it and ended up at the Killarney race circuit.

To everyone’s surprise, mine included, it finished in second place so I was accused of sandbagging. All I did was to clip on behind the local champion in a slower MGA and whizz the Fulvia around on the perfect line.

And the reality check? Fiat had taken over ailing Lancia in 1969 and immediately set about cheapening the cars. The lovely Fulvia HF was very good-looking but lacked the unimpeachable quality of ‘real’ Lancias.

The dreaded rust problem was introduced with cheap steel bodies, but the HF’s real annoyance was the five-speed gearbox: stiff and recalcitrant in use, which was exacerbated by the car being right-hand-drive. The gearing always seemed too low for its 115bhp output and the mechanical thrash accompanied by the full rush of wind noise was never pleasant.

So the snorty rally-inspired HF went to a new enthusiastic owner and was replaced by a lesser car, a sort of maiden aunt 1967 Lancia Fulvia 1.3 Series I. No flashy HF badges, sitting on skinny steel wheels with hubcaps, running through an ordinary four-speed gearbox and painted demure ivory, the dainty little non-Fiat Lancia turned out to be a total joy on the road. The engine was revvy but quiet, the gentle four-speed ’box, with its long wand of a gearlever, was fingertip-light and precise, and the handling on the ridiculously narrow 145-section tyres was near-perfect.

I liked the little Fulvia so much I purchased one in the UK some years ago and achieved my best ever historic regularity rally result, finishing third overall on the tough Ypres Rally with navigator Rupert Bravery doing all the clever work. Great car, better navi.

This might be getting a bit Fulvia-nerdish for the casual observer but let me finish on this: Yorkshireman Jonathan Turner decided to race the Orient Express from London to Venice in his mighty, ex-Le Mans D-type Jaguar a while ago. He invited me along. We thundered through Europe feeling like we were trimming hedges in a low-flying Spitfire fighter at full chat, when suddenly, in the middle of the night on a dark and tricky road, we were swiftly overtaken by a little Lancia Fulvia that then proceeded to dance away from us. I remember the badge on its pert rump: 1.3!

‘THE LANCIA COULD BE HURLED INTO ANY CORNER AT ALMOST ANY SPEED AND COME OUT SMOKIN’’

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ROBERT COUCHER Robert grew up with classic cars, and has owned a Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, an Alfa Romeo Giulietta and a Porsche 356C. He currently uses his properly sorted 1955 Jaguar XK140 as his daily driver, and is a founding editor of Octane.

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IGNITION / Letters

Letter of the month

springs and shorter bump stops from a Fiat Coupé, which have made things better but still not perfect. The next step will be to rebuild the coilovers that came with the car to try to reduce the rebound and subsequent hop at the rear. Changing the tyres to 195/50x15s also helps, because the extra sidewall depth gives a little more compliance.

While I am lucky enough to regularly drive a huge range of cars, there is something about the simplicity and honesty of cars like the Panda that draws me in: they give a reward that is more than the sum of their parts.

Simon Taylor, Lincolnshire

Keeping it in the family I WAS CAPTIVATED by Glen Waddington’s description of his drive in a 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost on The Founders’ Run through Portugal (Octane 247) as ‘fundamentally, unrestrainedly life-affirming, and fantastic fun’.

I recently completed a weeklong tour of the north-east of Victoria in my 1925 Ghost, chassis 122EU. We covered 600km without a hint of trouble and it is on such drives that you appreciate how remarkable Ghosts really are. Happily sitting at about 80km/h, I often think: ‘How much fun is this?!’

Ghosts are something of a high-maintenance mistress but the rewards are priceless. I have owned mine for 23 years and it just gets better and better. Being

LETTER OF THE MONTH WINS A MOUNTNEY STEERING WHEEL UP TO THE VALUE OF £300 The writer of Octane’s Letter of the Month can select from a range of Mountney Classic steering wheels

a very late chassis, it has fourwheel brakes, which make a huge difference in modern traffic.

Incidentally, my greatgrandfather bought the car new and it was delivered to him in London in April 1925. In the picture [above right] I am the little boy on the right being held in check by my great-grandfather, alongside my parents and sister.

I am probably the only current Ghost owner who has a photo of him- or herself with the original owner – I have just turned 75. Unbelievable!

The photo taken through the windscreen shows how wonderful these cars are to tour in. I will now quote Glen whenever I try to describe the Ghost experience.

Denis Deasey, Victoria, Australia

Panda in the wild It was great to read Matthew Hayward’s buying guide on the Fiat 100HP in Octane 247. I own a fully stage rally-prepared Panda 100HP [below], I believe the only one in the UK, that was originally built for the rally school at Vallelunga circuit in Italy.

Matthew’s comments about the ‘lively’ suspension are spot-on and we are currently running Bilstein dampers with standard

Mountney Classic is part of the Mountney Group, which is based in Banbury and has been established nearly 50 years. It encompasses a host of brands and covers, not just modern and classic steering wheels and bosses, but also a wealth of other high-quality interior and exterior accessories, such as gearknobs, mirrors, horn pushes, fuel fillers and much more.

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Cosworth connection Excellent article about the Costin-Nathan GT in Octane 248.

In about 1967, Chris Meek drove the only one (I think) that had a Lotus twin-cam installed – not his only Costin racer, for in 1968 he then drove the ex-Mike Costin Brabham BT10 F2 car.

This was significant in that Mike, Keith Duckworth’s partner, used it for the prototype Cosworth FVA engine that led to the DFV cylinder head design.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Jonathan Moorhouse, York

School of Octane I have been part of the classic car movement since 1968, when I bought my first Morgan – and I still own number two. Other highlights have been running a Jaguar XK140 for 46 years, plus the recent build of my MGB GT V8 Sebring Tribute [above].

Naturally, a monthly highlight is the thump of Octane in my mailbox. Richard Heseltine’s presentation of the Maserati Bora in Octane 247 was not only delightful but his exquisite English left me with yet another page in my notebook of Good Expressions and Useful Phrases.

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MARTYN GODDARD

IGNITION / Letters

46

acting as time-keeper, clicking a stopwatch at the kilometre posts.

We came up with an average speed of 190.00mph; not too shabby for a 2.8-litre twin-turbo.

I remember driving the 959 back to Stuttgart, as my pilot was exhausted, and it’s the only car I have ever driven in which nothing overtook me on a motorway.

When any headlights appeared in the rear-view mirror, I just pressed the right pedal to attain warp speed.

I still sell poster prints of the mighty 959, I guess for the mancaves of those 1980s teenagers.

Martyn Goddard, London The ultimate driving HQ Much as I enjoy the main features in Octane, I find a lot to like – and inform – in the stuff near the back.

Delwyn Mallett’s ‘Icon’ account of the Hoover Building in issue 248 is a good example. I became all too familiar with the building on my daily commute to Alfa Romeo GB at Staples Corner in the early 1980s as I edged past in

the heavy traffic caused by the reconstruction of the Hanger Lane junction.

A decade earlier, my work destination was a similar sort of building [below], not far from the Firestone factory also mentioned by Delwyn. Situated on the other side of the Great West Road, it was the home of BMW Concessionaires GB from 1974 to 1979, where I was in charge of customer relations.

Built in 1932 by Wallis, Gilbert & Partners (like the Hoover building) for Coty cosmetics, its scale and imposing façade were fully appropriate for that phase of BMW’s presence in the UK. Indeed, rapidly growing sales volumes through the ’70s made the factory eager to take over the national importer role when our contract expired in 1979.

Our achievements were all the more remarkable given that our previous HQ on Chiswick High Road was little more than a set of offices behind a filling station!

David Buckden, Kent

Coded message?

Is it true that, in motor trade advertisements, ‘POA’ actually stands for ‘Piss Off, Aspirants’?

John Tavner, Essex Send your letters to letters@octane-magazine.com WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Flat-out in a 959 Robert Coucher’s homage to the Ferrari 512BB in Octane 246, its speed record attempt and iconic status as a poster pin-up, reminded me of an epic road test of the Porsche 959 that I photographed in 1987 for Car and Driver.

I flew to Stuttgart to meet the then-technical editor Casaba Caser, who had an array of test gear including a fifth wheel [top] and computer. We spent a long day at the Hockenheim F1 circuit running through a list of tests but it was too small for a top-speed run. For that we chose a section of the nearby A6 autobahn.

In the early evening we made our first runs; I set up my camera to grab a shot while at high speed, the car vibrating on the rough road surface. Casaba pressed on and I was able to catch 300km/h (186.41mph) indicated on the speedo. Now, speedometers are notoriously inaccurate, so that night on the same stretch of the autobahn we made high-speed runs in both directions, with me

MARTYN GODDARD

As a foreigner I take pleasure in complementing my command of your language, and reading Octane is my monthly English lesson provided by you and all your eloquent colleagues.

Fred Ljone, Oslo, Norway

Shaken, then stirred Your review in Octane 245 of the new book Colin Chapman: the Biography [below] brought to mind an encounter with Mr Chapman at the US Grand Prix in the early ’70s.

It was late in the evening and I was casually walking the track, can of beer in hand, when I came to the pit area. I found a door was open, so I peeked in and there were all the cars and mechanics busily preparing for the next day’s race. Being an ardent GP fan, I decided I had to enter.

I came to the Lotus garage and there was Mr Chapman, looking quite thoughtful. I approached him and said ‘Mr Chapman, pleased to meet you’ and extended my hand. This must have surprised him, for he took my hand and shook it. I then said ‘Could I have your autograph and do you have pen and paper?’

He looked at me and noticed I didn’t have a pass but had a beer in my hand. He yelled ‘Security!’ and the next thing I knew I was being given the bum’s rush out of the nearest door. I don’t think I hit the ground for ten feet.

Whenever I meet the owner of a Lotus at a car show, I relate this story and they are always eager to shake the hand of the person who shook the hand of Colin Chapman.

Kevin Saunders, British Columbia, Canada

Please include your name, address and a daytime telephone number.

Letters may be edited for clarity.

Views expressed are not necessarily those of Octane.

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MASERATI A6GCS/53 FRUA SPYDER

50

I DID IT MY WAY

After a singularly determined restoration, this Maserati A6GCS by Frua won Best of Show at the 2023 Concours of Elegance.

James Elliott drives a super-rare 1950s deity Photography Barry Hayden

51

MASERATI A6GCS/53 FRUA SPYDER

52

T

he clues are in the name: ‘A’ is namechecking Alfieri Maserati – the founding brother who died in 1932; ‘6’ refers to a sophisticated race-bred inline six-cylinder engine, ‘G’ means ghisa (cast iron) for the block material, and ‘CS’ denotes Corsa Sport, which is part of what makes this car really special. More than really special, actually; for many it is the pinnacle of the early Orsi years of Maserati, Modena’s gorgeous, peppy, two-seater sports racer built to trump anything from down the road in Maranello.

The A6 designation had appeared in 1947, equipped with a 1.5-litre engine possibly most notable for not being a monobloc. Among the variants was the first A6GCS, a lightweight single-seater with a 120bhp 2.0-litre engine that was very successful in Italian racing. From 1951 to 1953, Fantuzzi built a dozen monoposto A6GCM racers developed by Maserati newboy Gioacchino Colombo, the former Ferrari man who had settled in Modena after his second spell at Alfa Romeo.

These were the stepping stones to a major change to the formula in 1953, hence the A6GCS/53 designation. The original had been updated in time for the 1953 Mille Miglia, where it took a class win, but, having been devised to compete in the 1953 World Sports Car Championship, the second-series A6GCS used a lightweight Gilco tubular chassis built around Gioacchino Colombo’s high-revving 170bhp aluminium F2 motor, itself derived from that A6GCM Monoposto’s. All in, the little flyer weighed around 750kg and epitomised a golden era in dual-purpose cars that blended road and track capability with looks in a way that increasingly sophisticated engineering and aerodynamics were soon to prohibit.

Like most Maseratis, the A6 series came in a kaleidoscope of specs and was clothed by all the leading coachbuilders, including Pinin Farina, Allemano and Vignale, with wilder options by the likes of Fantuzzi. The core of the 50 or so A6GCS/53s was their engine, a 1985cc dual-overhead-cam,

twin-plug dry-sump motor fed by a trio of Weber 40 DCO3 carburettors, but their bodywork tended to be sensational, too. They were clothed primarily by Pinin Farina, Vignale, Fantuzzi, even Fiandri, plus latterly three of these Frua Spyders – of which only two are known to survive.

They were the brainchild of Rome main dealer Guglielmo ‘Mimmo’ Dei, who in 1954 ordered a bespoke series of A6GCS/53s: four berlinettas by Pinin Farina and, at that point, a single Frua Spyder. So taken was he with the latter that in January the following year he ordered another pair: chassis 2109 and this car, chassis 2110. They were delivered in July at the cost of lire300,000 apiece, with Veglia dials and Marchal driving lights, one red with a cream stripe and one ‘banana’ (that’s exactly what it says on the build sheet!) with a black stripe.

But Dei’s once-booming business was in trouble. ‘Mimmo’ closed his dealership, formed the Scuderia Centro Sud race team – hardly a more stable financial proposition, one would think – and those two extra Spyders he ordered were shipped back to Frua. There they languished for a year before being sold, 2110 having a couple of local owners before being exported to the USA. And it has been there ever since, its first US owner, Jack Eubank of Long Beach, California, paying the princely sum of $4500 and showing it at Pebble Beach in 1964. And then running the engine dry, which prompted a replacement from an Allemano coupé.

After that this car went through a range of notable collector owners – one of whom (Allen Powell) reversed its colour scheme to black with banana stripe and dash – until it wound up with Bob Rubin in the late 1980s. Following a three-year restoration, 2110 won Best Postwar Touring Car at the 1997 Louis Vuitton Classic in New York.

The Maserati was moved on again in 2002 to John Bookout, who took it to Villa d’Este following a cosmetic restoration overseen by Adolfo Orsi himself. There it won the public-vote Coppa D’Oro before it went to ground, only re-emerging in 2018, when it was sold for 1000 times its initial US purchase price, and then some, when it went

‘THE LITTLE FLYER EPITOMISED A GOLDEN ERA IN CARS THAT BLENDED ROAD AND TRACK CAPABILITY’

53

MASERATI A6GCS/53 FRUA SPYDER

under the hammer at Gooding & Co’s Pebble Beach sale. Its current owner is the San Diego architect and increasingly well-known (and ardent) Maserati collector Jonathan Segal.

Having bought 2110 – actually extravagantly badged ‘Frua’ and ‘Maserati 2000cc Gran Sport’ – Segal commissioned his regular crew at RX Autoworks in Vancouver, Canada, to check it over with the assistance of model guru David Smith. Segal says: ‘I bought it sort of done, it had had some work, but there were details throughout the car that to my mind needed to be made right. For example, the whole egg-crate grille had to be completely taken apart and reassembled to be absolutely spot on. Then behind the seats there was what just looked to me like a big sheet of flappy leather so I put the quilting in, which was proper period stuff and that just helped lift the interior, too.

‘And then, well, you know, you start going down that road and end up pretty much re-restoring the entire car from scratch. The bodywork was great, actually, but all the interior, paint, chrome and mechanicals were re-done.’

One thing Segal did take a firm line on was the colour scheme, not only refusing to flip the colours back to the factory banana with black stripe, but actually ridding it of its vivid yellow dashboard, which had survived Powell’s original colour flip. This change, and how candid and unapologetic he is about it, possibly cost the car dear at Pebble Beach in 2022, where it took second in class (Postwar Touring Open) on its post-restoration debut. A year on from that Pebble Beach outing, 2110 visited the UK for the first time ever for the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court. There it took

Right Interior is functional and sparse yet beguilingly beautiful at the same time – perhaps all the more so for having a black dashboard rather than the original ‘banana’ finish.

54

the coveted Best of Show honour – voted for by the owners rather than judges – just to add a little spice to Octane’s story.

It was at Hampton Court that Octane saw 2110 in the metal for the first time and also caught up with owner Segal, whose Alfa 6C and Maserati A6GTZ we have previously enjoyed. Sunlight and the setting don’t do any harm, but there is no questioning the sheer breathtaking beauty of the Frua Spyder. Any concave grille is sexy, but this car manages to be beguiling, bewitching and menacing all at the same time, something it could never have carried off in its old fruity colour scheme. The proportions are just perfect and the finish is extraordinary. The little quarter-bumpers wrapping around each of the front fenders are wonderful, and the curvaceousness is light-years ahead of some other revered cars of the type from the period, which look plain gawky in comparison.

It stands out in any crowd. As does its owner. In the debonair royal gardens, Segal is cutting a dash as a new breed of collector, a younger, brasher type bashing down the doors of the establishment. The anti-tweed. Can you imagine just a few years ago a car, owned by a man who wore matching (by his own admission) ‘garish’ silk shorts and shirt (they defy description but quickly get dubbed ‘beachwear’) and who cracked open the malt scotch at 10am, taking top honours at the Concours of Elegance? But none of that matters, as it shouldn’t. What matters is that he is very frank about his car and his collection – ‘Hey, I don’t pretend to know everything about classic cars, but I do really know my Maseratis’ – and his gung-ho approach: happy to tell everyone about any modifications he has made during restoration, especially the

55

MASERATI A6GCS/53 FRUA SPYDER

‘THERE IS NO QUESTIONING THE BREATHTAKING BEAUTY OF THE FRUA SPYDER’

56

57

MASERATI A6GCS/53 FRUA SPYDER

Above, and above right Neat and beautiful Frua lines wrap the mechanical elements for a less-is-more whole; 2.0-litre straight-six is basically a racing engine, good for 170bhp at 7300rpm!

58

1955 Maserati A6GCS/53 Frua Spyder Engine 1985cc DOHC twin-plug dry-sump straight-six, three Weber 40 DCO3 carburettors Power 170bhp @ 7300rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Worm and sector Suspension Front: double wishbones, coil springs, Houdaille hydraulic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, Houdaille hydraulic dampers Brakes Finned drums Weight 780kg Top speed 135mph

colour flip. Yet still the car wins; that is what has changed.

It will be interesting to see if it gets the same reception when it goes back to Villa d’Este next year. Segal doesn’t seem that bothered: ‘Isn’t it exquisite? It epitomises what I am trying to find – and it’s getting harder and harder – these bespoke, one of one, or one of two cars. The real beauty of this one, though, is that I have the sister car, the coupé from the Baillon collection [see Octane 149], which is currently being restored. That will be off-the-charts stunning and, as a pair, wow!’ We already know that Pebble Beach in 2024 is holding a special celebration of Frua Maseratis…

Segal adds: ‘Hopefully I will be able to keep those cars together because [including his 1957 Maserati 200SI Fantuzzi Spyder and 1956 A6G Zagato] I now have what I consider the four nicest Maseratis of the era. What would

be next? Possibly a Birdcage. I’d take it on a track, but I wouldn’t race it – all the cars I collect are based on aesthetics.’

Well, not just aesthetics. Segal is pretty chilled about driving his Maseratis – ‘If they’re not driven, they’re just objects.’ He drove this little six-pot (‘spiritedly’, we are told by witnesses) on the pre-concours tour of Scotland and was still buzzing about the experience when we interviewed him. He was equally effusive about the rather shorter road-trip as he pottered up to collect the top award at Hampton Court. It was actually presented at the exclusive Windsor Castle dinner the previous night, but you have to put on a show for the public, don’t you?

And he is equally determined that Octane should extract the fullest from the complex 2.0-litre unit when it comes to our photoshoot: ‘It has great power from 3500 to 5000.

59

MASERATI A6GCS/53 FRUA SPYDER

‘PROBABLY THE NICEST-DRIVING CAR FROM THE ERA THAT I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO SAMPLE’ I drove it 250 miles and after warming up it was fine. Just go for it; you’ve got to drive it properly to get a feel for it.’

Despite the order, I start very gently, too gently perhaps, as is my wont with a car of this value and importance. But Segal’s insistence is still ringing in my ears, and soon so is the addictively urgent Gatling gun-speed clacking of that smooth straight-six spitting into the gloam. The carbs clear and, like an adrenaline shot to the heart, the little Maserati takes off as if someone has set fire to its tail.

We are revving engine 2050 to 7000rpm in an early-1950s sports car and it’s still pulling and fizzing and asking for more. This is a proper racing engine, not just the twin camshafts, dual plugs and dry sump, but gear-driven camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers and a magneto ignition system. Keep it between 4000 and 6000 and it will really let rip and tear up the tarmac.

The brakes, finned drums all-round, are more than adequate to cope with the power, but the real revelation is the handling. Independent by coils and Houdaille dampers 60

at the front, and live axle with leafs and Houdailles at the back, there is no skittish behaviour even on damp roads.

Like a Lotus Elan, its balance is ethereal without having any of the usual sports car harshness. We’re pushing as hard as we dare and it is still totally neutral, no hint of under- or oversteer. Pile into a roundabout at the wrong angle, panic and wind on a bit more lock, crisis over. It has a remarkable fluidity in the steering and the way it combines with the ride; it is probably the best-handling and nicest-driving car from the era that I have had the privilege to sample.

Even the gearbox is sweet and pliable, though the revs drop dramatically when changing up into fifth… er, hang on, fifth? A post-drive conversation reveals that this car is now running an Alfa five-speed ’box, not exactly the stuff of concours, but definitely the stuff of someone who wants to use their cars, so I guess I sort of approve.

Besides, that’s not heresy. Heresy is that these spectacular cars are not much more appreciated, nor elevated above their ‘noisy neighbours’ as they deserve to be. End

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TVR CERBERA RED ROSE LIGHTWEIGHT

BLACKPOOL SHOCK

TVR stunned the world with its radical Cerbera. Matthew Hayward experiences the most outrageous of all,

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the 4.5 Red Rose Lightweight, and lives to tell the tale Photography Jordan Butters

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TVR CERBERA RED ROSE LIGHTWEIGHT

‘Just press and hold the black button and it’ll re-start.’

Seems like a simple instruction, but it takes me a few seconds to gain my bearings in this unorthodox cabin. I had been briefed on the visual cacophony of unmarked buttons and dials by TVR guru James Agger only minutes earlier – with a pre-warning that I would definitely stall the Cerbera at some point. And then the inevitable happens… So I’m slightly red-faced, but, as soon as the riotous AJP V8 engine fires back into life, the mild embarrassment fades into the background.

Every now and again a car manufacturer builds something that blows everything else out of the water, and that’s exactly what the Cerbera did in 1993 when it was first shown at the London Motor Show. TVR’s thenowner Peter Wheeler had a vision to create the fastest, maddest yet most grown-up car ever to wear his marque’s badge. It would have a fixed roof and a pair of seats in the back so you could take the kids out with you, and it would be named after the multi-headed dog of Greek mythology. You know, the one that ferociously guarded the gates of Hell.

I’m seeing the Cerbera today for the first time in quite a while, and I’d forgotten just how low, long and incredibly curvaceous these cars look.

Unadorned with spoilers, wings or even door locks and handles, it’s a beautifully clean piece of styling: quite compact by modern standards, but, in much the same way a Testarossa still looks unbelievably wide, its exaggerated proportions make the Cerbera appear almost inconceivably long. That’s because it began life on the drawing board as a stretched, hardtop version of the two-seat Chimaera.

Fundamentally the basic TVR recipe remains the same, even if a few of the ingredients have been tweaked. The Cerbera’s glassfibre body was mounted to a tubular spaceframe chassis, with an extra six inches let into the wheelbase for those rear seats. That meant extra bracing, although the hardtop helped to keep things nice and rigid. But things really changed under the bonnet, where lurked something considerably more potent than the Rover V8 that had provided sterling service in other models for more than a decade.

Wheeler had been looking at more modern alternatives to the compact, lightweight Rover V8 for some time, but it was the sale of the Rover

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This page Both inside and out, the Cerbera displayed brave and unconventional design thinking – but it’s the stylish interior in particular that takes some acclimatisation.

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2003 TVR Cerbera 4.5 Red Rose Lightweight Engine 4475cc V8, OHC per bank, individual throttle bodies, ECU with switchable fuel maps Power 440bhp @ 7250rpm Torque 406lb ft @ 5500rpm Transmission Five-speed BorgWarner T5 manual, rear-wheel drive, BTR LSD Steering Rack and pinion, power-assisted Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coil-over-damper units, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs, AP Racing calipers Weight 1190kg Top speed 193mph 0-60mph 3.9sec

Group to BMW in 1994 that triggered the decision to forge ahead with his plan for TVR to build its own engine. This was something the Blackpool manufacturer had never attempted since it was founded by Trevor Wikinson in 1947. Wheeler approached engine designer and vehicle engineer Al Melling to design a new bespoke V8, working in conjunction with TVR’s John Ravenscroft to get it production-ready.

Melling’s expertise was in designing racing engines, and it shows in the AJP V8’s specification. It was a compact unit – Wheeler demanded that it fit in the same space as the old Rover V8 – and was based around a hugely strong but lightweight 75º alloy block. The top end featured a surprisingly unsophisticated single-camshaft, two-valves-per-cylinder layout, which helped keep size and weight down, although the flat-plane crankshaft was suitably racy.

Before the engine went anywhere near a Cerbera, it was tested in the Tuscan Challenge racing cars. Forged pistons and conrods ensured reliability, but made this an expensive engine for TVR to build. Weighing in at just 150kg and producing an ample 360bhp in 4.2-litre form, it was energy-dense enough to make a pretty clear statement to the world.

Especially when powering a car that weighed less than 1200kg.

During development it became clear that the Chimaera’s suspension and brakes were not up to the task of reining in all the extra performance on tap. Four-pot AP Racing calipers were fitted up front and, although the proven double-wishbone suspension arrangement went unchanged, new dual-rate Eibach springs were specified to keep the longer Cerbera better tied down.

And by the time it was launched in 1996, it was pretty much the fastest thing this side of a McLaren F1. Autocar clocked 0-60mph in 4.0sec and, even more impressively, 0-100mph in 9.1sec, demolishing the times recorded by the Lamborghini Diablo and Porsche 911 Turbo. Even the 8.0-litre V10-powered Dodge Viper couldn’t come close. And before anyone mentions the rumours of dodgy ‘race-spec’ engines in the press cars, the magazine verified the power output as being within 1bhp of TVR’s claim on a dyno. Whether or not the regular production cars were quite so healthy is another matter…

Fit and finish on the early examples wasn’t the best, as reported in initial road tests and by customers, too. For most buyers, however, it was worth the potential pain, and previous TVR owners knew what they were getting into. The launch price of £37,000 was high for a TVR, yet it put this 180+mph supercar-slayer at similar money to a BMW M3.

As time went on, the Cerbera evolved into even more of a monster. By the middle of 1997 a new 4.5-litre version had been launched, which boasted a claimed power output of 420bhp, with bigger 17in wheels the only obvious external clue. While the 4.2 was tuned for tractability, the 4.5 was a much more raw race-derived unit – with peak power and torque coming further up the rev range. Then 1999 saw the introduction of the 350bhp Speed Six, featuring the second of TVR’s in-house engines. This was the first outing for the 4.0-litre straight-six that would go on to power every model that followed, right up to the final Sagaris.

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TVR CERBERA RED ROSE LIGHTWEIGHT

Above and right Aerial view shows off long-bonnet proportions; nose is an evolution of previous Wheeler-era cars such as the Griffith and Chimaera, with hints of the subsequent Tuscan in this facelifted example.

A facelift in 2000 brought Tuscan-style headlights, 18in wheels and a reprofiled windscreen and roofline. All the way along, build quality improved, as did the handling. Yet by 2002 the newer Tuscan Speed Six had become the company’s big-selling sports car, and the Cerbera had fallen by the wayside as it was costly to build. It was still the flagship model, though, so for the last year or two TVR offered a ‘Red Rose’ tuning package for the 4.5-litre, not to mention a lightweight body option, which made use of thinner glassfibre doors, bonnet and boot-lid to reduce weight by about 40kg.

That is what James Agger has brought along today, in effect the final and most developed version of the Cerbera, a 2003 Lightweight-spec, 4.5-litre Red Rose – one of around six ‘every box ticked’ cars thought to have been built. Aside from the one-off Speed 12, this is as good as the Cerbera got. It’s a stunning example, too, specified from new in this eyecatching Red Bull Pearl paint finish and recently given a full mechanical refresh. Being a post-2000 model means it has the later faired-in headlights, as well as the more upright Mk2 windscreen and roofline.

I always enjoy driving a challenging car, but the Cerbera throws a number of curveballs long before you get it out on the road. Thankfully I’m familiar with the entry procedure from other models, but the uninitiated might struggle to locate the microswitch on the underside of the door-mirror. Hold it, and it takes a moment for the window to drop 68

‘This is one of six “every box ticked” cars built. Aside from the one-off Speed 12, it’s as good as the Cerbera got’

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TVR CERBERA RED ROSE LIGHTWEIGHT

Clockwise, from left TVR’s own race-style V8 is an achievement in itself and set well back in the chassis; Matthew gets to grips behind the wheel; profile shows long doors, good for access front and rear.

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‘As you close in on the Red Rose’s 440bhp peak at 7250rpm it’s really wailing’

and the latch to pop. It’s a huge door, and that makes getting in and out (even the back seats) relatively easy. Wheeler was a notoriously tall chap at 6ft 5in, which means the Cerbera is unusually accommodating. Once you’re hunkered down in the seat, you can really start to appreciate the swooping dashboard design. The two-spoke wheel looks a little odd at first, but I can’t fault the ergonomics. Sitting within the open area visible through the bottom of the wheel is a face-blasting air vent, flanked by two auxiliary gauges. Buttons on the spokes operate the wipers, headlight flasher and horn – none of which is backlit, meaning you need to memorise the positions of each during the daytime. There’s a single metal stalk for the indicators, which emit a buzzing sound when flashing.

It’s time to head out – thankfully Leicestershire is blessed with some fine roads. Although the clutch isn’t heavy, the pedal travel requires significant leg movement, as does the throttle. Blip it, and the engine’s lack of inertia is quite startling. It takes a short while to get your head around the peculiar engine note, too. Unlike most engines with a flatplane crank, which are typically multi-valve screamers, the AJP V8 gives off a gruff, almost old-school carb-fed four-cylinder vibe. It crackles and pops on the overrun, as you would expect from a highly tuned racing engine. The BorgWarner T5 is a particularly old-school five-speed manual ’box and, although the shift action isn’t quick, it’s robust and satisfyingly precise. It makes do with five ratios when so many cars of this generation had six, but you don’t feel as though you’re missing out.

As well as the tight packaging requirements, part of the reasoning behind the 16-valve layout was that the engine would be tuned for a wide, low-down torque curve much like the TVR-Power Rover V8’s, and boy does it deliver. Even though the 4.5’s peak torque of 402lb ft comes in at 5500rpm, it pulls beautifully from 2000rpm, and as the revs build so too does the sound of the V8. It’s a real off-beat melody, and as you close in on the Red Rose’s 440bhp peak at 7250rpm it’s really wailing.

Considering that power output, the Cerbera’s 235-section rear and 225 front tyres are relatively narrow, but it never struggles for grip. The BTR limited-slip diff ’ ensures great traction out of tighter corners, and from what I’m told it’ll hold a slide quite nicely if you’re feeling extremely brave. The balance is superb and, although the steering is super-quick at two turns lock-to-lock, it manages not to feel nervous. This car, like most of its ilk now, is running uprated Nitron dampers, which keep body control nice and tight. It flows along lumpy surfaces without a care in the world – probably because it was set up to handle the particularly rough roads of the Trough of Bowland, TVR’s natural testing territory, not far from its Blackpool base. The brakes feel mighty as well. They have a firm pedal action with great feel, making them easy to modulate – just what you need when there’s no ABS. At this point I must confess I’m smitten. I’ve idolised the Cerbera since I watched the now-legendary Bruntingthorpe drag race on my muchreplayed VHS copy of Jeremy Clarkson Unleashed on Cars as a lad. Talk 71

TVR CERBERA RED ROSE LIGHTWEIGHT

to anyone about Cerberas, and this is usually why they know exactly how fast the car is! Yet I’ve come away from today with even more respect for what TVR built, gaining a better understanding of the Cerbera’s Jekylland-Hyde persona. It’s comfortable, relatively civilised and generally more refined than it has any right to be. There’s so much theatre surrounding the Cerbera, too, from the wild cabin to the engine that sounds like it belongs in a racing car (because it does) – and then there’s the performance. Its wild side is never far from the surface, and although that can be a little intimidating at first it’s actually quite approachable.

Just remember that this is a car capable of breaching 190mph – with no driver aids to speak of. Proceed with caution.

What are they like to live with? As it happens, the AJP V8 has turned out to be a strong engine if maintained correctly, and usually gives very little trouble. It’s very particular about service schedules, though, with valve clearances that need to be checked and adjusted every 12,000 miles.

When I ask about running costs, James is brutally honest: ‘You just have to accept that it’s a £3000-a-year car to run, and I think that’s where a lot of people were caught out 15-20 years ago when they were £10,00015,000 cars [they’re now £30,000-60,000]. If you skimp on servicing, someone will end up paying the price down the line.’

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The Speed Six model still seems like a bit of an unloved relative and, according to Agger, despite the factory’s desire for the dealers to push the Speed Six due to reduced production costs, the V8 was the one that most customers wanted at the time. Early engines suffered from some serious reliability issues, but most should be running rebuilt units by now. Agger comments: ‘The Speed Six is probably 10-20% cheaper than a 4.2 today, just because it doesn’t have that racing engine. As long as you get a good one, I think it’s actually a really clever buy.’

Perhaps predictably, the Cerbera has seen increasing interest from buyers in the USA since hitting the 25-year-old mark, which means it can legally be imported and has helped to nudge values up. Wheeler didn’t shoulder the expense of homologating his cars for the US market, but Agger confirms that quite a few have found their way there.

Exact numbers are not known but it’s thought that TVR built only around 1500 Cerberas. In one respect, the company’s decision to develop its own engines was one of the reasons TVR eventually failed, but the fact that these cars ever existed at all remains a testament to British ingenuity.

And this is the best of them. End THANKS TO James Agger Autosport, jamesagger.com.

LOTUS Mk I REBORN

BLOSSOMING TALENT The first car built by Lotus co-founders Colin and Hazel Chapman has long been lost – but now their son and his dedicated team have recreated it Words Mark Dixon Photography Jarowan Power

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here was and there wasn’t a Lotus MkI, and today there still isn’t and yet there is. That sounds like something the Mad Hatter might proclaim in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland but, as the Hatter might also say, it really makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Last bit first. This car is a replica of the Lotus MkI, the Austin Seven-based trials car that Colin and Hazel Chapman built from scratch in 1947-48. It’s a replica because the original car was sold in late 1950 to help fund another project and nothing’s been heard of it since.

As for the first half of that sentence: well, the car was never called a Lotus MkI while Colin owned it. But his next design, a bull-nosed Special that he used not just for trials but also for sprints, autocrosses and circuit races, became officially known as a Lotus, so logically it was referred to as the MkII and the original Austin Seven Special was retrospectively dubbed the Lotus MkI. All clear now?

‘Nobody knows for sure where the name Lotus came from,’ says Classic Team Lotus heritage manager William Taylor. ‘But in the early days of trialling after the war, it was common for Special builders to give their cars a name, and flowers were particularly popular choices – Buttercup, Rose and so on. Maybe Colin nicknamed his trials car “Lotus”.

There’s also a theory that his pet name for his then-girlfriend Hazel, who would become his wife, was “Lotus”.’

Colin always was evasive about the true origin of the Lotus name, and even his son Clive, the head of Classic Team Lotus, doesn’t know where it came from, but there’s no doubt that the MkI project means a lot to him.

‘It all started when Lotus in China commissioned us to build five non-running replicas – a MkI, Eleven, 25, 79 and 99T – to display in its dealerships,’ he explains. ‘Having done that, and realising that 2023 marked 75 years of the first Lotus, I said to my sister, “Crikey, we ought to make one for ourselves, and let’s make it a runner.” What’s really nice is that Colin and Hazel created the MkI together, so it was not just crucial to the history of Lotus but it was a formative part of our family’s story, as well.’

The good news was that Clive and William had a handful of old photos to use for reference. The bad was that these photos, just eight in all, were all they had to go on. Very little was written about the car in period, usually no more than a single line in trials entry lists or results. Even so, the lack of hard info hadn’t deterred a vintage car and Lotus enthusiast called Bill Friend from building his own Lotus MkI replica about 30 years ago, which looked very good and was widely admired; it’s now part of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum collection in Alabama, USA. But, as Clive and William pored over their photographs, they realised that Bill’s version was more an evocation than an exact replica.

They decided their own MkI would be as accurate as possible, down to the smallest details.

Below and facing page, top Colin Chapman in his part-built Special; his girlfriend Hazel, later his wife, is also pictured sitting in the car, top right, and after their first drive in the finished car to Dunstable Downs, middle left.

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improvements at the same time is doubtful, and Classic The first proper mention of the Lotus MkI came in Ian Team Lotus has reproduced the car in what it thinks was its Smith’s book Lotus, the First Ten Years, published in 1958, very first incarnation, right down to the bungee cord and that gave a particularly valuable insight into the biggest securing the bonnet; it was later replaced with catches. change that Colin made to the Austin Seven’s running gear: Incidentally, you’ll note from the black-and-white photos its rear suspension. that the original car started out with the registration PK In stock form, the quarter-elliptic rear springs produced 3493, which had been swapped to OX 9292 by the time an unwelcome roll-oversteer effect in corners, because the Colin was trialling it, taken from another 1928 Seven. outer one would flatten out and move the rear axle location Doubtless there was some sleight of hand involving backwards, while the inner one would arch upwards and logbooks here… pull that side of the axle forwards. Because Colin was When he started building the car, Colin was two years building a trials car, he needed to maintain ground clearance into an engineering degree at the University of London, and and so he couldn’t simply flatten the springs to reduce body he’d also taken the opportunity to learn to fly as part of roll. In an early stroke of Chapman genius, he turned the the University Air Squadron. So, besides his growing axle upside down so that the spring mountings were now on knowledge of mechanical engineering, he’d also become top of the axle rather than underneath it. Now he could interested in aeronautical engineering and stressed-skin flatten the springs without sacrificing ride height. designs. The body he built for the Lotus MkI may look It’s likely that, as first built, the MkI’s running gear was superficially crude and boxy to modern eyes, but it was in otherwise stock 1928 Austin Seven. Smith reported in his fact carefully thought out, using plywood sandwiched 1958 book that the mechanical brake linkage was improved between alloy sheets to create a particularly strong structure. with different actuating cams, and that the engine was What immediately strikes you about treated to a special inlet manifold with Left and below the re-creation is its stunning build a Ford downdraught carburettor; he Lotus MkI was in effect a rebodied Austin quality, which must surely be better also mentions that it was given a higher Seven but with some clever Chapman than anything Colin could have compression ratio, plus double valve mods; Classic Team Lotus’s replica achieved in a lock-up garage with hand springs. Whether Colin made all these is based on a 1932 Seven chassis.

‘The body that Chapman built may look superficially crude and boxy to modern eyes, but it was in fact carefully thought out’

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LOTUS Mk I REBORN

Clockwise, from facing page Rear body houses spare wheels, which would add useful weight on trials hills; engine is stock Austin Seven; pale grey colour of lamps and running boards was computer-interpreted from old photos.

tools. Even so, Clive Chapman reckons his dad would have been fairly meticulous about such things, too.

‘After building the MkI and MkII, dad got together with the Allen brothers, Michael and Nigel, who lived very near the lock-ups and had a well-equipped workshop. They played a really significant role in the early Lotuses so I gave Nigel a ring to talk about this plywood/alloy construction, and he told me, quite unprompted: “Your dad was a real dab hand at that, and he really fancied himself at making good joints and neat edges.” So I think he was in fact quite particular about presentation.’

Unless you knew better, you might assume that the body sides were formed from solid quarter-inch alloy sheet, but in fact they’re made of plywood with an outer alloy skin wrapped around the exposed edges, and the inner wooden surface sprayed silver. Smith’s book says the inners were also sheeted over but Clive and his team aren’t so sure, and they’ve gone for a single-skin option. The radiator shell is made from folded brass, and the wings are modified Austin Seven parts, cut-and-shut at the rear and given more pointed noses at the front to match the photos – ‘The originals might well have come from a different make of car found in a scrapyard,’ admits William.

The simple, flat-sided bucket seats are constructed in the same way as the body tub and are a lot more rigid than they first appear; a good job, too, since with shallow cutaways rather than doors in the body sides it’s impossible to climb in without putting some weight on the seat-backs. ‘Every time I get in and out, I appreciate how solid the whole thing is,’ agrees Clive. ‘It would have been bashed around like hell on the off-road trials, so it had to be strong.’

Colin Chapman was not the tallest of men, so there’s no guarantee a 6ft 1in Octane deputy editor will be able to squeeze behind the Austin Seven steering wheel – but, by taking out the shallow seat cushion, there’s just enough room, even if I do have to remove my shoes to work the pedals, and jam my knees against the underside of the dash.

If I’m to see through the windscreen, I have to consciously hunch down in the seat, and it’s a lot more comfortable to sit up straight and look over the top of the header rail. I feel a bit like a circus clown who’s escaped from the Big Top. There’s nothing silly about the way this little car drives, though. Ideally you’ll have passenger assistance to start it from cold, since the ring-pull choke wire runs directly from the carb through the bulkhead into the passenger footwell, and the starter motor button is also in the passenger footwell, beside the transmission tunnel.

Driving in socks does make it (slightly) easier to modulate the Seven’s notorious in/out clutch action – today’s drivers don’t know they’re born – and the gearbox is the standard three-speed Austin item, with its clusters stirred by the characteristically long and willowy gearlever.

1948/2023 Lotus MkI replica Engine 747cc sidevalve four-cylinder, Zenith carburettor Power 10.5bhp @ 2400rpm Transmission Three-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Worm and wheel Suspension Front: beam axle, transverse leaf spring located by radius rods, lever-arm dampers. Rear: inverted live axle, quarter-elliptic leaf springs, lever-arm dampers Brakes Mechanically operated drums Weight c400kg Top speed c50mph

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‘The MkI is a whole lot more enjoyable on a loose surface, such as the leaf-strewn track where we took our static photographs’ First is towards you and down, and reverse opposite that; there’s a big gap between ratios, so you have to be patient when shifting between first and second, in particular, and the necessary pauses as you change up blunt acceleration.

‘So what’, you may be thinking: a stock Austin Seven was hardly a ball of fire. But, even though the engine in this Special is completely unmodified – CTL has yet to source a suitable Ford carburettor, let alone trick up the engine as Colin reputedly did – it’s a surprisingly peppy little thing, with a rorty ‘parp’ from its pea-shooter side exhaust. As I turn around in the lane outside CTL’s headquarters, a bloke walking his dog not only recognises what the car represents but also tells me: ‘It sounds great!’

If we’re being honest, the MkI feels faster than it actually is: what seems like at least 45mph is revealed by a GPS speedometer app to be a true 31mph. But that’s the hallmark of a fun car, isn’t it? You can thrill yourself at low speed. And the MkI is a whole lot more enjoyable on a loose surface, such as the leaf-strewn track where we took our static photographs. You can slide it around with abandon on its skinny tyres, and that’s when the direct steering, which is such hard work to manipulate when three-pointing to turn 82

around on the narrow track, comes into its own. The ride’s pretty choppy with just one occupant but, of course, on a trial there’d always be a passenger for ‘bouncing’ to gain traction on muddy hills.

That passenger was invariably Colin’s girlfriend Hazel, who became his wife in 1954. The original MkI was built in a lock-up behind Hazel’s parents’ house in Muswell Hill and, remarkably, that lock-up still survives, although extended by its current tenant to use as a music studio. Colin and Hazel made their debut drive in the newly completed MkI from there to Dunstable Downs in the Spring of 1948. Seventyfive years later, Clive Chapman and colleagues recreated the exact same drive.

‘It went really well!’ Clive enthuses. ‘The car ran like a dream. It did pack up for a while after I’d been cruising at speed in third, but a change of plugs sorted that and we had a lovely time. It was a very special day.’

William Taylor, meanwhile, harbours a more ambitious challenge – he’d like to see the MkI back in its natural element of muddy hills. ‘I would love to take it on an historic trial,’ he says, ‘and do some mild off-roading. That’s what the MkI was built for, after all. Come on, it has to be done!’ End

JENSEN AT BONNEVILLE

WORLD’S FASTEST JENSEN

Between West Bromwich and the salt flats of Utah, this 1965 Jensen C-V8 has undergone quite a transformation. Chris Tarling meets the brave Brit who took it past 150mph at Bonneville Photography Chris Tarling; Jim Leggett

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he clear air makes distances hard to judge, without the haze our brains might otherwise use as a distance cue.

Mirages shimmer at the margins of this vast, expansive desert, and, beneath a cloudless cobalt sky, the white salt-plain is magnesium-burn bright, the glare unmanageable without sunglasses. Evaporation has caused the crystalline salt to form on the playa surface with a texture like toffee. It is cool to the touch but reflects the sun’s heat and intensity mercilessly. The place has a hostile beauty.

Yet despite its inhospitable nature, for almost two weeks every year this is home to a fascinating travelling circus. In the narrow August window when the weather is generally in the racer’s favour, this brutal, disorientating place hosts the Bonneville Speed Week.

First used in 1914 for something akin to a car racing exhibition, and sporadically for speed record events in the intervening years, it wasn’t until the arrival of John Cobb and his Napier-Railton in the mid-1930s that the salt flats came to be recognised as the place for land speed racing. The very first National Speed Trials were organised by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) at Bonneville in 1948. This annual event ultimately became what is now Speed Week.

Located in north-west Utah at 4200ft above sea level, Bonneville is uniquely suited to the challenge of making a wheel-driven vehicle go as fast as budget, rules and ingenuity will permit, with enough space to set up an arrow-straight seven-mile course with a surface that is flat and concretehard yet retains enough moisture to keep tyres running cooler than on mud or tarmac. But the nature of the salt surface is fickle. Subject to annual flooding, both the amount of rainfall and the nature of the evaporation process contribute to the nature of the sun-baked surface, and no two years will be the same.

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Speed Week ran for the 75th time in 2023 and, with 36 hours to go before technical inspection (the equivalent of scrutineering), the event had the potential to be an absolute classic, with dry salt and excellent-quality courses. Then Mother Nature had other ideas and lashed the area with a thunderstorm and heavy rain. The event had been cancelled in 2022 so the relief of all who stayed around was palpable when it went ahead, albeit delayed by several days and on a single shortened course.

Ian Northeast, a motorcycle dealer, former toolmaker and ex-Bloodhound SSC educational ambassador, had made the trip with his team and their self-titled car: ‘The World’s Fastest Jensen’. In fact, this was their second visit to Bonneville, the first having been in 2018 when the same car achieved 148mph but suffered many running issues (see Octane 188, February 2019).

Ian had bought the 1965 Jensen C-V8 for £5000 and used it as a daily driver and sprint racer over seven years. Spurred on by the unexpected death of a close friend, and a timely conversation in his local pub concerning how fast the Jensen might go, in 2016 Ian acted on his desire to take part in Speed Week – and to answer that eternal ‘how fast?’ question. His notional target was to exceed 200mph.

For that first visit in 2018 the car had received some body modifications to improve its aerodynamic stability, plus significant driveline changes and a raft of safety equipment.

The big-block Chrysler engine was retained but stroked from its stock 383ci to 496ci (fully 8.2 litres!), fitted with modified cylinder heads from US Mopar specialist 440Source, a modified camshaft, and a multi-point electronic fuel-injection system. A five-speed Getrag gearbox from a Jaguar XJ6 fed power to a 9in Ford rear axle, giving a theoretical maximum of 212mph at 7000rpm in top. Dynamometer runs returned 603bhp at 5500rpm and 700lb ft of torque. The intention was also to run a turbocharger but time constraints put paid to that.

Above No, not a scene from some surrealist version of a Jack Vettriano print but the preparation for an attempt at a 200mph Bonneville run in a 1965 Jensen…

The list of modifications in the five years since is extensive and informed by the 2018 experience. The body has been reworked at the front and underneath, now sporting a onepiece bonnet and air-dam that extends forwards and down from the existing Jensen bodywork to meet a prominent steel front splitter. It has no apertures to admit air for engine cooling. A flat underfloor has been added using removable steel frames and panels. It’s a heavy solution but weight can be a friend on the salt.

Engine cooling is achieved with an ingenious water/ice system. A 25-gallon water tank is mounted in the boot and feeds the engine through an ice tank mounted in the cabin.

The system is designed to work at its highest efficiency when the cooling water is at boiling point: the amount of energy required to vaporise the water is significant, and takes a lot of heat energy from the engine right up to the point where the water runs out – which explains the 25-gallon tank.

Fuel is supplied via two high-pressure 20l/min fuel pumps and two lift pumps. There is now a turbocharger, with an ice-chilled intercooler. Mechanic Bruce Bridges has worked wonders in producing a highly effective ECU map that makes the most of the modifications, so the engine runs beautifully and peak power is now estimated at ‘somewhere north of 1000bhp’. Bear in mind that a standard 1965 C-V8 runs a 6.3-litre Chrysler V8, with peak power of 330bhp, capable of 0-60mph in 6.7sec and a maximum speed of 136mph. No sloth in conventional terms, then.

It’s worth highlighting that the team experienced a major challenge after the car arrived at Bruce’s workshop. Ian knew the engine wasn’t running properly before it was shipped and asked Bruce to investigate. Bruce pulled the cylinder heads and found a piston with a broken crown. A donor engine was quickly sourced and rebuilt by Bruce and his buddy Rich Stanford, who transferred all the trick parts in the process.

‘There is now a turbocharger with an ice-chilled intercooler. Peak power is somewhere north of 1000bhp’ In 2018 the transmission had proved to be a major Achilles heel so in the car’s 2023 guise a Tremec T56 manual transmission is mated to the engine via a ballistic bellhousing and NASCAR clutch package rated for 2000bhp.

To round out the list of changes, the front suspension configuration and geometry are of Ian’s own design, while the rear now consists of a four-link arrangement and coilover-dampers. Much of the rest of the modifications are concerned with meeting the SCTA’s rigorous safety rules.

Indeed, this year the SCTA inspectors found several minor safety items that had to be dealt with before the car could be signed off, and the team lost running time while searching for the relevant parts. Finally, the Jensen passed its tech inspection with only a day-and-a-half of course running available.

As Ian explains: ‘For a car to meet the SCTA safety standards it needs to be built up to a standard that’s safe at the record-breaking speed for your class. That’s the safety standard for your car, irrespective of whether you have any chance of getting near the record. The record in our class is 260mph and I’m never going to get near that. Breaking 200mph is all we want to do, but the roll-cage and everything 87

JENSEN AT BONNEVILLE

else need to be specified for 260mph. As it stands we are not far away from needing a second parachute.’

A further complication was the expiry of Ian’s 150mph+ ‘C’ licence, meaning he had to complete at least four fresh licence-qualifying runs to be allowed to run beyond 200mph. There are seven categories of licence and all must be qualified for individually and sequentially, from ‘E’ (simply requiring a current and valid State driver’s licence) through ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘B’, ‘A’, ‘AA’ and finally ‘Unlimited’ (300mph and above). The ‘C’ licence allows speeds up to 174mph.

With only one course available, there were long wait times for competitors. Ian and co got to the start line very early on the Thursday morning yet managed only two runs that day.

‘On my first run I was up to 150mph before the first mile marker,’ says Ian. ‘Then I slowed down to 140mph to get a feel for the course. Really that first run could not have gone better. It was absolutely amazing. The parachute deployed perfectly. I could have gone a lot faster but this was a licensing run. This was the first run the car had made where

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nothing broke or went wrong. So we literally packed the ’chute, added fuel and water, and joined the end of the start queue again.’ The timing gave a peak speed of 136.876mph.

Ian’s second run wasn’t quite as trouble-free. ‘I think I got it into my head that I had to try and get it to 175mph because this was my next licensing run. As a result I was very aggressive with the car, probably more than I should have been. About a mile-and-a-half into the run there was some damage to the track. As the car hit it I felt the rear end break free and start to drift. In hindsight I’m sure the car didn’t drift as much as I thought at the time – it felt as though it was sideways! So I pulled the ’chute early.’

An aborted run was not what he wanted but Ian knows he did the right thing. ‘A couple of cars after me came the “Flying Pickle”, a 1959 Saab running a blown engine from a Hayabusa motorcycle. He had a full-on flat spin at the same point on the track. If you have a spin like that then the tech inspectors will thoroughly check the car before you can run again. So if we had spun that would probably have been the

Below and right Between runs, checks have to be carried out on the Jensen’s 1000+bhp 8.2-litre V8; back out on the salt for the final attempt.

‘This was the first run where nothing went wrong. So we packed the ’chute and rejoined the start queue’

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JENSEN AT BONNEVILLE

end of our running as it would have taken so much time to get our flat floor off and everything cleaned up for an inspection. I’m taking it as a “win” that I did the right thing.’

As it happens, Ian and the team removed the central section of the flat underfloor in order to check it. Turning it upside-down, they were presented with a salt pattern mimicking the ‘flow vis’ paint used by racing teams to get a real-world picture of airflow. ‘There was a clean line down the centre and a pattern showing that all the salt was being pushed to the outside and away from the car,’ he says. As a further plus, the very low front splitter was not causing any issues on the less-than-flat salt of this year’s event.

For the third run the team was back in the start queue very early on the Friday morning – the last day of the 2023 event. ‘This run went really well. I think I got the most out of this track in the car.’ The timing for what would prove to be the final outing showed 157.999mph at the car’s fastest – yes, enough to confirm a ‘C’ licence.

‘We considered another run but it was all feeling a little rushed at this stage as the course isn’t open all of the final day. Also I didn’t think that the course would let me go any faster. We’d have been rushing to get the car ready and would likely miss something. And then the risk of a breakage

shoots up and I didn’t want to damage the engine. I was never going to get over 175mph. The course was just not good enough.’

Although the salt conditions were not the best in this most recent year, some 32 records were broken, the fastest of which was a 236.882mph average set by Jim Hoogerhyde in his on-trend electric-powered streamliner. The fastest speed of the event was set by Speed Demon, a blown fuel streamliner, at 333.360mph.

And Ian remains unbowed by the experience. ‘By any measure it was a successful Speed Week for us. Within what was a curtailed event due to weather, it was significantly more successful than 2018. We achieved two licensing runs, three runs in all, with absolutely no running issues and no damage. We ran-in a brand new engine. Our aero and cooling designs are completely experimental, just based on ideas that we thought would work. We found that they work well, beyond our expectations. Our donor engine had to be collected and rebuilt from what was a jumbled mass of parts.

It all had to be sorted in comical Californian heat. But out of that chaotic start we’ve got a strong and reliable engine.

So yes, I think we had a very successful event.’

And there is always the 2024 Speed Week… End

‘This run went really well.

I think I got the most out of this track in the car’

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THE O C TA N E INTERVIEW

Rob Myers

Founder of the RM auctions and restorations businesses – and a new concours event in Miami Words James Elliott Photography RM Sotheby’s

WHERE WOULD WE be without the humble domestic garage, not just as units to keep our cars in, but as the launchpads for some of the biggest global enterprises? Jeff Bezos ran Amazon from one, Steve Jobs and Woz founded Apple in one, even Walt Disney operated out of one, and Rob Myers started his sprawling classic car empire from one. In fact Myers, principal of the RM group of companies, still runs his operations from the very town – Blenheim, pop 4500 – where that garage was so instrumental to him as a teenager.

The 67-year-old was born in the Chatham-Kent region of Ontario, Canada, slap bang in the middle of the Great Lakes (not the wet bits, obviously) and about an hour from the Detroit, Michigan, border directly across Lake St Claire or just a short burst down Highway 401.

He did not enjoy a wealthy upbringing, even though it was one focused on cars. His father worked at local Eaton Springs, a man for whom older cars were a hobby though an indulgence he couldn’t always afford. It all helped lay the foundations for Myers the younger’s career, though: ‘My father would buy junky old cars and fix them up for my eldest brother and two sisters so they had something to drive when they came of age. Then he bought a 1936 Ford sedan and fixed it up and joined the local car club.

I helped him out after school and things like that.’

Myers didn’t need much encouragement to find a distraction from school: ‘I didn’t like it much so I ended up doing custom paint on vans and motorcycles in a onebay garage at home. That morphed into minor collision work and in 1976 I formally started a very small bodyshop.

‘Then, in about 1979, I built a bigger facility, 40x80ft, and that was the start of a proper business. I didn’t like doing modern car collision work so I started doing more and more antique cars. My first big one was a Model A Ford Sedan Delivery and I just took it from there. That was my first total restoration; I even did the wood.’

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By the late 1980s, Myers and his team, which had ballooned to 40 or so, were starting to do restorations that could grace the finest concours lawns in the world – and win. The first was for a customer in Canada, a Duesenberg that RM Restorations took to Pebble Beach. ‘That was my first taste of that level of the car hobby and I was hooked.

We’ve shown our restorations at Pebble Beach pretty much every year since and 2023, with the 1937 MercedesBenz 540K Special Roadster, was our eighth Best in Show.

You never get bored of that thrill.

‘We tend to have around ten big Pebble Beach-level restorations on the go at any one time. A job like that can be up to 10,000 man-hours and our waiting list is a couple of years long. Ours is probably still one of the top shops in the world, but what I like most are facts like our upholsterer Paul Garant was my second employee and has been with us 40 years… so far.’

As the bodyshop business was taking off in the late 1970s and early ’80s, even though he was still a sole trader at that point, Myers started buying and selling classics – ‘things like ’62 Chevys, Corvettes, Mustangs, Shelbys et al, I got very good at fixing fibreglass’ – the latter through auction houses. It was this method of disposal that culminated in him adding the next big string to his bow.

‘I was in my late teens or early 20s and had a wealthy Mormon customer who loaned me money. He’d lend me the cash to buy a car, I’d sell it and we’d split the profit. I was consigning cars to auction houses and one year I did something like 600 cars. I wanted to do my own auctions because it was more profitable than restoration and I really liked the deal-making. Also, the thought of not paying 600 commissions a year was a big lure!’

In 1989 Myers bought Collector Car Productions, a small auction house in Toronto, Ontario, doing roughly $600,000 in sales a year. Other acquisitions followed, first an auction house in Novi, Michigan, three years later and then, in 1996, one in Monterey. In the mid-1990s, RM also started stretching its sphere of influence beyond North America for the first time: ‘Sotheby’s and Christies had given up on automobiles and Bonhams seemed to be the only game in town in the UK. I looked at buying Coys but decided to grow our own company instead.

I just hired the right people and got on with it.’

Since 2014 Sotheby’s has had a stake in RM Auctions and the operation is now bigger than ever, with 140 staff across the world, overseas offices in the UK, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, and 2023 sales totalling $900,000,000 from 36 live and online auctions. The company also has the three top-selling classics of all time to its credit, headed of course by the €135m MercedesBenz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé.

That’s kind of appropriate because Myers’ daily driver is a 300SL Roadster in which he clocks up 10,000 miles a year. Even though he doesn’t have a huge collection of classics, it is still a far cry from the 1936 Plymouth Sedan he bought and did up at 16, or the ropey two-door hardtop Edsel that followed when he inherited it from his father. ‘At one time I had quite a few cars and, as a former Harley-Davidson dealer, some 300 motorcycles, but at some point in life everyone realises that all these possessions end up owning you.

‘Now I’m down to about a dozen motorcycles and a small car collection, including one set aside for each 94

of my four grandchildren. One of them is getting a Lamborghini LM002 and I just happened to buy a Lamborghini Countach the day my nine-year-old granddaughter was born. I’ve put it away for her.

‘Other than that I have a couple of Ferraris and a 289 Cobra – I was very close friends with Carroll Shelby – that I’ve had for 25 years, and I’m pretty content with what I have. There are so many I’ve sold that I could regret letting go – I had a couple of GTOs back in the early 2000s – but I’ve never looked back like that. You buy something, you sell something, you make a living, you try to grow your company and move on.

‘It’s not about the spoils anyway; I just feel so lucky that I’ve had such a long and fascinating career in this industry.

I tell young people all the time: don’t do a job just for money. Do something you love and you’ll become very

‘I WANTED TO DO MY OWN AUCTIONS BECAUSE IT WAS MORE PROFITABLE THAN RESTORATION AND I REALLY LIKED THE DEAL-MAKING’

Clockwise, from left Myers, in coral shirt, celebrating another rosette at Pebble Beach – RM Restorations has been responsible for eight Best in Show winners; at the RM HQ in Ontario; RM Auto Restoration began with a small workshop in 1976, and soon moved away from accident repair to antique cars.

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ROB MYERS INTERVIEW

good at it and the money will follow. Money is secondary; 46 years in business is way more important to me.’

So, ‘just’ restorations and classic car auctions, right?

Well, RM’s global sales are close to $1billion, and there’s more: private sales, non-car auctions from watches to NBA kit and, since 2018, a finance business offering loans and equity release against high-end collector cars – plus the Retro Suites, a boutique hotel created from a distressed area of historic downtown Chatham.

And now Myers is taking RM into the events business.

When RM’s long association with Bill Warner’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance came to an end after the event’s take-over by Hagerty, Myers considered it a time to reflect not only on all the existing concours with which RM has associations, sponsorships and partnerships, but what such an event might look like if he built it from scratch himself. With typical dynamism, when the inaugural four-day ModaMiami launches on 29 February, his thoughts will have become concrete in less than a year.

It promises 150 mouthwatering classics on show at Miami’s Biltmore Resort in Coral Gables, plus car parades, a ‘concours à nuit’, retail pop-ups, a broad range of hospitality, a 100-car supercar showcase, displays of former Pebble Beach winners and, of course, an RM Sotheby’s auction. Sounds great, but to be honest it doesn’t sound that innovative. Myers is quick to interject: ‘ModaMiami is our first go at this, doing it all from scratch ourselves rather than being a partner or supporter to something that is fundamentally someone else’s event so we are treating it like a clean sheet, a real opportunity.

‘I won’t deny I was smarting when Bill sold the event to someone else [Hagerty] three years ago. We had looked at acquiring it ourselves but it didn’t feel that exciting from a purely business point of view. The potential felt quite limited – we would be continuing Bill’s vision rather than creating our own – so it just felt like a natural juncture to move on. The question we asked ourselves was simple: “If we started an event from scratch, is this exactly what we’d do?” The answer was equally simple and it was “No.” ‘As all this was going on, we had recently done an auction at a parking garage in Miami and the possibilities there really got us thinking. Miami felt really stylish,

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much more accessible in terms of flights, and it’s the hottest international city in the US for sure. Then a friend of mine showed me the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and I immediately thought: “Well, this would make a pretty good venue for an auction and a classic car show.”’

The Biltmore has purportedly the biggest swimming pool in North America and is where Olympian Johnny ‘Tarzan’ Weissmuller was once a lifeguard. The city’s nightlife and attractions are all part of the appeal as well.

‘We really wanted to kick off with a big bang. We could do a cars-and-coffee element, but we get 1000 participants to a cars-and-coffee event at our HQ in Canada, so we want to think much bigger than that. It’s going to be more than just a car show, it will be a lifestyle event with good fashion, good food, water shows and exhibitions. There will be no shortage of stuff for non-car people to do; we’ll cater to young and old, men and women.’

After barely a year in the planning, ModaMiami will take a bow in February and Octane wonders out loud from where it might take its cues – Pebble Beach perhaps, or Goodwood? Apparently not. ‘So many shows act as if they are in some way competing against Pebble Beach and that distracts them. The truth is that Pebble Beach is the grandaddy and you can’t compete – you’re better off accepting that and focusing on doing your own thing with your event, really make it yours rather than a pale imitation of theirs.’

And Goodwood? ‘It’s the same. Sure, you want to try to tap into that same energy and flawless creativity and production, to turn your event into a performance, but you can’t take it on.’

So, what will be the measure of success of ModaMiami; how will RM decide whether it has achieved its goals?

That, too, is apparently straightforward and it’s not by ticket sales or sponsorship packages as you might expect.

‘The goal is for it to become a hub event. Of course, there’ll be a great auction attached to the concours, but I anticipate that, once we have proved ourselves, other sales and events will spring up around ModaMiami and join in the festivities. I hope you’ll see that happen in short order. The more the merrier.’

Only a fool would bet against him. End

Below, left and right RM Auto Restoration had ballooned to a team of more than 40 by the late 1980s; the auction business took off in 1989, Myers (on left) seen here with Dan Warrener and Mike Fairbairn, who helped with the move into sales.

Steve Shelley

2024 Race Season 20 & 21 April - Silverstone Spring Start 15 June - Cadwell Park 7 July - Donington SeeRed 31 August - Mallory Park

2024 Speed Season 5 May - Curborough Speed Trials 12 May - Wiscombe Park Hill Climb 3 & 4 August - Vintage Prescott Hill Climb 7 & 8 September - Loton Park Hill Climbs 28 September - Prescott Long Course Hill Climb

LANCIA V8 RACERS

Preaching from the converted Two 1930s Lancia V8 racers, one built from a Dilambda saloon in period, the other the ‘Steady Special’ of legendary journalist Ronald Barker. John Simister eulogises about both Photography GF Williams

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C

ars are inanimate objects.

They don’t hold political views. So you can’t really accuse the pale grey-green machine here of being fascist, although Benito Mussolini probably viewed it as such. He would surely have known about it, because it won the unsupercharged class by 27 seconds in the 1938 Coppa di Natale in Italy’s most perfectly planned new city (Asmara Nova) in one of Italy’s proudest overseas territories (Eritrea, in East Africa). And Il Duce lent his words to the race programme’s opening pronouncement.

‘Io ho per le strade una passione romana’, he said. You get the (four-wheel) drift.

There was much celebration of fascism in the programme. It was the Italian brand, the way to power and domination. All the cars in the race were Italian, of course, but only one was a Lancia. This one.

It’s a Lancia Dilambda, but not as most people knew it. The regular Dilambda was a hefty saloon, coupé or tourer with a 4.0-litre, narrow-angle V8 engine and not a whiff of raciness. Stripped of that heavy bodywork and 2ft 7in of wheelbase, though, it could make a viable racing car, especially with its engine’s aspiration eased by a free-flowing exhaust system and a carburettor able to gulp more air. As far as is known, chassis 32-1077, originally a second-series Tipo 232 Dilambda built in 1933, is the only Dilambda to have become a racing car, at least in Eritrea. But its driver in the Coppa di Natale, Fulvio Franciosi, clearly thought the idea of making a racer out of a refined road car – which had even been available as a limousine – was a good one.

Did Lancia’s own competition department, perhaps via the company’s Asmara agency, sanction the conversion or even create it? No-one seems to know. But there are several pictures of the Dilambda’s exploits in the Coppa di Natale and other Eritrean races, showing it on starting grids, having spun in a corner and collecting a rival racing car in the process, racing hard with its radiator cowl missing, and attributing one Gregori Gigino to driving duties in his Bilambda (sic).

The Coppa took place on Christmas Day 1938, and was reported in the sports section of the Corriere Eritreo.

Asmara Nova was the new part of the colonial capital that had grown from its origins as an Italian military base in 1893. Work on the new buildings and spaces, designed in Italy’s favoured modernist and rationalist style, began 1933 Lancia Dilambda racing car Engine 3958cc 24º V8, SOHC, Stromberg UUR-2 updraught carburettor Power 100bhp @ 4000rpm (orig) Transmission Four-speed manual non-synchro, rear-wheel drive Suspension Front: independent by sliding pillars, enclosed coil springs and telescopic dampers. Rear: live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, friction dampers Steering Worm and sector Brakes Drums

Facing page This Lancia began life as a Dilambda saloon in 1933, was converted to race in Eritrea’s 1938 Coppa di Natale, and, following a restoration, raced at the 2022 Goodwood Members’ Meeting.

in 1935 and made the expanded city look like a piece of contemporary Italy bodily transported south. And what better way to celebrate the process than a motor race for fast Italian cars?

It didn’t last, of course. Eritrea was controlled by the British from 1941 as World War Two raged, was in effect annexed by neighbouring Ethiopia after the war and, after many skirmishes, achieved independence in 1993. Today Asmara is a World Heritage Site for its faded Art Deco splendour. But what happened to the racing Dilambda?

A US serviceman based in Eritrea post-war found the Lancia and took it home with him. It stayed in America, gaining a new coat of two-pack red paint on the way, until 2020 when Nicholas Benwell of Phoenix Green Garage brought it to the UK and stored it with Walter Heale.

While there it found a buyer in James Brown who then restored it with Walter Heale, reinstating the original colour in period cellulose and making it work properly.

The new owner then entered it in the 2022 Goodwood Members’ Meeting. With no race testing and on the day no fourth gear, it struggled in the Varzi Trophy, pending the realisation of the potential that surely lies within.

Now James has let Octane have a go in this singular machine. Walter Heale has another V8-engined Lancia with an unusual history that we might like to try, too. So, here we are at Walter’s fascinating workshop, where glitz is out and patina with authenticity is very much in.

YOU MIGHT HAVE read about this other Lancia before, also in Octane (see issue 131). Back in 2014 I met the heroic, irreverent and sadly now-deceased motoring journalist Ronald ‘Steady’ Barker at then-just-opened restorer and Lancia specialist Thornley Kelham. In the 1950s, Steady had campaigned a unique Lancia sports car in VSCC events. He had built it himself from a 1934 Lancia Astura, another stately machine with a narrowangled V8 motor, this one of 3.0 litres.

Steady chopped 3ft 1in from the chassis, changing its cruciform bracing into a vee in the process, and had a full-width body made to tie in with the Aston Martin DB2/4 flip-forward bonnet that he had acquired. The VSCC wasn’t as concerned then with authenticity as it is now. Several successes on circuits and hillclimbs followed for the car by-then named the Steady Special (or sometimes the Shortastura), but in 1958 Steady sold it to Michael Scott who, many years later, founded the International Guild of Specialist Engineers.

Scott had intended to race the Special but the VSCC tightened the rules. He eventually sold it in 1976, only for

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LANCIA V8 RACERS This page and opposite Another V8-engined, saloon-based Lancia racer, this time converted from a 1934 Astura, first built by Ronald ‘Steady’ Barker in the 1950s and recently restored and rebodied to match Steady’s own sketches.

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it to be bought back, minus body, by Steady in 1990. He did nothing with it over the next year apart from sketching possible designs for a new and more appropriate body.

Scott then re-acquired the Special from Steady, at greater cost this time despite there being less car, and by 2012 Scott was investigating how to make real the body that Steady had envisaged. (For those who saw my previous tale about the Steady Special, note that some of those dates have altered in the light of later research and memory-jogging.)

Stuart Brown at 3D Engineers converted the sketches into computer drawings, leading to full-size formers and a buck from which Thornley Kelham could create a body.

This it did, beautifully hand-formed in aluminium with a hint of Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 and Riley Imp in its curvaceously racy lines. It had just been fitted to the running chassis when I visited and took a tentative drive around the yard, and Steady declared himself pleased with the result.

1934 Lancia Astura ‘Steady Special’ Engine 2972cc 17.5º V8, SOHC, Zenith 32 DVI carburettor Power 100bhp @ 5000rpm (approx) Transmission Four-speed manual non-synchro, rear-wheel drive Steering Worm and sector Suspension Front: independent by sliding pillars, enclosed coil springs and telescopic dampers.

Rear: live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, coil spring/ damper units Brakes Drums

As the project moved forwards the costs rocketed upward, a process helped by moving the job to another expert restorer, Traction-Seabert, at which the Steady Special was finally finished. Since then it has been maintained by 96 Engineering and its engine has been rebuilt with guidance from Ivan Dutton, best known for his Bugatti expertise. It even competed at the 80th Goodwood Members’ Meeting last April. And now, in an effort to recoup the immense costs to date, it is to be sold.

‘The new body is not “authentic” but very much in the spirit of the age of the chassis’

LANCIA V8 RACERS

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‘The stereophonic assault on the eardrums sounds like two out-of-synch and rather angry four-cylinder engines’ TO BE BACK behind the wheel of the Steady Special is intriguing. The new body, not ‘authentic’ but very much in the spirit of the age of the chassis, gleams in glossy black (it was originally going to be dark blue). It has no doors. One of the decisions to be made when I visited Thornley Kelham in 2014 was whether to cut into the new body and create doors. It was deemed expensive and unnecessary. The same goes for Scott’s proposed vee’d windscreen, so we have a pair of aero-screens instead.

The radiator grille, flanked by low headlights, resembles the one Steady concocted for the front of that DB2/4 bonnet, while the mudguards call delicate insect wings to mind. The bonnet features a riveted bulge over a carburettor that sits proudly and incongruously atop what looks like a rocker cover but isn’t. What actually lies beneath is a labyrinthine inlet manifold.

The details are delicious: the word ‘Steady’ cut out of the step-plates below each flank; strakes along the shroud that directs air over the spare wheel; a remote linkage for the gearlever in place of the long, thick, cranked thing that shifted ratios back in 2014 (and presumably since 1934). There’s just one concession to modernity, a pair of coilover rear dampers to augment the original leaf springs, which would have been soft for the Astura saloon, stiff for the much lighter Shortastura as befits its sporting role, but clearly not stiff enough.

Clockwise, from above View out via the aeroscreen to the suspension turrets of the Dilambda; without lights and wings, it’s every inch the racer; Astura’s exquisite, narrow V8.

It starts with a beaty blare somewhere between the sound of a flat-crank V8 and the blatter of the more common configuration with throws 90º apart. Here the vee-angle is 17.5º; Lancia tended to defy notions of ‘correct’ vee-angles, instead seeking the required compactness of design and then devising relative crankpin angles able to give even firing intervals. The three-chain drive to the overhead camshaft whines merrily.

I need to remember that the gearchange gate is a mirror image of normality. And that there is no synchromesh, so accurate timing of clutch-dabs, shifts and blips is vital.

The engine instantly reveals itself to be an eager, torquey thing, helped by Steady’s past modifications including bigger inlet valves, a freer-breathing camshaft and a compression ratio raised to a heady 6:1, resulting in 100bhp or so. We’re squirting keenly along south Surrey’s bumpy backroads, steering quick and reassuringly accurate (there’s the precision of independent front suspension here, with Lancia’s usual sliding pillars), ride firm but bearable, the whole car feeling all-of-a-piece in a way that 1930s cars often don’t. Just hone those gearshifts.

Truly, the reincarnated Steady Special lives. Now dialled into the world of pre-war, shortened-chassis Lancia specials with curious V8 engines, I thread my way into the Dilambda. It’s running without mudguards (don’t tell anyone) and, after some reference photographs with them fitted, without headlights for the full racing look. At the far end of the long bonnet I can just see the two stout, angled tubes that brace the vertical, and very prominent, housings for the sliding pillars. There’s a hot exhaust on each side, just below the cutaway cockpit openings, and just the one aero-screen.

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Earlier examination revealed all sorts of intrigue. A pair of forward-pointing exhaust manifolds sit above the two rows of spark-plugs with a broad aluminium camshaft cover between them, it and the single iron cylinder head beneath bridging banks set 24º apart. A single, very fat, US Stromberg updraught carburettor hangs low on the left side, replacing the earlier Weber 30 DCR (originally, like the Astura, it had a Zenith). A glance underneath reveals a massive aluminium-cased gearbox and an even heftier differential casing. The rear leaf springs are thick, wide, many-leaved and almost immovable, with friction dampers to control any oscillation that does escape.

In the cabin we find a thick, quite short, reverse-gated gearlever with a push-button lock to gain access to reverse and, I shall discover, some blind alleys in its action. The giant French Jaeger chronometric tacho is a tad temperamental. The seat’s backrest feels almost vertical, the better to generate the characteristic hunched posture of a 1930s racing driver. A prod on the foot-operated starter button results in a stereophonic assault on the eardrums as what sound like two out-of-synch and rather angry four-cylinder engines compete for your attention.

They are controlled by a worryingly sensitive accelerator pedal, the movement of which is more vertical than horizontal. A cautious prod as the surprisingly docile 106

Above Both cars enjoyed period competition in spite of their more prosaic saloon car origins, and the Dilambda (closest) has returned to the track again; Steady Special has its own unique history.

clutch is engaged, and away we bound in the long-legged first gear pending what I hope will be a well-timed upshift into the similarly unsynchronised second and beyond, driveline clunks and lever navigation notwithstanding.

There’s a hint of a V8 beat as the revs and load increase, and we’re leaping from crag to Surrey crag with the threat of pitching into the road’s muddy boundaries never far away, ears ringing, spine pummelled.

This is not the right territory for a racing car with rock-solid suspension, a lot of torque and rather less traction. It needs smoother roads, but there’s satisfaction in keeping the Dilambda pointing in the right direction via quick and co-operative steering with a surprising lack of straight-ahead lost motion. Fulvio Franciosi must have had a great time as he won that Coppa di Natale. I, however, feel like I’ve been beaten up with a bunch of wooden sticks, fortunately without the optional protruding axe blade. Fasces, the ancient Romans called them. End

L E MA N S R E P N U M B E R 7

3 4 ½ WIT H OR IGIN A L COA CHW OR K

S PO R T S MA N ’ S S ALO O N

M A T C H I N G N U M B E R SP EE D SIX

THR EE GENE R AT I O N S O F O N E FA M I L Y OWN ER S H I P

A WINNING FOR M ULA

ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SERAPH

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AS ONE DOOR CLOSES The Silver Seraph was the last Rolls-Royce to hail from Crewe. A quarter-century on, Antony Ingram discovers this powerful luxury car made a fitting end to its era

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ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SERAPH

L

ike a mallard moving serenely across the surface of a pond as its feet paddle furiously below – metaphor for the way a Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph gets down the road as its engine room works silently but busily to move more than two-and-a-third tonnes? Or is it an onthe-nose allegory for Britain’s car industry, its engineers and designers calmly turning out new products as executives and accountants flap around behind the scenes, wondering who the Dickens next week’s owner will be?

Perhaps a little of both, and a situation not unlike this played out in 1998, as the cosy relationship between Rolls-Royce and Bentley was rent asunder in a complex sale from Vickers to the Germans, which completed that year. When the dust finally settled, Rolls-Royce would be under the wing of BMW and no longer in Crewe, while Bentley kept its wartime home as part of the growing Volkswagen empire. Yet that separation ultimately didn’t happen until 2002. The cars, meanwhile, Rolls-Royce’s Silver Seraph and the Bentley Arnage, were seen almost as a sideshow.

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And just to add to that complex tale, they were both launched in 1998…

Sitting in Adrian Lewers’ inky-blue Silver Seraph, a quarter of a century removed from its maker’s turmoil, I’m wondering whether this was fair.

Not the sale; if there’s anything the intervening 25 years have proven, it’s that both Rolls-Royce and Bentley have never been stronger than under their current ownership. But the Seraph in particular is still somewhat forgotten, a fate that a drive on a gloriously sunny day along the Sussex coast shows it doesn’t deserve.

Reassessment starts with the shape, far more elegant than its Silver Spirit (and long-wheelbase Silver Spur) predecessor, and somehow both imposing and reserved in the same breath. It’s the work of Stephen Harper, who sketched out Project SXB’s first lines while working at Coventry’s MGA Developments in the early 1990s, where the future Silver Seraph shared studio space with other projects that included the MGF and Ford Escort Cosworth.

‘It was quite an interesting programme,’ Harper says. The car’s hard points had already been decided on by the engineering team, led by Tony Gott (who later became chief executive), but there was surprising

creative freedom beyond that. ‘When you look at the sketches in particular, there was a big change around that time. Cars were getting softer, where the outgoing model was square and boxy. In fact, a competing proposal by Design Research Associates [led by Roy Axe] was softer still – it was quite a departure from what Rolls-Royce had done before.’

Harper’s unique touches included the gentle slope to the coachline and the boot-lid with its raised centre section (inspired by the Cloud of the 1950s), the upright tail-lights (previous cars had used horizontal units), and the ovoid headlights, split from their indicator units: all defining features of the Seraph. Rolls-Royce chief stylist Graham Hull described the look as ‘yacht aesthetics’ and, in retrospect, it fitted right into a British automotive landscape that featured both the classic and BMW Minis, the softer look of 1994’s Jaguar XJ, and the retro-modernist Rover 75.

The Seraph’s styling cleverly hides its size. It stretched 100mm longer than the Spirit to 5390mm, put 55mm more distance between its wheels, was 43mm broader in beam, and 29mm taller. All-important rear-seat legroom actually decreased an inch next to the Spur, perhaps suggesting that the driver of the Seraph would now be of equal importance.

‘ROLLS-ROYCE WANTED TO MOVE THINGS ON WITHOUT STARTLING ITS EXISTING CLIENTS’

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Exit the rear, click the tactile chrome handle to climb aboard the driver’s seat and close the door again with a whump, and that idea becomes more than a suggestion: you still sit high, but the view down the bonnet is more car-like, and less like that of an aircraft carrier captain surveying the deck from the bridge. The steering wheel is more upright, too, though the basic dashboard architecture isn’t far removed from that of a late Spur; as with the exterior, Rolls-Royce wanted to move things on without startling its existing clients.

The Seraph owner would survey rather fewer gauges than those overseen by their counterparts in an Arnage. As per tradition, there is no tachometer, but instead a combination dial with battery voltage, oil and coolant temperature, and fuel level, while between the two central air vents (with their organ-stop chrome controls) there are two more, one for exterior temperature, the other a clock. They’re enough to distract you briefly from the BMW-sourced air-conditioning buttons and other minor switchgear, in turn a clue to a rather larger Bavarian component behind the Seraph’s flush-fitting grille.

BMW agreed on a deal to supply engines to Rolls-Royce in 1994, granting the Silver Seraph the company’s first V12 powerplant since 1939’s Phantom III. At 5379cc in capacity, with single overhead cams and naturally aspirated (unlike the Arnage’s 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, also BMW-sourced), it immediately put more distance between the two marques than there had been for decades.

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It was taken from the E38-generation 750i and good for 322bhp at 5000rpm and 361lb ft of torque at 3900rpm, a considerable increase in power and a modest improvement in torque compared with the Spur’s 226bhp and 240lb ft. The effect was as profound as the difference on paper; while Autocar’s road test recorded a 0-60mph time of 10.4sec for the Spur in 1993, the Seraph knocked off a whole 3.2sec five years later.

Predictably the greatest benefit of the new engine was in refinement, already no weak point for the old six-and-three-quarter-litre V8. Attached to a ZF automatic transmission, it promised improved response and even more silken gearchanges, but just as much improvement came from the all-new structure. Rolls-Royce claimed a 65% increase in body rigidity, and everything attached to it was sturdier, too. One-piece doors (rather than a separate windowframe), subframe-mounted rack-and-pinion steering, and adaptive hydraulic dampers all made the new car’s substrate as vibration-free as its engine, while promising less-maritime dynamics than its predecessor’s.

The impact of investment at Crewe cannot be overlooked, either, in the car’s vast improvement over the Spur. Vickers invested around £200million in the factory between 1995 and 1998, adding new automated slings to carry car bodies down the line (previously, cars were simply rolled), and building a new paint shop. If 400 hours sounds like a long time to build a Seraph, then consider that a Spur used to take double that. Fitting the BMW engine and transmission was the work of 30 hours,

STEPHEN HARPER

Left and below It really couldn’t be anything other than a Rolls-Royce, in a 1990s softly retro way; the weight of historical reference bears down on clay modellers, charged with respecting Rolls-Royce’s design legacy.

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ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SERAPH

Above and left Boot-lid, shoulder-line and rear door shape all inspired by the 1950s Silver Cloud; interior is a familiar evolution of the Spirit’s, though with BMW switchgear.

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‘IT’S A CAR YOU GUIDE RATHER THAN AIM OR HUSTLE, BUT IT DOES NOT NEED COERCING TO MAKE PROGRESS’

where simply building the old V8 used to take 90. And while robots were newly involved, Crewe’s craftspeople still built the cars by hand; 150 man-hours went into each car’s lustrous interior woodwork alone.

The Seraph’s improvement over the Spur was just as apparent on the road, but the game had moved on in the meantime. Lexus had redefined the luxury car sector at the beginning of the decade and Mercedes’ fourth-generation S-Class, the W220, arrived mere months after the Silver Seraph had made its debut and rewrote the rulebook again, particularly in terms of refinement and handling. For all Crewe’s work, in cold-hearted but objective assessment, the Seraph struggled.

Today, you almost certainly won’t care which of its contemporaries duffed it up in period. The average W220 S-Class is now a foil for scruffy YouTube personalities and well-trodden ‘Will it run?’ videos. A Silver Seraph in contrast still feels as profoundly special today as the day it left Cheshire, and its comparative value, while today less than the £155,000 Rolls-Royce once charged, reflects both its rarity and its handbuilt nature. Lewers’ car, registered in May 1998 and owned by him for the last five years, draws admiring glances all day and wistful conversation from a gentleman who used one to chauffeur around a client. Slipping into the ‘driver’ mindset is as easy as shuffling into the thickly padded seat, twisting the key to a distant hum, and guiding the column-mounted transmission selector into Drive.

You’ll be familiar with the idea that the loudest sound you can hear inside a Rolls-Royce is its clock. That isn’t the case here, with a timepiece as silent as the engine, and instead you’re treated to the gentle squeaking of leather-on-leather from somewhere in the cabin. After around 33,500 miles there are no rattles, despite a ride quality that initially seems surprisingly firm, clearly one of the trade-offs Rolls-Royce deemed appropriate as its competition also became more able dynamically.

The Seraph feels substantial yet not unwieldy. The raised vantage point helps, as does the light yet precise rack-and-pinion steering. It’s still a car you ‘guide’ rather than ‘aim’ or ‘hustle’ but, between its confident body control and the grip of 235-section rubber over 16-inch wheels, it does not need coercing to make progress. Nor, despite weight on par with a modern electric SUV’s, does the V12 ever seem to struggle for power – ‘sufficient’, I think Rolls-Royce used to call it. The heavily sprung throttle encourages you to use only as much of the 5.4-litre as you need, and the ZF transmission seemingly always provides the appropriate gear.

It suits its owner perfectly. Lewers was introduced to the idea of the Seraph through a friend who’d described it as ‘tremendous value’, and he chose it over the equivalent Bentley. ‘They’re a little grander, aren’t they?

A different style of motoring, and there’s something majestic about cruising behind the Spirit of Ecstasy.’ He admits that he doesn’t cover many miles in it, but is tempted by some of the events and runs hosted 115

ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SERAPH

by the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club. In the meantime ‘it goes up to Yorkshire a couple of times a year, and Royal Ascot, the big events’.

Servicing is handled by a local specialist who had already worked on some of his other cars.

Ownership, then, is as much a pleasure as the drive, which makes it something of a shame that this period of Rolls-Royce is best remembered not for the Seraph but for the machinations behind closed doors at Crewe, Wolfsburg and Munich. Volkswagen had intended to buy both Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors together, and outbid BMW, whose existing ties – supplying engines to both British companies – had led many to believe it was the favourite. Volkswagen’s deal included the Crewe factory, as well as intellectual property such as the Spirit of Ecstasy and the ‘Pantheon’ grille design but not, as became apparent, the rights to the Rolls-Royce brand name or logo. Those were still owned by Rolls-Royce plc, maker of aero engines, which had retained the rights when the British Government sold off the car business in 1973. And Rolls-Royce plc promptly licensed its name to BMW instead, for the sum of £40million.

It’s popularly assumed that the autocratic Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch made a rare fumbling of the ball on this deal but, speaking in 1998, former Rolls-Royce chief executive Graham Morris described it more as a ‘calculated gamble’ that ‘didn’t quite come off ’.

Morris, who had previously worked at Audi under Piëch, said the

Austrian had always seen Bentley as the brand with greater potential. It’s unlikely Piëch would have been unhappy ‘only’ to get Bentley.

Morris, though, was less cheerful about the two companies parting ways, having guided both through the launch of Seraph and Arnage, and he resigned on principle. ‘Everyone at Crewe wanted Rolls-Royce to stay together,’ he told Autocar’s Steve Cropley, ‘and we’d all been working towards that.’

Morris appeared less sure about Rolls-Royce’s future than that of Bentley, but neither is in a bad place today. Bentley has expanded from Crewe’s output of around 2500 cars per year in 1998 to selling more than 16,000 today, while BMW’s £40million licence – around £74million in today’s money – looks conspicuously good value against an operating profit of £120million in 2022 alone.

By the time Seraph production ended in Crewe in 2002, after 1570 examples, and after freeing Volkswagen from its contract to continue producing the car, BMW had set up a new plant at Goodwood in West Sussex, and production of the Phantom VII – and every modern RollsRoyce since – has rolled out of its doors. The Silver Seraph was the end of a more complex era, but those who worked below the surface created something uniquely serene and satisfying. End THANKS TO Seraph owner Adrian Lewers, and the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, rrec.org.uk.

1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph Engine 5379cc 60º V12, OHC per bank, fuel injection Power 322bhp @ 5000rpm Torque 361lb ft @ 3900rpm Transmission ZF five-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential Steering Rack and pinion, power-assisted Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Vented discs, ABS Weight 2302kg Top speed 140mph (limited) 0-62mph 6.9sec (claimed)

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Rolls-Royce and Bentley Heritage Dealers “Attention to Detail”

Rolls-Royce 20HP 1922 Open Tourer

by Clyde Automobile Co. Ltd. of Glasgow

Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental 1932 Sports Saloon by Park Ward

Dark Blue over Black with Navy hide upholstery.

Matching numbers and original coachwork.

Known to P & A Wood for many years.

Excellent condition.

Black with Beige hide upholstery.

Restored to a high standard and completed in 2007.

Recent mechanical work carried out by P & A Wood.

Ready to be used and enjoyed.

Bentley S2 Continental 1962 Flying Spur

by H.J. Mulliner

Bentley S2 1962 Standard Saloon

Brewster Green with Dark Red hide upholstery.

One owner since 1976 with extensive history.

The last S2 Continental chassis made.

Good sound useable condition.

Sand and Sable with Beige hide upholstery.

Re-painted and re-upholstered in the 2000s.

Fitted with webasto sunroof and electric windows.

Good sound condition.

Bentley S1 Continental 1958 Drophead Coupé by Park Ward

Bentley S3 Continental 1963 2 door Coupé

by H.J. Mulliner

Astral Blue with Dark Blue mohair hood and Dark Red hide upholstery.

One owner since 1998 with extensive history.

Restored to a very high standard in recent years.

Concours condition.

Burgundy with Beige hide upholstery.

One of only 8 right hand drive models made out of a total of just 11 cars.

Restored by P & A Wood many years ago and maintained by us for nearly 40 years.

Excellent condition.

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

RILEY 9 KESTREL

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TH E G E N E R ATI O N GAME This beautifully restored Riley 9 Kestrel has been in one family since 1960. Glen Waddington meets the three generations who get to enjoy it Photography Jordan Butters

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T

he fact that this Riley 9 Kestrel was built in 1934 is happenstance, but fortunate for the family who have known it for more than six decades because it represents the peak of its type. ‘Dad bought it in 1960, for my sister and myself to learn to drive in,’ John Fletcher tells me. ‘He’d just bought an automatic Jaguar 3.4 and wasn’t about to let us drive that. I was 16 and my sister 18.’ Yet not for them any ordinary runabout, it seems.

These days the Riley is resplendent in a smart shade of grey, which suits its stylish, streamlined appearance, all the result of a recent restoration, the intention being that John’s car can be handed along to the next generation of the Fletcher family to be enjoyed for years to come. But after serving him splendidly in a shade of pale blue during his younger years, it had been awaiting its revival after many a false start. That it remained in his care for so long speaks volumes about the place it has always held in his heart.

‘I moved from home in Northamptonshire to Chichester to go to college. I’d built my own canoe and took it down there on the roof of the Riley. I used to take it down to the quay and was one of very few students with a driving 120

licence. We had eight people in it one day, two on the roof playing guitars.’

The car was used, in John’s words, ‘as much as possible. We once drove up Trundle, the hill overlooking the Goodwood Estate, and I sprained my ankle. My friend had to drive it back. He quickly mastered the transmission.’

He’s speaking, of course, of the Kestrel’s Wilson pre-selective gearbox, more of which later.

We meet on a bright yet chilly day in Rutland, to where John retired, and here, too, are his son Richard and grandson Freddie: three generations together with the car that’s been in the family for 63 years. It’s a fetching-looking machine, its streamlined styling a cut above that of most compact saloons of the 1930s, as befits a Riley product. Unlike mainstream cars of the era, built from pressed steel and often contracted out to external suppliers, Riley built its own bodies, in this case using aluminium panels over a wooden frame.

There’s ingenuity under the bonnet, too: sure, its capacity seems somewhat minuscule at 1089cc, but the engine features hemispherical combustion chambers with overhead valves set at 45º in a crossflow cylinder head, operated via pushrods from twin camshafts mounted high in the block. The output of 42bhp is going

some for the time, helped along by twin SU carburettors in this ‘special series’ car, which was more powerful and exclusive than the standard, more stately-looking Monaco saloon.

In fact, the ‘Nine’ (for its fiscal horsepower rating) set new standards when it was launched in 1926, and it became one of the most revered compact sporting cars of its period. Riley was then still very much a family concern, and the car was designed by two brothers, with Stanley responsible for the suspension, structure and bodywork, and Percy for the engine, his ingenious valvegear layout avoiding the cost and complexity of overhead camshafts yet allowing for the most efficient combustion chamber design.

There were initially two body styles available, both with a fabric finish over a wood frame. By 1933 the range had developed to include a variety of saloons, coupés and tourers, not least the streamlined Kestrel, which featured aluminium panelling over a wood frame.

Coachwork was by Midland Motor Bodies, which had begun life as Riley Motor Manufacturing and produced bodies only for Riley, while The Riley Engine Company provided its motive source. They worked under the motto ‘As old as the industry, as modern

as the hour’, and were part of a more streamlined post-war operation, which had rationalised the various enterprises of the Riley brothers in a business that harked back to origins as a bicycle manufacturer in 1896.

Percy Riley’s high-revving 9 engine was hailed as one of the most significant of its time and attracted the attention of tuners and builders of competition specials, not least JG Parry-Thomas, who conceived the Riley Brooklands, which was finished after his death by his collaborator Reid Railton. Later backed

by Riley, the Brooklands and other variations such as the Ulster Imp, MPH and Sprite became some of the most successful works and privateer racing cars of the late 1920s and early 1930s, distinguishing themselves not only at Brooklands but also at Le Mans, in the Ulster TT, and at many a hillclimb. The engine was offered with a larger capacity and also as a six-cylinder, even a V8!

In 1933, the Riley’s famously quiet fourspeed manual transmission was supplemented by a Wilson-type four-speed pre-selective system (a £27 option), differing from others by dint of a friction plate engaged by the centrifugal force of the flywheel rather than by a spring. In its 13 March 1934 issue, The Motor

Clockwise, from above The Kestrel, as presented to John Fletcher in 1960; freshly restored, and what a beautiful profile; on the road, youngest generation in the back seat.

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Above, from left The Riley had been in a state of decline during storage; nose panel had to be re-created from scratch; wood frame was restored by a boat specialist; recognisably a Kestrel once more as correct paint is applied.

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‘THIS BEAUTIFUL KESTREL REALLY REPRESENTS THE RILEY 9 AT ITS BEST’ tested a 9 Kestrel ‘Preselectagear’, stating: ‘Right from the start we can truthfully say that the new transmission is an unqualified success.’

It went on to conclude, very politely: ‘This latest Riley Nine model must be considered as an asset to the range of fine cars already produced by this famous concern.’

Bywayofcontext,thecontemporaryHillman Minx featured a larger yet less powerful engine, was mass-produced in steel, half the price, and outsold the Riley by more than four to one. So owning a Riley 9 meant you were an enthusiast with a taste for sophisticated engineering, if not necessarily outright power.

Problem was, with three different engine ranges being produced by The Riley Engine Company, more than a dozen bodies by Midland, very little in the way of parts commonality, and the sudden arrival of a local Coventry rival in Jaguar, by 1936 Riley was over-extended. It rationalised its range and contracted out some cheaper, more conventional steel bodywork to Briggs Manufacturing, but arguments between the Riley brothers saw the engine business being renamed PR Motors, while the rest was bought by Lord Nuffield in 1938 and gradually became subsumed within the morass of BMC before disappearing altogether in 1969. The engine business lived on after the death of Percy Riley in 1941, his widow Norah running it and being declared Britain’s businesswoman of the year in 1960. It exists today as the (still Coventry-based) marine transmission specialist PRM Newage Ltd.

So this beautiful Kestrel really represents the Riley 9 saloon at its best, and seeing the Fletchers enjoy it together is quite touching, especially John’s evident pride in its restoration.

‘It was my everyday car until I joined the bank, travelling from home in Collyweston to Huntingdon,’ he says, but his eyes sparkle a little less as he continues: ‘It was 30 years old by then, becoming unreliable, the carbs would freeze. So I ended up getting a Hillman Imp and the Riley stayed in the garage at dad’s house in Collyweston.’

The Kestrel had begun its lengthy period in storage, yet was never forgotten. ‘We moved around the country during my career and the car would come with me. Around 1979 I started to restore it with a friend, only then I got moved again with work. It went to a garage called Healeys in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, but then I got transferred to Nottingham, and the car went back to dad’s garage again.’

About 15 years ago, John handed the car to a workshop run by a charity for young offenders, based in Milton Keynes. There it was supposed to undergo a restoration, but that didn’t turn out well, and the car was removed and placed in a lock-up garage in Uppingham, where it then sat forlornly for several years.

‘While it was there a neighbour came to see it,’ says John. ‘She said: “That was dad’s car.” It turns out her father had owned it new, living in Wothorpe, a village not far from us.’

An anecdote in which she recalls an altercation with a bus in Stamford is backed 123

RILEY 9 KESTREL

1934 Riley 9 Kestrel Engine 1089cc twin-cam pushrod OHV four-cylinder, twin SU carburettors Power 42bhp @ 3600rpm Transmission Four-speed Wilson-type pre-selector, rear-wheel drive Steering Worm and sector Suspension Front and rear: beam axles (live rear), semi-elliptic leaf springs, adjustable Hartford friction dampers Brakes Drums, cable-operated Weight 1101kg Top speed 66mph 0-50mph 20sec

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up by an invoice in the car’s history for repairs to a front wing.

Another attempt at repairs foundered when a friend in Nottingham fell ill after beginning work on the chassis, and the Riley languished again until it went to restoration specialist RH Classics near Melton Mowbray.

RH is run by Richard Hodson: ‘John got in touch to see about getting the Riley’s body restored and, after seeing some pictures, I had to ask: “Do you know what you’re getting into?” I didn’t beat about the bush! The bodyshell had collapsed, the doors were sitting against a wall, the ash frame was full of woodworm and needed de-skinning. The hardest bit was working out how everything should be.’

Richard treated the woodwork with woodworm killer and mounted the body back onto the chassis to ‘stop its back from breaking’.

It then went to a nearby boatbuilder – ‘he does all our ash framing’ – who spent three months repairing the main body frame and doorframes.

You can see in the pictorial record how as much as possible of the original wood was preserved, with new sections let in where necessary. ‘Then we wheeled it back here and reskinned it,’ says Richard, with a fair degree of understatement.

‘We made repair sections for the aluminium doors and bonnet, plus the front wings, and we made new sill panels. There’s a very complex vented nose section that fits ahead of the front axle, beneath the grille, that had to be made from scratch. We even made new pins so the doors could be opened and closed properly. It was basically a box of bits that slowly came

together, then it went off to the paint shop.’

As John Fletcher wanted the car to be repainted in its original colour, some detective work was carried out at this point. ‘We found some of the original paint on an inner panel and I managed to find a print-out of period swatches. It meant we could make the closest possible match.’

Interior trim was carried out by Richard’s trusted specialist in nearby Melton Mowbray, using period, aged-looking leather that ‘didn’t look too new’. And then it was a case of overhauling the mechanical elements, not least of which was the complex transmission, restored by specialist Tom Dark Engineering.

‘We rebuilt the engine and axles here,’ says Richard. ‘The engine was full of grit when we took it apart, but within a couple of years of the car arriving here, the whole thing looked great and was working well.’

John always kept a running log, with details of mileage, fuel used, plus any servicing or repairs carried out – it’s pleasing to note that entries recommenced after the restoration!

And the car looks beautiful, fresh but not overly refreshed, with some gentle patina in the sparingly applied brightwork and the gorgeous wooden interior trim, the original instrumentation, and some wear to the Bakelite rim of the four-spoke steering wheel.

It’s cosy inside, with a pair of slim semibuckets up front and Riley’s patented dropped footwells allowing decent headroom in the rear cinema-style seats in spite of that swooping roofline. No gearlever to get in the driver’s way either, as the pre-selector quadrant is mounted on the right of the steering column.

Clockwise, from below Diminutive engine was technically advanced; John Fletcher’s running log, recently revived; old-fashioned ignition controls; cosy, classy interior.

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Above and below The Fletcher clan enjoying the Riley; John and wife Joan, flanked by son Richard (left) and grandson Freddie.

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The twin-cam four idles with gravelly proximity. Depress the left pedal and select first, release to engage and then feed in the gas: the centrifugal clutch takes up drive and we’re off, with a surprising lack of histrionics from the gears. Acceleration feels sprightly rather than rapid, though you have to bear in mind that middle-class 1930s family saloons were rarely that; the steering feels taut, which is also unusual. The wheels shimmy a little over lowspeed bumps, but the leaf springs provide enough cushioning to keep things refined and the adjustable dampers do their bit to keep the body under control. Sophisticated stuff.

Changing gear requires a little thought at first: you move the lever sequentially along the quadrant, then dip the left pedal to enact the shift, lifting slightly off the throttle as you do so to keep things smooth as the next ratio engages.

A word or two to describe the Riley’s road behaviour? Civil. Polished. It’s certainly a cut above the mainstream for its time. You might not describe it as sporting in the modern sense of a sports saloon, yet its breeding is obvious, and the quality of its engineering shines through in every interaction.

Not only that, but all the difficult work has been done. There are many years in this Riley 9 yet for the Fletcher family to enjoy. End

TA L A C R E S T

t h e wor ld ’ s n u mbe r on e cl a ssi c f e r r a r i d e a l e r

1967 FERRARI 330 GTC

This car is in stunning condition and has had only three owners. It has benefited from a comprehensive restoration and there is a documented restoration gallery on file.

other ferrari CLASSICS FOR SALE

1966 FERRARI 330 GTC

1971 FERRARI DAYTONA SPYDER

W W W. TA L A C R E S T. C O M +44 (0)1344 308178 | +44 (0)7860 589855 | john@talacrest.com

ADVERTISING FEATURE

IN THE SPOTLIGHT, HCVA MEMBER :

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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

Impulse purchase 1974 ALFA ROMEO SPIDER EVAN KLEIN

130

IT ALL STARTS with a rumour.

‘Did you hear Ed’s got a couple of Alfas to sell?’ says Benny, my mechanic here in Los Angeles.

‘A ’74 and a ’79.’ ‘Oh, really?’ I say, trying to play it cool. A week passes. I’m thinking the ’74. The car is not perfect, but that’s OK; Benny the mechanic is on board, and the local bodyshop will help.

Ed brings the car to the shop.

I’ve got cash in my pocket and I walk around the car tapping body panels – no bondo, the nose has a small bump, it’s painted a very faded metalflake green, very 1970s George Barris. The original colour was Verde Inglese AR219, a rich forest green. The rear bumper has been bumped but it’s stainless,

so no rechroming needed. The interior has already been done and the seats and door panels are good – even the headrests have the correct heat stitching. The car is straight and the doors close without binding. One thing I’ve never seen before: it has an original 1970s glassfibre hardtop.

The motor is original: 2.0-litre, Spica injection, no emissions gear, 97,000 miles.

Ed says: ‘Why don’t you take it around the block?’ Sliding down into that oh-so-familiar Alfa seat, I wrap my fingers around the thin wood-rimmed wheel, clasp the lap belt and reach for the key. It starts on the first crank. I pull slowly onto the street. Within moments

I know all there is to know. It needs springs, it needs shocks, the rear propshaft U/J is binding, and the trailing-arm bushes need replacing as well. Shifting through the gears I find the gearbox good, with no crunching synchros.

I return to the shop.

‘So, what do you think?’ It needs some work but I don’t want to nit-pick a 50-year-old car. I feel the cash creeping out of my pocket. But my offer is not enough and we both agree to sleep on it.

A week passes and we have both been doing a lot of sleeping.

Enough that we find a good middle ground on price. Ed tells me he even has a new suspension

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kit he’ll throw in. It’s meant to be.

We make a plan to meet at the shop on Friday morning. I Uber over and Ed’s not there; 20 minutes later I get a text to say the Alfa won’t start. The battery’s dead. Benny gives me a jumperbox and some fresh spark-plugs in case the engine’s flooded. I drive over in his car and see Ed in the street with the bonnet up. I put the jumper leads on – Rrr-rrr, nothing. ‘Ed, Benny gave me some plugs, let’s swap them.’ New plugs in, a twist of the key and it fires right up to a smooth idle.

Back at Benny’s shop we trade money for title and I’m the owner of a 1974 Spider. Benny sticks the battery charger on it, he swaps out the injection sensor and adjusts the idle. We eat a sandwich.

Between bites we talk about changing the world and fixing an old green Alfa. Over the next few weeks we will strip the car and

pull the motor and gearbox. The suspension will be cleaned and freshened up. Once it’s back on its wheels we will push it three doors down to the bodyshop for a bare-metal respray. With the motor out we will go through it: rings, valve-guides and seals. After painting is complete we will begin the reassembly. Of course, this is all theoretical.

I look at my watch and it’s 1.30 on a Friday afternoon. Los Angeles is plagued with horrible traffic so the first drive home will be a true test. How far will I make it before I coast to a stop? It will take at least an hour. I’m going through the city, through Beverly Hills, passing Rodeo Drive, then up to Sunset Drive in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel, heading west and shortcutting into Bel Air, twisting through the hills. I pass Clint Eastwood’s house, pass Jennifer Aniston’s, and I make

‘Over the next few weeks we will strip the car and pull the motor and gearbox’

it to Mulholland Drive. The car is doing great. The temp’ is holding at a cool 180, oil pressure is strong. I’m not pushing it. One hour and 15 minutes later I’m home. Backing into the driveway in case I need to jump it.

I’m daydreaming as I make my way home. ‘Wednesday we’ll get the estimate from the bodyshop. I think it’s supposed to rain. I should probably check the wipers. And I should probably tell my wife…’

A few hours later my wife gets home and her first words are: ‘Where are we going for dinner?’

‘Did you see the car?!’ ‘Yes.’ We went for sushi. And so the journey begins.

Clockwise, from opposite Spider is solid but will receive new paint; interior present and correct; crunched rear bumper will need repairs; seats retrimmed already; new rings and seals await engine.

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

ROBERT COUCHER

International editor 1955 Jaguar XK140

●

ANDREW ENGLISH

Contributor ● 1962 Norton Dominator ● 1967 Triumph GT6 ● 1972 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport

GLEN WADDINGTON

Associate editor 1989 BMW 320i Convertible ● 1999 Porsche Boxster ●

SANJAY SEETANAH

Advertising director ● 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio ● 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante ● 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK200

MARK DIXON

Deputy editor ● 1927 Alvis 12/50 ● 1927 Ford Model T pick-up ● 1942 Fordson Model N tractor ● 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in

JAMES ELLIOTT

Editor-in-chief ● 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI ● 1968 Jensen Interceptor ● 1969 Lotus Elan S4

ROBERT HEFFERON

Art editor 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i

●

JOHN SIMISTER

Contributor ● 1960 Singer Gazelle conv ● 1961 Saab 96 ● 1972 Rover 2000TC ● 1989 Mazda MX-5 Eunos

MATTHEW HOWELL

Photographer ● 1962 VW Beetle 1600 ● 1969 VW/Subaru Beetle ● 1982 Morgan 4/4

MASSIMO DELBÒ

Contributor ● 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 ● 1972 Fiat 500L ● 1975 Alfa Romeo GT Junior ● 1979/80 Range Rovers ● 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL ● 1985 Mercedes-Benz 240TD

ANDREW RALSTON Contributor ● 1955 Ford Prefect ● 1968 Jaguar 240

131

OCTANE CARS / Running Reports

SAM CHICK

Photographer ● 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider

RICHARD HESELTINE

Contributor ● 1966 Moretti 850 Sportiva ● 1971 Honda Z600

PETER BAKER

Contributor ● 1954 Daimler Conquest ● 1955 Daimler Conquest Century

DAVID BURGESS-WISE

Contributor 1903 De Dion-Bouton ● 1911 Pilain 16/20 ● 1924 Sunbeam 14/40 ● 1926 Delage DISS ●

MATTHEW HAYWARD

Markets editor ● 1990 Citroën BX 16v ● 1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ● 1996 Saab 9000 Aero ● 1997 Citroën Xantia Activa ● 1997 Peugeot 306 GTI-6 ● 2000 Honda Integra Type R ● 2002 Audi A2

SAMANTHA SNOW

Advertising account manager 1969 Triumph Herald 13/60 Convertible ● 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ●

JESSE CROSSE

Contributor 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 ● 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

●

A vintage New Year 1927 FORD MODEL T

MARK DIXON

MARTYN GODDARD

Photographer 1963 Triumph TR6SS Trophy ● 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII ●

DELWYN MALLETT

Contributor ● 1936 Cord 810 Beverly ● 1937 Studebaker Dictator ● 1946 Tatra T87 ● 1950 Ford Club Coupe ● 1952 Porsche 356 ● 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL ● 1957 Porsche Speedster ● 1957 Fiat Abarth Sperimentale ● 1963 Abarth-Simca ● 1963 Tatra T603 ● 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 RS ● 1992 Alfa Romeo SZ

EVAN KLEIN

Photographer 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider ● 2001 Audi TT

●

HARRY METCALFE

Contributor ● 20 cars and 15 motorbikes To follow Harry’s adventures, search: Harry’s Garage on YouTube.

132

NEW YEAR’S DAY is always a good excuse to take out an old car and blow away the cobwebs, so, when a friend tipped me off about an under-the-radar pub meet not far from my place in rural Herefordshire, I decided I’d give the Model T a run and explore some backroads I’d not yet had the chance to drive.

The car’s battery had other ideas. It would turn the engine over – just – but didn’t have enough juice to kick it into life.

Fortunately, I had the one from my Alvis 12/50 on hand (New Year’s resolution: get the bloody Alvis on the road!). Although it’s quite a bit bigger than the one in the Ford, it was eventually shoehorned into its cradle

beneath the pick-up bed. Truth be told, the Ford’s battery always was a bit on the small side for its 2.9-litre engine but I’d never got around to upgrading it. Until now.

Next job was to fill up at the petrol station in the next village.

It was still fairly early and the roads were deserted, but even so I was gobsmacked to see that the only two cars parked outside the village pub were an Austin Seven and (coincidentally) an Alvis 12/50 saloon. With my Ford added for the obligatory photo-op, and an ancient stone bridge in the background, this rustic scene could have been a 1930s holidaymaker’s snap.

The pub meet wasn’t due to kick off until the civilised hour

of 1pm and I started meandering over there just after midday; ‘meandering’ because I prefer to stick to minor roads in the ‘T’, and there’s no shortage of those in Herefordshire.

There’d been a lot of rain in the previous few days but the ‘T’ was built all those years ago for the muddy, unsurfaced tracks of early 20th Century America, so it’s totally unfazed by flooded British country roads. After all the trouble I’d had with slipped ignition timing last year, as recounted in Octane 244 and 247, it was a huge relief to hear the engine purring steadily again.

Inevitably, I turned out to be one of the last arrivals at the ancient half-timbered pub that,

Life feels better behind the wheel of a classic.

Wherever life in your classic takes you, we’re with you.

with a fine sense of rural humour, is called The New Inn despite the building dating back to the 15th and 16th Centuries.

The very first person I encountered turned out to be an Octane subscriber who’d recognised the ‘T’. Elliott is a very cool dude who spent five years driving round the world with his wife in a £100 Citroën 2CV, and being a local he was able to introduce me to some equally interesting characters.

After a wonderful couple of hours meeting old friends and making new ones, the rain that had been threatening to arrive all day finally did so and people started drifting away. I had a trouble-free, if wet, drive home

Clockwise, from left Rural Herefordshire is a haven for pre-war motoring, as this scene outside Mark’s local pub proves; nearby pub meet attracted a modest but eclectic selection of vintage and classic cars.

and tucked the ‘T’ away inside its barn to air out. However, like a good rider tending to his horse, before I went into the house to dry myself off, I set an oil pan below the engine’s sump, removed the sump plug and left the hot oil to drain overnight.

Tomorrow I’ll clean the gearbox screen filter and put in fresh oil. It’s a good car and it’s earned a bit of TLC.

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133

OCTANE CARS / Running Reports

A lot of pence per mile 1981 BMW 323i TOP CABRIO

SANJAY SEETANAH

DISAPPOINTINGLY, I didn’t manage to drive many miles in the Baur last year. It’s due for another MoT and, looking at the previous test certificate, I seem to have covered just 700 miles compared to 1500 in the year before that.

Still, since I bought the car back in 2014 when the mileage stood at 106,000, I have added another 20,000. I guess that, once you have a few cars in the garage, this is par for the course.

On the upside, I have finally managed to get the Baur’s taxation class changed to ‘Historic Vehicle’.

I always assumed that I would get

134

the unused balance of road tax credited back to me but I was rather disappointed to find that the DVLA doesn’t refund any unused tax. So beware if you are late getting the class changed on your 40-year-old car and expecting a refund. One of the further advantages, though, of having the Baur classed as a Historic Vehicle is that it’s now exempt from the ULEZ (UltraLow Emission Zone) charge in London, which means one less thing to worry about.

Less pleasingly, I noticed some time back that several bubbles had appeared in the paint around the lower half of the car. It had had a bare-metal respray in 2016 and I have kept it in the garage ever since, so I was disappointed to see the rust coming back. The company responsible had no

Clockwise, from top left Still looking good; valance gets correct paint; photo-op with a neighbour’s E30 325i; wheelarch rot needed attention.

interest in getting the panels repainted, saying that they only guarantee work for 12 months, so I took the Baur to Steve Oakley from Classic Revival Ltd to get his expert opinion.

Steve took off the paint around the offside rear wheelarch to reveal a hole that needed to be welded, plus a fair amount of filler around the front bumper.

Repairing it would be a big job so I went on the hunt to find a replacement panel but, to my surprise, they are not available anywhere and I had to start looking for better secondhand options. No luck there, either.

It took many hours of work to get the original panel back to a condition where Steve was happy to proceed, but costs had inevitably escalated. The finished work looks impressive, though,

and I took the opportunity to get the valance lip repainted in gloss black rather than the previous matt grit-guard finish.

I have also finally bought a pair of Recaro seats from Oldtimer Seats in the Netherlands. They can go straight in but will need to be recovered at some point in the future. The new import regulations are a pain and meant that I had to pay an extra 20% on top of the seller’s price, plus a Clearance Fee and Customs Duty, too. Not only that, a mix-up meant they charged me twice – once for each seat!

More pressing plans include revisiting the floors, which were only partially repaired during the works back in 2016. I have a feeling they’re responsible for the scuttle shake I’ve been noticing lately. It never rains but it pours.

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1959 BMW 507 SERIE 2

1967 ASTON MARTIN DB 6 VANTAGE VOLANTE

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OCTANE CARS / Running Reports

NOEL SKEATS

Clockwise, from left Doris gives it some attitude; ULEZ-busting Alfa Brera joins fleet; Clive Berry is literally ‘on the clocks’; Doris and Audrey.

Fun with Doris and Audrey 1954 DAIMLER CONQUEST & ’55 CENTURY PETER BAKER

LAST NOVEMBER yours truly, along with Doris, my longsuffering Daimler Conquest, plus my equally long-suffering aide de camp Clive Berry, concluded our

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2023 season of hillclimbing by entering Rallye Prescott, unusual in being the only meeting of the year to feature both daylight and after-dark competition. I know what you’re thinking: nobody in their right mind would hillclimb two tons of 1954 Daimler at night (or day, for that matter). True, but it’s all jolly good fun.

Anyway, come the day/night and those nice people at the BBC predicted rain. They were not wrong. It simply chucked it down, from start to finish. Surprisingly, Doris, wearing her Monte plates from last January in a bid to impress the large crowd, entered into the spirit of things and went really well, completing all three daytime runs without incident.

Of course, with only 75bhp on tap, everything is relative.

Then came the night and, unsurprisingly, finding my way from A to B in a car equipped with Noah’s Ark lighting proved something of a challenge. I didn’t exactly get lost, but staying approximately on track wasn’t easy. We rally drivers are used to having navigators in the other seat shouting instructions. But at least the windscreen wipers worked, and never in a million years was Doris going to beat a whole host of Mini-Coopers. So, no prizes.

As I said earlier, though, it was all really good fun.

I have this recurring dream – more a nightmare, really – that I can’t stop buying cars, Daimlers in particular. My doctor, a member of the owner’s club, just laughs, prescribes something to help me sleep, and says I’ll get over it. But

judging from my behaviour recently, I’m not so sure. First I got drawn into buying another Daimler Conquest, this one a Conquest Century. And then, out of the blue, and for no reason other than that it is ULEZ compliant, I added an Alfa Romeo Brera to my fleet. The Brera, at least in Prodrive form, is a very underrated motor car.

Going back to Daimler number two (pet name Audrey), I’m old enough to know classic cars sometimes throw wobbles for no apparent reason, and Audrey has proved no exception. She started refusing to travel more than a few miles in one go. The symptoms all pointed to fuel, or the lack of it, and sure enough the cunningly hidden valve-operated reserve tap was blocked. A few hammer blows later (I’m not one for subtleties) and bingo, problem solved.

No hard feelings on my part and, as a sort of late Christmas treat, Audrey’s ageing crossply tyres were replaced, the new radials providing much-needed stability at any speed above walking pace. Now, if only I could get the heater to work.

Just to help empty my wallet even faster, Doris is currently under prep for the Rallye MonteCarlo Historique 2024. Running as number 239, we depart Reims on 1 February and, with luck, six days later will be enjoying a post-event lunch harbour-side at Le Botticelli, probably the best-located Italian restaurant on the Côte d’Azure. Fingers crossed.

A SELECTION OF OUR CURRENT STOCK

1958 ASTON MARTIN DBMKIII DROPHEAD COUPE

£POA

Fully restored by leading marque specialists, to original factory build specifications, with minimal miles covered since, we are delighted to offer this sublime DBMKIII DHC, one of just 84 examples built.

Specified in Elusive Blue paintwork with Off White Connolly hides, as the car is presented in today, optional equipment included front Disc Brakes and 4-speed Overdrive gearbox.

This beautiful example, ‘body off’ restored, to concours condition, between 2011 and 2013, is in outstanding condition, having covered nominal mileage since completion and stored, in climate-controlled conditions, when not in use.

This rare and exceptional car, surely one of the finest examples of the model in existence is now ready to be enjoyed at organised events, that tour you have always promised yourself or the world’s finest concours lawns.

1961 Aston Martin DB4GT £POA

1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible £POA

1965 Aston Martin DB5 £POA

2013 Aston Martin V12 Zagato £460,000 + Tax

2004 Aston Martin DB7 Zagato £275,000

2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S Manual £115,000

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CAR SALES & PURCHASES • SERVICING & MAINTENANCE • RESTORATION • PARTS & MERCHANDISE TRIM & UPHOLSTERY • TRANSPORTATION & STORAGE

OCTANE CARS / Running Reports

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OTHER NEWS ‘Next job on my ’62 Beetle is to pull a dent out of its decklid, after my modern Golf’s auto-handbrake failed to “auto” anything and the car rolled down a hill into the Beetle’ Matthew Howell

1982 MERCEDESBENZ 500SL AND MORE MASSIMO DELBÒ

AS AUTUMN ENDED, it was time to put the classics to bed for winter. This time things got more complicated because the weather forecast here in North Italy suddenly shifted from mild temperatures to below-zero conditions – and snow. A lot of snow. My main preparation for winter involves a decent drive in each car to warm everything up, while making notes on any work that needs doing.

Back at the garage, I over-inflate the tyres to 3.5bar (about 50psi) to prevent any sidewall deformation, and unplug all the cars’ batteries except the one in the 500SL. In this case I prefer to keep the battery connected and on a battery conditioner, to prevent the ECU losing its memory. The latter is definitely mandatory this year, as the 138

Above Preparing for winter storage involves a game of ‘musical chairs’, parking safely in the garage while providing access for the daily cars.

is to give her more space to load our dog and child…) is the little 1972 Fiat 500L. Line two consists of my Superb with the Mercedes 500SL behind it, and the narrowest garage door conceals the W110 230 and the S123 240TD. Which one goes in front will vary, depending on which needs to be worked on first or, more usually, which is put into hibernation first.

Finally, each car is blanketed with a dedicated blue cotton cover, giving the impression that the garage is some kind of blue-cocoon nursery. It’s kept dark to avoid damaging UV light and needs no heating because it’s so well-insulated that the temperature inside never drops below 16°C. We have a dehumidifier, too, that gets used only when we come back home with a very wet car, but it seldom works.

Because the forecourt in front of the garage is not that big, there is always some chaos involved in moving cars around to free-up the correct slot, like a kind of mechanised musical chairs. I have to confess – I love it!

Glen Waddington

‘I’ve put more than 4500 miles on the Audi A2 since getting it back on the road. Far from trouble-free miles at first but, with most of the gremlins now sorted, I’m enjoying it’ Matthew Hayward

‘The Elan’s fuelling saga has somehow drifted into the winter months, for which I am wholly responsible.

Full, self-flagellating update to come’ James Elliott

ES T . 1 9 6 2

Winter games

five-year-old battery in the SL is clearly dying and will need to be replaced in spring.

Then there’s the little job I often get teased about. For some years now, to preserve the integrity of the wiper blades, I put a wine cork under each wiper arm, to prevent the blades from getting distorted on the windshield. All my friends who visit the garage are intrigued by this but none, at least to my knowledge, has ever followed my lead. Anyway, it’s a good talking-point and a great excuse to open another bottle of wine!

Windows are left down so air can circulate, and doors, including boot-lids, are not fully closed but just gently pushed-to so that the seals aren’t left compressed.

One of the most difficult logistical tasks is deciding where to park each car. Our family’s six-car garage (wide enough for three, and just long enough – to the centimetre – for two) has three entrance doors, and within that space we have to park our two everyday family cars, too. It is obvious that our Skodas need to be at the front. Usually, Mrs Delbò’s has the widest and most privileged slot, behind the only electrically operated, remotecontrolled door. Behind her car, to leave the greatest possible ‘buffer zone’ (the official reason

‘Recent weather has proven that the Boxster’s new tyres offer considerably better mechanical grip in greasy conditions’

Contact Vintage Tyres on

+44 (0)1590 431051 vintagetyres.com

1955 LOTUS MK9 EX SEBRING 12H 1955

The first Lotus entry in a major international race outside UK. Race number 78 driven by Norman Scott and “Sam” Samuelson!

Known history from new, the car has participated at each Le Mans Classic since the 1st one, and many Peter Auto races “Sebring 2”, is one of the most original Lotus Mark IX, ready to race and the first ever Lotus to enter an international race, made it eligible for the best world events. It will be delivered with a nice set of spare parts and a very nice historical file.

1957 AC ACECA BRISTOL

1963 JAGUAR E TYPE SEMI-LIGHTWEIGHT

1962 AC ACE BRISTOL

1966 PORSCHE 911 2,0L CUP SPECS

1973 PORSCHE 911 2.8L RSR

1968 PORSCHE 911 T/R

Gael REGENT +33626486171 / Guillaume LE METAYER +33662119473 cars@historiccars.fr / www.historiccars.fr / Paris showroom by appointment

by Octane staff and contributors

OVERDRIVE

Other interesting cars we’ve been driving

1965/2023 EPOWER MUSTANG MARK DIXON

The 300,000-dollar Mann

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I SO WANTED to like this car.

It’s an EV conversion of an original 1965 Ford Mustang and, while I’ll always prefer the visceral rumble of a V8 to the anaemic whine of an electric motor, I don’t object to such things on principle.

Mustangs are not exactly rare, even now, and I can understand why some people feel that EV conversions are the future.

Personally, I don’t (synthetic and e-fuels make more sense for classics, in my opinion) but each to his or her own.

It’s always good to have your prejudices challenged, however, and as the past owner of a much-missed 1966 Mustang 289 notchback I was curious to see what this new electric version felt like. The fact that it’s by Alan Mann Racing, a name redolent of red-and-gold racing Cortinas and Escorts, plus Falcons, GT40s and many more, was also encouraging: AMR is today a thriving historic race car specialist run by Alan’s sons Henry and Tom, so there’s a direct historical link, too.

The car pictured here has been built in conjunction with a US company and was destined to be shipped over there straight after Octane’s test drive. Almost unbelievably, the American business is owned by another, unrelated Mann family, and its CEO is another Henry Mann – who commissioned this prototype. Manncorp has a long history in precision electronics and has set up a subsidiary, Mann ePower Cars, to market the Mustang outside the UK. Henry (the British one) admits that an electric Mustang was a radical departure for AMR. ‘We’d long wanted to make a resto-mod Mustang, having done so many race cars, and we wanted to dip our toe into an electric project,

but it was meeting my namesake at an auto show in Chicago that tipped it into becoming reality.’

While the car is based on an original rust-free Californian ’shell, virtually everything bolted to it is brand new. There are three subframes – one each front and rear, to carry the custom-built independent coil-and-wishbone suspension, plus one in the middle to, as Henry puts it, ‘stiffen things up a bit’. Wheels are American Racing 17x8in alloys, covering Wilwood disc brakes and shod with 225/45 tyres.

Being a virgin to the world of EV conversions, AMR very sensibly collaborated with Essex-based specialist EcoClassics for the technical stuff – its CEO is a senior ex-Ford engineer who

‘No complaints about performance, and there’s a pleasing turbinelike whoosh as you accelerate’ masterminded the electric Ford Transit Custom. The Mustang has a large battery pack under the bonnet and a further one where the petrol tank used to be, which has helped give a near-50:50 weight distribution, powering a single electric motor that drives the rear wheels via a split propshaft. ‘The electric motor and reduction box fit neatly where the Ford gearbox went,’ adds Henry.

Steering is by rack and pinion.

The upshot of all this is an electric Mustang that weighs slightly more than its donor did but with the electric equivalent of 300bhp and a range of around 220 miles. As I remember all too well, the latter figure is comparable with a period V8’s.

Inside, apart from the modern front seats, it all looks refreshingly stock. The Mustang gauges have

been cleverly repurposed to deliver info about the batteries and their state of charge, and there’s still a traditional key: turn it one click to the right to activate the ‘ignition’ – a separate 12V battery that governs the electronics; wait for a flashing light to go solid, and then turn it a further click to wake the motor.

Forward/Neutral/Reverse ‘gears’ are selected by a simple pull lever, and future customer cars will have Eco/Sport/Launch Control drive modes. This prototype is currently defaulted to Sport.

With Henry riding shotgun, I gingerly ease the Mustang out of his Fairoaks Airport premises and onto the Surrey roads. And this is where it all starts to go a bit wrong. The unassisted steering may be rack-and-pinion rather than a period-spec ’box but it’s arm-wiltingly heavy when you’re getting underway. Powerassistance is on the agenda.

The heavy steering sets the tone, however. An original 289 Mustang is, believe it or not, quite a delicate thing to drive: relaxing but not sloppy. In good condition, an early Mustang handles sharply and you can position it through corners to an inch.

This is its antithesis in terms of character. It steers accurately and corners flat but feels heavy, with a crashy ride that might be acceptable on a well-surfaced track, less so in the real world.

For once, you can’t blame the heaviness purely on battery weight: it’s that unhappy combo of non-assisted steering, wide, low-profile tyres and limited suspension travel. Even if you compare this ePower Mustang with a hotter 1960s original, such as a GT350, rather than a stock 289, there’s no subtlety here.

Naturally, it’s quick: 0-60mph in 5.7sec, though top speed is limited to 97mph by the rpm of the electric motor. No complaints about performance, and there’s a pleasing turbine-like whoosh as you accelerate, which adds subtle aural drama to an otherwise rather

Above, below and opposite Henry Mann with his electric-powered take on the classic Mustang – still a prototype, so there’s time yet for some flaws to be ironed out.

remote-feeling experience.

Henry, to his credit, takes this feedback on the chin, conceding that the rear suspension, in particular, is too harsh at present.

The modest top speed could easily be upped by swapping in a higher final drive ratio – the diff’ is a modern Mustang unit – which begs a more general question: why don’t electric car makers sacrifice a bit of ludicrous acceleration for improved range?

Bearing in mind this is a prototype built to a tight schedule, there’s lots to admire

about the ePower Mustang: the detailing, quality of finish, and (in this case) sensible balance of performance versus range.

But, for me, it has two major flaws. One is that it no longer feels like a Mustang; it’s like a NASCAR silhouette racer version of a production car. The other is the price. In its target market of the USA, the ePower will retail at about $300,000, which would buy you a mint V8 original and an awful lot of fuel. So the question must be: just how keen are you to be an early adopter?

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OVERDRIVE / Other Cars

Fur coat, and knickers too 2023 BENTLEY BATUR BY MULLINER ALEX GOY

‘ISN’T IT JUST a Continental GT in a nice frock?’ harped a particularly grumpy chum. A quick wang up the road shut ’em up. While the Batur does owe some of its innards to Bentley’s evergreen GT, what it does with them is something rather magical.

You’d expect so for £1.65m (plus taxes), after all.

Coachbuilder Mulliner has been given the job of handbuilding only 18 Baturs. Not only is the car exclusive, it’s a last hurrah for the W12 engine, and at the same time gives a hint to what’s to come when electricity, not petrol, provides thrust in the future. The result is a coupé that looks unlike anything Bentley currently sells, and which slathers with opulence wherever it goes.

It is already sold out.

Power comes from a heavily breathed-on turbocharged

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6.0-litre W12, which now produces 730bhp and 737lb ft, enough to get it from nought to 62mph in a more-than-adequate 3.3 seconds and well north of 200mph. As with the Continental GT, power is delivered to all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Power delivery is, no matter which of the Batur’s many drive modes you’re in, rather explosive. A gentle throttle prod will send you to the speed limit perhaps a little faster than you’d expect, and, should you have the space and permission to exceed it, the Bentley can provide with ease.

In corners it still feels like a whacking great GT, which, if you’re keen on using all that power, can take you by surprise.

Once you’ve found its groove you will soon be flowing neatly from bend to bend, gleefully wafting at pace. The grip available is a delight, as is the ride. Despite there being a Sport mode that promises aggression, the Batur remains a Bentley. Do keep in mind its size. It’ll fit better on LA streets than Leamington Spa’s.

Above and below Bespoke bodywork clads the final, most powerful version of the W12, while within you’ll find ultra-luxurious and imaginative use of materials.

Performance is only part of the Batur’s charm. The level to which it can be customised is rather incredible, but how well it’s finished and built will keep you thinking about it for days. Its vent controls are gold (titanium is optional), as is the drive select wheel, adding a little shine to proceedings. The stitching, hide and finish are the stuff dreams are made of. Naturally, the paint is beautifully applied outside, but it’s not so thick you can’t see the composite body panels’ glorious weave beneath. When one has bespoke carbon bodywork, it’s a shame to hide it in its entirety.

There’s a nod to sustainability here – well, as much as one can nod with a petrol-powered car. Its leather comes from sustainable sources, and some of the exterior panels are made not of carbonfibre but from a flax-based material. It’s strong, says Bentley, and better for the planet.

The Batur is a special thing. Not only is it a wonderful showcase for Bentley’s future, it’s the end of a wonderful W12-shaped, torque-filled era. A Continental GT in a frock it is not.

2001 PANOZ LMP07

2008 FERRARI F430 GTC

2010 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE GT2

2011 MERCEDES SLS AMG GT3

COLLECTION

Gone but not forgotten WORDS RICHARD HESELTINE

SHUTTERSTOCK

Rhiando, pictured at Earls Court in January 1951 with his Midget racer.

Spike Rhiando Hero or fantasist? Stunt flyer, racing driver, constructor or earthmoving specialist? Perhaps all of those…

YOU ARE WHO you pretend to be. There was a time when Spike Rhiando’s name was everywhere in the UK. It was unusual enough to be memorable, as were his tales of derringdo that could be found in boys’ adventure books in the late 1930s. Rhiando was one of humanity’s livewires, a point brought home in the immediate post-war years when he was racing cars, designing vehicles with two and four wheels, and promoting his wares with outlandish stunts. The thing is, viewed in the cold light of retrospect, you could argue that he embroidered his backstory. If you were feeling unkind, you could say he was a deluded fabulist.

Road & Track wrote in 1948: ‘Spike Rhiando, Saskatchewan’s gift to British motor racing, former speedway rider, Wall of Death performer, stunt flyer, taxi washer, and ace of the Californian half-mile car dirt tracks, is a man of hunches. He doesn’t know where they come from, and a lot of them don’t make sense on paper. But he has been having them long enough, and watching them pan out to the advantage of Maxwell Alvin Earl Rhiando.’ It goes on to recount how he won the Formula 3 support race for the first post-war British 144

Grand Prix at Silverstone in October 1948.

He did, too, guiding his Cooper to a convincing victory, having averaged a heady 60.68mph. And not for him just a regular single-seater: his car featured bodywork that had been engine-turned and gold lacquered, with various parts chromed and polished to a lustrous sheen. It was nothing if not conspicuous, but then so was Rhiando. He generally wore loud shirts and exuded an air of confidence. The press lapped him up. Given what he did achieve, it’s hard to differentiate between the actual and the apocryphal, not least because the British media in particular couldn’t decide whether Rhiando was from the USA, Canada or South America. To be fair, he wasn’t consistent in what lies he told.

He often claimed to have been the son of trapeze artists, and that he had been brought into the family business as an infant. He also stated that he had narrowly missed out on travelling to Europe aboard the ill-fated RMS Lusitania in 1915. Equally, some sources claimed that he moved to the UK in 1933 in a bid to kickstart American-style Midget car racing on British oval cinder tracks, the kind

used for motorcycle speedway events.

Rhiando’s name was writ large in publicity material. He was an ace driver from the US, but this was the pre-internet dark ages. In the here and now, there is no evidence to suggest that he ever competed Stateside.

Rhiando reputedly worked for the British division of Caterpillar during World War Two and made a mint in peacetime via his earthmoving connections. He parlayed this into all manner of schemes, while emerging as a racing driver and would-be constructor.

Following success with his gold Cooper (aka ‘Banana Split’), he created his own F3 car under the Trimax banner. Intriguingly, it was of monocoque construction, and Rhiando insisted that it had been tested in a wind tunnel, which was then practically unheard of. It wasn’t a success. Shortly thereafter he devised a small, enclosed scooter that was touted initially as being steam-powered. It then appeared with a 98cc Villiers engine.

Rhiando chose to promote ‘his’ design by riding a prototype to Cape Town. He was discovered in a deathly state somewhere in the Sahara by the French Foreign Legion. Again, it’s worth adding the caveat that there is no corroboratory evidence to back up the story behind his rescue, although photos exist of him having completed at least part of the journey.

Nothing ever came of this scooter design, but his self-promotion paid off handsomely when he was commissioned by 20-something Californian William Curtis to create a new car.

It would be made in Ireland with the US market in mind; a convertible that would appeal to patriotic customers pining for the old country.

Enter the Shamrock in 1959, thousands of which were to be made each year with glassfibre bodywork and Austin A55 running gear in Castleblaney, Co Monaghan. Except it emerged with major design flaws: only eight were made.

The story goes cold thereafter, popular wisdom being that Rhiando died in Ireland in 1975. It subsequently transpired that the year was right, but not the location. He actually passed away in London, but then he had been a Lewisham boy all along. Following exhaustive research by his granddaughter, the riddle that was Spike Rhiando was put to rest relatively recently.

It transpired that he was born in April 1910 as one Albert J Stevens, the son of a British juggler and a German mother who was similarly of circus stock. He arrived in The Smoke as a toddler but Albert J Stevens became Spike Rhiando circa 1933. A fame-chasing selfpublicist? He was that and more. A Walter Mitty-esque dreamer? Almost certainly, but you could never accuse Rhiando of being boring – for which we salute him.

Icon

WORDS DELWYN MALLETT

SHUTTERSTOCK

Left Jock Kinneir, part of the team charged with unifying all of British road signage in the 1960s.

UK road signs

Just letters printed on a blue or green metal board? Turns out there’s rather more to it

A SCENE WORTHY of a Monty Python sketch was enacted on a runway at RAF Benson, South Oxfordshire, in 1961. A Morris Oxford with a series of road signs sprouting from its roof was repeatedly driven at speed towards a small grandstand containing a dozen off-duty personnel making notes on clipboards. This bizarre event had been arranged by the Department of Transport in an attempt to finally settle a raging debate over whether motorway signs should use a modern sans-serif font in upper and lower cases, or a more traditional type in capitals with stickyout-bits on the corners. It seems trivial now but it was a debate that was generating considerable passion and the flinging of much vitriol, with letters in The Times and other national organs. On the results of their observations rested the future of the British road signage system.

In the sans-serif upper-and-lower corner was the graphic design team of Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert, supported by the Anderson Committee who had commissioned them to create a scheme for motorway signage. In the opposing upper-case-with-serifs corner was a somewhat bitter David Kindersley, supported by like-minded friends, who was clearly affronted that his typeface MOT Serif, in use since the early 1950s, had been sidelined.

Plans had been approved in 1956 for a US- and Continental-style road system to be built in Britain and, for the first time, intersections would not be on the same level but served by on and off slip-roads. The chaps 146

in charge of our welfare were worried that, as direction signs would be approached at much higher speeds, Mr & Mrs Average might not be able to cope and in 1957 a committee chaired by P&O’s Sir Colin Anderson was convened to study signage for the planned new motorway network.

Members of the Anderson Committee travelled around Europe studying road signage but were, it seems, not particularly impressed by what they considered to be ad hoc solutions, so Anderson appointed the graphic designer Jock Kinneir to design a new system from scratch.

Richard ‘Jock’ Kinneir, after time as a graphic designer working for the Design Research Unit, had opened his own practice in 1956, his first major assignment being the signage for an expanded Gatwick, about to become London’s second airport. The scale of the task was so great that he enlisted the help of South African-born Margaret Calvert, one of his students at Chelsea College of Art, where he was teaching part-time.

Shortly after, a suitably impressed Anderson had asked them to design a colour-coded labelling system for P&O-Orient Lines to help illiterate or non-English-speaking porters to route luggage correctly.

As legibility of the motorway signs was paramount, Kinneir and Calvert drew two new sans-serif fonts, Motorway and Transport, based on Akzidenz-Grotesk, a display font designed in Berlin in the late 19th Century but much favoured after World War Two by followers of the ‘Swiss International Style’ then influencing Western graphics. The Kinneir/Calvert scheme was trialled on the 8¼-mile Preston Bypass, now part of the M6. It was opened in 1958 by PM Harold Macmillan who, chauffeured in an Austin Sheerline, became the first citizen to travel as a passenger on a British motorway. The bypass and its signage were deemed a great success and 11 months later the scheme was used on the M1, Britain’s first full-length motorway.

Kindersley, a former apprentice of renowned sculptor and typographer Eric Gill, began fighting a rearguard action, highly critical of just about every aspect of the new design. In a long critique he objected to the use of lower-case letters and the inefficient use of space within the sign, which he argued accounted for what he (and others) considered to be unnecessarily large sign boards. He was particularly critical of the new fonts, stating: ‘The road numbers, together with their letters, are even worse than the main alphabet, and do not conform with the simplest rules of legibility or differentiation.’ Ouch!

Despite his energetic lobbying, including ambushing Minister for Transport Ernest Marples at a function, and a narrow victory in the driveby test, it was decided to proceed with the Anderson Committee recommendation on the more subjective grounds of aesthetics. Earlier, Herbert Spencer, the influential typographer, graphic designer, teacher and editor of Typographica magazine, drove from central London to Heathrow airport, photographing all the signs en-route. He published the results in the magazine under the heading ‘Mile-a-minute Typography’, criticising the state of road signage. As a result the Worboys Committee – led by Sir Walter Worboys, former chairman of the Council of Industrial Design – was set up in 1963 to review the situation and concluded that all road signage in the UK should be revised. The following year Kinneir and Calvert were given the task of designing a total overhaul of the nation’s road signs.

Kinneir and Calvert’s design passed into law in 1965 as the mandatory form of road signage for the UK and now, as it approaches its sixth decade in use, there is clearly plenty of mileage left in it – perhaps unlimited.

Margaret Calvert later recalled that on the ‘gloriously sunny day’ of the M1 opening, Jock and she were allowed to drive along the empty motorway in his Fiat 600 to attend the opening ceremony. Their blue signs stood out magnificently against the still-bare embankments and they became so carried away that they missed their exit and drove on until the road petered out in a field. They missed the ceremony.

We are finding and restoring original classic Alfa Romeo’s

Chrono

WORDS MARK McARTHUR CHRISTIE

Rolex’s evergreen Explorer

The Swiss behemoth took an unusually Lotus-esque approach to the finer details of its long-running stalwart THE MODERN SWISS watch industry isn’t known for impulsive change. Civilisations can rise and fall, but the diameter of a case will, perhaps, after much thought and discussion, alter by a couple of millimetres. Rolex is possibly the epitome of this ‘evolution not revolution’ approach. After all, even a watch tyro will spot that a 1953 ref. 6204 Submariner (the first to feature ‘Submariner’ on its dial) and a modern Sub share a lot of DNA despite being 70 years apart. And Rolex still offers a line-up today with models familiar to Methuselah’s uncle, including staples Oyster, Day-Date, Submariner, GMT and Explorer.

Yet in the past there was a far more flexible approach, particularly where expediency was involved. To the horror of some modern collectors who expect contemporary consistency, logic and record keeping, Rolex has been far from consistent in the past. The firm often interchanged dials, hands and even movements depending on what was in stock.

The Explorer is a particularly fine example of this ‘fit what we have’ approach.

For example, some of the earliest protoExplorers, the ref. 6150s from 1953 powered by the cal. A296 movement, featured a white, linen dial with an Arabic 12 at the top, arrowshaped hour batons and spade hands. At the same time, watches with the same reference number (like the model given by Rolex to British mountaineer Tony Streather) had the now-familiar black dials, Mercedes hands, rectangular hour batons, an inverted triangle at 12 and large numerals for the other three cardinal points on the dial.

Even at that stage, there were plenty of watches that didn’t even have the name ‘Explorer’ on the dial. Of course, this gives collectors and keyboard warriors plenty of scope to knock lumps out of each other arguing about whether the 6150 is really an Explorer.

Without wanting to get all reference-happy, the 6150 was replaced in the late 1950s by the 6350 (the one even the most rabid Rolexophiles are happy to agree about), then the 6610,

‘ROLEX OFTEN INTERCHANGED DIALS, HANDS AND EVEN MOVEMENTS, DEPENDING ON WHAT WAS IN STOCK’

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which had more model variants than the Ford Sierra. Keeping up at the back?

Finally, by 1960 and with the advent of the ref. 1016, things settled down and you could be pretty sure an Explorer really was an Explorer.

Now the identifying features had been firmly established. An Explorer had a 36mm stainless steel case with an acrylic crystal (less likely to shatter if you whacked it, and easy to polish scratches out), and was waterproof to 330ft (although Rolex tested it far deeper and discovered it was at 2000ft that it finally gave up and collapsed). It had a black dial with a luminous Arabic 3-6-9 and a triangle at 12, lumed Mercedes hands (tritium, not radium, by then) and a chronometer certified movement in every watch.

The ref. 1016 lasted, with only the sort of small changes that get watch-nerds excited, from 1960 to 1989; a remarkable run, even for Rolex. Inside the case there were a couple of more significant upgrades. The new Explorers started off with the cal.1560 in-house movement (the firm had previously been happy to source movements elsewhere). This ran at 18,000bph with 26 jewelled bearings and was as robust as a tractor. There are plenty of cal.1560s still running today, never even having been serviced (not recommended, mind). In the mid-1960s, the new, faster-beating cal.1570 found its way into the Explorer (the Sub, too).

Once it had a hacking feature added in late 1971 it stayed as the ref. 1016’s constant until Rolex replaced the model itself in 1989.

Although a little less utility-focused (those printed, lumed cardinal points give way to posh white gold applied markers, for example), the new ref. 14270 was still recognisably an Explorer. And, even though the newest incarnation in stainless steel and (heresy!) yellow gold has ditched the climbing boots for brogues, its lineage is clear.

Yet despite being a range stalwart since the early 1950s, the Explorer is perhaps the only Rolex you can wear without anyone noticing.

Own a Sub and you’ll be alternately checking over your shoulder in London or explaining that, no, you didn’t buy it from a nice man in Marrakech. Put your Explorer on a leather strap and the only people who’ll spot it will be other watch-heads. It is, perhaps, the nearest thing to a ‘stealth’ Rolex.

Given its history, arguably more storied than any other Rolex apart from perhaps the Daytona, this anonymity is odd. Maybe it’s because of its utter eschewing of bulk and bling, at least until it put on weight and started flashing the gold with the new model. Or perhaps it’s because it’s the nearest thing to a ‘pure’ watch there is – just the time on a simple, glance-readable 36mm black dial, a sort of Everywatch.

The Ex-Works, Eddie Hall, 1934 Mille Miglia, 1934 MG K3 Magnette

1934 Lagonda M45 Rapide T9 Tourer

1934 Talbot AV95/105 Super Sports Special Also Available: 1931 Invicta 4½-Litre S-Type ‘Low Chassis’, 1933 Talbot AX65 by Vanden Plas, 1933 Talbot AV105 Super Speed Saloon. Please see website for more details.

Landline: +44 (0) 1440 841 447 Mobile: +44 (0) 7493 897 975

www.polsonmotorco.com

john@polsonmotor.com

fv @polsonmotorco

Chrono

WORDS MARK McARTHUR-CHRISTIE

ONE TO WATCH

Ebel 1911 Sport Classique Everyday understatement that positively oozes class

MOSTLY THANKS TO the internet, it’s getting much harder to snaffle a watch bargain. But these Chrono pages are here to point you to those dusty corners of Watchworld where there are still interesting things to be bought without requiring the sale of a kidney. Like this Ebel 1911 Sport Classique.

Ebel really should be better-known – and loved – than it is, even if just for its sheer damned resilience. Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1911 (the name is a composite of the two founders’ initials), it was one of the few firms to survive the 1970s and ’80s. It has made watches for Cartier (now enjoying its own renaissance) and until 2003 was part of the giant LVMH group. Now owned by Movado, it is still doing its own distinctive thing.

And that thing doesn’t come much purer than this 1911 Sport Classique from the early 1990s. The Sport Classique range kicked off in 1977 and, right from the outset, Ebel went its own way. Just look at what else was around at the time, sport watch-wise. If it didn’t have red LEDs or go ‘beep’, it had a case the size of an air filter. In contrast, the Sport Classique was a mere 37mm in diameter and barely 10mm thick, yet it was still waterproof to 100m.

Despite being a watch you could happily wear to do an oil change, the Sport Classique is smart enough if you venture anywhere posher than the local ’Spoons, but still understated enough to go unnoticed.

Ebel’s mechanical chronographs are already on the up. Here’s a chance to get in on the ground floor of its simpler watches for less than £500 for a quartz like this if you’re canny.

NEW WATCHES

PRESAGE ‘100TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEIKO’ LIMITED EDITION

LACO EDITION 98 BICOMPAX CHRONOGRAPH

AIRAIN TYPE 21 RE-EDITION

A tribute to founder Kintaro Hattori’s first Seiko wristwatch from 1924, the 100th Anniversary is a wearable, modern piece. Where the original was, by modern standards, diminutive at 24mm in diameter, the anniversary model is a more practical 35mm. At the same time, the firm has stayed faithful to the original design, even using the same style of blued, pointer hands.

Inside, however, the 1924 9-ligne, 7-jewel movement is replaced with the new 24-jewel cal. 6R5H, running at 21,600bph with a serious 72-hour power reserve. £1760. seikoboutique.co.uk

Offering proof that good watches don’t all have to come from within a Toblerone’s width of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Pforzheim-based Laco has released its Edition 98 chronograph. Its two chrono displays are backed with powerful Superluminova C3 and the lume extends to the infilled hands, dial numerals and minute markers, too. Despite this thorough update, the firm has done the right (and harder) thing and thermally blued the hands rather than chemically-treating them. As the name suggests, there are just 98 on offer. ¤2950. laco.de

The Airain Type 21 was the more robust and easy to maintain version of the Type 20 flying watch. An original ’60s ex-Armée de l’Air Airain Type 21 is costly, as well as having radium lume, so here’s one you can wear every day without worrying about starting to glow in the dark yourself. The 39mm-cased reissue houses a hand-wound column wheel chrono movement, the AM2, with a flyback function and countdown bezel. It’s made by Manufacture AMT, Sellita’s high-end division. Unlike the original, it’ll run for 63 hours on one full wind and has 23 jewels. ¤2950. airain.com

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Gear

COMPILED BY CHRIS BIETZK

COMPASS CAMERA BY L E COULTRE Noel Pemberton Billing came to widespread attention soon after being elected as an MP in 1916: he ranted in Parliament and in his journal, The Imperialist, about Britain’s military strategy during World War One; he aired some far-out and shameful conspiracy theories; and he was sued by dancer Maud Allan for publishing an article that insinuated she was a lesbian and a German spy. That famous libel case is often the only thing people remember Billing for now but, if someone had managed to knock some sense into him, his legacy might have been very different. He was right in asserting that Britain needed to build up a proper air force, and he was far-sighted enough to have founded an aircraft manufacturing business (which became Supermarine) before entering politics. He was a clever designer, too, and among his creations was the tiny Compass camera – smaller than a pack of cigarettes but stuffed with features, including two optical viewfinders (one at a right angle), filters, an extinction (exposure) meter and a spirit integrated filters, level. It was produced, beginning in 1937, by LeCoultre, to the standards you’d expect of a Swiss watchmaker, and examples of the jewel-like Compass are prized today. This one, with English markings fitted with the optional roll-film roll-film back, is in excellent working order and and fitted is up for grabs at The Vintage & Classic Camera Co on Hayling Island. £2799. vintageclassiccamera.com

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ROY SALVADORI-SIGNED 1959 LE MANS PHOTO

ROARIN’ RAT T-SHIRT

Sixty-five years have now passed since Aston Martin’s only overall win at Le Mans, but at the time of this photo victory was still a day away.

Taken at the start of the 1959 24 Hours, it shows the eventual winner, DBR1/2, at the Dunlop Bridge, Roy Salvadori at the wheel – fresh and not yet tortured by the extreme exhaust heat that would roast his feet. $250. arteauto.com

The folks at Santa Pod have created a collection of shirts celebrating the much-loved cars owned by the drag racing venue itself, including the Ford Consul gasser called Henry Hi-Rise and the hopped-up 1957 Chevy known to all as the Roarin’ Rat. £24.95. santapodshop.com

DUCATI SCRAMBLER X REFRIGIWEAR JACKET In the 1970s RefrigiWear was tapped to provide kit for the workers who toiled year-round to build the TransAlaska Pipeline, so we presume this jacket – made by RefrigiWear in collaboration with Ducati’s Scrambler division – would laugh in the face of an English winter. £339. ducatistore.co.uk

BUGATTI TYPE 35 POSTER

BY ROGER SOUBIE PLAYFOREVER UFO TOY CAR A delightful approximation of the Lamborghini Countach LP400, available in three colours (this one is ‘Leonessa’) and considerably easier to park than the real thing. £43.50. playforever.co.uk

This fabulous poster was commissioned by Ettore Bugatti himself around 1924, and just half a dozen first-edition examples are known to survive. The one hanging in London’s Pullman Gallery has been expertly cleaned and mounted, and is ready to take pride of place in someone’s collection of Bugatti memorabilia. After all, you couldn’t relegate it to a corner if you wanted to: it’s over 5ft tall! £POA. pullmangallery.com

TOYOTA CELICA LIFTBACK TURBO KIT MODEL BY TAMIYA It was uncharacteristically unreliable for a Toyota, but the Celica Liftback Turbo looked the absolute business as it retired from one DRM race after another during the 1977 season – and the 1:20-scale model of the car issued by Tamiya in ’78 was eagerly snapped up by racing fans.

The model is now back in Tamiya’s line-up and, with its improved waterslide decals and new slick tyres, it’s more irresistible than ever. £44.99. wonderlandmodels.com 153

Books

REVIEWED BY OCTANE STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS

SS Jaguar 100 CHAS PARKER, Porter Press Int’l, £35, ISBN 978 1 913089 60 3

Goldie

Book of the month

JOHN MAYHEAD, National Motor Museum Publishing, £20, ISBN 978 1 7396297 3 1

‘Goldie’s problem was that he didn’t die in spectacular fashion, nor did he live to tell the tale.’ So summarises the author while attempting to explain why Major Alfred Thomas Goldie Gardner – ‘Goldie’ was one of his Christened names, not a soubriquet – is hardly remembered today, despite being one of Britain’s most successful and daredevil racers and record-breakers from the 1920s into the 1950s. At one point, he held half of all speed records.

As we explained in a pre-publication feature about Goldie Gardner and this book in Octane 242, enthusiast John Mayhead was determined to put that right. A former Army officer himself, who served in Northen Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, he has something in common with Gardner, who was invalided out of World War One in 1917 after a crash in an RE8 biplane and who was also part of the D-Day landings in World War Two. The first three chapters of this book, describing Gardner’s WW1 experiences, are exceptionally gripping, though it should be borne in mind that the atmospheric detail comes entirely from Mayhead’s imagination, since Gardner’s own 1951 autobiography Magic MPH contains just one sentence about his WW1 years.

Gardner had always been obsessed with speed and so it was almost inevitable that he would take up motor racing after he was demobbed. He soon built up a relationship with the MG works that led to him racing MGs and, in the later 1930s, record-breaking with them, particularly in the EX135 streamliner (see Octane 205). Mayhead’s skill at conjuring up the 154

drama and excitement of these events is just as evident here but, even if you discount artistic licence, the plain fact of how many racers were seriously injured or killed is still shocking. There are lighter moments, particularly when Gardner visited the USA, initially as part of Malcolm Campbell’s team at Daytona and latterly in his own record-breaking right.

After one failed marriage, Gardner found true love with a woman 24 years his junior and they produced a daughter, Ros, who provided the author with some hugely valuable first-hand memories of her father. He died aged 68 on 22 August 1958 from a stroke, the legacy of an accident in EX135 at Bonneville six years earlier, when a wooden marker post hit his head.

Gardner lived an amazing life, and thanks to John Mayhead’s very readable biography it may now be better remembered. But, right at the end, he reveals an amazing twist to the accepted facts that you may find truly shocking. No plot spoilers here; you’ll have to buy the book to find out.

MD

Do not think that the latest in Porter Press International’s Exceptional Cars series (number 11) is a general history of the revered pre-war Jaguar, which signified the company vaulting upmarket. Although there is some welcome background info, it is specifically about 18008 (aka ‘BWK 77’ or Old Number 8). This car was immortalised by Tommy Wisdom’s penalty-free run on the 1936 Alpine Trial and much competed in thereafter, all of which is covered in great detail and well-illustrated with superb archive. It is hard to think there might be any part of this car’s fascinating story not here. JE

The Concours Year 2023 Edited by DAVID LILLYWHITE, Hothouse Media, £75, order from magnetomagazine.com

Have you heard of the Cobble Beach Concours? How about Ironstone? These and many more are profiled in the fifth edition of these beautifully produced yearly round-ups from Octane’s new/old owners (see our lead news story, this issue).

Besides reports from over 50 global concours, with every Class and Best in Show winner listed (and nearly all pictured), it contains a look ahead at 2024’s events, features on how judging is carried out and what it’s like to be a judge/entrant/organiser, and more. If you’re interested in concours, you need this.

MD

w w w.hortonsbooks.co.uk

24h Le Mans 100 Years of Legends DENIS BERNARD, BASILE DAVOINE, JULIEN HOLTZ & GÉRARD HOLTZ, Evro, £70, ISBN 978 1 910505 88 5

Even if you’re not a motorsport fan, the history, variety and heroism of Le Mans are compelling. That much of it – to this day, 70% of it – is held on roads that close to the public only for the 24 Hours and Le Mans Classic means you can skim the same tarmac while watching the same scenery fly past. You might even do so in a car like some of those that have taken part there.

What a past. And what a book to celebrate it, put together for the 2023 centenary. This is not a heavy trawl through history, race by race – the annual ‘year books’ have long done that job.

Instead, this is a superb distillation of facts, figures and curiosities (plus the odd interview with the likes of Henri

Pescarolo and Derek Bell) that touches on the race’s origins, the stand-out cars, peak speeds, lap records, the circuit’s evolution, tragedies and triumphs, Porsche’s domination, innovations from forced induction and aero via brakes and drivetrains to headlamps and steering wheels…

With 600 images packed into 336 pages, this is a must if you’re a die-hard motorsport fan – and maybe more so if you’re not. GW

Collector’s book

Jaguar XJ220 PHILIP PORTER, Osprey Automotive, 1994, value £750

Only two books about the XJ220 have been published – the other being Jaguar XJ220, the Inside Story, by Veloce in 2010 – and this one is still the choicest.

Written by Jaguar enthusiast Philip Porter for Osprey, before he went on to found his own publishing empire, it has photography by former Motor staffer Peter Burn and still stands up well in terms of content and quality of presentation.

Slipcased and running to 288 pages, it begins with the challenge posed by the other supercars of the day – 959, F40 and so on – before tackling the Jaguar’s design, its launch,

marketing, race history and so on. If you’re a fan of the car, it’s a must-have.

As well as producing ‘affordable’ car books, Osprey issued a few high-end volumes about more specialist subjects, including the Lotus Carlton and Bentley Continental. This XJ220 book retailed for a then-expensive £200 back in 1994; for a while it was then ‘on sale’, presumably because the price put buyers off, but of course the books sold out as a result – and now a mint copy is worth £750. Ben Horton

Made in Motorsport: Peter and Betty Banham DAVE LEADBETTER, Troubador, £17.99, ISBN 978 1 80313 240 2

Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2022-2023 ADOLFO ORSI, Historica Selecta, ¤ 100, 978 88 96232 15 6

Now in its 28th edition, this 420-page monster continues its tradition of refining and adding to what was already a must-have resource for anyone within the classic auction or trade world.

The bulk of the volume is dedicated to listing every significant auction result of the season: 10,500 cars between September 2022 and August 2023. As always, however, it’s the market analysis and commentary from industry leaders that make it worth more than its weight in gold; not just today, but as a comprehensive record in the years to come. MH

As someone to whom the early 1990s seem like yesterday, it’s a shock to realise how much the world of historic rallying has changed since. This reviewer did a fair bit of long-distance historic rallying back then and, to a young tyro, the experienced Banhams seemed like gods, successfully campaigning unfashionable cars such as an Austin Westminster A90 and a Riley One-Point-Five. This appealing little hardback fills in their life stories before, during and after those halcyon days, when rally organisers could get away with stuff unimaginable today.

Peter Banham grew up working at the garage in his Norfolk village from a very young age, which explains his fantastic ‘bush mechanic’ skills. To give just one example: he broke a halfshaft in the Riley as he started a regularity test on an early Monte Carlo Challenge, got out on the startline, removed the wheel and drum, changed the halfshaft and put it all back together in five minutes – then went flat-out and ended up being ten seconds early at the finish!

Betty also did some serious competition driving in her early life but found her niche in navigating, organising and basically keeping Peter’s excesses in check; they have been together since the mid-1970s, swiftly progressing to major-league rallies such as the

1982 East African Safari in a Toyota AE86 Corolla. In later years they shifted to acting as a recce and service crew on big historic events such as the Peking-Paris.

Being invited to join Philip Young’s team for the 1980 Himalayan Rally led to the Banhams being wooed by Young for his pioneering historic rallies.

They liked him but weren’t blind to his faults – Philip was ‘pure bullshit and blather’, says Peter – and this candour is what makes the book so enjoyable to read: he’s scathing about wealthy owners who might spend £100,000 to compete on a classic adventure, yet will attempt it in a car they’ve never driven and which has not even had a basic service beforehand!

Nicely shaped by author/transcriber/editor Dave Leadbetter, this is a great biography and a fascinating insight into rallying both at the sharp end and behind the scenes.

MD

155

Models

REVIEWS AND PHOTOGRAPHY MARK DIXON

Classic model WORDS: ANDREW RALSTON IMAGE: VECTIS AUCTIONS

BARBIE’S ’HEALEY

by Ideal for Mattel

1:18 scale

1966 LOTUS TYPE 43

By GP Replicas Price £304.95 Material Resincast

The 1966 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen was significant for at least two reasons: it marked Jim Clark’s 20th World Championship win, and he achieved it in a Lotus 43 powered by the unreliable BRM H16 engine. Clark gambled on using the H16 rather than the proven 2.0-litre Coventry Climax V8 and it paid off – in fact, his victory was the only one the H16 would ever score.

GP Replicas has done a fine job of modelling that H16 in Clark’s winning Type 43, which can be appreciated all the more if you leave off the detachable air-box covers, as in our picture.

According to the leather-trimmed base, only 500 models are being produced (although they’re not individually numbered), and this Lotus is one of GP’s best to date.

1954 Packard Caribbean Automodello $119.95 Supplied with clip-in raised/lowered hoods, this excellent model is limited to 143 pieces; order via automodello.com.

1956 Chevrolet Corvette XP-101 Avenue 43 £126.95 Fascinating replica of the one-off 1956 Motorama show car, a five-passenger sedan dubbed the ‘Corvette Impala’.

1993 Ferrari 456GT four-door Matrix £114.95 Available in green, red or yellow, these are fine models of the special-bodied 456s built for the Sultan of Brunei.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO BBR Concept43 £170.50 Nice to see a GTO in blue for a change – and this model of Mike Parkes’ TT third-placer has loads of fine detail.

1961 Saab 96 Sebring Pace Car Trofeu £75.50 Simple but effective, this diecast metal model carries an unusual Sebring pace car livery and is competitively priced.

1983 Ferrari 126C2B GP Replicas £107.95 Depicting Tambay’s 1983 car with extended rear wing, this compact resincast is packed with interest.

156

Except where stated, the models pictured above are available from Grand Prix Models, +44 (0)1295 278070, www.grandprixmodels.com

In 1959 the Mattel toy company scored a huge hit with the Barbie doll, selling around 350,000 in its first year. At the time, British sports cars were very popular in America so, when Mattel decided Barbie needed her own transport in 1962, it chose an Austin-Healey 3000.

Manufacture of the toy – which was described simply as ‘Barbie’s Own Sports Car’ – was entrusted to the Ideal Corporation, one of the pioneers of the use of plastic for post-war toys. Generally these bright and colourful toys were simple and cheap to produce but the ’Healey was in a different league: 18 inches long, it had a separately fitted windshield and plated fittings that included mock wire wheels. The usual colour scheme was salmon pink with a turquoise interior, but rarer colours included red, green, yellow and lavender, and it came in an eye-catching presentation box.

The savvy owners of Mattel were quick to follow up with another vehicle in 1963 in the form of a hot rod – but there was a subtle difference. As if to highlight her independence, the ’Healey had been ‘Barbie’s Own Sports Car’ but the hot rod was ‘Barbie and Ken’s Hot Rod’ and it was Barbie’s boyfriend Ken that was pictured at the wheel, not Barbie herself.

‘Now Ken can take Barbie and Midge [her best friend] for a ride in his Hot Rod,’ said the catalogue. Suddenly, it seemed, Barbie had to rely on a man to drive her…

Not for long, however. In the ensuing years, Barbie could variously be found at the wheel of a Corvette, a Ferrari or a Porsche, and has even been spotted dressed in a NASCAR driver’s outfit.

Lotus 43 BRM H16

Even better on the right rubber

With the new 3-litre Formula 1 regulations introduced in 1966, Colin Chapman chose the BRM H16 engine to marry to his new weapon, the Lotus 43.

Apart from the high of a win in the US Grand Prix the season was a write-off but the Type 43 led to the Type 49 with DFV power...

This 1:18 model by GP Replicas is a beautifully detailed replica of that Watkins Glen winner and includes removable side air intakes to show off the highly detailed engine.

The best classic car experience is just a new set of tyres away. We stock new tyres in period-correct patterns for cars from the 1890s through to the 1990s. On road, off-road, rallying or racing – itʼs even better on the right rubber and thatʼs all we sell at Vintage Tyres.

01590 612261 sales@vintagetyres.com vintagetyres.com

Only £274.46* + £9.95 p&p** Quote: OCT43 *RRP £304.95 **UK only, rest of world at cost.

Tel: 01295 278070 mail@grandprixmodels.com

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THE UK’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT FERRARI SPECIALIST | EST. 1968 1988 Ferrari 412 Manual

2005 Ferrari 575M - Manual

1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2

1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

1988 Ferrari 328 GTB

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Central London’s Largest Classic Car Showrooms A selection of our 50+ cars currently for sale

Bentley MK VI Special

Entirely Bespoke Justine Special. This is our Demonstrator.

1982 Porsche 911 SC

Naturally-aspirated flat 6 - Iconic Porsche. US Military ownership.

1954 Connaught Type B

Connaught B4 F1 car. Rebuilt DOHC Alta engine.

FIA papers to 31st December 2025

1977 Jaguar XJ-C 5.3

43.350 miles only. Purchased from 1st owner & known since.

1954 Jaguar XK120 ‘Special Equipment’

Ordered new by Emperor of Vietnam. Very well maintained.

1958 Bentley S1 4 Door Continental

1 of 49 Continental Flying Spur’s by HJ Mulliner.

Fresh from full re-spray. A/C

www.graemehunt.com

+44 (0) 20 7937 8487 mail@graemehunt.com

Edited by Matthew Hayward

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

TOP 10 PRICES DECEMBER 2023 £3,098,500 ($3,937,500) 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach RM Sotheby’s, Houston, USA. 1-2 December

£2,273,000 ($2,888,888) 2014 Pagani Huayra Bring a Trailer, online.

26 December

£1,934,500 ($2,425,000)

RM SOTHEBY’S

1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic RM Sotheby’s, New York, USA. 8 December

£1,886,500 ($2,397,500)

Movie-star Lambo tops $1.65m

‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Countach sells in RM’s year-ending New York sale THIS IS THE second Wolf of Wall Street Countach to have been offered at auction in as many months. The damaged car that was used to film the infamous crash scene failed to sell with Bonhams in Abu Dhabi in late November, but RM Sotheby’s has successfully hammered away the undamaged car that was used elsewhere in the film. It made $1,655,000 at a small boutique sale during the Sotheby’s Luxury Week in New York. That’s about twice as much as a normal Countach Anniversary would fetch at auction.

This was RM’s final sale of 2023, at which 78% of the 18 lots sold, raising a total of $13,610,200. One other particular highlight of the auction was the 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic by Ghia, which topped the sales chart at $2,425,000. Echoing the well-below-estimate price paid for a similar car in Las Vegas in November, a Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC AMG 6.0 ‘wide-body’ was one of the unsold cars.

Earlier in December, RM offered the Houston, Texas-based White Collection. This 62-car auction was made up almost exclusively of Porsche road cars – all but one painted white. More importantly, this was an incredibly high-quality collection, which explains the $30,505,620 auction total, including more than $1m in Porsche memorabilia.

Star car of the sale was a 2015 Porsche 918

‘Weissach’ Spyder, which smashed the previous auction record for the model with a final $3,937,500 price. Another interesting auction record for modern Porsche fans was the $1,105,000 price paid for the 2016 Porsche 911R, a model that has generally slipped back from its peak of a few years ago.

Bonhams’ year-end 10th Anniversary Bond Street sale accrued sales totalling £2,872,125 and a total of 81% of lots sold. It was an Aston Martin-heavy catalogue, with a 1990 V8 Vantage X-Pack – formerly part of the Hunter Green Collection – leading the charge with a £356,500 price.

The £450,000-500,000-estimated 1957 Porsche 356A Carrera 1500GS – particularly rare in righthand drive – failed to find a new home, but some success was found with the first right-hand-drive early 911. Pictured below, it garnered quite a lot of attention with a respectable £304,750 sale price, just scraping into its £300,000-500,000 estimate range.

1997 Porsche 911 GT2 RM Sotheby’s, Houston, USA. 1-2 December

£1,671,000 ($2,095,000) 2015 McLaren P1 RM Sotheby’s, New York, USA. 8 December

£1,631,500 ($2,073,000) 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 RM Sotheby’s, Houston, USA. 1-2 December

£1,583,500 ($1,985,000) 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder RM Sotheby’s, New York, USA. 8 December

£1,475,500 ($1,875,000) 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight RM Sotheby’s, Houston, USA. 1-2 December

£1,320,000 ($1,655,000) 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary RM Sotheby’s, New York, USA. 8 December

£1,196,500 ($1,522,000) 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster Bring a Trailer, online.

22 December 161

THE MARKET / Reports DAVE KINNEY’S USA ROUND-UP

1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupé by Bertone RM Sotheby’s, New York 8 December

Said to be a matching-numbers example, and the only coupé of seven Aston Martins bodied by Bertone, this unique car was a class-winner at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2023. It was restored for the occasion by marque specialist Kevin Kay Restorations of Redding, California, at a cost said by the auction catalogue to be in excess of $800,000. It further states that details such as the original front bumper and much of the interior hardware had to be fabricated from scratch.

The Aston was delivered new to Henri Pigozzi, founder of French carmaker Simca, and it’s interesting to note that it is fitted with Simca taillights. Both under the bonnet and underneath, its presentation is as would be expected of a recent Pebble Beach class-winner. Not only that, the car came complete with an invitation to be displayed and to compete at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy, where, if entered by its new 1989 Peugeot 405 Mi16 Hagerty online

Peugeots of any model or age have long been a rare sight on US streets. This one-owner example began life in the US as a dailydriver, but of late became an enthusiast vehicle – and shows what can happen when ‘restoration maths’ doesn’t work out. Recent expenditure of more than $70,000 went on restoration and repair.

It sold for $5760.

CAR OF THE MONTH caretaker, it will undoubtedly be well-received – custom-bodied cars are always a draw at such events.

When two great names come together to body a special car, the results are often groundbreaking design and great character. The marriage of ideas in this case, now 70 years old, still works beautifully. For the value received by the new owner, this was an exceptionally well-bought – and delightfully finished – Aston Martin. It sold for $1,105,000.

Dave Kinney is an auction analyst, an expert on the US market scene, and publishes the Hagerty Price Guide.

1958 Cadillac Eldorado Mecum, Kissimmee

This Brougham Sedan is one of 304 built, a true milestone 1950s car with plenty of brightwork and custom-era design elements. It would be difficult to call it timeless but, as a representative of an era of almost limitless automotive exuberance and excess, the pillarless ’58 Eldorado with rear suicide doors and stainless roof is a stand-out. It sold for $129,250.

AUCTION TRACKER FERRARI F40 Ferrari celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1987 with the launch of the 201mph F40, the final road car signed-off by Enzo himself.

Of the 1315 cars built, 213 were destined for the US, and these command the most at auction today.

An F40 originally owned by Lee Iacocca indicated where collectorgrade low-mileage cars were in 2012 when RM Sotheby’s found a buyer at a then-record price of

$781,000 (£615,000) at its Arizona sale. A sharp uptick the following year saw Mecum almost double that figure at Monterey, selling a one-owner example for $1,457,500 (£1,148,000). Chassis 87041 best illustrates the model’s trajectory at auction over the intervening period: it first crossed the block at Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island sale in 2017, where it made $1,485,000 (£1,170,000), and went on to

£4,000,000 £3,000,000 £2,000,000 £1,000,000 £0

2014

2016

Line charts the top prices for comparable cars at auction.

162

2018

2020

2022

achieve $1,710,000 (£1,347,000) in 2018 for RM Sotheby’s, before returning with Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach in 2022 (pictured) and setting the current benchmark at $3,965,000 (£3,124,000).

A run of 19 competition cars was constructed by Michelotto. Dubbed the F40 LM, they are rarely seen at auction, where only four have changed hands in the past ten years.

RM Sotheby’s hammered away the most recent example at its 2019 Paris sale, drawing ¤4,842,500 (£4,202,000) for a two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans participant.

Jonathan Aucott of Avantgarde Classics comments: ‘With regards to values, two years ago I felt they were massively under-valued. They then had four or five years’ growth in a year. I don’t see them jumping up again massively anytime soon. Now is the time to make an educated purchase, do your due diligence and find the right car. Going back 18

months, people were snapping up absolutely anything – that’s all come to an end now.

‘I think values have softened. At one point they were changing hands for over £2m with specialist dealers in the UK, but I’m not so sure that is happening today for anything other than the absolute best. A really good, proper car with low mileage is around £2million today. Longer-term, its iconic status means I wouldn’t be surprised to see the F40 double over the next ten years.’

Rod Laws

Glenmarch is the largest free-to-access online resource for classic and collector car auction markets.

Visit www.glenmarch.com to keep up to date.

2018

ASTON MARTIN

VANQUISH ZAGATO VOLANTE

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1,250 MI

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T: +44(0)20 8202 8011

THE MARKET / Auction Previews

Wrigley’s Duesenberg RM Sotheby’s, Miami, USA 1-2 March NOTHING MADE A statement of power, wealth and success quite like owning a Duesenberg during the 1920s and ’30s.

Most had fascinating owners, and this glorious 1929 Duesenberg Model J ‘Sweep Panel’ Dual-Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron is no exception, having been bought new

by Philip K Wrigley of chewing gum fame.

The son of company founder William Wrigley, Philip took over as CEO in 1932 and was very much an automobile aficionado. As well as growing up with access to many of his family’s vehicles, Philip took a particular interest in Duesenberg due to the fact that his family

owned a stake in Auburn, Duesenberg’s parent company.

Wrigley had a close relationship with this particular Model J, chassis 2177 with engine J-121, on which he worked personally during a visit to the factory.

Originally built with a Convertible Coupe body by Murphy, after 10,000 miles of driving it in Chicago Wrigley decided he much preferred the ‘Sweep Panel’ body style. He wanted to keep the chassis he’d worked on, so the body was swapped.

Following Wrigley’s move back to Pasadena, California, the Model J was sold back to Duesenberg in 1936. It has a well-

traced history in California right up to 1991, when it was sold into the Michiganbased collection of Terence E Adderley.

A full restoration was completed in 2004 by renowned Duesenberg specialist Brian Joseph of Classic & Exotic Services in Troy, Michigan. It then placed third in class at Pebble Beach. Since Adderly’s passing in 2018, it has been lightly refreshed and returned to Pebble Beach in 2022, where it again achieved a third-in-class result.

The Duesy will be offered at an RM Sotheby’s sale during the inaugural ModaMiami event. It’s expected to sell for $2,650,000-2,850,000. rmsothebys.com

Lucybelle of the ball Broad Arrow Auctions, Amelia Island, USA 1-2 March WITH A NAME like Lucybelle III, it’s clear that this little Porsche has a great story to tell – and it doesn’t disappoint. One of only 24 customer 718 RSK Spyders built, it was delivered straight to Le Mans in 1958 for the American racer Ed Hugus.

Hugus raced the RSK in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the 12 Hours of Sebring, in the livery you see here today, before selling the car on to Don Ives. The amateur racer campaigned it extensively in various SCCA and USAC events in the US throughout the early 164

1960s, with a fourth in class at the 1962 Pikes Peak hillclimb one of his most notable results.

It found its way into the hands of collectors during the 1970s, surviving in largely ‘undisturbed’ condition since. A full restoration in this original livery was completed in 2021, and it has since been awarded first in class at the Audrain Concours d’Elegance.

This RSK will be one of the star lots at Broad Arrow’s Amelia Island sale, where it’s estimated to sell for $3.5-4.5million. broadarrowauctions.com

QUICK GLANCE

AUCTION DIARY Please confirm details with auction houses before travelling 20-28 January Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, USA 24-27 January Mecum, Las Vegas, USA (motorcycles) 25 January Bonhams, Scottsdale, USA RM Sotheby’s, Arizona, USA

1960 Borgward Isabella Combi

1972 Range Rover

Historics Auctioneers, Ascot, Berkshire, UK 2 March, historics.co.uk

Brightwells, Leominster, Herefordshire, UK 14 February, brightwells.com

This charming Isabella Combi has been owned for a number of years by an enthusiast, who has not only maintained it but pampered and improved it along the way. Thought to be one of only four right-hand-drive Combis left on the road in the UK, its bodywork was attended to in 2018, apparently to a very good standard, and new carpets and headlining mean it’s very presentable. Estimated at £14,000-18,000.

As this is what’s known as an A-Suffix Range Rover, it’s one of the earliest and most desirable versions. This one’s particularly interesting, because it has recent restoration invoices totalling £46,000 – including significant structural and mechanical work, paint and trimming. Painted in the correct launch colours of Masai Red with Sahara Dust wheels, the only real upgrade is a useful overdrive. Expect to pay £34,000-40,000.

26 January Worldwide Auctioneers, Scottsdale, USA 27 January WB & Sons, Tyne and Wear, UK 27-28 January ACA, King’s Lynn, UK 31 January RM Sotheby’s, Paris, France 1 February Bonhams, Paris, France SWVA, Poole, UK 2 February Artcurial, Paris, France 3 February Osenat, Paris, France 10 February Barons, Southampton, UK 14 February Brightwells, online

1951 Maserati A6 1500/3C Gran Turismo

1999 RenaultSport Clio V6 Trophy

Bonhams, Paris, France 1 February, bonhams.com

Iconic Auctioneers, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, UK 1-2 March, iconicauctioneers.com

Following WW2, Maserati returned to vehicle manufacture in 1947. As well as building purebred racing cars, it also turned its attention to making its first GT: the A6. This matching-numbers ’51 car – fitted with a rare triple Weber carburettor set-up – was restored between 2010 and 2019, and is of course eligible for the Mille Miglia. Coming from its previous owner of 30 years, it’s expected to fetch ¤450,000-650,000.

Developed for use in a one-make series, the stripped-out Clio V6 Trophy was lighter and considerably more potent than the road car, with power from the mid-engined V6 pushed to 285bhp and transmitted via a sequential six-speed gearbox. Rebuilt when the series ended in 2003 and not raced since, this one is estimated to sell for £36,000-42,000 – which seems like great value, considering that the road cars routinely sell for more.

17 February Manor Park Classics, Cheshire, UK Morris Leslie, Perth, UK 19 February Brightwells, online 23-24 February Iconic Auctioneers, Coventry, UK 24 February Dore & Rees, Shepton Mallet, UK (motorcycles) Richard Edmonds, Wiltshire, UK 29 February Bonhams, Amelia Island, USA

ALSO LOOK OUT FOR… Scarcely believably, the motorcycles set to cross the block at Mecum’s upcoming sale in Las Vegas (24-27 January) include four Imme R100s. For context, at a well-attended Imme rally in Germany you’d be lucky to see two dozen R100s; most of the 12,000 or so built in the Bavarian town of Immenstadt between 1948 and 1951 have not survived, which is a crying shame.

The R100 was conceived by Norbert Riedel, who began not with ‘blue-sky thinking’ but with the usual poser for anybody who wanted to mass-produce a motorcycle in post-war Germany: raw materials and disposable income were both in short supply. Riedel responded by engineering the most ingenious bike, distinguished by its spine frame, its single-sided front fork, and its single-sided swing-arm. The swing-arm also served as the exhaust pipe, and the drivetrain was fixed to it, so the 99cc engine bobbed merrily up and down in concert with the rear suspension.

14-15 February Mathewsons, online

1 March Gooding & Company, Amelia Island, USA DVCA, online 1-2 March Broad Arrow Auction, Amelia Island, USA RM Sotheby’s, Miami, USA 2 March Historics, Ascot, UK

The brilliant economy of the design meant the R100 weighed 57kg dry, would do 75km/h, and cost just DM 775 at launch. Its success was undermined only by an issue with the crankshaft, resolved from frame 2963 on, but not in time to prevent a ruinous number of warranty claims. The R100 pictured above is a lateproduction example – frame 20071D – which should be reassuring to bidders in Las Vegas, where the bike is expected to change hands for $15,000-20,000.

5-9 March Mecum, Glendale, USA 7 March Charterhouse, Sparkford, UK (motorcycles) IN ASSOCIATION WITH

165

THE MARKET / Showroom Stars

SHOWROOM BRIEFS

1995 BMW M5 TOURING $99,800 The 11th from last E34 M5 Touring made, which also makes it the 11th from last handbuilt car from M. Just 891 were produced, and this one was imported to the USA in 2001. It’s covered 108k miles. copleymotorcars.com (US)

1972 Iso Grifo Series 2

£450,000 from Classic Motor Hub, Bibury, Gloucestershire, UK ATTENTION TO DETAIL is an important thing when it comes to car restoration, but there’s room for different interpretations of what that means. While some prefer to keep things exactly as the factory intended, warts and all, others have a more perfectionist outlook. In the case of this Series 2 Grifo, the 19-year restoration process set out to improve upon some of the factory’s shortcuts.

Launched in 1965, the Iso Grifo combined European style and engineering – with a Giugiaropenned body from Bertone and underpinnings engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini – with a gutsy smallblock Chevrolet V8 engine. The revised Series 2 model arrived in 1970, of which this is one of only five right-hand-drive examples built. A total of 413 Grifos were built up to the end of production in December 1974.

The first registered UK owner of this Grifo was a Mr Robert Jull, who apparently sold the car to a

London nightclub owner after finding it too powerful.

It then passed through several hands before being sold to the Grifo enthusiast who would embark on its epic restoration.

Several improvements were made as the car was rebuilt and repainted. The front inner wings can now be unbolted to allow access to the bulkhead and headlights, and, where Iso originally cut the boxsection to fit the TH400 automatic transmission, a stronger custom section has been fabricated. A 170amp alternator, modern air-conditioning and updated power steering help usability, and a more functional fusebox is hidden inside the glovebox (a stainlesssteel replica of the original is mounted in the engine bay to retain the original look). Finally, the body was painted in Varedo Bronze.

The Grifo has made an appearance at Chantilly Arts et Elegance Richard Mille and is now ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. classicmotorhub.com

1998 SUBARU IMPREZA 22B £249,990 This 22B was imported to the UK from Japan in 2002, when the original owner moved here. It’s lived a fairly pampered life, is offered with just over 30,000 miles, and is largely unmodified. vvsuk.co.uk (UK)

1986 ALFA ROMEO GTV €49,500 Quite an interesting ‘bitza’, which started life as a 1986 GTV. Now it has the 1970s looks and running gear from an Alfa 75 V6. All the upgrades are TUV-approved, and it’s said to be outstanding to drive. thiesen-automobile.com (DE)

1967 PRINCE SKYLINE AUS $99,995 Behold the humble origins of the Nissan Skyline GT-R, from JDM manufacturer Prince. This A200 GT-B was homologated for racing with a 2.0-litre straight-six, triple Webers, LSD and five-speed ’box. classicthrottleshop.com (AUS) 166

PETER BRADFIELD LTD

1964 Works Healey 3000 Lightweight

“767 KNX” is an important historic racing car. It was hand built by the Healey Motor Company Competition Department with a lightweight chassis and an all-aluminium body. It was the only ‘Works’ entry for the 1964 “Sebring 12 Hour” driven by Paddy Hopkirkk and then campaigned by Ted Worswick in the 1966 Targa Florio with Alan Minshaw and in 1968 with Richard Bond. The current owner acquired it in 2015 and Jeremy Welch thoroughly race prepared it. KNX is very fast and handles well. The high performance 3 litre engine with three 45DCOE Webers and all round disc brakes give it a very nice edge. It has a fuel cell, fire system and safety cage and over four years has filled a trophy cabinet. Comes with sets of wheels, spares etc, buy your own cabinet.

1925 Bentley 3-4½ Litre Speed Model

Chassis 1066 was delivered with the desirable Vanden Plas coachwork and both chassis and body numbers are stamped in the right places. It was uprated to 4½ litres in 2010 with new crank and rods giving it a good turn of speed and reliability. That Mr. Getley has been looking after it but clearly a number of previous owners have taken a dogged delight in ignoring the paintwork and it has accordingly developed a depth of patina you could drown in. It bears its battle-scars as badges of honour and has appeared on at least three Flying Scotsman Rallies and raced at Goodwood. Concours types, ‘try-hards; and matching number zealots need not enquire but will suit any blaggard, bounder or cad.

Also available SeeWebsite for more details 1925 Bentley 3/4½ Litre 1933 Invicta S Type 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ1

8 REECE MEWS peter@bradfieldcars.com

8 REECE MEWS

Also available KENSINGTON SeeWebsite for more details

www.bradfieldcars.com

LONDON SW7 3HE Tel: 020 7589 8787

KENSINGTON

LONDON SW7 3HE

b dfi ld

THE MARKET / Buying Guide

Audi S8

THE LOWDOWN

As numbers dwindle, now is the time to buy Audi’s first super-limo

FAST AUDIS HAVE always made great getaway cars, something that Hollywood director John Frankenheimer was more than aware of when he personally hand-picked the cars for his 1998 hit, Ronin. It’s easily one of the best car-chase films ever made, and the early star of the film is a menacing yet beautifully understated Audi S8. Although buying a car because it looks (and sounds) great in a film is reason enough, the Audi S8 is a great car full-stop, and one that remains a bit of a bargain.

Following in the footsteps of the previous rangetopping Audi V8, the 1994 D2-generation A8 was a particularly groundbreaking effort. The first of Audi’s cars to use the company’s aluminium spaceframe ‘ASF’ technology, the A8 was lighter and stiffer than the previous Typ 4C V8. It also featured a larger range of engines – from a 2.8-litre V6 up to an initially range-topping 4.2-litre 296bhp V8. A long-wheelbase A8L variant added five extra inches to the car’s already substantial 5034mm length.

It took two more years for the range-topping S8 finally to make an appearance: 1997 for the UK. Following on from Audi’s other well-established S models – the smaller S2, S4 and S6 – the S8’s brief had the same aim. It had to be fast, capable and goodlooking, all while keeping a relatively low profile.

The S8 was powered by a tuned high-compression version of the A8’s 32-valve, 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, producing a healthy 335bhp.

This was coupled to a five-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox in the UK, although a six-speed manual 168

transmission was offered in Europe. Quattro full-time four-wheel drive, equipped with a Torsen centre differential, ensured secure and unflappable handling whatever the weather. The S8 was more of a limo than other S models, but even so the suspension was lowered by 20mm, giving a relatively firm and sporty set-up. Coupled with an engine that loves to rev, it’s a surprisingly fun car to drive.

Externally the S8 kept things low-key, with a pair of solid aluminium door-mirror cappings, 18-inch sixspoke ‘Avus’ alloy wheels and subtle S badging on the bonnet and boot being the only big giveaways that this was anything more than a regular A8 cruiser.

Performance was certainly brisk, with 0-62mph coming in a claimed 5.5sec, and top speed capped at an electronically limited 155mph. It weighed in at 1720kg, which was impressively lean for a luxury saloon with a huge V8 and four-wheel drive.

May 1999 brought the first major update, with a few styling tweaks – new headlights, grille and bumpers, optional 19-inch wheels – along with a new 40-valve 4.2 V8 engine, increasing power to 355bhp.

For the final year of production, 2002 saw the introduction of the Special Edition. This included a number of additions to the standard spec, including 20-inch wheels, Bose stereo and xenon lights.

Prices became cheap for a time, and high relative repair costs quickly saw S8 numbers diminish. There are very few on the market today yet, although good cars are on the up, prices remain sensible. Just make sure you get a good one.

Matthew Hayward

WHAT TO PAY Finding a D2 S8 is becoming a challenge, but rougher cars, or those with less-than-stellar histories, can be found from £2500 to £3000. Expect to pay upwards of £5000 for a tidy car, with the best later high-spec examples still commanding £8000 or more.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR High mileages are very common, but assuming the car has been well-maintained even a 200,000-miler should still feel pretty good to drive.

The aluminium structure means that underbody corrosion is less of a problem, although subframes, pipes and suspension components can still suffer.

The priority when looking for an S8 must be to check the health of its transmission.

The ZF ’box benefits from regular servicing, but failure isn’t uncommon and will require an expensive rebuild.

Treat whining or rough changes with suspicion.

Ensure all the electronics are working, as problems can be fiddly to fix. A diagnostic scan is worthwhile, and should reveal any fault codes.

ENQUIRIES : +44 (0)1242 384092 : SALES@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM : CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM

FOR SALE - £125,000

2011 FERRARI 458 ITALIA - Two owners from new and a full service history with HR Owen

FOR SALE - £79,900

FOR SALE - £300,000

2005 ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH S

1964 JAGUAR E-TYPE SEMI-LIGHTWEIGHT COMPETITION

Full main dealer service history from new to 2023

Race prepared by Valley Motorsport

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1959 Jaguar XK 150 FHC A really excellent original RHD example with numerous upgrades. Specification includes a 3.8 Litre block, Jaguar power steering, Coopercraft disc brakes, bucket seats, overdrive and much more. Original Sherwood Green with Green Suede interior.

1929 Bentley 4.5 Litre DHC An outstanding matching numbers car that retains its original coachwork. Full history.

A desirable late (“heavy pattern”) chassis.

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

1990 FERRARI TESTAROSSA - ONLY 11,600 MILES FROM NEW UK RHD example supplied new by Maranello Sales in December 1990, and looked after impeccably since then.

Only 150 miles since a comprehensive recent service.

2006 LOTUS EXIGE S2 TOURING 44,936 miles

£29,950

2017 BMW i8 43,728 miles

£39,950

2016 JAGUAR F TYPE R 12,442 miles

£45,450

1998 TVR CHIMAERA 500 76,430 miles 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4

18,437 miles

£19,950 £67,950

For sales enquiries call our sales manager Jonathon Webb on 07442 897 760 or email jonathon@carbarn.co.uk

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Our classic car services range from traditional maintenance jobs including setting points and carb adjustments to full recommissioning’s to breathe new life into your pride and joy. For owners with more modern prestige cars our reputation as a Ferrari and Bentley specialist is built upon a decade of experience of caring for specialist and performance cars. As the INEOS Automotive Sales and Service agent for the North East, our skills and experience also extend to off-road and 4x4 vehicles.

2024 CAR BARN DRIVERS’ CLUB 100% free to attend, and supported by the Black Horse Beamish and Aston Workshop, the Car Barn Drivers’ Club is back for its third year of monthly car events.

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If you’re looking for a workshop to service, repair or upgrade your car, contact Car Barn Beamish to discuss how we can help.

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Red Row, Beamish, Durham DH9 0RW

1970 MERCEDES-BENZ 280SL ‘PAGODA’ Old English White with black interior and original black hard top. A UK 4 owner car that went under a full restoration by marque experts John Haynes in 2011. The car comes with a comprehensive history file, original tools and handbooks. Complete with registration ‘280 SL’.

2016 FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA

1983 FERRARI 512 BBI

Rosso corsa with nero leather, extensive carbon fibre throughout the interior and exterior, front and rear parking cameras, suspension lifter, racing seats, 20” forged alloys, Scuderia shields, FFSH, 1,760 miles.

Rosso corsa with crema interior, 1 of 42 UK RHD cars produced, Ferrari Classiche Certification, fully documented and detailed history file, original tools and book pack, 17,310 miles.

2016 MERCEDES AMG GT-S

2008 MERCEDES SL63 AMG

Selenite grey with two tone black and pepper red exclusive nappa leather, 1 owner from new, AMG exterior carbon package, AMG performance steering wheel, Burmester sound system, 7,655 miles.

Iridium silver with black leather, 19” AMG alloys, Bluetooth, satellite navigation, cruise control, carbon fibre trim, full electric heated seats with lumbar control, 18,021 miles.

The leading specialist in sourcing the rare and unobtainable. We are always looking to buy interesting cars.

+44 (0) 1772 613 114 | sales@williamloughran.co.uk | www.williamloughran.co.uk

Ferrari 488 Pista Spider

Ferrari 458 Speciale

Ferrari SF90 Stradale

Carbon fibre front flaps, Carbon fibre front air vents, Carbon fibre under door covers, Carbon fibre inner sill trim, Carbon fibre outer B post trim.

4,200 miles. £424,990

Carbon fibre front spoiler and aerodynamic fins, Carbon fibre side sill fins, Carbon fibre engine bay, Carbon fibre racing seats.

400 miles. £379,990

Carbon fibre driving zone inc LED’s, Full electric sport seats, Black ceramic exhaust pipes, Giallo brake callipers, 20” Diamond cut forged wheels.

3,000 Miles. £359,990

Porsche 911 991 GT2 RS

Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV Roadster Carbon fibre interior, Satin Carbon fibre exterior, Transparent engine cover, Gloss black roof, Sports exhaust system, 21” Dianthus alloys finished in Gloss black. 6,300 Miles. £329,990

Fully electric front seats with Ventilation and Massage function, Advanced 3D Bang and Olufsen sound system.

80 miles. 319,890

Carbon bucket seats, Carbon interior package, Sports chrono package, Clubsport package, Weissach package.

2,000 miles. £354.990

Ferrari 296 GTS T V6

Carbon fibre front spoiler, Carbon fibre rear diffuser, Carbon fibre steering wheel with LED’s, Scuderia shields, 5 twin spoke alloys finished in Bright silver. 1,750 Miles. £318,990

Lamborghini Aventador LP740-4 S Roadster Fully electric seats, Branding package, Transparent engine cover, Lifting system, 20/21” Dionne alloy wheels finished in Gloss black with Diamond face,12,500 Miles. £244,990

Ferrari 812 Superfast

Leather headliner, Cavallino stitched on headrests, Passenger display, Red rev counter, Privacy rear windows, Suspension lifter, Scuderia shields.

11,600 miles. £209,890

Mclaren 765 LT Coupe

MSO Clubsport package, Super lightweight Carbon fibre racing seats, Bowers and Wilkins sound system, Lightweight alloys with Diamond finish. 4,500 Miles. £292,990

Lamborghini Aventador LP740-4 S Coupe

Carbon fibre interior package, Carbon fibre front splitter, Carbon fibre front bonnet trims, Carbon fibre side sills.

10,000 miles. £239,890

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Carbon fibre driving zone with LED’s Carbon fibre dash inserts, Carbon fibre central bridge, Carbon fibre kick plates, Fully electric and heated seats. 7,200 miles. £179,990

Lamborghini Urus Performante

Ferrari 812 Superfast

Coloured mats with logo, Suspension lifter, Adaptive headlights with SBL function, Scuderia shields, Rear privacy glass.

2,000 miles. £284,990

Porsche 911 991.2 GT3 RS Weissach

Cruise control, Reversing camera, Lightweight privacy glass, Aluminium pedals, Front lifting system, Sports exhaust, Smoking package.

5,300 miles. £214,990

Ferrari 488 Spider

Fully electric comfort seats, Cavallino stitched on headrests in Blue, Blue sterling leather steering wheel, Upper dashboard in Blue sterling. 18,000 miles. £139,990

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

2023/73 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS

* GT Silver * WEISSACH PACKAGE * Club Sport Pack * Front Lifting * Sports Chrono * VAT Qualifying * * Ceramic Brakes * 20” Dark Silver Alloys * Bose + further options ** 169 mls only ** £194,995

1977 Ferrari 512 Boxer RHD

* Argento Silver / Red Leather & Carpets * Daytona Seats * AirCon & Stereo * Unrestored Condition * * Nice History File * Recent Service/MOT (Inc Cambelts) * 3 Keepers ** 19,533 mls only ** £299,995

2022/72 Porsche 992 GT3 Touring PDK (LHD)

* GT Silver * Black Leather * Carbon Int Pack * Carbon Roof * Front Lifting * VAT Qualifying * * Ceramic Brakes * Sports Chrono * 18-Way Seats * Bose + further options ** Delivery mls only ** £255,000

MIDDLE BARTON GARAGE

F I AT A N D A B A R T H S P E C I A L I S T S ESTABLISHED 1987

MBG specialises in both parts and engineering for all classic Fiats and Abarths.

We can supply most parts and our workshop undertakes servicing, repairs and restoration of all models.

Please visit our very comprehensive parts section on our website.

FOR SALE: 1965 Abarth Simca 1300 Longnose

Chassis number 130S 0091 build number 96 In first UK ownership for 46 years after being purchased in 1969.

Road registered in the UK in 1971 and original log book survives.

Restored over 4 years after current acquisition in 2015.

135 bhp twin cam engine, close ratio four speed gearbox with 10.35 final drive, four wheel Girling 3 pot callipers, 5.5 & 7 x 13 Campagnolo wheels, Jaeger instruments, plexiglass windows, correct badging etc, etc.

The car has been well tested and works extremely well.

The sound and sight of this car at speed is truly exhilarating.

An extremely rare motorcar which is presented in fine condition, both aesthetically and mechanically. £215,000

Middle Barton Garage, Troy, Ardley Road, Somerton, OX256NG Tel ++44 (0)1869 345766 ● carsandparts@middlebartongarage.com

www.middlebartongarage.com

www.hurstpark.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1372 468487 sales@hurstpark.co.uk

Please see our web-site for a selection of other cars for sale.

JAGUAR XK120 3.4 Ltr SE FHC 1954. Pastel Green with Suede Green hide interior, 16” Chromium wire wheels. Original 3.4 Ltr engine with C-Type cylinder head and original ‘Sandcast’ carburettors. Restored by Nigel Dawes in the 1990’s to original, unmodified specification. Ex-Alex Henshaw/Richard Colton/Sir George Burton/Blackhawk Collection. The last XK 120 FHC built. £139,995

180

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

1970 CHEVRON B16 - FORD FVC

Built for the 1970 season and a competitor at both Daytona 24H and Sebring 12 Hours events with owner Brian Robinson early in the season. DBE -04 then returned to Europe and raced in various World Sportscar Championship events in 1970 and 1971. One of only 4 B16s with undisputed history, DBE-04 is eligible for Le Mans Classic, Masters Sportscars and Peter Auto CER1. This car has been raced regularly in Peter Auto and has only 6 hours running since engine rebuild. Complete with spares package, and new HTP. A well known, fantastic car for the world’s greatest motoring events. Please call for more information.

MILESTONE MOTORCARS 1973 Ferrari Daytona

Totally Original 2 Owners since New Only 14,000 Miles. Fully Documented

561 424 6030 Palm Beach, FL |

For our current inventory please visit our website www.MilestoneMotorcarsLLC.com 181

The School Garage www.classiccarshop.co.uk

Original RHD Uk car in Black with red leather trim, Hood and red weather equipment. Overdrive, wire wheels, unique registration number AH1004. A magnificent and rust free example with continuous history. Cherished number plate is also available - AH 1004. One of the finest available.

Serious enquiries only. £79, 950

2008 Porsche 997 Carrera 2S cabriolet With sports Tiptronic auto. Alloys, sports exhaust CD. Power Hood, plus superb factory spec.Black with Black full leather trim and red callipers, Stunning showroom condition example done 44000 miles from new with FPSH, all books & tools, keys and documentation. £36, 950

Dark Emerald Green with Beige leather 2 owners, low mileage, Full documented history in mint original showroom condition.

Very special car. £22,950.

1992 Mercedes 300SL 24V.R129 5 speed Auto, Signal Red with full Mushroom leather. Power Hood, Hard and soft tops, Air Cond, Cruise, full electric pack, etc. One Owner 18000 miles Only with FMBSH, Completely original and in showroom condition, totally unique! £29, 950.

1975 Bentley T1 - Rare In Seychelles Blue with navy blue leather 75000 miles with excellent comprehensive service history, Vast documentation and original handbook pack original build sheets, bill of sale etc.

Stunning example. £34,950.

Rare LWB with division. Dark Seychelles Blue with Grey leather trim and Lambswool over rugs.

75000 miles with excellent comprehensive history, very famous first owner, lovely original example. £29, 950.

1954 Austin Healey 100/4 BN1

2005 Bentley Continental GT

1975 Rolls Royce Shadow 1

THE SCHOOL GARAGE BOTANY BUSINESS PARK, MACCLESFIELD ROAD, WHALEY BRIDGE, SK23 7DQ T: 01663 733209 • M: 07767 617507 MARTIN J. DALY (EST 1979)

8 FINE EXAMPLES FROM UP TO 50 CLASSIC & PRESTIGE AVAILABLE

2002 Mercedes Benz. SL 55 AMG

In designo mystic Red with mystic Red leather trim, massive factory specification including AMG alloys, Aircond, full electric pack, CD, etc Recent new Tyres and Full service, 48500 miles only, stunning and original, Not to be confused with the normal high mileage/neglected examples on offer, Sold full comprehensive warranty/ delivery etc. £27, 950.

1964 Jaguar E Type 3.8 FHC

RHD Matching numbers example in Signal Red with original red leather trim. CWW, very original rot free car that drives better than any E Type we have owned.

Mechanically perfect, with some areas of cosmetic patination, but if you like driving and rallies this is the

car. £79, 950.

We are always interested in buying part exchanging or selling cars similar to the above. Situated 25 mins from Manchester Airport. Visit our website for more info/photos.

F O R S A L E : JAG UA R C - T Y P E B Y R E A L M - N E W B U I L D W I T H D E L I V E RY M I L E S | £ 8 9 , 9 5 0 B u i l t f r o m a n o r i g i n a l J a g u a r 4 . 2 d o n o r c a r, t h i s 7 5 0 h o u r b u i l d w a s u n d e r t a k e n t o t h e s a m e e x t r e m e l y h i g h q u a l i t y l e v e l s w e a r e k n o w n f o r o n o u r B c aer,b ut hi lits c7a5r 0a sh oa ufru lbl yu -i l-de dwgae sd upnr od feerst saikoenna ltl oy bt hu ei l ts aam gh quality levels we are known for on our r eusitlot r fartoi omn sa na nodr iggrienaat ll yJ as ug ur pa ra s 4s e. 2s adnoyn ohro m n de de ex vt re el ompeel dy chai r. r e s t o r a t i o n s a n d g r e a t l y s u r p a s s e s a n y h o m e b u i l t c a r a s a f u l l y - - e d g e d p r o f e s s i o n a l l y b u i l t a n d d e v e l o p e d c a r.

F i n i s h e d i n E c u r i e E c o s s e B l u e w i t h A l u m i n i u m S i l v e r c e n t r e l o c k w i r e w h e e l s a n d C a d e t G r e y l e a t h e r i n t e r i o r t h i s i s o n e p u r p o s e f u l a n d b e a u t i f u l c a r.

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182

1974 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33-3/Flat 12: Rare, fantastic race record, Ickx, Stommelen, Reutemann, Monza, Nurburgring, Imola.

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

1965 Porsche 356SC Cabriolet: Match- 1958 MGA Twin Cam: Rare, disc brakes, 1958 AC Aceca: Matching #s, comprehensive, documented frame-up restora- ing #s, 1 of 533. 3-owner, full docs, COA. Dunlop competition wheels, frame-up, show quality restoration on an iconic 67k miles. One repaint. Euro version. tion, RHD, rally proven, ready for its next sports car.

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1970 Porsche 917:5 liter, flat 12.

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by Derek Bell, Vic Elford, Jo Siffert; used in the making of Steve McQueen’s movie “Le Mans”.

*** AN OUTSTANDING `TIME-WARP` GARAGE FIND*** 1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE Series 1 ½ Coupe **Laid-up unused from 1972 to 2014 with only 36,000 miles from new **Original owner from 1967 to 2014 **Fabulous preservation, never dismantled **Original - unused - Tool Kit & Jack **Totally original Black leather interior **Totally original - but faded - Opalescent Golden Sand PROBABLY THE MOST ORIGINAL, UNMOLESTED, E-TYPE EXTANT ** POA **

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1964 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8 Coupe

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183

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184

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193

Autobiography

PORTRAIT MICHAEL SHELFORD

‘WHEN I LANDED A ROLE IN MIDSOMER MURDERS, I JUMPED STRAIGHT INTO A BOMBASTIC MERCEDES-AMG A45’

Nick Hendrix

Best known as TV’s Midsomer Murders’ DS Jamie Winter, but also a major car nut MY FATHER SAID to me at an early age that cars are ‘an emotional purchase’. They aren’t financially smart things to buy or own – they are only a cost. But it’s OK because we love them. The proof of this was when I managed to drive non-stop for an hour having not replaced the radiator cap on my beloved Peugeot 306 D Turbo. In black. With the last three letters of the numberplate spelling SPY. It was very cool. But what really wasn’t cool was explaining to a mechanic how I hadn’t noticed the engine temperature climbing until it boiled to death. My dear father’s response?

To find me a replacement engine because he knew I loved SPY. £300 later and she was back on the road, the money pit continuing to be dug.

Like a lot of us, my love of cars came from my dad – the hours spent wandering around the Earls Court Motor Show, taking thousands of over-exposed photos of ’90s supercars, was my education. He worked for Alfa Romeo as a young man and met my Italian mother there – they went on to run road shows for the brand and even borrowed a 1923 RL Targa Florio for their wedding, but that is a whole other story.

My brother and I spent hours on the floor zooming our toy car collection around. A dream fleet of Rollers, Ferraris, Mercs… and one Volvo that we seemed to inexplicably argue over – still a mystery. At that point there was no greater desire in my life than to spend time in and around cars. Yet nowadays I’m very much an actor. Not a Lewis Hamilton, not a Joe Macari, though I’ve managed to harness some of my mild TV

notoriety to slingshot back in the direction of the automotive world.

Let’s go back to the start. I learned to drive in the lesser-heralded Fiat Seicento, which wasn’t something that earned me a lot of kudos in the Sixth Form common room. The power-to-weight ratio was on such a knife-edge that whether my football boots were muddy or clean affected its performance. I then put £995 of hard-earned cash into a green Peugeot 106 (last three registration letters KAM). KAM had four gears, two doors (one of which only I knew how to open), weighed as much as a Toblerone and often decided to cut out for no fathomable reason. I hospital passed it over to my sister, who also enjoyed its ‘unique character.’ Next came the aforementioned SPY, a car that spent so much time on the hard shoulder of the M5 that, one weekend, I was on a first-name basis with the local AA man. Waiting for the turbo finally to kick in after its undeniable lag never ceased to entertain, though.

Once I’d finished mourning the fact that it was scrapped for £30, I felt it was time to buy something more befitting of a petrolhead. I was by then working as an actor but mainly in theatre, so budget was a little mercurial.

After much backstage research, I entered into the automotive Bermuda Triangle that is the Mazda RX8. I found one for £3400, in red with huge wheels and unnecessarily lowered suspension that made every single multi-storey car park or speed-bump a Herculean trial. I lived for four years with a clenched arse and a pained facial expression. It was a car I loved and hated in equal measure, but when there was space to accelerate, and the gearchanges were timed to perfection, it was a hell of a machine.

When I landed Midsomer Murders, my first TV role to come with a grown-up salary, I jumped straight into a bombastic Mercedes-AMG A45. Since then I’ve had four AMGs and will never tire of their raucous exhaust note and childish acceleration. There was an S63 Cabrio (in white – don’t ask), another devilish hatchback A35 (as much fun as the original) and then a GT63S – a monster four-door super-saloon that brought me much joy and much penalty points. I’ve now succumbed to a sensible family car that’s good for the trees, my wife and my tax liabilities.

To make up for this vehicular neutering I set up the automotive agency DRIVEN with my best friend, the photographer Michael Shelford. It started as an excuse for me to drive cars, him to shoot landscapes and both of us to enjoy a few Negronis, yet has now turned into a side career.

Cut to: pushing hard in a Ferrari 328 GTS through the Swiss Alps, while Michael mastered a regularity. The Gstaad Palace Rally was my first rally experience, more Veuve Cliquot than Colin McCrae, but I came home bruised from pinching myself. Dodgy dials, gears you ‘earned’ and a classic Ferrari in the sun were something money couldn’t buy. With that I thought I’d reached ‘peak automotive’ but the peak keeps getting higher: driving a Morgan Super 3 at Shelsley Walsh, blasting a Roma through Tuscany with 50 other Ferraris, sliding a 911 GT3 RS round the Col De Turini… The latter was a magical, intense and at times alarming experience: ‘Transmission Failure, Please Park Safely’ is not what you want to read while weaving downhill at speed on single-track Alpine switchbacks. That was surely peak automotive… well, until the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato dragged me around the Strada Bianca at Nardò.

So, I’ll continue to solve murders in Midsomer, but I’d also like to circumnavigate Iceland in a Rolls-Royce Spectre, race across America in a ’67 Shelby GT500 and survive the Nürburgring in a 911 GT3 RS. Please. And then maybe present Top Gear, if it ever comes back.

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

US Postmaster: send address changes to Octane, WORLD CONTAINER INC 150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA.

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T H E

H A I R P I N

C O M P A N Y

A SPECIAL ASTON

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