Octane 257 November 2024

THE UNRESTORED BUGATTI TYPE 59 THAT HAS REDEFINED PEBBLE BEACH

V10 35 YEARS OF

ALL THE ROAD CARS: FROM VIPER TO SOLUS VIA LEXUS LFA TOP ENGINEER ON WHY THE V10 RULES

AUDI AND LAMBORGHINI SUPERCARS FROM £40,000 WHEN V10 S DOMINATED F1

MADNESS

INSIDER INSIGHT

$391m IN SALES, BUT WERE THE 2024 MONTEREY AUCTIONS AN OMEN?

JENSEN FF • FERRARI SUPER MONZA • NISSAN SKYLINE R32-R35 • BOND DB5 FOR THE ROAD • FORD SIERRA XR8 ISSUE 257, NOVEMBER 2024. £6.50 / AUS $15.00

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Issue 257 November 2024

PAGE

Contents

106

‘A PLAN WAS HATCHED TO BUY A DB5 AND RESTORE IT – BUT AS THE MOVIE CAR’ ‘JAMES BOND’ ASTON MARTIN DB5

76

114

5

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Contents Issue 257

122

94 Features V10 SUPERCARS 46 Lamborghini Gallardo and Audi R8: serious thrills and glamour from £40,000

ALL THE V10s 58 A V10 powerhouse for every occasion – PLUS Formula 1’s most sonorous era

PEBBLE BEACH BUGATTI 62 This preservation-class car made history by winning. Let the debate begin

MONTEREY MUSINGS 72 Auction analysis: is the sales tide turning?

62

JENSEN FF 76 First and last of the pioneering four-wheeldrive, Italian-styled yet utterly British GT

THE OCTANE INTERVIEW 88

46

Few have raced more globally or more successfully than John Fitzpatrick

NISSAN GT-R 94 Back-to-back in four generations, from R32 Skyline to the current, thundering R35

ASTON MARTIN DB5 106 Incredible James Bond re-creation

FORD XR8 114 South Africa’s race-bred V8 repmobile

FERRARI SUPER MONZA 122 Luigi Chinetti’s unique 1950s 250 racer 7

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Contents Issue 257

16

Regulars EVENTS & NEWS 16 The month in pictures; diary dates; jet-set lifestyle lands at Salon Privé

COLUMNS 35 Jay Leno, Derek Bell, Stephen Bayley and Robert Coucher on matters of note

LETTERS 43 In praise of the Jeep Cherokee

OCTANE CARS 130 Maserati 4200GT joins the fleet

OVERDRIVE 138 Bolwell Nagari, a rarity from Down Under

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN 144 Highs and lows of racer Ronnie Bucknum

GEARBOX 146 Automotive artist Tim Layzell’s stuff

ICON 148 Fair and square: the Bauhaus chess set

CHRONO 150 Jump hour watches: pre-empting digital

BOOKS 152

150

146

This month’s essential reading

GEAR 154 More than you could wish for

THE MARKET 162 Insider knowledge, auction news, market stats, cars for sale, buy a Panhard 24

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 194 Craig Callum, the man who brings Hot Wheels models to life

152

154 8

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Issue 257 November 2024

WELCOME

FEATURING

FROM THE EDITOR

DAVID BURGESS-WISE ‘I’ve always been interested in the history behind a car, and this Bugatti really had a tale to tell. Not only that, it had been a favourite car of a good friend, and – better yet – it had broken the mould of perfect-plus cars always winning top concours events’

PAUL HARMER

Controversy surrounded this year’s Pebble Beach winner: pages 62-68.

Soundtrack of the century FROM THE MOMENT the Dodge Viper concept appeared at the North American International Auto Show in 1989 it was clear that productionising V10s in road cars would be swimming upstream against the V8s and V12s. Yet it is still surprising that, when the possibilities were seen – and heard!

– more manufacturers didn’t jump on the bandwagon. As the sun sets on the roadgoing V10 35 years later, the applications James Elliott, Editor in chief may be myriad (as we explore on pages 58-59) but the actual number of different V10 motors designed and built for production road cars is pretty low, even if you include diesels and people-carriers.

Glorious noise aside, what I like best about them is the way that, just when cars globally were becoming depressingly homogenised, the V10 came along and reignited, underlined, then highlighted in neon the century-old car culture wars between Europe and the US. The Europeans tamed the V10, finessed it, dressed it in a smart suit and sold it as a glamour accessory. Just like our cover cars, though there is a bit more to their appeal than that, and especially at their achingly tempting current values. The point is that both the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo may be V10s but they are sophisticated European V10s exploiting the configuration’s more refined characteristics to offer instant pick-up and sublimely smooth top-end speed.

Meanwhile, our friends over the Pond saw other, even polar-opposite possibilities.

I drove a Dodge Viper a few years back and, once I could breathe again, my biggest takeaway was that I just didn’t think anyone would be allowed to make cars like that anymore. There was something utterly unhinged and unbelievably exhilarating about it. Wild like a TVR on angel dust. And all that despite ‘only’ being the 8.0-litre. To then take that monster and put it in the Dodge Ram pick-up truck is possibly the most American thing since Twinkies.

Ultimately, there is a quirky lunacy and rebelliousness to all V10 road cars, whether it be Audi’s bonkers estate or the stand-alone loopy Lexus, but you’ve got to hand it to the Americans: they didn’t federalise the V10, they feralised it.

RICH PEARCE ‘My first job after leaving school was as an apprentice technician at the local Nissan dealership, and just occasionally you’d get the chance to work on a Skyline. It was always the highlight of the job. My love of old Japanese cars grew from there, so it was a real honour to shoot the Skylines and GT-R feature.’

See Rich’s superb photography on pages 94-104.

ALASTAIR WATSON ‘I grew up in Australia during the 1970s and can’t remember not being car-obsessed.

Our local car manufacturing industry took what was on offer worldwide and made it our own. Driving the 1971 Bolwell Nagari was a boyhood dream come true.’

Find out all about this ultra-rare, Australianmade muscle car on pages 138-139.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL HARMER / ALAMY / EVAN KLEIN

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RM UP-01 FERRARI Ultra-flat manual winding calibre 1.75 millimetres thin 45-hour power reserve (± 10%) Baseplate, bridges and case in grade 5 titanium Patented ultra-flat escapement Function selector Limited edition of 150 pieces

A Racing Machine On The Wrist

Issue 257 November 2024

NEXT MONTH

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

ISSUE 258, ON SALE 30 OCTOBER

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

BARRY HAYDEN

SAM CHICK

SAM CHICK

Italian correspondent Massimo Delbò Design assistance Ruth Haddock Contributor Chris Bietzk

Inquiries to info@octane-magazine.com

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

Rolls-Royce 17EX

Driving the one-off sports prototype, sold new to an Indian maharajah, today a multiple concours winner

Plus Generation Z Sporting BMWs from Z1 to Z8 Frazer Nash Targa Florio Twice a Le Mans veteran, in single ownership for 53 years Skunkworks Delta Integrale On the road in one-off Evo 1 Martini 6 Prototype by Autec So-Cal Speed Shop Looking back on its legendary founder, Alex Xydias (Contents may be subject to change)

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

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Issue 257 November 2024

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Fuelling the passion

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International InternationalExhibition Exhibitionfor for International Exhibition for International Exhibition for Classic ClassicMotor MotorEnthusiasts Enthusiastsand andCollectors Collectors Classic Motor Enthusiasts and Collectors Classic Motor Enthusiasts and Collectors

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The Month in Pictures

Ignition E V EN T S + NE WS + OPINION

16

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Goodwood Revival Meeting 6-8 September Who would ever have expected to see an entire grid of Beach Buggies taking over Goodwood? That’s what happened when a vivid selection of Meyers Manxes officially opened the track, ironically during the wettest-ever Revival. Other big successes for 2024 were all the racing taking place using sustainable fuel, a host of legendary motorsports names old and new (including Karun Chandhok, Dario Franchitti, Jimmie Johnson, Tom Kristensen, John McGuinness, Sir Jackie Stewart and Jacques Villeneuve), amazing racing, and celebrations for John Surtees, the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the 75th of the Jaguar XK engine. Off-track, the Revive & Thrive Village welcomed the likes of Dita Von Teese and Zandra Rhodes.

Dominic James

17

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

18

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Salon Privé 28-31 August A fantastic Ferrari 335 S topped the three-car shortlist to take Best of Show at this year’s Salon Privé Concours. The winning car was entered by US enthusiast Brian Ross, who drove it on the Tour Privé the day before it was crowned. In period, the Scuderia Ferrari car was raced by a stellar cast that included Peter Collins, Maurice Trintignant, Wolfgang von Trips, Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Musso. Concours chairman Andrew Bagley said: ‘You only have to look at the great names who raced it to realise how significant a car it was. We now look forward to its entry into the next Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award.’ Runner-up from the 72-car field was Lord Bamford’s Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sport Saloon by Freestone & Webb, while third place went to Nicholas and Shelley Schorsch’s ex-Rudolph Valentino 1927 Isotta Fraschini 8AS Fleetwood.

Salon Privé

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT

Concorso Italiano 17 August

Under new management and a great success at the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course.

Concorso Italiano

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 14-17 August

Jenson Button tackles the Laguna Seca circuit in a 1952 Jaguar C-type. The event majored on the 50th anniversary of historic racing.

Rolex / Stephan Cooper

Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance 14 August

Concours cars crossing Bixby Bridge – a great chance for the public to see these amazing cars run, and for free!

Rolex / Tom O’Neal

The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering 16 August

Sam and Emily Mann’s spectacular 1937 Delahaye Type 135 – built as an open-wheel race car then rebuilt as a sports car – was Best of Show at The Quail.

Trevor Ryan / Mike Grambush

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 18 August

A 1955 Maserati 150S Spyder on the lawn.

Turn to p62 for our full story of the Best in Show Bugatti.

Rolex / Tom O’Neal

20

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

AUCTIONS & PRIVATE BROKERAGE

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1954 FERRARI 500 MONDIAL SERIES I SPIDER Sold for $3,995,000 Amelia Island 2024

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1961 PORSCHE RS61 Sold for $3,100,000 World Auction Record for the Model Amelia Island 2024 1995 FERRARI 333 SP EVOLUZIONE Sold for $5,120,000 Pebble Beach 2024

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

FROM TOP

VSCC 90th anniversary 9 August

A week of activities based at Stratfordupon-Avon Racecourse on 5-11 August included tours, rallies and driving tests, but the centrepiece was a superb hillclimb at Chateau Impney in Droitwich.

Chris Tarling / Yellow Hound

Silverstone Festival 23-25 August

Terrible weather blighted the huge event at the home of the British GP, but spirits remained high and there was some fabulous – if occasionally cautious – track action.

Jakob Ebrey Photography

Concours of Elegance 30 August – 1 September

Best of Show at Hampton Court for the 13th running of this superb event was a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Convertible by Inskip.

This 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato took the honours as the best 1960s car.

Concours of Elegance

22

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT

Eifel Rallye Festival 15-17 August

Guests at the 12th German rally festival included Blomqvist, Grönholm and more.

ADAC

Hot-Rod Hayride 2-4 August

Oval track action at Bisley.

Chris Tarling / Yellow Hound

Croft Historic Festival 10-11 August

Topsy-turvy midfield action in Historic Formula Ford at the North Yorks circuit.

Ben Lawrence

VSCC Mallory Park 31 August

Gillian Carr (1912 Abbott Detroit) during the race for Edwardian cars.

Peter McFadyen

US Auto Show 17 August

Oulton Park was taken over with everything from Midget racers to Muscle Cars.

Michael Holden

VSCC 90th 5-11 August

John Williams’ 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans on one of four road tours.

Peter McFadyen

Ogle gathering 25-26 August

Seven of 66 SX1000s built at Knebworth.

Jeroen Booij

Oldtimer Grand Prix 9-11 August

Nothing looks out ofplace at the ’Ring.

Günter Biener 24

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1965 FERRARI 275 GTB

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Ignition Events

Dates for your diary 4-6 October The Race of Gentlemen Hot rods and motorcycles go flat-out on the beach at Wildwood, New Jersey.

theraceofgentlemen.com

4-6 October Estoril Classics The nine championships run by Peter Auto are decided at Estoril.

peterauto.fr

4-6 October Père-Fille Father-and-daughter crews contest a regularity rally in the South of France.

happyfewracing.com

4-6 October Velocity Invitational

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Bologna, 24-27 October | Image: Auto e Moto d’Epoca Bologna

Classic racecars tackle the track at Sonoma Raceway.

velocityinvitational.com

25-29 September

28 September

29 September

International St Moritz Automobile Week

Healeys Classic Car Rally

Brooklands German Day

5 October

…and more German machines gather at Brooklands.

HERO Challenge Three

Featuring ‘Super Stick Shift’, a rally for supercars built between 1974 and 1995.

A charity event based at the Cornish cyder farm run by Donald Healey’s family. Entry is £50 per driver, and £25 per passenger.

i-s-a-w.com

bookings@healeyscyder.co.uk

25-29 September

28 September

Spa 6 Hours

Rustival 2

The meeting’s signature six-hour race is held on the Saturday.

Rustival returns to the British Motor Museum. As before, ‘If it has got wheels it is welcome!’

spasixhours.com

27-29 September

britishmotormuseum.co.uk

The Founders’ Run

28-29 September

In Portugal, pre-war cars rumble from Figueira da Foz to Lisbon.

Castle Combe Stage Rally

fundadores.pt

27-29 September Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705 Some first-rate pre-1974 classics dot the grounds of the Palazzo di Varignana near Bologna.

palazzodivarignana.com

28 September

Rallyday XL is off, but in its place is the first stage rally held at Castle Combe since 1983.

castlecombecircuit.co.uk

28-29 September Classic Car Boot Sale At King’s Cross in London, classic vehicles go on display and traders offer vintage goodies.

classiccarbootsale.co.uk

brooklandsmuseum.com

29 September – 13 October

hero-era.com

Austria to Athens Challenge

5 October

This 4000km adventure will take crews through seven countries as they motor from Ennstal in Austria to Vouliagmeni in Greece.

Luft 10

rallytheglobe.com

1-6 October

Luftgekühlt, which celebrates the air-cooled Porsches, returns to the Universal Studios backlot in Los Angeles.

luftgekuhlt.com

ICONS Mallorca

5-12 October

A week of events on Mallorca, including a concours and a meeting for classic beach cars.

Tour de Corse Historique

iconsmallorca.com

3-6 October

Closed-road stages account for more than a third of this 620-mile rally around Corsica.

tourdecorse-historique.fr

Audrain Newport Concours

6 October

The concours on Rhode Island is again complemented by a tour, an auction, and several seminars.

Pioneer Run

audrainconcours.com

sunbeam-mcc.co.uk

3-6 October

6 October

Zoute Grand Prix

Coffee & Classics The Classic Motor Hub in Bibury hosts its last Coffee & Classics get-together of the year.

classicmotorhub.com

VSCC Prescott Long Course Hillclimb

29 September

The VSCC Speed Championship reaches its climax at Prescott.

German cars arrive at Bicester Heritage en masse…

The seaside resort of KnokkeHeist in Belgium hosts a show, a tour and a rally.

vscc.co.uk

bicesterheritage.co.uk

zoutegrandprix.be

Oktoberfest Assembly

HERO-ERA’s final one-day rally of 2024, based in Lincolnshire.

Over 300 pre-1915 motorcyles trundle from Epsom to Brighton.

26

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6 October

12-13 October

Bicester Heritage Scramble

REVS Pilgrim Tour

Classics are displayed at Bicester Heritage, and the site’s specialists open their doors to visitors.

Twenty crews explore south-west Wales, following part of the Pilgrim Way through Pembrokeshire. Entry costs £250 per two-person crew, and £50 per additional passenger.

bicesterheritage.co.uk

6-11 October Modena Cento Ore The route this year takes crews from Rimini to Modena, via races at Misano and Mugello.

modenacentoore.canossa.com

10 October

tiggyatkinson@hotmail.com

12-13 October VSCC Welsh Trial The VSCC kicks off the trialling season in Presteigne.

vscc.co.uk

Gaydon Gathering

12-13 October

All sorts of vehicles, from sports cars to vintage tractors, park up at the British Motor Museum.

Montlhéry Centenary Festival

britishmotormuseum.co.uk

Cars spanning the entire history of Montlhéry Autodrome will take to the track at this two-day party.

10-13 October

festival-centenaire-autodromelinas-montlhery.eventmaker.io

Targa Florio Classica Pre-1966 cars are tested on a regularity rally based in Palermo.

12-16 October

targa-florio.it

Classic off-road vehicles venture into the back country of Arizona.

11-13 October Barber Vintage Festival

mensartscouncil.com

13 October

barbermuseum.org

Competition cars are displayed at Brooklands and put through their paces on the circuit at the adjacent Mercedes-Benz World.

Chattanooga Motorcar Festival

Brooklands Autumn Motorsport Day

Classes at the concours in downtown Chattanooga will include one for barnfinds.

brooklandsmuseum.com

chattanoogamotorcar.com

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Bologna

24-27 October

Villa La Massa, just outside Florence, is the venue for this event for post-1990 supercars.

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

villalamassa.com

autoemotodepoca.com

11-13 October Villa La Massa Excellence

Some of these events may seem a long way off, but you’ll need to secure your place now if you want to take part

Copperstate Overland

Motorcycle enthusiasts flock to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama.

11-13 October

BOOK NOW!

La Carrera Costa Rica Monthly, from February to December 2025 This arrive-and-drive event – entry includes a ‘hire car’ from the organiser’s fleet – covers 1468km over ten days and costs $4990 per person. The host country is known as ‘the Switzerland of Central America’, with its stunning landscapes. The keywords for the event are ‘relaxed luxury’. classic-touring-rally-central-america.com/la-carreracosta-rica/

Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 17 May – 22 June 2025 Despite being the second event in two years, the 36-day, 14,250km (8850 miles) epic from China to France is filling up fast. The new ‘Invitation Class’ for 4x4s is already generating a lot of interest and has now been extended to also include pre-1985 rally cars. hero-era.com

Carrera Andalucía 22 June – 3 July 2025 Recces are underway for Rally the Globe’s latest – sixth – carrera, which will explore the southern Spanish region via 2200km of all-asphalt roads over 11 days. Open to pre-1977 cars, it promises deserted roads, spectacular scenery and plenty of tests on local circuits. rallytheglobe.com/rallies/carrera-andalucia/

Passione Engadina 21-24 August 2025 This St Moritz rally always sells out quickly and, with only 120 places available for the 14th edition – 40 for pre-1985 Porsches, 40 for Ferrari, the remainder for other Italian classics up to 2005 – you are advised not to hang around. A big change for 2025 will be the event starting on Thursday, giving participants the Sunday to make their way home. passione-engadina.ch/ Tour de Corse Historique, 5-12 October | Image: Tour de Corse Historique

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Ignition News

Salon Privé takes off with MotorAvia party How a slice of Monterey glamour landed at an airport in Oxford Words David Lillywhite Photography Chris Cooper / ShotAway

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A PARTY AT an airport to kick off a week of events? Hmm, I think we’ve heard of such a thing… but that would be Motorlux, née McCall’s Motorworks Revival, which takes place during California’s Monterey Car Week at the local Jet Center.

It works there, while the clear blue skies darken above Monterey’s movers and shakers as they quaff fine wines and seafood, amid million-dollar collector cars and multimillion-dollar private jets.

And in the UK? Could such an event succeed? The organisers of Salon Privé, headed by brothers Andrew and David Bagley, thought it could be the perfect way to kick off the four days of events that Salon Privé has expanded into. This, then, is how the first MotorAvia came about, at what’s officially named London Oxford Airport – a small but growing airport specialising in general and business aviation, just a ten-minute drive from Blenheim Place, at which Salon Privé is based.

So, on Tuesday 27 August, Salon Privé’s MotorAvia opened to its first ever guests, based in and outside an aircraft hangar. The event was blessed with a beautiful evening, and as the sun went down the music and entertainment inside the hangar ramped up.

The cars on display were straight off the Salon Privé Cotswolds Tour, ahead of their appearance in the concours at Blenheim Palace the next day, so there were some true gems to see. Lord Bamford’s 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II and 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO/64 Opposite and above right Not the Monterey Jet Center but London Oxford Airport, where exotic cars mixed with aviation exhibits and revellers enjoyed great food and entertainment, and queued to check out the inside of Boeing’s private jet.

were among the highlights, as was Brian Ross’s 1957 Ferrari 335 S, the Harrods-liveried Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, and the Audrain Collection’s 1927 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8AS Fleetwood Roadster. And that’s glossing over the Aston Martin Valkyrie, the Koenigsegg CCX, the Ferrari F40 and Daytona, the Bizzarrini… you get the idea.

All were presided over by the aviation exhibits, including Cessna Citation and a Boeing private jet – there was a queue all evening to view the latter’s luxury interior.

Inside the hangar, two new Rolls-Royces, a Lotus Evija, an upgraded Land Rover and bespoke motorcycles sat between the private jets, Bell helicopter, the central DJ booth and – crucially – the food areas. In terms of size, MotorAvia isn’t quite up to the Monterey event that inspired it, but it won hands-down

on the quantity of food. No searching for late-night takeaways after MotorAvia.

Midway through the evening, visitors were asked to gather in the hangar for a speech, followed by an impressive performance of opera singing, and then a stunning display by female acrobats. Stilt walkers and a man covered head-to-toe in tiny mirrors added to the occasion before the DJ turned up the music and guests hit the dance floor.

Was the inaugural MotorAvia a success?

Yes, we’d say so. It could have done with a few more visitors, yet that’s usually the way with a first event, and parking and logistics will then need to ramp up accordingly – but we’d certainly recommend that you start your Salon Privé experience there next year.

Turn to pages 18-19 for more from Salon Privé.

Act now, the Awards nominations close soon!

Time is running out to get your nominations in for the 2024 International Historic Motoring Awards. We want your suggestions for deserving winners across 13 categories ranging from the top young achievers to the best restoration of the past year. All you have to do to nominate is go the website – historicmotoringawards.co.uk – before 3 October and follow the simple instructions.

Once nominations have closed, shortlists will be presented to our star-studded panel of judges, who will select the deserving winners.

Two key trophies, however, will be decided separately: the Car of the Year, which will be decided by a public vote (watch this space for details), and the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winners will be revealed at a glittering evening hosted by Amanda Stretton at the fabulous new Peninsula Hotel beside Hyde Park Corner in London on 22 November. Around 400 guests will attend the event, and tickets – including dinner and drinks – cost from £280 for a single admission to £2600 for a table of ten. Tickets can also be booked at the official website (historicmotoringawards.co.uk), where there is information on all the awards, the judges and much more.

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Ignition News

Gooding & Co snapped up AUCTION HOUSE CHRISTIE’S, which abandoned the classic car market nearly two decades ago, has swept back into it with the acquisition of Gooding & Company. The news broke as Octane went to press and some details were still sketchy, but we know that company principal David Gooding – who founded his Santa Monica-based auction house in 2003, having previously served with both Christie’s and RM – will stay on as President. He will be supported by Rupert Banner, who has joined Gooding & Company from Bonhams, having also previously been part of the Christie’s team before it was disbanded.

A spokesperson for Gooding & Company confirmed the sale: ‘The deal is likely to close at the end of this year and the company will be known as Gooding Christie’s. At the moment, Christie’s doesn’t have a collector car department, though it did several decades ago, so this will allow Christie’s to re-enter that space. Gooding Christie’s will be the automotive leg of Christie’s global enterprises, and David Gooding will still stay on as our President, reporting to Christie’s CEO, Guillaume Cerutti. It’s a new chapter for Gooding & Company, which is really exciting. Christie’s has just such a global reach and reputation, and it just provides Gooding Christie’s with a global platform for further development and growth.’

New face at StarterMotor Following the retirement of long-standing chief executive David Withers, Bicester-based StarterMotor – dedicated to introducing youngsters to classics – has appointed automotive industry specialist Steve Cootes as General Manager. Steve has previously had stints at Ford, Mazda and Jaguar Land Rover.

J40s take over Pall Mall To mark the 75th anniversary of the Austin J40 pedal car, eight important examples went on display in the famous Rotunda of the Royal Autombile Club for two weeks. Examples included an early Austin Pathfinder, a number of classic and unique J40s, and ended with the latest Austin J40 Recreation.

Best of the Best is a Duesie A 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Speedster scooped The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award.

Part of the collection of the late USAF Major General William Lyon, the rare supercharged version was uniquely bodied by Gurney Nutting. It qualified for the shortlist by merit of winning the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2023. Judges included Nick Mason, Jay Leno, Ralph Lauren and Henry Ford III.

Ginetta’s roadgoing beast As part of its ongoing celebrations of 20 years of stewardship by Dr Lawrence Tomlinson, Ginetta has launched its track-inspired, roadgoing Akula supercar, the concept of which was first mooted pre-Covid. Limited to 20 cars and powered by a naturally aspirated, 600bhp 6.4-litre V8, the 1190kg carbonfibre coupé uses aero developed from the Ginetta Le Mans G61-LT-P1 LMP1 race car.

It’s priced from £275,000.

Turkish speed exhibition The Rahmi M Koç Muzesi in Istanbul, an industry-focused museum with 150 vehicles, is to open a new exhibition simply called Horsepower. Opening on 26 November and running for up to nine months, the exhibition will feature 22-24 selected cars spanning 140 years of car evolution. Among them will be a fascinating Turkish one-off named the Sazan. Built by the Onuk Competition Development, it has a Corvette engine and drives through a Porsche gearbox.

Karting for Bicester Bicester Motion has applied for permission to turn one of its hangars, the Grade II listed, 31,000sq ft Hanger 137, into a £2million e-karting centre with a two-level 500m track. The scheme would be carried out in partnership with TeamSport and, according to Bicester, ‘will enable Bicester Motion to invest £4million to restore, rejuvenate and conserve the historic hangar’s external building fabric’.

Rhode Island reds The fast-growing Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week 3-6 October) has both strengthened and broadened its list of sponsors and partners.

Watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne remains the key partner of Sunday’s showpiece 180-car Concours, and is joined by the likes of Parker Construction, Private Client Select, Sotheby’s Financial Services, Risk Strategies and Bank of America.

Electric Meyers Manx The Meyers Manx 2.0 EV pre-production dune buggy was unveiled at the Goodwood Revival Meeting on 6 September.

The next-generation electric vehicle pays homage to Bruce Meyers’ original design while integrating state-of-the-art technology. Phillip Sarofim, Meyers Manx chairman, said: ‘We’re not just unveiling the new 2.0 EV; we’re presenting a philosophy – where the legacy of the past is reimagined with the innovation of the future.’

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AUCTION

Classic cars & motorcycles SATURDAY | OCTOBER 12 TH 2024 | 1:30 PM European excellence Thornley Kelham has revealed the second in its European series of restomods. After last month’s European RS comes the 25-off Paul Howse (re)designed, Jaguar XK-based European GT. The more muscular look sees the roofline lowered by 2.5in, the body is hand-formed from aluminium alloy, the luxury interior features Wilton carpets, Connolly hide, climate control and heated seats, while 360bhp is teased from the fuel-injected 3.8-litre straight six. Each takes 6000 hours to build. Next to be unveiled will be the European SL.

Beaulieu’s new branding The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, the world’s first permanent motor museum when it was founded in 1952 by Edward Lord Montagu, has launched a new brand identity. Chief executive Jon Murden said: ‘It reflects the museum’s ambition to engage and inspire with the story of motoring through world-class collections. Reflected in a tag line of “stories that move people”, it introduces the museum’s personality and key themes.’

Alain Cerf b.1934 The founder of the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, which brilliantly focuses on engineering and technical development, has died. The French-born entrepreneur (he founded Polypack) was also a prolific author and famously recreated the Fardier by Cugnot, the first self-propelled vehicle.

Racers at the Petersen Latest special exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA is ‘Driven to Win: The Automobile in Competition’.

Taking place in the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery, it celebrates motorsport through racers from various disciplines, from 1913 Mercer Raceabout to 2018 McLaren MCL33 via a host of cars including a 1966 Lola T70 MKII Spyder (above).

Sidecar heroes recognised The Royal Automobile Club has awarded the 2024 Segrave Trophy to 14-times Isle of Man sidecar TT winners Ben and Tom Birchall.

The award, for outstanding skill, courage and initiative, has previously been won by a host of other motorcycling heroes including Joey Dunlop, Barry Sheene, Mike Hailwood, John Surtees and Geoff Duke.

Alex Xydias b.1922 The legendary founder of the So-Cal Speed Shop in Burbank, as well as a hot-rod and racing pioneer, has passed away at the age of 102. The former Flying Fortress radio operator was, with Dean Batchelor, the first to fashion a speed machine from a drop tank and achieved 193.54mph at the 1949 Bonneville Nationals. See Octane next month for a full tribute to his extraordinary life.

OLDTIMER GALERIE TOFFEN

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1990 BMW M3 E30 Convertible

1955 Ford Thunderbird Roadster

1975 Alfa Romeo Montreal

1967 Reliant Scimitar GT 3 litre

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1980 Porsche 911 SC Targa

1961 VW Beetle 1200 Deluxe

1937 Cadillac Series 65 Sedan

2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

1970 Citroën ID 20

1953 BMW R25/2

1969 Dodge Coronet 440 Coupé

1955 Mercedes 190 SL Roadster

1971 Jensen Interceptor II

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1954 Lambretta LD 125

1973 Rolls-Royce Corniche Conv.

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Fuelling the passion

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Broad Arrow is excited to present an outstanding Swiss-based collection of over 60 helmets, most of which having been used in Formula One by well-known drivers. Highlights range from Rubens Barrichello’s race winning 2002 Indianapolis helmet to helmets used by drivers such as Jean Alesi, Daniel Ricciardo, Jacques Villeneuve, Jos Verstappen and Michael Schumacher.

Ignition Opinion

The Collector

Jay Leno Restoration: it’s all about knowing the right people

S

ometimes a project just gets the best of you and you have to put it off to the side for a while. That was the case with my 1927 Bugatti Type 38A. I acquired it well over 30 years ago and it was pretty far gone at the time. The supercharger, as well as many other rare parts, were missing. Plus it had been severely neglected.

I purchased the car from the widow of Bob Kountz, an extremely gifted mechanic who was also a Vincent Black Shadow man, like myself. That’s how I knew him. For years after he passed away various people would stop by the house and try to buy things from her, which made her extremely paranoid. Bob and I had been friends but she trusted no one from years of people trying to take advantage of her. When I asked her what she wanted for the Bugatti she said she had read a Bugatti Royale had sold for $15million. That was her price for the Type 38A. Years later she still had the car and was holding her price firm. Eventually I said I’d beat her best offer. I eventually wound up getting the car for $125,000, which was still better than anyone else had offered.

Bob had spent three years restoring the car in the early 1950s, with the eventual result being featured in the March 1956 issue of Road & Track. It was also displayed at Pebble Beach, where it was judged to be one of the finest restorations anyone had ever seen.

Why it was left to deteriorate over the next 40 years, much of it outside, is anyone’s guess.

The car had a fascinating history. There was a young American racer named Leon Duray, the same as a French racer. The American Duray, whose real name was George Stewart and was from Cleveland, Ohio, went to Europe in the late-1920s/early-1930s with two Miller race cars. The cars did not do well because they had inadequate transmissions and brakes. But what they did have were those incredible twin-cam Miller racing engines.

Ettore Bugatti was so taken with these motors, he traded the American Duray a full Type 35 Grand Prix Bugatti as well as the Type 38A chassis for the two engines, which he then copied. The Type 38A chassis was then sold to Charles Howard, owner of the famous racehorse, Seabiscuit. He had Murphy of Pasadena make a two-seater roadster body for it, which was still on the car, making it the only Bugatti ever bodied by an American firm.

He then sold the car to Bunny Phillips, a legendary Bugatti character here in Southern California. He pulled out the Type 38A engine and replaced it with a blown 2.3-litre Bugatti engine from a Grand Prix car. Phillips stripped off the fenders and the windshield and took it to the Muroc Lakes, where he went 124mph – a very creditable speed then.

Before Mr Kountz got it, it had been owned by a high school kid named Phil Hill. When I got it, it was in a very sad state and that’s why it was so cheap.

I immediately began trying to find a supercharger.

From what I could tell, the supercharger was not on the car when Bob Kountz restored it in 1956.

In the interim, I had also purchased a Type 37 Bugatti from a man named Bob Dunlap. Bob had been one of the three founding members of the American Bugatti club and knew these cars inside and out. When I told him of my plight trying to find a supercharger, he said: ‘You know, I took one off a car back in the late 1940s.’ He went to the back shelf in his garage, took down a supercharger and said: ‘I think this is the one off your car.’ And it was!

With Bob’s help, we found many of the missing pieces we needed. My car now has the original engine it came with. I then called my good friend Randy Ema, the premier authority on the restoration of Duesenberg automobiles, but with a soft spot for Bugattis. I had him do the restoration. We brought it to Pebble Beach in 2002 where it did very well, being not only the very first Type 38A, but once again the only Bugatti ever bodied in America.

Then I drove it. A lot. About ten years ago it wasn’t running correctly. My engine block had a porosity problem. It was literally sweating out coolant. It sat for almost a decade until I contacted Jim Stranberg, one of the world’s finest Bugatti mechanics. I told him about my problem and he got right on it, finding me a replacement Type 38 engine block, which was no easy task. I had him go through the entire engine and upgrade everything.

I always feel sorry for people who feel they’ve been ripped off by restoration shops. I find that when you deal with the best people you don’t have those problems. My next project is fixing the mechanical fuel injection on my 1955 Mercedes Gullwing.

Time to give Paul Russell a call.

‘It was judged to be one of the finest restorations – then left to deteriorate’

Jay was talking with Jeremy Hart.

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Ignition Opinion

The Legend

Derek Bell Monterey evokes memories for Britain’s favourite endurance racer

T

his column is being put together a few days before I head back to the UK in readiness of a raft of events, the Goodwood Revival Meeting among them. The Pebble Concours d’Elegance is still fresh in my memory, as are all the many ancillary events that together comprised Monterey Car Week. Each year I have the same regret whenever I leave California.

I didn’t have time to take everything in. Not even close. I don’t see how anyone could, regardless of how early one got up and how late to bed, even with a schedule that’s looser than mine. This year’s running was the best yet, though.

I started doing my thing, as it were, on the Friday, with The Quail, A Motor Sports Gathering, which I always enjoy. I was then armed with a clipboard, a pen, and a semi-studious facial expression as an honorary judge for the concours. Mine was the class for 1950s front-engined formula racing cars, all of which were vying for the Tony Hulman Trophy. I am not a concours natural by any stretch, but I learned plenty. I also had a lot of fun working alongside my fellow judges, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann, who was hilarious, and Bentley finance director Jan-Henrik Lafrentz, also great company.

Ours was a small class but our job was made that much easier when, much to our surprise, we were informed that we weren’t to judge some of the cars.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum had a display but its guardians insisted that we gave its cars a wide berth. The upshot was that the prize was awarded to the 1956 Maserati 250F of Lawrence Auriana. I was particularly happy about this because, aside from the car being just about perfect, I happen to think the 250F is among the most beautiful Grand Prix cars ever made. There isn’t a line wrong on it.

A day later, I was giving a guided tour of the pits at Laguna Seca Raceway for various clients of UBS, with which I have been involved for quite a while now, some of whom were new to motor racing. I embarrassed myself a little because I swear just about every other car I saw there was one I had either raced or at least driven at some point. I felt compelled to point out as much. I wasn’t showing off, it’s more that I was taken aback, but then that’s the thing about being a racing silverback who started out 60 years ago: I have amassed a fair amount of seat time.

There were a few single-seaters I recalled and a lot of Porsches, and then I rounded a corner and there was McLaren CEO Zak Brown with his BMW 320i Turbo. This was a flame-spitting IMSA weapon that, to be honest, shouldn’t have been competitive against the Porsche 935s with its single turbo four-cylinder engine. I raced it with David Hobbs at Mid-Ohio in July 1979 and we finished ninth. Two months later, I was paired with ‘Hobbo’ again at Elkhart Lake – a bloody quick track, I might add – and we thought we would have no chance. We won.

I hadn’t thought about that big-winged BMW for ages. I also drove one in the 1978 Mugello 1000 Kilometres with Dieter Quester. That was during a particularly tough period because I only did six races that year. I always enjoyed Dieter’s company and we finished third. At the end of the year, we also did the Bathurst Hardie-Ferodo 1000 in a Holden LX Torana SS, but failed to finish, but I digress. The point is, it was fun to see that old BMW while I was in California. It was like being reunited with an old love; one that didn’t appear to have aged a day.

I seem to bump into Zak all the time these days, and it is refreshing that there are still some people in the higher echelons of Formula 1 who are genuine enthusiasts. His collection is remarkable, and he drives his cars hard. And by way of a rubbish segue, I must congratulate Zak and the McLaren team on its remarkable change of fortune in the second half of this year. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but it would appear that McLaren has the upper hand, and Lando Norris dominated Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

I suppose it’s an age thing, but it’s funny these days how often long-dormant memories get triggered, and mention of Zandvoort brought back one of the darker days of my time in single-seaters. I qualified by little Ferrari Dino 166 on pole for the Dutch round of the European Formula 2 series in 1968.

There were two heats, the winner being decided on aggregate. I won the opener but was then taken out in heat two. It was during that race that Clay Regazzoni clouted Chris Lambert rather robustly.

‘The Professor’, as he was known with great affection, was launched into the most sickening of accidents and was killed.

Motor racing can give you so much but it can be a cruel mistress.

‘Being a racing silverback, I’ve had a fair amount of seat time’

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Ignition Opinion

The Aesthete

Stephen Bayley Ford isn’t stupid – but is the new Capri a mistake repeated?

T

o assist in the sinister machinations of the military-industrial complex, I used to visit Ford’s HQ in Dearborn.

Even the address is magnificent: Henry Ford II World Center, One American Avenue. The building opened in 1956, designed by Chicago’s Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, in the US’s premier league of architects. SOM had recently completed the landmark Lever Building on Park Avenue for the soap and edible fats manufacturer, announcing that the ‘International Style’ of hard angles and high-iron green glass was the correct cladding for multinationals. Soon, just opposite Lever, the Seagram Building would rise-up. It, like the liquor Seagram sold, was coloured brown.

I mean these people know a thing or two about symbolism. And they were not stupid. I was always awed by the authority and power that seeped through the Dearborn building like exhausted air leaking from the HVAC. In The Kennedy era, Robert McNamara, one of Ford’s whiz-kids (really socalled), became Secretary of Defense.

Not stupid, but they do make mistakes. The ineffable Edsel! Whoever thought a chromed vagina might deter customers? And once I was invited to offer a vigorous critique of a pre-production car on which several billion had already been spent. What was I meant to say? ‘Sorry, chaps, I think you’ve dropped a real clanger here.’

Uwe Bahnsen, Ford of Europe design capo from 1975 to 1986, once explained the folly of clinics.

Innocent citizens are bribed with supermarket vouchers to attend a secret viewing in a hotel near Heathrow. ‘Does it look like a Mercedes?’ or ‘Would your mistress like it?’ Never are they asked the crucial question: ‘Would you spend money on it?’

Somehow, the military-industrial complex decided it must manufacture an electric Mustang. You can imagine the thinking… We have this problem with electric cars that no-one really wants, so let’s plunder our cache of powerful automotive symbolism.

Perhaps we will even make an occult reference to Henry Ford’s idea of ‘faster horses’.

Of course, the original 1964 Mustang was one of the great cars. In terms of consumer psychology it was a very fit apex-predator. Rarely can a massmarket car have better expressed teenage lust and an

affordable resolution of thwarted suburban fantasies.

And what is the electric Mustang? The answer is no one knows. Or cares. And for these people who once had a such a firm grip on pop taste, that’s a disaster. If this goes on, they will re-launch the Edsel.

But before that, the new Capri. I said they were not stupid, but stupidity can be defined as doing the same thing and expecting different results. Which is what I thought when I saw the pictures. You need a bigger expression than ‘lost opportunity’. Perhaps ‘infinite abyss of dismaying mediocrity’ would do.

Because ‘Capri’ has such glorious associations.

Ford first used it on a weirdly fabulous pillarless coupé version of the ’62 Consul Classic, perhaps exciting ideas in buyer’s minds of the tight-fitting, cropped trousers sported by Hepburn, Monroe and Bardot and known as Capri pants. No bad thing at all, if you wanted La Dolce Vita in Bexleyheath. And many did. Still do. But it was in MY69 that ‘Capri’ became a nameplate of its own in Europe. If metallic pink paint, steel wheels pressed to look like magnesium castings, dummy scoops, vents and bucket seats blew your skirt up, then the sight of a ’69 Capri would leave you exposed.

By 1974 it had acquired a hatchback, Ford’s first.

But the ultimate Capri was Bahnsen’s MkIII of 1978: twin headlamps and the leading edge of the bonnet nicely curved over a black-slatted grille to suggest material substance and, somehow, brooding psychological menace. That grille has been preserved on the electric Capri. So has the distinctive D-shaped side glass. But now the Capri has four doors and as much character as an IKEA meatball.

I feel the sense of loss quite strongly, as I bought a new MkIII in a bold exercise of youthful fiscal over-reach. And in those days I was a junior academic at a university whose c-of-g was to the left of centre. If other lecturers had cars at all, they were faded Renault 4s or puffing Beetles. My outrageous Capri was a 2.0 litre ‘S’ in shiny black with fabulous Recaro seats and projected my not-at-all reticent personality perfectly. I loved it.

I don’t know what the electric Capri projects except confusion. In William Morris’s house in Bexleyheath, over the fireplace it says Ars longa vita brevis: art is long and life is short. Alas, now it’s the other way around: the life of the Capri is long, but the art has disappeared. No-one will love it.

‘Whoever thought a chromed vagina might deter buyers?’

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Ignition Opinion

The Driver

Robert Coucher ‘I could’ve been a contender!’ insists our man. Or maybe not…

K

yalami Circuit in South Africa has long been renowned as a hard and fast racetrack. I know, having raced there… and having smashed my head on its tarmac more than once.

Back in 1985, I watched Nigel Mansell take the win from pole in the Williams Honda. Experiencing this 900bhp, turbo-era F1 car whooshing down Kyalami’s long main straight from the pit wall was an astonishing experience.

Like the USA, southern Africa is large. In the days of colonisation it was dependent on ox wagons trekking into the veldt, and – later – motor vehicles travelling vast distances on blood-red earth roads.

With railways sparse, South Africans grew up with tractors, trucks and cars as an essential part of their lives, typically tough American vehicles suited to the rugged interior, and British cars used in towns. Later still, as I was growing up, mums drove VW Beetles or Morris 1000s; dads had Mercs or Cortinas; the cops, Chrysler Valiants, with large whip aerials and no hubcaps. The occupants wore buzz-cuts and shades.

The domestic automobile industry in South Africa grew considerably to include factories building Alfa Romeo, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Nissan, Renault and even, inexplicably, a few CKD (complete, knocked down) Porsche 356B Roadsters! Poor old Australia was stuck with just Holden, Chrysler and Ford, but sadly no longer.

So South Africans were car-mad and very proud of their indigenous car industry. With the arrival of sanctions and international motor racing bans in the 1980s, a proportion of the population took up the laager mentality and started building their own cars, to ‘race on Sunday and sell on Monday!’ Production saloon car racing at its very best.

The 210bhp Mustang V8-engined Ford Sierra XR8 you’ll read about in this issue, developed by Brian Gush (whom I later observed winning Le Mans with his Bentley Speed 8 in 2003 – ‘Howzit Brian?’), was one example, along with the sonorous Alfa Romeo GTV6 3.0 (who wants boring old fuel-injection where three twin-choke Dellorto carbs sound so much better?) and an unsuspecting BMW 3-series with a 3.2 straight-six lump stuffed under its bonnet.

Yes, motor racing 6000 miles south was always extremely exciting, so I decided to have a go. Not my best idea, it turns out.

A friend and I (won’t mention his name because he’s a big deal these days) bowled up at a Kyalami test day and hung around the pits looking for a racing car for sale. We soon found one we could afford, not an XR8 but a more modest Renault 5. Painted ‘safety yellow’, the R5 was clearly at the end of its racing life but it had a roll-cage, racing seat, harness, fire extinguisher and scrubbed tyres. We haggled down the owner, obviously keen to sell, and once it was bought, we asked what the best approach was to racing this Coke can on wheels. He advised: ‘Ja, well, you just steek your right foot down and hold it there.

You might have to lift for Clubhouse but otherwise just keep it flat. The Renault will go up onto three wheels through most of the corners, which is OK. Best not to get it up onto two, though.’

Instruction taken, we went racing in one of the most competitive line-ups in the world. Indeed, at the front of the field the local heroes were trading paint in Sierra XR8s, Alfa 3.0-litres and BMW 333is.

At the back, I was having a great dice with a small Opel. Flat-out through Barbeque Bend and into Jukskei Sweep, someone went off at the front and the field stopped. I, er, didn’t. With the R5 up on three wheels and on its door-handle, hard on the anchors didn’t seem a sensible option in that split-second. So I went for the grass. And that simply speeded-up the accident, which played out for a couple of hundred metres as the car rolled and smashed itself to pieces down to the infamous Sunset corner.

I remember it all very clearly: realising this is not a car to crash at serious speed, I hunkered down into the racing seat and put great effort into keeping my hands clenched at the bottom of the steering wheel against the considerable g-forces. The top of the wheel suffered considerable road rash!

All was quiet as the Renault spun through the air, until it crashed back down onto the tarmac with, fortunately, the full roll-cage bearing the brunt. But my helmet also took a whack or two, so I emerged from the front windscreen aperture with a bloodied left eye and two cracked front teeth, all staged in front of a packed grandstand.

There was a deathly silence until I took off my helmet and bowed in humility. The stand erupted, cheering and clapping – I’d provided a moment of amusement that afternoon and Brian’s XR8 went on to win the re-start.

‘I emerged with a bloodied left eye and two cracked front teeth’

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SE CU

RE

YO U

R

EN

TR Y, BO OK

N OW !

SCOTTISH MALTS

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Octane-SF-2024-SUPERMODEL.indd 1

05/02/2024 09:56:25

Letter of the month

A Jeep that’s to keep

RIP Ian Cameron As an adjunct to my occasional pieces in Octane Cars about my Rolls-Royce Phantom [the next instalment will be in issue 258 – MD], I’d like to mention that, when I was specifying the car in 2004, I was given a lot of help by Rolls-Royce’s chief designer at the time, Ian Cameron, who led the design team for the Phantom and who became a good friend.

Tragically, and as you may know, Ian was killed by an intruder at his home in Bavaria in July. At the time of writing no motive has been established and it is an extraordinary tragedy for his family and for his many friends in the car industry and beyond.

I would like to pay tribute to a brilliant but very self-effacing man: a committed driver with a wonderful sense of irony who, after previous work at Pininfarina and BMW, established the design ethic of all Goodwood RollsRoyces. He will be much missed.

Rowan Atkinson, London

high-profile dealers included Alexander Hesketh in Towcester. There were some great parties at the Hesketh stately home, Easton Neston, where one of Alexander’s brothers drove a 1978 Cherokee up the front steps but couldn’t get it down again, so it had to be craned out. We also supplied Jeeps for Elton John’s tour in Russia and any time that Marlboro needed vehicles.

It wasn’t a long-lasting operation, as Land Rover got its act together and the Jeep range became old in appearance and prehistoric in terms of performance, although the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee of the early 1990s were great vehicles. I ran two 4.0-litre Grand Cherokees from 1996 to 2012 for over 250,000 miles and they only required regular maintenance. For the last five years I’ve had a Cherokee KJ 2.8 turbodiesel manual that I bought from a friend, which easily towed my horse trailer and now my boat, and I would say it’s the last heavy-duty classic Jeep.

For me it’s a keeper.

Missed opportunity?

I have just received my copy of Octane 256 and cannot understand why the Auto Union Type 52 [above] is not on the cover – especially the subscriber’s edition that has no extra words to detract from the photo. What a missed opportunity to showcase ‘a three-seat mid-engined fastback bred from the Auto Union racing cars of the era’.

Nick Smith, Dorset

John Tolle, Tucson, Arizona, USA

STEFAN WARTER

ROBERT COUCHER’S column on the Jeep XJ-series [above] in Octane 256 stirred old memories. I was working at BMW Concessionaires on Park Lane, London W1, when it became known that BMW in Munich was not going to reissue Concessionaires’ licence to sell cars and ’bikes in the UK. Our holding company, TKM, looked at other franchises and at the time demand for Range Rovers was high, so a competitive 4x4 was found in Jeep. I had a good sales record from my time at Park Lane and was put into various dealers to get them up and running or to form part of the sales team.

In 1978 we set up a base in Andover, where we would convert left-hand-drive vehicles to righthand drive with a chain that ran behind the dashboard – primitive, but it worked. We had a showroom in St James in London and were a big presence at the Brands Hatch and Silverstone rounds of the visiting IndyCar Championship, supported by Marlboro. Alongside Jeep we offered Daihatsu, which farmers couldn’t get enough of, and for a time ours was the franchise to have:

Ignition Letters

LETTER OF THE MONTH wins a Ruark R1 Bluetooth Radio, worth £239 The R1 is perfectly proportioned, beautifully made and deceptively powerful.

It’s the perfect bedroom, kitchen or workshop radio.

Ruark is a family-owned British company, passionate about sound and design. Its aim is to make premium music systems that look and sound fabulous, products that will enhance your home and life, including radios, compact active speakers and all-in-one music systems – all with Ruark’s long high-fidelity heritage at their core.

Visit ruarkaudio.com for more information.

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STUART ANDERSON

Ignition Letters

Bridge of sighs I was tickled pink to see an article about the Kylesku Bridge in Octane 256. It’s not often that you look at a lump of concrete and think ‘That’s stunning’.

You mention the worn grassy knoll: witness the attached photo [above], taken by our friend Stuart in 2016 as my wife and I drove northbound across the bridge in our beloved 3.0-litre BMW Z3 while tackling the North Coast 500.

Since we bought the Z3 in 2009, it has taken us all over the UK, not to mention a 2700-mile round trip to Lake Garda. Driving through the mountains of Switzerland in 25-degree heat with the hood down was the stuff of dreams.

Robert Fleming, South Lanarkshire

Pilot error Your article on the Bristol 400 in Octane 254 features a photo [above right] of a rally instrument that you have incorrectly labelled as a classic Halda TwinMaster.

It is in fact a GaugePilot, a superb British electronic rally instrument that is configurable in many classic rally modes. Sadly, the GaugePilot is no longer available.

Iain MacDonald, Renfrewshire

That caption was entirely mea culpa. I should have known better,

having done thousands of miles on classic rallies during the 1990s to the ticking of a Halda TwinMaster – the only rally tripmeter that historic rally pioneer Philip Young would allow on his events – MD

A long list Stephen Bayley’s erudite prose is a highlight of your magazine, but his assertion in Octane 256 that ‘only’ the racing drivers Musso, Collins, Lewis-Evans, Von Trips, Bandini, Schlesser, Courage, Rindt and Peterson have died in Formula 1 Grands Prix is very wide of the mark.

Another eight names should have appeared in his list. They are Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey (tragically, in the same race, the Belgian GP at Spa, 1960), John Taylor (Nürburgring, 1966), Roger Williamson (Zandvoort, 1973), Helmuth Koinigg (Watkins Glen, 1974), Tom Pryce (Kyalami, 1977), Riccardo Paletti (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 1982), and Jules Bianchi (Suzuka, 2014).

If non-championship Formula 1 races, qualifying and tests are included, the list becomes longer still and includes Jo Siffert, Peter Revson, Elio de Angelis and Roland Ratzenberger, who was killed during qualifying at Imola, the day before Senna’s death.

I’d also question Bayley’s assertion that Jim Clark was killed ‘at an insignificant minor event in Germany’. Clark died at Hockenheim while driving a works Lotus 48 in the first round of the European Formula 2 Championship. At least 12 of the entrants had F1 careers, and three of them (Clark, Graham Hill and John Surtees) were World Champions. The race was neither minor nor insignificant.

John Aston, North Yorkshire

Driving Centre in Levi, Finland.

One of the celebrity guests at the event was Marc Lieb [below left], a Porsche works driver who won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

He was engaged to drive a 918 Spyder around a dedicated circuit for the lucky few whose names would be drawn out of a hat. I could hardly believe it when my name was pulled out first!

He was easy to chat with and he certainly made me feel safe while he buried the loud pedal with the ease of a man driving on tarmac. How he controlled those sideway moves through walls of solid ice that were higher than the car, I have no idea. When I cheekily asked him if he could go any faster, he replied that this was his first time driving on ice…

Maybe I spurred him on with my cheeky quip, because two months later he won the Le Mans 24 Hours outright.

Peter Bull, Lancashire

Cartoon creations My means do not stretch to owning any of the fantastic cars you feature each month and so, instead, I make tiny miniatures from modelling clay of some of the cars that have appeared.

For example, last month I made a tiny model of the Barnato-Hassan Bentley [above].

My models are little caricatures rather than accurate replicas, but I have built up a collection of more than 80 models over the years, all displayed in a small cabinet that sits in my study.

Ben Kushner, Bristol

Cool as ice Glen Waddington’s feature in Octane 255 about passengering with Stig Blomqvist in a quattro reminded me of the time in March 2016 that I was fortunate to be invited to the Porsche Ice

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

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FALL AUCTION

OCTOBER 10-13 | SCOTTSDALE PRESENTED BY

HUNDREDS OF VEHICLES SELLING WITH NO RESERVE SAMMY HAGAR’S 2015 FERRARI LAFERRARI One-of-one custom built and designed for Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar. Powered by a 6.3-liter V12 engine and electric motor for a combined 949hp and 664 ft/lbs of torque. // New high-voltage lithium-ion battery installed by Ferrari of San Francisco.

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1971 FERRARI 365 GTB/4 DAYTONA // NO RESERVE Powered by a 4.4-liter V12 engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Repainted in original Fly Yellow over a black interior. Full inspection, major service and new tires.

From The Alan Smith Collection.

2023 FERRARI SF90 STRADALE // NO RESERVE Powered by a 4.0-liter V8 engine, three integrated electric motors with plug-in hybrid technology and all-wheel drive.

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For the current docket, bidder registration, or to speak to a consignment specialist, call 480.421.6694 or visit Barrett-Jackson.com.

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LAMBO RG

DI R8 AU vs

GALLARD I O IN H

V 10

S U P E R CA R S As Lamborghini and Audi wave goodbye to V10 power, Octane looks back on two seminal supercars – both of which are now more affordable than ever before Words Ben Barry Photography Paul Harmer

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V10

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W

hen Lamborghini assembles its final V10 engine on the Sant’Agata production line this December, it will mark not only the end of an incredibly potent and charismatic powerplant, but the swansong for V10 engines in all production cars full stop. Given that this V10 debuted with the Lamborghini Gallardo of 2003 and did a lengthy shift in its closely related Audi R8 contemporary, it’s perfect timing for a valedictory drive – especially as these midengined siblings put very different twists on much the same recipe and offer such incredible value today.

The Arancio Borealis (‘orange dawn’) Gallardo we’re testing is particularly desirable, being a coupé with the sixspeed open-gate manual rather than a convertible or an e-gear clutchless manual. Not only that, LAM 804X is also a one-lady-owner-from-new example, registered in September 2004 to Lynne Bull, membership and admin officer for Lamborghini Club UK. Rarer and more powerful Gallardo variants spread over two generations there might be, but none sets the scene quite so well as Lynne’s car. It cost around £117,000 new – 20 years ago – before options; similar examples are now advertised from £70,000.

The design, born from an initial Italdesign-Giugiaro proposal, later fettled by Lamborghini Centro Stile under Luc Donckerwolke, looks strikingly pure today. Notably absent are the extrovert wings and scissor doors of so many Lamborghinis, replaced by cleaner, sharper surfaces.

Climb inside and it’s like sitting in the pointy part of an arrow, so steeply ramped is the centre console, so rakishly angled is the windscreen as it plunges towards the headlights as only a mid- or rear-engined design can. There’s classic Lamborghini drama in the interior’s racey architecture, its part-orange trim and the open-gate shifter with its aluminium gearlever standing proud like a cue ball on a lollipop stick. But Germanic genes – Lamborghini came under Audi control in 1998 – also introduce a perhaps surprising degree of rationality and order.

It’s an accommodating cockpit for a taller driver, partly because you’re positioned so close to the floor, plus there’s real clarity to the four-gauge dash, decent rearward vision, and switches and stalks that – a few toggle switches aside – are all straight lifts from the mother brand. Crank the key and the starter motor stutters and spins before the V10 finally erupts with a brassy fanfare.

The Gallardo’s genesis dates back to Chrysler’s acquisition of Lamborghini in 1987 and project P140 – internal shorthand for a junior Lamborghini positioned below the Diablo and intended to pick up where the entry-level Urraco and related Jalpa of the 1970s and ’80s left off. Lamborghini worked up several prototypes, initially V8-powered, subsequently with a Lamborghini-designed 3.9-litre V10 engine, the first V10 ever engineered by the company.

Ultimately, though, P140 failed to make the cut and Chrysler lost interest in a smaller supercar. Maurizio Reggiani – Lamborghini technical director from 2006 until 2022 – takes up the story: ‘The P140 had a 72º V10 engine

Clockwise, from left Clean lines have aged hardly at all in 20-plus years; V10 engine produced 493bhp in its original 5.0-litre form; cockpit combines Italian flair with real usability.

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V10

with the gearbox integrated in the oil pan area,’ he explains, ‘[but it] was not practical to produce for this type of car. The position of the gearbox under the engine [also] generated a high centre of gravity, which wouldn’t guarantee the drivability and handling characteristics that a super-sports Lamborghini should have.’

It took a change of ownership before the idea of a Jalpa replacement was mooted again, this time as a ‘baby Diablo’.

This project was the Calà of 1995, an Italdesign-Giugiaro concept car that reprised the same V10 engine as the earlier P140. Nigel Gordon-Stewart (back then Lamborghini’s international sales and marketing director, now board member for EV restomodder Everrati) recalls taking the Calà to Mario Andretti’s driver’s club in the US. Andretti and co delivered the same verdict: the engine was too tall to handle.

By that time Lamborghini was under the ownership of MegaTech, Lamborghini Engineering had been shut down as part of that acquisition, and the Italians needed a more costeffective solution for production. ‘I was being somewhat petulant about having a V10 to trump Ferrari, as we’d be up against the 355 with its established V8, but we didn’t have the money to re-engineer the V10,’ recalls Gordon-Stewart.

‘Initially a small Japanese manufacturer contacted Lamborghini on spec, which was a consideration, before the VW Group became a likely source of supply.’

In a Remington-like twist, Audi liked the idea so much it bought the company, then green-lighted installation of a new V10 engine in its new baby Lamborghini.

While Audi had facelifted the Diablo and significantly evolved that car’s underpinnings for its Murciélago successor prior to Gallardo production, the Gallardo was its first (mostly) clean-sheet Lamborghini. Under the dramatic bodywork lay an aluminium tubular spaceframe developed

by Audi, all-wheel drive with Lamborghini’s existing VT system (for ‘viscous traction’), double-wishbone suspension and, of course, that gem of a V10 engine, rather strangely hidden under the rear deck (by contrast, the R8’s engine was always proudly on display).

‘The Gallardo’s V10 bowls you along effortlessly with only the gentlest squeezes of throttle’ 50

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2004 Lamborghini Gallardo (with 2006 engine) Engine 4961cc V10, DOHC per bank, 40-valve, fuel injection Power 513bhp @ 8000rpm Torque 376lb ft @ 4250rpm Transmission Six-speed manual, all-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion, power-assisted Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1430kg (dry) Top speed 196mph 0-62mph 4.0sec

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V10

2014 Audi R8 LMX Engine 5204cc V10, DOHC per bank, 40-valve, fuel injection Power 562bhp @ 8000rpm Torque 398lb ft @ 6500rpm Transmission Sevenspeed dual-clutch S-tronic, all-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion, power-assisted Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1595kg Top speed 200mph 0-62mph 3.4sec

Designed by Massimo Ceccarani and Reggiani and mounted longitudinally, the Gallardo’s 5.0-litre naturally aspirated unit features dry-sump lubrication, double overhead camshafts for each bank and four valves per cylinder with variable valve timing. The gearbox – either sixspeed manual or automated manual with paddleshift – sits behind the engine, as per mid-engined convention.

Initial outputs of 493bhp and 376lb ft torque represented huge, three-figure increases over the V8-engined Ferrari 360, with the zero-to-62mph dash done in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 192mph. Although neither Reggiani nor Lamborghini officially says so, reading between the lines strongly suggests the 5.0-litre MPI unit was derived from Audi’s 4.2-litre V8, whose crankcase and block were also cast at Audi’s Gyor facility in Hungary and with which the V10 shares its 90º vee.

Reggiani again: ‘So that it could be produced in the planned quantities, the V10 had to have a 90º vee, so it was decided to adopt a split-pin on the crankshaft, which allowed regular firing even if the crankcase had 90º cylinders.

The crankcase, which up to then had inserted liners and Nikasil coating on the liner, was revised and redesigned by Lamborghini engineers, to be made with a hypereutectic aluminium alloy that allowed the liner to be cast directly on the aluminium. This allowed the distance between the cylinders, and consequently the length of the engine, the weight and costs, to be reduced.’

While Lamborghini could not compromise on extreme performance, Audi always intended the Gallardo to be a more usable sort of supercar. Mostly it is. There’s purposeful heft but also a gorgeously consistent weighting as I ease up the clutch, so the biting point is both malleable and easy to read, and while the manual gearbox doesn’t have the mechanical fluidity and ease of Audi R8 manuals, there’s

an appealing physicality to the two-stage movement as you slice across the gate – especially as it’s soundtracked by a metal-on-metal clink like a knife flashed over a sharpening steel. The e-gear auto is so clunky in comparison.

The steering is feelsome and pretty easy immediately offcentre, the brake pedal light if with an alarmingly spongey dead spot, and while the ride bobbles in town, it’s far sweeter with speed, flowing with the primary undulations rather than bracing against them. All the while that torquey V10 is at the ready, effortlessly bowling you along with only the gentlest squeezes of throttle.

This car should have the early 493bhp engine, but Lynne and husband Richard hit trouble on an official Lamborghini tour celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary in 2013, when a catalytic convertor failed and ultimately destroyed the engine. Lamborghini’s goodwill offer – while they were still in Italy – was a heavily discounted upgrade to the updated 513bhp engine launched in 2006. The car was shipped back to the UK on a transporter full of new Lamborghinis.

The 5.0-litre is a fabulous unit. High-performance engines often hit a step in delivery as they come on cam, but there are multiple levels of intensity to unlock here. First it’s the muscular flex of low revs, before a sharper, more visceral edge kicks in around the high threes. From there things go a little bananas and become harder to keep track of – safe to say the intensity has a kind of runaway momentum, as though the needle wants to do loop-the-loops around the rev-counter. Real lightning-in-a-bottle stuff, this.

All-wheel drive introduced a unique twist in this segment.

The rear axle is tamed by an aggressive mechanical limitedslip diff with a 45% locking ratio – pull away from T-junctions and you’ll feel it binding – while the stability control helps juggle power left and right over the front axle by applying

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Left By 2014 the 5.2-litre V10 was producing a mighty 562bhp in the R8 LMX (the same peak output as the final LP570 editions of the Gallardo).

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V10

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‘Less expected is the R8’s handling, which feels more rear-biased and playful than the Lamborghini’s’ individual brakes. It’s resolutely sure-footed if rear-biased enough to feel rear-wheel drive if you’re early with the throttle mid-corner. Yet Gallardos never feel as pointy or eager to turn in as you’d expect of a mid-engined car with just 42% of its weight over the front end. I find myself adding what seems like a decent amount of lock, then often bunging in some more at the apex to avoid washing wide.

The steering – fluid with smaller inputs – also becomes stickier and heavier with more lock applied. Get your head round that, though, and the Gallardo is an intoxicating drive – and actually seems to come into its own in the wet, where all-wheel drive can be more easily manipulated.

The Audi R8 represents a significantly different proposition, not always in the ways you’d imagine for a brand synonymous with build quality, refinement and surefooted safety. The design evolved from Frank Lamberty’s closely related 2003 Le Mans quattro concept, which cleverly fused TT cues with mid-engined exoticism and was originally fitted with a feather-ruffling V10. When the production version was launched at the Paris show in ’06, Audi’s own 4.2-litre V8 slotted behind the driver, but the bones of the Gallardo remained – aluminium spaceframe, double wishbones, all-wheel drive and all.

At around £77k new, Audi’s take was both significantly cheaper and significantly less powerful at 414bhp, but the R8’s potential was fully uncorked when the £100k V10 joined the line-up for 2009. Those extra cylinders added a 104bhp and 74lb ft kick to the performance, with the first V10s making 518bhp/391lb ft. The Gallardo had stretched to 552bhp for the LP560-4 by then, the R8’s shortfall being sweetened by a £40k relative discount.

This particular R8 is an LMX. Introduced in 2014 and limited to just 99 units, the LMX signed off the firstgeneration R8 and played on Audi’s period dominance at Le Mans – notably with aero flicks and ‘laser lights’ that debuted on the R18 e-tron race car and made 200mph-plus on the Mulsanne at midnight a little less perilous (laser modules double the range of the all-LED headlights and selectively dim to avoid dazzling other road users).

By the time the LMX arrived, the second-gen Gallardo had already been superseded by the Huracán after ten years and 14,022 sales, so it’s not an entirely fair comparison. Yet jumping from an early Gallardo, the more precise, technical look of the Audi interior is immediately obvious – carbonfibre trim, a multi-function steering wheel trimmed in different leather depending on the grip, knurled controls like watch mechanisms… it all adds to the quality feel.

Clockwise from left LMX was final fling for the first-generation R8, with Le Mans-inspired aero kit; flat-bottomed steering wheel also inspired by motorsport; gearbox is S-tronic dual-clutch unit with paddle-shifters.

V10 TECH Engineering expert John Judd explains why V10s were in vogue John Judd founded Engine Developments Ltd with Jack Brabham in 1971 and still oversees technical development. With expertise in V10s dating back three decades, Judd is the perfect guide to the pros and cons of ten-cylinder layouts.

‘When Formula 1’s 3.5-litre regulations came out in the 1980s, there was the Ferrari V12 and various V8s, ours included. The V10 we designed was a good compromise – it would rev higher and therefore achieve more maximum power than a V8 because it had more cylinders, but avoided the installation disadvantages of a V12, which would be longer and heavier, making the car more tail-happy. Ultimately you could probably get more power from a V12 but you never saw Ferrari running away with it!’

As two five-cylinder engines in effect, a V10 is not in perfect balance like a V12 but, as Judd explains, ‘when you design the crank, you just plot out the balance forces’.

He also notes that the V10 offers a ‘very nice number of permutations on how you space the crankpins and what the firing order is’.

Almost all Judd V10s have featured a 72º vee-angle for the perfect spacing of ten cylinders through 720 º – a full four-stroke cycle of two crankshaft rotations.

Lamborghini’s early experiments followed this logic. Its production V10, however, employed a 90 º vee, initially with a split-pin crankshaft for the same firing order as a 72º vee, but its later V10 design adopted a conventional crank and uneven firing order.

The latter mirrored Judd’s own design for Japanese sports car team AIM. ‘Lamborghini might’ve wanted an exhaust sound like an even-firing V10 and used the split-pin crankshaft, but it would be a compromise in terms of crankshaft strength and rigidity – nobody designs racing engines with a split-pin crank, you just don’t,’ he notes. ‘When we did the 90 º V10, power was just the same, balance and vibrations were about the same, nobody said the noise wasn’t the same. In the end Lamborghini probably decided a split-pin crank and even firing order wasn’t worth the trouble!’

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V10

You sit a little higher, visibility is better through less steeply raked A-pillars, and the steering is lighter and less sticky with extra lock. The ride can still fuss at low speed, but it eases with pace to become really quite fluid, and the Audi is also far quieter at a cruise than its Italian sibling, which roars with road noise once you’ve breached 60mph.

As with the V8s, V10 R8s were offered with either manual or semi-automatic transmissions, but earlier cars got the R-tronic ’box – Audi-speak for a clutchless manual that left the six-speed manual transmission in place but let a computer control clutch duties. As with the same e-gear system in the Lambo, it’s clunky. That changed with the 2012 facelift and the introduction of the S-tronic dualclutch gearbox. The logic for the driver is just the same – a choice of full auto mode or manual shifts via paddles on the wheel – but the shifts are both faster and (more importantly) performed with seamless finesse.

It’s transformative, making the R8 more satisfying to fully exploit than R-tronic cars (if perhaps a little clinical after the Gallardo), but also far easier to daily drive, particularly when it comes to low-speed faffing about. The carbonceramic brakes are also quite different. I remember them seeming pretty incredible on the 2009 press launch in Malaga, but back-to-back with the Gallardo they feel drastically over-servoed, every input like a flicked switch.

There’s surely a sweet spot somewhere between.

This much you’d expect from Audi’s take on the supercar genre. Less expected is the handling, which feels more rearbiased and playful than the Lamborghini’s, more willing to be adjusted on the throttle. The second big difference lies with the V10. By any other measure, this is an incredible engine. Swollen to 5.2 litres, it produces 562bhp, a 20bhp bonus over the later first-gen V10s, and a match for the most potent Gallardos. Thing is, the ferocity of the early Gallardo is replaced by a more linear progression through the powerband and a delivery that doesn’t actually feel faster

– perhaps because the more cossetting Audi weighs a little more, perhaps because the extra 22lb ft is now pushed 2250rpm further up the rev range to a lofty 6500rpm, even if this remains a flexible motor.

Crucially, though, when Lamborghini switched to 5.2 litres, it also switched to an uneven firing order – you hear the difference in the R8’s charismatically serrated engine note. ‘For the subsequent 5.2-litre engine, it was decided to change the geometry of the crankshaft, removing the split pin and accepting an irregular firing order in favour of increased crankshaft rigidity,’ explains Reggiani. ‘Direct fuel injection technology was also adopted, which increased the efficiency in the combustion chamber with greater power and fewer pollutants.’

I definitely prefer the more mellifluous character of Lamborghini’s original 5.0-litre unit, but this remains an engineering marvel – smooth, powerful, tippy-toes revvy and endlessly charismatic with its throaty gurgle and highrpm yelp. Incredible that you can pick up a V10 R8 from £50,000 (the also outstanding V8 model starts from an even more tempting £30,000. For further analysis, see page 166).

After almost two decades, Lamborghini and Audi’s supercars now reach a fork in the road. Audi has confirmed the current V10 GT RWD edition ‘says goodbye to the V10 engine’ and that a successor will be purely electric.

Lamborghini, in contrast, is keeping the flame alive for combustion-engined models a little longer. Its Huracán successor arrives next year, powered by a twin-turbo hybrid 4.0-litre V8 with 789bhp and a 10,000rpm redline.

The Audi we struggle to get excited about. The new Lambo? It’ll surely be sensational, but the V10 will always have a place in our affections, especially when R8s and Gallardos offer so much for comparatively little. E N D THANKS TO Lynne and Richard Bull, and to Lamborghini Club UK, lamborghiniclub.co.uk.

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V 10

SION

A POWE RH

A CC O

E FOR EVER S Y OU

ENG I N ES FOR ALL Not only supercars, but GTs, saloons, estates, SUVs… even pick-ups Words Matthew Hayward

Dodge Viper

Ford Excursion V10

Audi RS6

199 1 -20 1 7

2000 -2005

2008 -20 1 1

Although there had been a smattering of large diesel V10 engines used in trucks and buses over the years, the Dodge Viper was the first petrol-powered V10 road car.

This ‘modern-day Cobra’ started with an 8.0-litre, 400bhp unit, moving to an 8.3-litre 500bhp version in the second-gen car. Dodge’s RAM and SRT-Ram pick-ups used versions of the same engine – as did the Bristol Fighter.

Ford developed its Triton V10 engine as a part of its modular engine family, primarily for trucks, but it also found its way into the top-of-the-line Excursion SUV. This 6.8-litre SOHC, 30-valve V10 was designed for stump-pulling capability, and produced 362bhp and 457lb ft of torque in its final version. A real workhorse, put to the task as a heavyweight family hauler – and more so in the Super Duty pick-up.

While the various iterations of the Lamborghini V10 were typically naturally aspirated screamers in the Gallardo, Huracán and Audi R8, a slightly redeveloped version found its way under the bonnet of the Audi S6 saloon and S8 limo, and ultimately led to this, possibly the most outrageous family car of all: the twin-turbo 572bhp, 479lb ft RS6. An Audi Avant for the dad in a hurry.

Prices from £30,000

Prices from $10,000

Prices from £15,000

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BMW M6

Lamborghini Huracán

Lexus LFA

2005 -20 1 1

20 1 3 -2024

20 1 0 -20 12

BMW M made the brave decision to develop the F1-inspired ‘S85’ engine from the ground up. Launched in E60/61 M5 and E63 M6 guises, the M5 may have been the first saloon powered by a V10 but it was shortlived, replaced by the twin-turbo V8 F10 in 2010. Some argue the two-door M6 suited the engine better than the M5 saloon or Touring. This engine also appeared in the Wiesmann GT MF5 and obscure Veritas RS III sports cars.

With production set to wrap up later this year, the death of the Huracán marks the end of the V10 engine in a production road car. The engine started out as a 5.0-litre in the Gallardo from 2003, before being upgraded to a more advanced 5.2-litre version in the 2008 facelift. The Huracán was launched in 2013, and boasted 602bhp – with the most extreme versions such as the LP 640-2 Tecnica getting the ultimate 631bhp version.

Toyota partnered with Yamaha to produce the LFA’s exotic engine, with an exhaust note that mimicked F1 engines of the era.

Its ability to rev from idle to 9000rpm in six-tenths of a second demanded a digital rev-counter, as an analogue gauge couldn’t keep up! Development began in 2000 and, although numerous concepts were displayed, the production version debuted at Tokyo in 2009, celebrating Lexus’s 20th anniversary. Only 500 were built.

Prices from £15,000

Prices from £110,000

Prices from £800,000

VW Touareg TDI

Porsche Carrera GT

McLaren Solus GT

2002-20 1 0

2 0 04 - 2 0 0 7

202 3 – PR ES E NT

With 309bhp and an earth-moving 553lb ft from its 5.0-litre V10 TDI, the Touareg was the most excessive a Volkswagen had ever been. It was an impressive feat of engineering and, if you wanted the same engine in a more discreet package, it was also offered in the Phaeton saloon. Neither was the highest cylinder-count model, as both could also be had with a 450bhp W12 – yet the V10 won in the torque stakes.

Unlike the V10s in the Lexus LFA and BMW M6, the Carrera GT’s was actually motorsport derived, as it was originally developed for use in Porsche’s Le Mans prototype programme. The fact that its high-revving naturally aspirated engine was paired with a six-speed manual gearbox means this Porsche is one of the most raw, analogue hypercars ever built. And that’s why they are now so highly prized.

This track-only single-seat hypercar features a bespoke, naturally aspirated 5.2-litre Judd V10 engine, which is rated at 829bhp and revs beyond 10,000rpm. The car weighs in at an unusually light (for today) 935kg, and generates 1200kg of downforce at 150mph. That makes it an incredibly serious piece of kit for the track-day enthusiast – only 25 will be built, and all have sold out already.

Prices from £6000

Prices from £1.5m

Prices from: £2.75m

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FORM UL

RA GE IN

A

BEST-SOUN 1’S D

V 10

I N R AC I N G On grids packed with 3.5-litre engines of all kinds, the V10s ruled – then became mandatory. James Page explains all

A

fter qualifying third for the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton emerged into the paddock for a television interview. At the same time, Fernando Alonso was on-track, demonstrating the Renault R25 in which he’d won the 2005 World Championship – and the Spaniard wasn’t hanging around. The Covid pandemic meant that the howl from the car’s V10 engine echoed around empty grandstands, and Hamilton gave up trying to speak over it. Instead, he paused and soaked it in.

‘Oh, that sound is just so good,’ he said. ‘It’s the greatest sound of a racing car ever. I hate that they got rid of it.’

Alonso’s 2005 title was the last to be won by a V10engined car, and marked the end of an era that had started when turbocharged engines had been banned after the 1988 season. If the introduction of the 3.0-litre formula in 1966 had been billed as a ‘return to power’ after five years of 1.5-litre cars, then the switch to 3.5-litre naturally aspirated engines was a ‘return to noise’.

And there were lots of different noises to enjoy. In numbers that must seem slightly surreal to the Drive to Survive generation, 20 teams contested that 1989 season with a variety of engines. Ford-Cosworth stuck with what it knew and built a V8, as did Judd and Yamaha. Predictably, Ferrari and Lamborghini went with V12s, but Honda and Renault went for a new middle ground: a V10.

Honda was coming off a 1988 season in which its turbocharged V6 had powered McLaren to 15 wins in 16 races, but in the background it had been feverishly working on its naturally aspirated V10. Frank Williams later recalled

having a mock-up of the engine in his office as early as May 1987, and it was tested extensively through 1988. When McLaren driver Alain Prost tried it for the first time, he spun the car – an exceedingly rare occurrence for the ultrasmooth Frenchman.

‘It wasn’t the power that caught me out – that was far less than we had for most of the turbo era,’ he told Autosport correspondent Nigel Roebuck. ‘It was the absolutely instant response. And it took a little getting used to, but soon I enjoyed driving more than with a turbo, because there’s so much more a driver can do with the throttle in the corners.

Everywhere we’ve tested with the V10, we’ve been quicker than last year with the turbo, and that’s why.’

The Honda engine was the class of the field in 1989, but at first there was no mass conversion to the V10 layout, despite the advantages it seemed to offer in terms of power, torque and packaging. Honda, in fact, abandoned it in favour of a V12 for 1991, after which it was the other V10 early adopter that came to the fore. Renault’s programme – led by Bernard Dudot and Jean-Jacques His – had lagged behind Honda going into the 1989 season, but La Régie rapidly made up ground. Its partnership with Williams would deliver four Drivers’ World Championships between 1992 and 1997, plus five Constructors’ titles.

Such was the Renault engine’s superiority that Benetton boss Flavio Briatore went to extreme lengths to secure it, despite the fact that, in 1994, Michael Schumacher had won the drivers’ title for the Ford V8-powered team. Ahead of the 1995 season – for which capacity across the board was reduced to 3.0 litres – Briatore bought the Ligier team and switched its Renault engine supply to Benetton, leaving

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‘Getting up to 19,000rpm and 900bhp with a 90kg engine has blown most people’s minds’ GARY ANDERSON Ligier to make do with a Mugen-Honda V10. It paid off, too, Schumacher winning a second Drivers’ Championship and Benetton the Manufacturers’ title.

By 1996, even Ferrari – the last team to persevere with a V12 – had gone to a V10, and it was said to be lighter, shorter and lower than the Renault unit. New recruit Schumacher had tested the outgoing V12 car in late 1995 and raved about its top-end power, but conceded that its torque and driveability didn’t match the French V10’s.

Under the stewardship of Paolo Martinelli and Gilles Simon, Ferrari’s V10s were not only powerful, they set new standards for reliability during the team’s dominant run of form between 2000 and 2004.

A smattering of V8s survived as late as 1997 before V10s took over completely, and from 2000 onwards they became mandatory. Renault had withdrawn at the end of 1997 but was tempted back, as was Honda, and BMW joined the fray for the first time since the turbo days of the 1980s. Mercedes continued to power the McLaren team, Mika Häkkinen having won consecutive World Championships for it in 1998 and 1999, and fierce competition between manufacturers led to new heights.

During qualifying for the 2002 Italian Grand Prix, Juan Pablo Montoya took pole position in his Williams-BMW

at an average speed of 161.45mph, breaking a record that had stood since 1985, when Keke Rosberg lapped Silverstone at 160.94mph. The BMW V10 was said to be producing well over 900bhp during this period and, ahead of the 2004 season, former Jordan designer Gary Anderson said: ‘Getting up to 19,000rpm and 900bhp with a 90kg engine has blown most people’s minds. In 1992, I remember being impressed with Yamaha’s figures of 14,000rpm.’

At Monza in 2004, Montoya raised his own lap-speed record to 162.950mph – and remained unbeaten until 2018. Not surprisingly, the FIA called time on this heady period and announced that the V10s would be replaced by 2.4-litre V8s in 2006. Honda, Mercedes and BMW strongly objected but FIA boss Max Mosley was unmoved. ‘We have repeatedly been told by F1’s Technical Working Group that speeds are too high,’ he said, ‘and reducing engine power is the most certain means of cutting them.’

There was a brief stay of execution in 2006 when Toro Rosso ran a rev-limited V10, but then they were gone for good. While those with longer memories might argue with Lewis Hamilton’s assertion that they provided the ‘greatest sound of a racing car ever’, it’s highly unlikely that, 20 years from now, the muted drone of a hybrid-era car will cause anyone to pause in wistful appreciation. E N D

RENAULT

Right Renault’s V10 Formula 1 engine: ‘the greatest sound of a racing car ever’, said Sir Lewis Hamilton.

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Pebble Beach Bugatti Type 59

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

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A ‘preservation class’ Bugatti Type 59 has broken the mould by winning the Pebble Beach Concours. This is its incredible back story Words David Burgess-Wise Photography Joshua Sweeney

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Pebble Beach Bugatti Type 59

T

he line-up of Best of Show nominees at the Pebble Beach Concours used to be predictable: three or four ‘Full Classics’ from the 1930s, all restored to the state where a stray paint chip or errant oil drip could cost an otherwise immaculate car the crown. Perspectives have shifted only in recent years, controversially so in 2014, when a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupé triumphed. It was only the seventh postwar car to win at Pebble Beach – and the first since 1968.

So imagine the sensation when this year’s event was won by a ‘preservation class’ Bugatti, the remarkable double life of which was written in scrapes and scratches in its 86-yearold paintwork. Not only that, but its Swiss owner Fritz Burkard, having been told to go and park his car, thought the show was over and that the winner had been decided, so packed up ready to leave the field. Consequently, the three other contenders for top spot – a 1948 Saoutchik-bodied Talbot-Lago T26, a 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport Phaeton and, the oddest of choices, the wedge-shaped 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupé (that very morning chief judge Chris Bock had proposed that judges should expand their definition of elegance) – had to wait for nearly ten minutes before Burkard, having been belatedly summoned to ‘finalists’ row’, arrived in his Bugatti.

If the Lancia ‘wedge’ defied the conventional image of elegance, the Bugatti was the polar opposite of the typical winner. Far from the better-than-new unreality of many winners past, the wear patterns and stonechips on its paint spoke of a car that had been driven hard and fast on poorly surfaced roads, and enjoyed for what it is. Surely that is an important part of what is loosely termed ‘patina’, the visible

evidence of a car’s history. And this particular Bugatti certainly had a significant history.

The Type 59 was born of Ettore Bugatti’s decision to produce a state-of-the-art Grand Prix racer to meet the 750kg formula for 1934. One of the most handsome racing cars of its time, it should have appeared at the French Grand Prix on 11 June 1933 but arrived in 2.8-litre form at the Grand Prix de Belgique in July 1933, featuring Bugatti’s trademark horseshoe radiator, a tapered Pointe Bordino tail and reversed quarter-elliptic rear springs. The engine, a supercharged twin-cam straight-eight similar to the Type 57’s, but with dry-sump lubrication and a lighter crankshaft, was set in a long, deep-bellied chassis frame.

In a tradition begun with the Type 35 at the 1924 French Grand Prix, Ettore Bugatti had reinvented the wheel. ‘Le Patron was crazy about these wheels,’ recalled René Dreyfus.

‘We were not…’ Their construction was unique: the Type 59’s aluminium brake drum had a circumference of spikytoothed dogs that engaged with matching teeth on the inner edge of the rim to take all the driving and braking torque; the thin ‘piano wire’ spokes – 80 of them – simply located the rim. Any play between the two sets of teeth created a knocking noise, said Dreyfus. ‘Too bad,’ responded the imperious Bugatti. ‘You’ll have to get used to it.’ Bugatti expert Tim Dutton has a more positive view: ‘They were a lot simpler to make, lighter, and just as strong.’

Spa proved a false dawn, and the lone Type 59 was withdrawn after a poor showing in practice. It made its racing debut in the Spanish Grand Prix on 24 September, when a three-car team (Varzi, Williams and Dreyfus) failed to impress. ‘The carburettors kept coming loose,’ recalled Dreyfus, ‘and the car didn’t have the power we expected,

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Clockwise, from left Distinctive headlamp treatment was carried out along with bespoke livery for royal patronage; simple interior retains its elegance; 3.3-litre engine was supercharged for King Léopold.

either.’ Varzi finished fourth, Dreyfus sixth; Williams had crashed in practice.

Four improved Type 59s with a new chassis peppered with generous lightening holes – one of them the future Pebble Beach winner, fitted with engine ‘number 5’ – were entered for the 1934 Monaco Grand Prix on 2 April. Still with the 2.8-litre engine, the Type 59 of Dreyfus recorded third place behind the Alfas of Moll and Chiron. At Montlhéry two Type 59s, uprated to 3.3 litres, were poorly prepared and failed to finish, while a 2.8-litre car driven

by Robert Benoist came fourth (of four finishers).

The increase in displacement to 3.3 litres was justified at Spa on 29 July, when a win by Dreyfus, probably driving ‘engine number 5’, proved the Type 59’s best result: it was the last-ever grand épreuve victory for Bugatti. Though the performance of the Type 59 was fully up to expectations, the imminent advent of the übermächtig state-backed Mercedes and Auto Union cars (neither raced at Spa) rendered it obsolete, and at the end of the season Bugatti sold four of the six Type 59s built to British privateers.

The two remaining Type 59 works cars – one of which was ‘engine number 5’ – did well in minor races during the 1935 season, while a 4.4-litre Type 50/59 was driven by Robert Benoist in the 1935 French Grand Prix (it retired), but, when Mercedes secured a 1-2 victory in that race, the Automobile Club de France declared that ‘to defend the 65

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Pebble Beach Bugatti Type 59

Above and top right Small doors and rounded tail are part of the ‘Sports’ bodywork applied during the winter of 1936-37; owner Fritz Burkard (centre) celebrates his win with Sandra Button.

French automobile industry’ the 1936 French Grand Prix would be a sports car race for unsupercharged ‘usable cars’ running on 80-octane pump fuel.

Bugatti responded by developing the normally aspirated, streamlined T57G ‘Tank’ – which brought the longed-for French victory in the 1936 ‘sports car Grand Prix’ – plus two naturally aspirated T59 ‘Sports’ that made their debut at the Comminges Grand Prix in August, despite protests from the rival teams that they were thinly disguised Grand Prix racers.

One of these was ‘engine number 5’, driven by Benoist; it retired. Jean-Pierre Wimille drove the sister car to victory.

During the winter of 1936-37 Bugatti continued the transformation of ‘engine number 5’ by replacing the old Grand Prix 4-4 crankshaft with a better-balanced 2-4-2 T57G unit, converting the engine to dry-sump lubrication, fitting a new four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox and new radius arms to better locate the rear axle. A new rear section was fashioned with small driver and passenger doors and a

rounded tail that housed the spare wheel. The car was given the T57 serial number 57248 – which appears as a blank entry in the factory list of Type 57 chassis numbers – and road-registered in the Bas-Rhin département as 344 NV3.

It proved its effectiveness on its first outing, the Pau Grand Prix on 21 February, when Jean-Pierre Wimille finished a lap and a half ahead of Sommer’s Talbot and Dreyfus’s Delahaye. The Bugatti returned to Molsheim, where it was given an engine and bodywork transformation to supercharged 3.3-litre Grand Prix specification, in which guise Wimille successfully set a new 200km record at Montlhéry to win the Fonds du Course prize of 320,000 francs for Bugatti.

Back in sports car guise, the Bugatti would have won the Tunis Grand Prix but for a false flag signal that forced Wimille to make an extra lap in the first heat, and run out of fuel while leading the second heat. There was no mistake in the remaining races of the season, and Wimille and the

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‘The car was painted black – the King’s favourite colour – with a yellow stripe in honour of Belgian racing livery’ Bugatti comfortably won the Bône and Marne Grands Prix.

It then began its second life, passing into the private collection of Bugatti’s friend and frequent client King Léopold III of the Belgians. To fit the Type 59 for its royal custodian, the car was painted black – his favourite colour – with a yellow stripe in honour of the Belgian racing livery; the headlights were mounted in a streamlined cowling at dumbiron level. The car was fitted with a supercharger, breathing through a single Zenith carburettor.

It’s not known how much the King used his Bugatti before Germany invaded Belgium in 1940; faced with the dilemma of whether to accompany his government into exile or stay with his people, the King chose the latter option and was imprisoned for the duration. After the liberation, controversy about his wartime role forced Léopold to abdicate in 1951. The Bugatti went to Switzerland with him; the ex-King and his Type 59 returned to Belgium only in 1959, and in 1964 the car found a new owner, a young

student named Stéphane Falise, who declared: ‘I will drive it purely for pleasure, on the open road – after all, full of life as he was, Ettore certainly did expect his cars to be driven!

‘As I like racing cars to look purposeful and up to the job, I do not like them to look too much polished and cleaned.

Thus I shall not polish the inside of the bonnet, but let it be with its dried brownish castor oil varnish; I shall not remove the overabundant jointing compound, much more interesting as it is; I shall not remove the small bump at the rear, who knows who made it; but I shall keep all chassis and engine parts in perfect mechanical order.’

Falise’s friend Hubert Fabri, who would acquire the Bugatti in 2008, takes up the story: ‘I had known the car from the early days of my automobile passion. Stéphane Falise had left her dormant with another friend, François d’Huart, whose place was full of extraordinary sports cars he was saving from dereliction. There the T59 laid, with her entrails opened: shortly after purchasing her, Stéphane had 67

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Pebble Beach Bugatti Type 59

dismantled her engine there to balance the crankshaft. She would only be put together many years later to be sold.’

He pauses. ‘Let me dispel a myth: Stéphane wasn’t the illegitimate child of Léopold III and didn’t inherit the Bugatti. While a young student in chemistry, he wrote to the King and, after a discreet police inquiry, was invited to Argenteuil, where the King resided after his abdication. Not only did Stéphane purchase the 59 [for a reputed 10,000 Belgian francs] but, if I’m not mistaken, also came out with a T52, a T43 and an exhibition engine.’

It was only in 1989 that Stéphane Falise parted with the Type 59, selling it to New York financier Robert M Rubin.

Like successive custodians, Rubin let it age gracefully while respecting its 1937 livery, though he had it mechanically refurbished by artisan restorer Chris Leydon in Pennsylvania. Rubin passed the Bugatti in 1994 to fellow New York collector Anthony Wang, who also respected its external condition and continued to have the car maintained by Leydon Restorations.

It was not until 2008 that the Type 59 found its fifth custodian; appropriately, it was Hubert Fabri. ‘The Bugatti 59 was, for me, the Holy Grail; during my earlier visits to François d’Huart, I never thought I would one day own her.

And to do so, I also had to purchase a wonderful T54 from Tony Wang. I used the 59 as often as I could but, unlike my other cars, never with complete abandon, as I truly felt her importance. I drove her around the Nordschleife, raced her at Spa and Goodwood, went up Mont Ventoux. My respect for the 59 always overwhelmed me.

‘I am no Jean-Pierre Wimille and, despite her archaic architecture, she was genuinely fast, only a few seconds slower than the Silver Arrows around Spa. But enjoy her I did: her roaring noise, wonderfully slick – dry-sumped! –

gearbox, precise steering, her clear handling and endless power made me feel part of her mechanical parts. I absolutely loved it, an unforgettable sensation, a genuinely ultimate driving experience.’

When Hubert parted with his remarkable collection in 2000, the Type 59 was acquired by Fritz Burkard of the Pearl Collection in Zug, Switzerland. Anxious to preserve its unrestored finish, Burkard called in art conservation specialist Dr Gundula Tutt to stabilise its surfaces. She comments: ‘The condition and history of the vehicle are inextricably linked. Like a person’s wrinkles and scars, the real history speaks from the genuine traces of use. This is quite different from fake patina, which even in cases where a vehicle has experienced a real history can only be something like stage painting.

‘If you want to continue driving such a “survivor” – which I welcome, because movement is the fourth dimension of an automobile – you also have to think carefully about how to stabilise the historic fabric, so that it can stand up to that without being destroyed in a very short time. This applies to the technical components as well as the “superficial” aspects such as paint and upholstery. At the same time, it is important not to compromise the authenticity and integrity of the vehicle through such measures. This is one of the key points that people unfortunately often fail to understand when they talk too briefly about “preserving the patina”.’

And that, says Pebble Beach Concours Chairman Sandra Button, is what is most important about this Bugatti that has uniquely expanded the concept of elegance: ‘It wears all of its history to this day.’

THANKS TO Hubert Fabri, Dr Gundula Tutt (omnia-online.de) and Tim Dutton (duttonbugatti.co.uk).

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s

Beyond restoration for a life less ordinary...

Hand built and unique Series Land Rover, Defender & Classic Range Rover restorations.

I-328829.indd I-328829.indd 1 1

info@windsorclassics.co.uk www.windsorclassics.co.uk @windsor_classics

11/02/2021 11/02/2021 18:09 18:06

Concours debate Preservation class

PRESERVATION RESTORATIO N OR

The Bugatti Type 59’s historic victory at Pebble Beach has prompted much discussion. Nathan Chadwick investigates

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‘P

ebble Beach has always been about celebrating restorations – what they’ve done is given the award to someone who has done nothing to their car. It is unfair and disrespectful to all those who spent time, money and effort restoring cars for the event.’ Harsh words from one unnamed US restorer, but a measure of the disquiet surrounding the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance result this year: Fritz Burkard’s Bugatti Type 59 was the first preservation-class car to win the event.

‘I am aware of some strong sentiments, opinions and the doubts of a few hobbyists as to the fairness, or appropriateness of the selection of a preservation car as best of show at Pebble this year.

But as a Pebble judge for 21 years and an experienced chief judge, I support the event’s decision,’ says Paul Sable.

Jeremy Jackson-Sytner (see mrconcours.com), who conceived Britain’s Concours of Eleagnce held at royal residences, sees it differently. He’s a firm believer that Pebble Beach works best as a showcase for restorations.

‘I’m not taking anything away from what the car is, its history and recognising a new collector, but Pebble is a concours d’élégance – was the Bugatti an elegant car?’

Sable says there is a belief that only the most ‘elegant’ car should win at a concours. ‘Certainly the car’s appearance, as to beauty, design, elegance, is important – concours d’élégance is translated as “a competition of elegance” – but there is another phrase that follows elegance as a criterion,’ he says. ‘That word is “presence”. Presence at a concours includes the car’s history, its ownership, its rarity, its significance, its importance et cetera. I believe the Bugatti had some elegance for sure, but “presence” certainly added clout.’

The omens for such a result had been circulating for a while. As the Pebble Beach preservation class judge Simon Kidston (kidston.com) points out, this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este (of which he is also a committee member) was won by a preservation-class Alfa Romeo 8C. ‘It’s a trend that’s gaining momentum, but I don’t think it indicates an overnight change in the way concours are judged,’ he says. ‘It reflects a longer-term appreciation of cars that are preserved – not neglected – as an alternative to perfectly restored cars.’ He’s found that, over the past ten years, many clients, particularly those moving to the collector car world from other fields such as art, furniture and watches, have a greater appreciation for preservation. ‘Some collectors will only buy preserved cars, rather than restored ones.’

Miles Collier of the Revs Institute (museum.revsinstitute.org) believes there’s a gradual awakening to the idea that, if something is historic, it ought to demonstrate its history: ‘I think people are recognising that only an unrestored car can tell us the full narrative of its existence.’ Though appreciation for preservation cars is growing, he suggests it will have little long-term effect. ‘What it may stop, which would be good, is when an unrestored car wins the preservation class, and immediately gets

packed off to a workshop for a “boiled sweet” restoration.’ And, like Collier, Andy Heywood of McGrath Maserati (mcgrathmaserati.co.uk) sees the growing prominence of preservation classes as a message to restorers and owners of significant cars. ‘Rather than commit a car to a restoration solely to make it competitive in concours, think carefully about whether you are losing something of historical importance,’ he says. ‘In the past, it has been easy to criticise concours events for too much of the former, so in that sense this changes the emphasis. It is a credit to the Pebble Beach jury that they made this decision.’

However, Heywood also believes that aligning preservation with competition and using this as a way of promoting more preservation will not work. ‘In the same way as the desire to win used to lead to overrestoration, the desire for more preservation may well lead to what you might call “constructed patina”, which is potentially more damaging to historical record,’ he says.

Neither Kidston nor Sable sees a long-term threat to the amount of work passing through restoration businesses. ‘For most cars, preservation is no longer an option, as many of them have been restored several times,’ Kidston adds.

Jackson-Sytner believes that of greater significance will be resultant encouragement of more concours to run preservation classes, and for collectors to enter their cars into them. However, Kidston also points out that some attitudes to preservation can be simplistic. ‘You can’t judge preservation by simply pulling a paint meter out of your pocket, and assuming that if a car doesn’t have consistent paint depths, it isn’t preserved. Many cars were painted by hand, often in a rush, and not always by one person. You need to look at the car’s overall history and see if it adds up,’ he says. ‘To quote Lorenzo Ramaciotti, the head of the jury at Villa d’Este, “Judging with a paint meter is like asking a bookkeeper to determine beauty by numbers.”’

And as for the impact at Pebble Beach itself? ‘It will be old news, fast,’ Sable says. For Miles Collier, it’s too early to say. ‘Despite the fact that a post-war car won best of show a few years ago, we haven’t seen a change in the US,’ he says – no post-war car has claimed victory since. ‘It boils down to the nature of the car, and if it presents really well I think you’re in with a chance.’

Jackson-Sytner reckons next year will see a return to a restored car.

‘However, it does say let’s recognise authenticity for what it is. You don’t have to restore that car for it to get a prize at Pebble Beach.’

Simon Kidston believes the philosophies of preservation and restoration can co-exist. ‘Although many collectors will wax lyrical about originality, the reality is that 90% of collectors will go for the perfect restoration courtesy of the top names,’ he says. ‘It’s much easier to explain to their non-car-expert friends than something with faded paint and cracked leather, which might provoke a polite smile and the silent question: “Wonder when he’ll fix it up?”’

‘FOR MOST CARS, PRESERVATION IS NO LONGER AN OPTION – THEY HAVE BEEN RESTORED ALREADY’ SIMON KIDSTON

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Monterey 2024 The changing of the guard?

THE STATE OF PLAY

AFTER MONTEREY Will this year’s docile US auctions have ramifications for the entire classic car market? Rob Sass investigates

BROAD ARROW AUCTIONS

THE FERRARI 250GT LUSSO is perhaps the most beautiful Ferrari of all time, which would place it high in the running for the most beautiful car ever. Steve McQueen owned one, and it was the last Ferrari to be equipped with the legendary Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12. When a very pretty silver over red leather example (above left) sidled up to the block as Lot 223 at Broad Arrow’s Monterey sale this past August, the crowd had every expectation that the car would sell within its pre-sale estimate of $1,700,000 to $2,000,000. Maybe even a bit more. But bidding ran out of steam at $1.5million, and the car was a no-sale.

Another silver Lusso at the Bonhams Quail Lodge sale was bid to just $1.1million against an estimate of $1.45million to $1.75million. The seller perhaps got a dose of reality and cut it loose post-block for an undisclosed sum. So-called Enzo-era Ferraris, which had been consistent money-spinners at collector car auctions for the past several decades, struggled in Monterey this year. A sign of changing tastes, or perhaps the signal of an overall downturn in the collector car market, or maybe both?

The overall numbers at the Monterey auctions weren’t significantly below those recorded last year: $391,558,265 in 2024, versus $403,319,185 in 2023 according to numbers provided by Hagerty, the classic car insurer and automotive lifestyle brand. But as always, the devil is in the detail. A deeper dive into sell-through rates and the performance of various market segments as well as expert observations always give a clearer picture as to what’s really going on.

The aforementioned silver Lussos weren’t the only classic Ferraris to have a tough time in Monterey. In general, the crowds just didn’t seem

GOODING & CO

to be in the mood to spend big on 60-plus-year-old, front-engined, carburetted V12 Ferraris that lacked power-assisted steering and airconditioning among other creature comforts.

Gooding & Company offered an incredibly imposing example of perhaps the best-named sports car of all time: a 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast (above right). Black with a tan interior, it seemingly ticked all of the boxes. It was outrageously powerful for the era, with its 5.0-litre V12 making about 400bhp. It was one of only 36 built (making it as rare as a Ferrari 250 GTO) and, reputedly, it was the only one originally painted black. The car had been vetted by Ferrari expert Marcel Massini, and it carried Ferrari’s own coveted Red Book Classiche certification.

The new owner of the car could count on being in fairly rare company: the Shah of Iran, Barbara Hutton, Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, Peter Sellers, they were all Superfast owners. Hell, this one was bought new by an Italian count. Still, the gorgeous and very desirable black Ferrari saw a high bid of only $1.5million, nowhere near enough to get the job done against a pre-sale estimate of $1.9million to $2.2million.

These were hardly isolated incidents on the Monterey peninsula. The sell-through rate for pre-1974 Ferraris this year was just 52.6%. For the previous three years at Monterey, pre-1974 Ferraris averaged about an 85% sell-through rate. An over-30% drop in sales is indeed a precipitous one. Post-1974 Ferraris, the ones built after Ferrari’s sale to Fiat, and largely after the direct involvement of Il Commendatore ceased, didn’t struggle at all. 84.5% of those cars that crossed the block sold. Pretty much in line with their sales performance in the previous three years.

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‘New cars might be incredibly capable, but they just don’t get you as fizzy as cars from only ten, 15 and 20 years ago’

GOODING & CO

GOODING & CO

It wasn’t just old Ferraris that struggled. Pre-1974 Porsche sales were down as well. Only 57.1% of pre-impact bumper Porsches sold versus 66.7% last year, and 81% in 2022. As with Ferrari sales, newer Porsches seemed to be doing just fine, with sell-through rates consistent with the last several years.

‘We’ve seen little indicators in years past of a generational shift in the last several years; now there truly are enough people with enough money to fight over rare Porsches and Ferraris from the 1990s and later,’ said Northern California-based collector Jay Ward. ‘The sweet spot now seems to be shifting from long-hood [pre-1974] Porsche 911s to G-body cars and beyond, and even water-cooled cars from the 997 generation.’

Underscoring Ward’s point, one of the more stunning results on the peninsula was realised by a 1985 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera (above left) at Gooding & Company. The car had no particularly interesting options or history; in fact it wore the poverty-spec 15in ‘phone dial’ wheels rarely seen in North America. It didn’t even have the slick-shifting Getrag G50 gearbox that makes the 1987-89 Carreras more desirable.

What the car did have going for it was its unusual, and very pretty, specially ordered livery of Glacier Blue with a navy interior. It also showed just over 13,000 miles. Not freakishly low by any means, but the car had a crisp, almost museum-piece quality to it. The sale price of $235,000 was a stunner. It likely set a record for a base 3.2 Carrera, and shows that top-quality cars from the 1980s and beyond are gaining traction, even in a market that is no longer expanding.

The last of the gated-shift Ferraris, such as the 550 and 575M Maranello

and the 599 GTB Fiorano, are becoming incredibly sought-after as well.

‘There’s a reason that Touring Superleggera used a 550 Maranello as its base for creating the stunning Veloce 12 restomod that it debuted at Pebble Beach,’ said Ward. ‘The cars may have some driver’s aids, airbags, ECUs and OBD ports, but they still have an analogue feel to them, and they’re nowhere near as huge as some modern sports cars have become.

New cars might be incredibly capable, but they just don’t get you as fizzy as cars from only ten, 15 and 20 years ago.’

Ward specifically called out the black 550 Maranello six-speed (above right) sold by Gooding & Company in Monterey. That particular car had just under 3000 miles on it and was a Ferrari Club of America Platinum award-winner. Perfect to near-perfect cars from the end of the gated-shift era now seem to be the Ferraris that will reliably ring the bell. That car had a pre-sale estimate of $300,000-400,000 and it sold closer to the top of that range at $368,000.

Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty isn’t ready to call it a full-on generational shift yet, but he’s an astute reader of the room, and he believes that the look on the faces of older bidders spoke volumes when cars from the ’60s and ’70s failed to meet expectations, indicating that these cars might now be playing to a smaller audience. ‘We live in a less mechanical generation, people are just less comfortable dealing with mechanical objects and we’ve got to try to overcome that… because the market told us everything we need to know right now in Monterey.’

Nobody is saying yet that pre-1974 cars are done for in the marketplace.

We’re not yet where we were 20-25 years ago, when the World War Two

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RM SOTHEBY’S

BROAD ARROW AUCTIONS

Monterey 2024 The changing of the guard?

‘Although the numbers were down in Monterey this year, you’d be hard-pressed to call the atmosphere one of fear or dread’ generation finally aged out of the collector car market, and pre-war cars started to become outliers at big-catalogue auctions. But prices might well end up more attractive for cars from the pre-1974 era.

Jay Ward believes that, in general, cars such as the XK-era Jaguar and even E-types might become more affordable, and he pointed to a pair of sales indicative of what could become the new normal for interesting older cars from more obscure manufacturers: RM Sotheby’s sold a beautiful Facel Vega HK500 (top left) for just a little over $100,000. The handsome Chrysler V8-powered Grand Routier, darling of celebrities of the 1950s, might be one of those cars the relevance of which is on borrowed time, as celebrity owners including Fred Astaire, Ava Gardner and Danny Kaye slip into obscurity with Gen-Xers and beyond. Still, it’s a lovely car that might still find favour, even with someone who can’t tell Ava Gardner from Chance the Gardner, but perhaps not at the prices that boomers had become accustomed to paying.

Had circumstances been just slightly different that weekend, both Ward and I might have found ourselves fighting over a very lovely 1972 De Tomaso Pantera (top right) at the Broad Arrow auction. Although we disagree on the level of disfigurement wrought on the Pantera by the USmandated black bumpers of the second-series cars, we were both appropriately chuffed by this chrome-bumper example. We’ve become conditioned to seeing these break six figures, so we were stunned to see this one sell for just $75,000.

Pantera experts were quick to point out a few details about the car that weren’t quite correct, but to us it was mighty attractive. Nonetheless, it ran afoul of those bidders who are demanding perfection in what is rapidly becoming an extremely selective market. ‘The air gets thin at the top, there’s not a huge number of best-of-the-best cars, and there isn’t a huge number of buyers for those cars. When cars stop appreciating quickly, the smart money thinks long and hard about what to buy and what to pay,’ said Mark Hyman, a St Louis, US-based dealer with a huge stocklist and global clientele.

Although the numbers were down in Monterey this year, you’d be hard-pressed to call the atmosphere one of fear or dread: nearly $400million in cars still changed hands. But like the US economy at the moment, the collector car market appears to be taking a bit of a soft

landing, and that’s viewed by most observers as a healthy and utterly normal situation. Opinions as to both the why and the precise timing of bleeding-off of market mojo were varied. But suffice to say, nothing goes up forever, and the pandemic-era market of 2021-2023 was a frothy one indeed, bringing overall numbers that hadn’t been seen in Monterey since the last big expansion in collector car values that took place from 2011 through 2015.

Then, as now, we were coming out of a nearly unprecedented shock to the global economy (the Great Recession versus a global pandemic).

And while correlation doesn’t necessarily imply causation, it is at least interesting to note that, when the air finally came out of the market a decade ago, it was not long after the massive fiscal stimulus known as quantitative easing ended, and here we sit in 2024, with most pandemicera stimulus programmes either having ended, or scheduled to by Q4 of this year. It does feel a lot like 2015.

Mark Hyman summed it up succinctly: ‘Covid-era rapid appreciation is over; the US has a case of pre-election jitters, people are saying “I don’t know what’s going to happen, so I’ll just take a deep breath.” It happens every time. Once the election is over, people go back to buying. Finally, the demographic shift is definitely taking place. Younger people like different flavours.’

Hyman was also of the opinion that the quality this year in Monterey wasn’t quite as good. ‘When the market starts to adjust, things that aren’t necessarily the best-of-the-best are the first things to head to market.’

Overall, though, Hyman and most observers that I spoke with thought it was a successful week of auctions. ‘The world doesn’t end very often’ was Hyman’s answer for the jittery doomsayers.

Post-Monterey, the market takes a bit of a breather in North America.

There will be other sales between now and the New Year, but none with the market-making power of Monterey. For that, we’ll have to wait for the massive January Barrett-Jackson sale in Arizona, and the equally mindnumbing giant Mecum auction in Florida later the same month. Beyond that, the European sports car market will get its first pressure test of 2025 in March in Florida, where Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s, Gooding and Company, and Broad Arrow will compete again for the first time since Monterey 2024.

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A&Ω Jensen FF First and last

The Jensen FF was more motoring prophet than messiah, but this very early example and the very last one built encapsulate five years of trailblazing Words James Elliott Photography Lee Brimble

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T Jensen FF First and last

he Jensen FF changed everything… and nothing. It was the first production road car to employ a full four-wheel drive system yet most of the world outside these pages still credits the Audi quattro, which popularised it almost a decade later. The FF was also the first to use antilock brakes – a feature so important that it was made a legal requirement some 38 years later – yet the Ford Scorpio, which standardised a far cheaper and more wieldy system across its range in the 1980s, is largely recognised as the progenitor. It’s as if Michelangelo were written out of history and Raphael fêted as master rather than the pupil.

There were good reasons, of course, why other people didn’t immediately follow Jensen’s lead, namely complexity and cost, but Jensen was breathing in such rarefied air that such things were mere trivialities.

Even so, the lasting impact, whether it be emotional or practical or the advancement of motoring science, from just 320-odd British cars handbuilt in West Bromwich (or Turin) is hugely disproportionate for enthusiasts, placing the FF on a pedestal with the motoring gods.

The original idea for a four-wheel-drive passenger car came from racer Freddie Dixon, prompted by safety concerns more than the pursuit of performance. War hero and racer Tony Rolt, whose cars Dixon looked after, swiftly enlisted himself and Dixon-Rolt developed a permanent four-wheel drive system that compensated for slipping wheels and was therefore suitable for hard surfaces. Dixon-Rolt was subsumed into Harry Ferguson’s new interest Ferguson Research, the tractor mogul having recently sold his business and won a $9million lawsuit against Ford in the USA, where the Blue Oval had reneged on a handshake agreement and had been using his many patents without permission.

The initial business plan, based largely on what had previously worked for Ferguson (fun fact: he was the first Irishman to build and fly a plane), was to engineer the system and license it to major manufacturers.

But as the 1960s dawned, Dixon quit (he didn’t want to move from Redhill to Coventry), Ferguson died (October 1960) and no major manufacturer showed any interest in licensing the four-wheel drive system. Yet Rolt pressed ahead, building and campaigning the company’s rolling laboratory-cum-billboard, the Ferguson P99.

The Coventry Climax-powered F1 car was adopted by the Rob Walker stable and enjoyed only one significant victory, when Stirling Moss scooped the non-championship International Gold Cup at Oulton Park in 1961. Fitted with a larger Climax engine, it later won the British Hillclimb Championship with Peter Westbury. Four-wheel drive on the hills: makes sense. Apart from dabbling on the wilder fringes of competition with turbine cars and the like, that was pretty much it for the Ferguson Principle in racing. After all, once the tech was out there, other teams just developed their own.

On the road front, Ferguson abandoned its plans to license it, launched a wealth of limited-run technical showcases developed to try to sell the Ferguson Principle to manufacturers such as Ford and Triumph, but

‘THE FF WON A RAFT OF AWARDS AND WAS EMBRACED

BY THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL FIRMAMENT’ take-up was restricted to only one car company, Jensen, which started working with Ferguson Research as early as 1962 and showed a fourwheel-drive version of the C-V8 at Earls Court in October 1965.

So wrapped up is it possible to become in the Ferguson Formula – a far snappier sobriquet than the original Ferguson Principle – that it is easy to overlook this car’s other great claim to fame as the first production car with anti-lock braking. You are probably familiar with the Dunlop Maxaret system. Despite being established in the 1950s, and swiftly picked up by aviation, it did not make it into a production road car until 1966. In a nutshell, the ingenious yet simultaneously simple and complicated system not only greatly reduced braking distance but also helped prevent locking up and skidding. Pretty useful on a two-ton 350bhp GT, even more useful on a 20-times-heavier aeroplane landing on ice with only two or three small contact patches.

In 1959 Denis ‘Jenks’ Jenkinson wrote a typically in-depth and enthusiastic piece in Motor Sport about the system being extensively tested by Jaguar (on a MkVII, but we know that it was also tested on D-types) but being prohibitively expensive for use in a road car.

In practical terms, that probably still held true seven years later when it was put in the FF, a car that in 1970 cost £7700. That’s 13 Minis. By then, of course, the FF had also won a raft of awards – Car’s 1967 Car of the Year, Sports Illustrated’s ‘safest car in the world’ and more – and been embraced by the rock ’n’ roll firmament. Drummers mainly, Ginger Baker, John Bonham and Mitch Mitchell among them.

Even with the naked eye, you can see immediate difference from the Interceptor: the clearly longer wheelbase (by four inches), the squaredoff nose and most famously the second set of gills on the front flanks.

Both chassis and transmission tunnel had to be adjusted to house the extra diff and transfer box, while the FF had a bespoke front suspension (double wishbones, twin coils and shocks) and the forward driveshafts had constant velocity joints. Unlike the Interceptor, the FF, which wore an extra Ferguson Formula grille badge, never dabbled with 7.2-litre power and stayed true to the 6277cc/383ci Chrysler V8. And the threespeed TorqueFlite 727.

Octane is very fortunate to have at its disposal two of the most important examples from opposite ends of the FF’s 320-car lifespan

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This page Mk3’s interior is a huge step from the earlier car’s, with more of a 1970s flavour; exterior changed less, sharing the Interceptor’s characteristic glass tailgate.

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Jensen FF First and last

(during which time over 2000 Interceptors were built): one of the first (chassis 6) and the actual last, the final car of only 15 Mk3s. They belong respectively to Steve Groves and Ian Owen, a pair of businessmen who have a hefty stake in marque specialist Cropredy Bridge Garage. For the record, the latter car is definitely for sale, the former isn’t, but, like everything, it could be.

Just like the very earliest Interceptors, only a handful of Touring-styled FFs were built at Vignale and they carry a hefty premium in value and kudos. 119/006 was first owned by war hero Captain Peter Hall, the reallife inspiration for the cartographer in The Great Escape. He bought it to replace an unloved Aston Martin DB6, a car about which he phoned the company to inform them he had finished with it and that Aston was free to collect it at leisure from a hedge in Leicestershire.

The correspondence suggests Hall was not much happier with his Jensen than he had been with his Aston, but he did replace this car with a Mk2 FF and 119/006 went through a number of owners before ending up with well-known FF collector John Wild in the 1990s. After

a mechanical restoration it passed through a few more until it was found living under a tarpaulin on a Hexham farm by Steve Groves in 2013. With Cropredy Bridge, and Ulric Woodhams of the Jensen Museum in Shropshire, Steve undertook a three-year restoration to restore it while retaining all the uniquely Vignale features. For example, the Italian leather was different to production cars’ so the original hide was restored at the University of Northampton instead of being replaced.

In contrast, the last FF, Ian Owen’s Stratosphere Blue car, was originally Brasilia with Tan interior and registered ABW 26K. Thanks to the indefatigable work of late Jensen aficionado Richard Calver, we know it left the factory on 20 December 1971, specced with a Voxson 8-track, Sundym glass, air-conditioning and town-and-country horns. It had seven UK owners until it was bought by notable collector Bruce Milner.

The California-based Kiwi ad man has had loads of weird and wonderful cars, ranging from the Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ in Octane 256 to a Monteverdi Hai. He bought the Jensen in 1996 for £16,000 and shipped it to the US, where it had a full restoration over three years from 2003.

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Left and below Final FF of all leads the charge, is more stable if less physical than its ultra-early forebear; big V8 provides easy power and torque in both cases.

1966/71 Jensen FF Engine 6276cc Chrysler OHV V8, single Carter four-barrel carburettor Power 330bhp @ 4600rpm Torque 425lb ft @ 2800rpm Transmission Three-speed automatic, four-wheel drive, split 37:63 front:rear Steering Rack and pinion, power-assisted Suspension Front: double wishbones, twin coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, telescopic dampers Brakes Discs, Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock system Weight c1800kg Top speed c130mph 0-60mph 8.4sec

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Jensen FF First and last

This page and opposite The recipe is very similar in both cases, being a V8-powered four-wheel-drive GT, but the Vignale features a more classical, intimate interior style.

DD Classics reimported it in December 2013 and it was bought by Ian Owen shortly afterwards. Ever since then it has been looked after by Cropredy Bridge Garage, including some rectification of past work and a complete retrim.

I know the 1971 car pretty well because it was in it that I undertook probably my longest ever classic road test. I drove it from Turin to Windsor via Le Touquet in 2016, when 30 Jensens motored to Italy and then back from the old Vignale factory to mark the 50th anniversary of the first journey with HEA 1D by Kevin Beattie and Mike Jones.

It drove like a dream then and it still does. There is an immense solidity and confidence to this car, from its chunky steering wheel to the imperious way it makes progress; like a ferry carving through calm seas, it feels capable of subjugating nature. It is conspicuously powerful and wants you to know it: just tickle the throttle pedal for instant, scalded (for the era) response and it sprints all the way to a red-zone of 51006000rpm. Yet at the same time, you are cosseted in immense luxury, from your regally rakish driving position commanding power steering, powerful electric windows, even electric wing mirrors, Jaeger dials, XJ6style toggle switches, a single dainty stalk and unusually meaningful aircon. It’s just possible that this car, this actual car, is the ultimate expression of the late-60s/early-70s 2+2 GT. The Vignale is a very different beast in looks and personality. Not only

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Jensen FF First and last

Above and left FF Mk1 offers a gloriously physical driving experience; five years separate first and last, and their characters are further apart than you might have imagined.

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10/09/2024 11:32

Jensen FF First and last

is there no FF badge on this one but you notice that the Crystal Blue is subtly two-tone and the roof is a darker shade to the rest. It has deeper air scoops than the later car on the side and, like Interceptor Mk1s, it has the bigger bumpers and Rostyles. Neither does the badge on the C-pillar sit over a vent, the prime Vignale telltale. Watch out if opening the door when it is breezy (there are no stays) and settle into the opulent surroundings – does anything say luxury GT more than a leather headlining? Inside, it is much lighter and airier than the Mk3. The higher transmission tunnel, which is barely noticeable on the Mk3, is very pronounced here as the forward edge plunges towards the base of the centre console, as are the Vignale-exclusive fillets of wood on the doors.

You guide it with a bigger, wood-rimmed wheel and, where the Mk3 feels commanding, the Vignale feels compliant. It is a very different driving experience, lighter and nimbler than the Mk3, but equally less planted and solid. It is more tactile, more intimate, involving and awash with feedback, but at the same time more demanding, persistent and tiring.

As a Mk1 Interceptor owner, I am naturally drawn to the Vignale, a car similar to mine in almost every respect (excepting the FF’s vastly superior roadholding and braking, of course) and which shares its physical personality, yet in the Mk3 memories come flooding back of that dream drive on the Jensen Owners’ Club trek in 2016. I really bonded with BVM then and it seems that it is a bond that’s hard to break.

So, was the FF merely a blip, an expensive experiment, a glamorous pioneering laboratory that had no lasting impact, a British Ro80? The outcry on social media when Audi foolishly suggested its quattro was the first production road car to adopt four-wheel drive suggests not. As does the fact that, when a certain Italian supercar company wanted to launch a four-wheel-drive car some 40 years later, it called it the FF. Officially, of course, this is unrelated and not a nod in any way to Jensen. Oh no. It clearly stands for Ferrari Four (four seats, four-wheel drive), just like Ferrari adopted all those other abbreviated English words into its car names over the years. FQ Ferrari, FQ.

‘WAS THE FF MERELY A BLIP, A GLAMOROUS PIONEERING LABORATORY THAT HAD NO LASTING IMPACT?’

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02/09/2024 15:52

The Octane Interview John Fitzpatrick

John Fitzpatrick From saloons to GTs, Britain to Bathurst and beyond, few have raced more globally – or more successfully Words Richard Heseltine Photography Nigel Harniman

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THE O C TA N E INTERVIEW

HE CLEARLY isn’t one for sentimentality. ‘I used to have lots of trophies but they were taking up space. I threw most of them out when we moved house,’ John Fitzpatrick muses. ‘The funny thing is, my wife Sandra motioned me over to the window one morning and we watched while the binmen fished them out. I suppose they thought they were worth keeping but I never saw them again.’ As such, should you ever come across silverware with moody provenance from, say, the 24 Hours of Daytona, chances are they originated Chez Fitzpatrick. But then there is little this likable British midlander didn’t win outside single-seaters during his stellar career.

The thing is, ‘Fitz’ clearly isn’t one to brag, either. Surveying a shiny salver, one of the few prizes to survive the cull, he casually mentions that he received it after dominating the 1983 Brands Hatch 1000 Kilometres. ‘That was in my Porche 956. It was my final win. I shared the car with Derek Warwick, who was just amazing. He won it, really, and it was only his second race in Group C. I did OK, but Derek just disappeared up the road in the most appalling conditions. He said that winning that race convinced Renault to offer him a Formula 1 drive in 1984. Derek lapped the works Rothmans cars. He was brilliant.’

Fitzpatrick was one of Britain’s most garlanded racing drivers from the mid-1960s to the early ’80s, but conversely he preferred to let his results do the talking. ‘The thing is, I wasn’t really interested in motorsport early on,’ he professes. ‘I was lucky in that I had a very kind father. He had travelled to the Isle of Man to watch a friend compete in the TT when he was younger. The friend was killed and I think that had a big effect on him. He told me that if I didn’t ride a motorcycle, or drink and smoke, then he would buy me a car when I was old enough. When I turned 17, I received an 850 Mini with the registration number JF 1961.

‘What did it was reading a copy of Motor Racing while I was at a friend’s house. I filled out a form at the back of the mag, sent it off, and joined the BRSCC [British Racing & Sports Car Club]. I started out sprinting the Mini and did my first race in 1962 at Snetterton.

This was the period when companies like Speedwell and Alexander Engineering were offering stuff to make your Mini go faster, and I did a bit of tinkering myself. Then, one day, I stopped at SR Broad & Sons on the Stafford Road on my way into Birmingham. It was Ralph Broad’s garage. He offered to check the oil so I opened the bonnet. Ralph saw the twin

carbs and other stuff and said: “What’s all this crap?”’

The upshot was that the future team owner offered to make the Mini fly. ‘Ralph wasn’t a “name” at that point. He never stopped talking – never stopped swearing, and was always animated. Ralph did a brilliant job and the car went like a rocket. I came up with the name “Broadspeed” and put it on the car. I had a good year in 1963 and then I was invited to go and see John Cooper in Surbiton. John Whitmore was leaving the team and I was offered his seat in the British Saloon Car Championship. I would be Paddy Hopkirk’s team-mate. John apologised that the money wasn’t all that great – £100 a race – but I almost fell out of my chair. I would have driven for nothing.’

The 21-year-old came within one point of claiming the 1964 title, losing out to Jim Clark.

Scroll forwards to 1966 and he bagged the crown aboard a Broadspeed Ford Anglia. He subsequently slayed giants aboard successive assorted Escorts, even if not every race went as planned.

‘I had some great battles with Frank Gardner in 1970,’ he recalls. ‘Unfortunately, there was one race [the Motor Show 200 at Brands Hatch] at the end of the year where Frank went a bit too far. His Chevy Camaro was faster on the straights, but I stayed with him. Then the Camaro had a tyre let go and he tagged me. I went end over end; demolished the Escort.

‘I will never forget the walk of shame back to the pits. Ralph had sold the car to a guy from New Zealand. He had come over specially to see “his” car race. That was an interesting conversation! I loved Ralph and I must say this: he never cheated. He was straight as an arrow, and his cars were always beautifully prepared. Around that time, I also did a lot of European Touring Car Championship races with the BDA-engined Escorts. Ford of Cologne wanted the Capris to win from a marketing point of view and had no idea the Escort was so good. Pitstops always seemed to take longer than they should. There was a lot of fumbling; just enough to slow us down.

‘I was driving at Jarama in 1971. Jochen Mass was my team-mate. We had the measure of the Capris in the four-hour race to the point that we were walking away with it. They realised that they couldn’t slow us down such was our lead so we were “allowed” to win. I got sick of racing with one hand tied behind my back and moved to the Schnitzer BMW team in 1972 [winning the Nürburgring 6 Hours with Rolf Stommelen]. Herbert and Josef Schnitzer were

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PORSCHE AG

The Octane Interview John Fitzpatrick

Clockwise, from above left Watkins Glen, 1978, in the GeLo Racing Porsche 935/77A; on left, at the Daytona 24 Hours, 1980; finishing second at the Nurbürgring, 1977; chasing Brian Muir’s Chevrolet Camaro in a Ford Escort 1300GT, Croft, 1968.

a given year. That was nice. That was the start of my sports car career, but I found Erwin to be a tricky character. I have to be careful what I say, but I didn’t always like the way he went about racing. I drove for Georg Loos, too, who was also not the easiest of men to deal with.’

Fitzpatrick’s career encompassed wins in the World Championship of Makes, the DRM (Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft) and the IMSA (International Motor Sport Association) GT Championship. It wasn’t unusual for him to race in different countries during the same weekend. Though there would be big wins with BMW CSLs, most memorably the 1976 24 Hours of Daytona and the Silverstone 6 Hours that same year (the latter alongside Tom Walkinshaw), it was with endless permutations of rear-engined Porsches that he became inextricably linked: he accrued 26 outright wins with the lunatic 935 alone.

‘Oh, it wasn’t that much of a monster once you got used to it,’ he claims, stretching credulity beyond elasticity. ‘I used to play with

the turbo boost control. It always amazed me that nobody else did. You would be running, say, 1.2bar in endurance races and some drivers would just leave it there. I would turn it up to 1.6bar in the corner so I could slingshot out of it. Once I had it pointing straight, I would crank it down again.’ Having won in variations of the car for the Kremers and Loos in Europe, he changed tack and starred Stateside, driving for Dick Barbour.

‘I had been doing the Bathurst 1000 in Australia since 1976 [he won on his debut alongside Bobby Morris]. I kept going back.

Well, Dick was there in 1979 to race something or other. Anyway, he asked me what my plans were for 1980. I didn’t have any and now suddenly I did. Sandra and I upped sticks and moved to San Diego and I had a wonderful year. I raced in the IMSA GT series for Dick and also did some DRM races for the Kremers on free weekends.’

What he neglects to mention is that he won eight rounds driving for Barbour – including

ALAMY

PORSCHE AG

great guys, but then I re-joined Ford which was a huge mistake. The 1973 Capri was the worst car I ever raced.’

Outings in sports cars offered some relief.

‘Looking back, a lot of drives came about by chance. Broadspeed had built an Escort for the American rally driver John Buffum and he asked if I would like to share it with him in the 1972 Daytona 6-Hours. In the pit next to us were the Kremer brothers, Erwin and Manfred. I spoke German fluently and got chatting to Erwin – who was the driver of the two – and he asked me if I had any experience of Porsches. I had shared a 911 with Ben Pon at the Nürburgring in 1967, and did the 1968 Barcelona 6 Hours alongside Allan Rollinson in Bill Bradley’s 910.

‘The upshot was that I split my time in Touring Cars and the European GT Championship. I won that year’s title driving for the Kremers, and also took my first [of three] Porsche Cups, which were awarded by the factory to the driver with the most wins in

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www.longstone.com +44(0)1302 711123

Pirelli Cinturato CN12 Original equipment on Jensen Interceptors OCTANE_257_LONGSTONE_222mm w x 285mm h.indd 1

CINTURATO™ 10/09/2024 15:21

The Octane Interview John Fitzpatrick

the Sebring 12 Hours – en route to hoisting the drivers’ crown.

‘Dick was a good guy. It wasn’t all about lining his own pockets, but it was a bit handto-mouth. There was money, just not enough.

It began to look shaky and the sponsors approached me about keeping the show on the road. Dick thought I was trying to take the team from under him, which wasn’t the case. I became a team owner by accident, really. I had uprooted my family so was committed to racing in the USA. I dug deep and bought a 935 K3.

That was at the end of 1981. Then I received an approach out of the blue from a man who claimed to be a big racing fan who wanted to become a sponsor.’

Enter J David Dominelli, a prototype Bernie Madoff. ‘We formed a company in which we each owned a 50% stake. I only realised what I was mixed up in when I went to his office in La Jolla one Saturday morning and noticed some cars parked outside and the men sitting in them. It turned out that David had “invested” about $12m belonging to a gangster who wanted it back.’

Then the FBI swooped, the outcome being that Fitzpatrick bought the remaining shares in the team from the feds for $250,000. ‘I had planned on moving into IndyCar with Dominelli, and had ordered two cars from March along with five engines. I had decided to hang up my helmet at the end of 1983 and concentrate on team management.’

Fitzpatrick brought the curtain down on his driving career racing in Group C aboard his own cars, in addition to a return to the European Touring Car Championship driving Jaguars for Tom Walkinshaw. ‘That didn’t last long,’ he laughs. ‘The XJ-S was great – better than the old XJCs I drove for Broadspeed

in 1976-77 – but Tom couldn’t lay straight in bed. Martin Brundle and I won the 1983 Donington 500 Kilometres but the cars were as bent as a nine-bob note. That didn’t sit right with me so we went our separate ways. I carried on running the Group C team to 1986 before selling everything to Jochen Dauer. I then built houses in Spain, imported golfcarts, and so on.’

Given what he achieved racing with a roof over his head, was he never tempted to try single-seaters? ‘I could have done Formula 3 with Ken Tyrrell in 1965, but I wasn’t interested. I was happy in saloons. Actually, Stuart Turner, who ran the BMC Competitions Department, was very keen for me to go down the rallying route. I did the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally in a works Austin 1800. On the final stage in the Gorges du Cians, the brakes failed. My co-driver Raymond Joss and I came to a halt upside-down in a river in total darkness. I decided there and then that there were better things to be doing at night.’

‘Then the FBI swooped, and Fitzpatrick bought the shares in the team from the feds’

Top left Silver salver commemorates Fitzpatrick’s victory in the 1983 Brands Hatch 1000km – one of few trophies he’s kept.

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Jensen Owners’ Club The

joc.org.uk Martin Robey Engineering Ltd Martin Robey Sales Ltd Jensen Motors Ltd Jensen Car Company Ltd M an u f ac t u r e r & Su p p lier of Genu in e J ens en an d J ensen Healey Par t s 30 years ago in 1993, Martin Robey took over and continued the Jensen Car Company Ltd. Business. First at Kelvin Way and later operated from the current site in Nuneaton.

30 Years of reintroduction of valuable needed parts for Jensen and Jensen Healey Motor Cars. A continuous plan with the replacement of lost tooling for Body Panels, Suspension, Brakes, Electrical Etc. to keep Jensen and Jensen Healey Motor Cars on the road.

Website - www.martinrobey.com | E-mail - info@martinrobey.com Tel - 02476 386 903 | Pool Road, Camp Hill Ind. Est., Nuneaton, CV10 9AE 93

OCTANE_257_Display Fractionals.indd 93

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Nissan GT-R Four generations

On the 25th anniversary of the legendary R34 Skyline GT-R, we drive each generation of the supercar-humbling Japanese coupé, from R32 to still-current R35 Words Matthew Hayward Photography Rich Pearce

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Clockwise, from right R32’s interior was unremarkable, but it was all about the hardware beneath, starting with the magnificent 2.6-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six engine.

ew cars mean such different things to so many people as the Nissan Skyline GT-R. It’s a cultural phenomenon that unites generations of enthusiasts, from those astonished by ‘Godzilla’s’ ability to destroy its Group A competition on track, to a younger crowd’s fascination with the tuning capability of these exotic, technologically advanced Japanese performance cars in Gran Turismo. Yet while the Skyline enjoys a cult-like following at one extreme, some turn up their noses at thoughts of ‘video game’ driving dynamics and the workaday associations of the Nissan brand name.

Fuelled by an explosion of popularity in the USA over the last decade as the cars have passed the 25-year mark, Skyline GT-Rs have become highly collectable and in many cases very expensive – ironically more so than the Porsches and Ferraris they had in the crosshairs all those years ago. And as the last of the Skyline generations hits that anniversary, we’re gathering one of each iteration of the four-wheel-drive Skyline GT-Rs (R32, R33 and R34), as well as the standalone R35 GT-R (never badged a Skyline, though the longest-lived of the lot) in the beautiful grounds of Wilton House, home of Lord Pembroke – who owns the R34 – and the venue of several car shows.

Each generation is special in its own way, be that for brawn, tech or both, and while none is traditionally beautiful, they share a muscular, purposeful look and a number of design themes such as the circular quad tail-lamps. Eagle-eyed readers will spot some deviations from standard spec: these cars are typical of the majority of GT-Rs, which respond incredibly well to tuning. For most owners it’s core to the car’s appeal.

The oldest here is the mighty R32-gen GT-R, though this wasn’t the first Nissan to wear the hallowed badge. The original Skyline was actually a saloon car creation of the Japanese Prince Motor Company in the late 1950s and began racing as the ‘GT’ in the mid-1960s. The company merged with Nissan in 1966, and a new Nissan Skyline was born in 1968.

It was 1969 when the GT gained an ‘R’ with the fitment of a special 2.0-litre twin-cam 24-valve straight-six. A coupé version followed in ’71, and the two versions between them dominated the Japanese Touring Car Championship until it was killed off by the 1973 oil crisis.

1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) Engine 2568cc DOHC straight-six, 24-valve, twin-turbo, electronic fuel injection Power 276bhp @ 6800rpm Torque 260lb ft @ 4400rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, four-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion with HICAS rear-wheel steering Suspension Front and rear: multi-link, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs, ABS Weight 1430kg Top speed 156mph 0-60mph 5.6sec

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Clockwise, from right Four GT-R generations create the most wonderful din in the grounds of Wilton House; R33 and R32 show clear family similarities; R33 six’s output was still officially 276bhp.

1996 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec LM Edition (R33) Engine 2568cc DOHC straight-six, 24-valve, twin-turbo, electronic fuel injection Power 276bhp @ 6800rpm Torque 271lb ft @ 4400rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, four-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion with HICAS rear-wheel steering Suspension Front and rear: multi-link, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs, ABS Weight 1530kg Top speed 156mph 0-60mph 5.4sec

A template had been set, yet the next Skyline to wear the GT-R badge, the E-BNR32, was launched 20 years after the original, in 1989.

That’s the silver car you see here. Motorsport was at the very heart of the GT-R, and Nissan wanted to blow away the competition in the Group A category. The new car was developed by Nismo, Nissan’s racing arm, and chief engineer Naganori Itoh found inspiration in the form of the technical tour-de-force that was the Porsche 959. Although Porsche’s Group B monster never raced (the circuit series it was planned for was stillborn), its high-tech four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering set-up made it a formidable road car.

Nissan’s take on all-wheel drive was christened ATTESA E-TS Pro – or ‘Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All, Electronic Torque Split’. This highly advanced, electronically controlled all-wheel drive system primarily runs the car with 100% of power sent to the rear wheels, meaning all the positives of a traditional front-engined, rear-wheel-drive performance car on track. ABS sensors monitor wheel speed, while a g-meter under the centre console keeps track of the car’s movements, and only when rear wheel slip is detected will any power be sent to the front via a central clutch pack. The tech package is completed with HICAS – ‘High Capacity Actively Controlled Steering’.

Under the bonnet squats the mighty 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight-six RB26DETT engine. The long-standing ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ between Japanese manufacturers meant that the road car’s power would officially be capped at 276bhp, but in race trim it was developing over 500bhp. It dominated the Japanese Touring Car Championships, and even ended up being banned for being too fast in the Australian Championship.

As I fire up the beautifully presented R32, there’s a metallic undertone to the refined six-cylinder hum and an exhaust that rumbles just enough to rouse dozing neighbours! Mohammad Habib has owned the car since 2021, and it’s clear that he’s spent a lot of time and money getting it just right. ‘It’s running around 500 horsepower at the wheels, so nothing too crazy,’ he deadpans. I can’t help but laugh.

Although it sounds mad, the spec of this car really isn’t that crazy in the world of Skylines. These cars will easily produce 400bhp with a couple of very small modifications – which is why an untweaked example is incredibly rare. This one is running a set of BC Racing coilovers, so it’s firm and very well tied-down on the lanes around Wilton. More surprising is how small and light it feels. Like many others of its type, this car no longer uses the rear-wheel steering set-up. There are advantages to locking it out, and the rear of this car feels consistent and predictable.

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‘THE R32 IS RUNNING AROUND 500 HORSEPOWER AT THE WHEELS. NOTHING TOO CRAZY…’

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Nissan GT-R Four generations

As the road opens out of a tight left-hander, I hold the throttle flat in second gear and, after a pause-two-three for the turbos to spool up, all hell breaks loose. A rush of boost helps the RB motor spin right up to 7000rpm before I shift to third. It redlines at 8000 and pulls strongly right up there. Up to third and the carnage continues at the same terrifying rate. I was lucky enough to briefly drive a Group A racer a few years ago, and I would say that this car is no slower in a straight line.

It’s every bit as loud, too.

While the performance on offer is slightly absurd, there’s so much feedback and information being relayed via the steering and through the brakes that you feel confident to exploit it. There’s a real feeling of quality, too – I’m not talking about nice interior plastics here, but the unbreakable feel of the mechanicals and the solidity of their interactions.

Time to see how the R33 compares.

When the R33 GT-R came along in 1995, it had a lot to live up to.

Unlike the Group A-focused R32, the R33’s remit had shifted towards being more of a comfortable road car than a raw competition machine, and that gentlemen’s agreement meant that the power from the carriedover RB26 was officially unchanged at 276bhp. As is often the case,

though, it’s important to look past the official numbers. On paper, the R33 weighs around 100kg more than its predecessor – due in part to being a longer car with more chassis strengthening – but its 0-62mph time was officially 0.2sec quicker than the R32’s.

Feeling like a slightly overlooked middle child, the R33 generally doesn’t get the same amount of love as the 32 or 34, but it was still a very serious machine. Although Nürburgring lap times were less of a public spectacle than they are today, the Skyline was legendary at the time for results that embarrassed Porsche on its home turf, and the R33 was reportedly 20sec faster than its predecessor around the Nordschleife, becoming the first production car to drop into the sub-8-minute category.

The electronic systems were all carried over, and refined to make the experience even more physics-defying.

This was the first GT-R to be semi-officially imported into the UK, with 100 V-spec editions lightly modified to comply with UK regulations and put through Special Vehicle Approval by Skyline racer and dealer Andy Middlehurst – avoiding the need for full homologation.

Middlehurst added extra coolers for the drivetrain, uprated bumpers and a 180mph speedometer.

‘THE R33 BECAME A ’RING LEGEND, THE FIRST SUB-8MINUTE PRODUCTION CAR’

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2001 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II (R34) Engine 2568cc DOHC straight-six, 24-valve, twin-turbo, electronic fuel injection Power 276bhp @ 7000rpm Torque 289lb ft @ 4400rpm Transmission Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion with HICAS rear-wheel steering Suspension Front and rear: multi-link, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs, ABS Weight 1560kg Top speed 165mph 0-60mph 4.8sec

This page R34 owner Lord Pembroke prefers this car to his Veyron and 288 GTO; he’s lapped the Nürburgring and Spa in it, and taken it all around Europe.

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Clockwise, from left Muscular R34 and R35 strut their stuff; R35 cockpit drips with tech compared with earlier cars’, while this Nismo’s twin-turbo V6 packs 592bhp straight out of the box.

The example here is a particularly special LM edition, painted in striking Champion Blue, with a carbonfibre rear spoiler among other detail changes. It was created to celebrate Nissan’s tenth-place finish in the 1996 Le Mans 24 Hours. Owner Andy Pool comments: ‘I’ve had the car for 19 years, and it’s on its third engine rebuild! With each progressive build I’ve pushed the power slightly higher.’

Heading out on the same loop, the most noticeable difference is down to the R33’s much softer standard suspension. Everything feels slightly fuzzier, including the throttle and steering response, but once you start to dig through that initial softness, the immense capability of the chassis shines through. The extra compliance in the springs and dampers actually works slightly better on some of the rougher sections of roads.

That rebuilt RB is quieter than the R32’s as well, but equally impressive.

Both have a hefty paddle clutch installed to take the extra power, and driving them requires a surprising amount of physical strength. I head back to Wilton wondering how the ultimate R34 Skyline will compare.

Launched in 1999, and in production only until 2002, the R34 is the least numerous GT-R by a long way. That now-legendary RB engine was carried over yet again, but the R34 was thankfully shorter and slightly lighter than its predecessor. It had a much sharper look, too.

I’ve known a few Skyline owners flinch when you mention the Gran Turismo game as a big part of the Skyline’s international fame, as if that somehow wasn’t a legitimate part of the car’s legacy, yet as we’re discussing his R34 GT-R, Lord Pembroke admits the game played a big part in his decision to buy one: ‘I was playing Gran Turismo in my late teens, and the R34 was the car to get. It’s a game that introduced so many English petrolheads to these JDM cars. Then I went to Japfest and I saw my first R34 Skyline, with a price sticker in the window. I think it was £34,000.

I had that one, a V-spec I, for a year or two before it got nicked from outside my flat in London! After the insurance paid out, I ended up getting this V-spec II, around 19 years ago.’

The Earl has had an impressive and eclectic mix of cars, including a Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 288 GTO and Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, yet it’s the Skyline R34 that holds a particularly special place in his heart.

‘I’ve been around the Nürburgring in it, I’ve been around Spa in it, I’ve done a bunch of European road trips, including over the Mont Blanc pass in the middle of winter. Of all my cars, I’d find it the most difficult to sell.’

2020 Nissan GT-R Nismo (R35) Engine 3799cc DOHC V6, 24-valve, twin-turbo, electronic fuel injection Power 592bhp @ 6800rpm Torque 481lb ft @ 3600-5800rpm Transmission Six-speed dual-clutch transaxle, four-wheel drive Steering Power-assisted rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: multi-link, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Carbon-ceramic discs, ABS Weight 1703kg Top speed 196mph 0-60mph 2.8sec

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High praise indeed, and with the sentimental value of this car in mind, I head out yet again. It’s amazing just how different this car feels from its predecessor: the steering, suspension, throttle response and even the gearchange feel far more together than the R33’s. The ride is considerably more tied-down than the R33’s, every bit as firm as the lowered R32’s but with much tighter body control. There’s definitely a heightened sense of agility here that wasn’t present in the other two cars.

Thanks to a sixth gear, the ratios feel somewhat better spaced too, and even with this car’s milder performance mods – new intake box, exhaust and Mines ECU make this about as standard as they come – it feels every bit as quick. It’s a more harmonious experience, although a considerably less raw-feeling car than the R32. A satisfying end to the Skyline lineage.

Only it wasn’t quite the end. Although the Skyline changed direction and went further down the luxury route, Nissan had big plans for the GT-R. Unveiled at the Tokyo motor show in 2007, the R35 GT-R has been in production ever since – although EU engine noise regulations killed it off in the UK in 2022, and its days in Japan are numbered. When it was launched, the R35 – a model in its own right rather than Skylinebased – carried on the tradition of technical wizardry, and it offered a considerable boost in performance.

It also represented the first time a GT-R was offered officially in the USA, and the gentlemen’s agreement was no more. A new engine, the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 VR38DETT, started out with 473bhp and was connected to a rear-mounted six-speed dual-clutch paddleshift transaxle.

Electronics had moved on considerably, too: this was one of the first cars to offer launch control and fully adaptive suspension. Although bigger and heavier than its predecessor, the R35 was in a different league performance-wise yet offered a similarly rear-biased driving experience.

Since it was launched, Nissan’s engineers have continued to develop the GT-R, and what we have here is the 2021 GT-R Nismo, the hardcore track-focused version with 592bhp, carbon-ceramic brake discs, carbonfibre body panels and a very serious aero package. Jump in after any of the others and its size and heft are very noticeable. The twin-turbo V6 is fairly gruff-sounding, and much less rev-hungry than the old RB. There’s a real weightiness to the steering, and while manoeuvring at low speed you are treated to a symphony of mechanical graunches and clunks as the diffs and clutches fight against the car’s sticky, track-spec Bridgestones.

There’s a lot going on and, while the Skyline was very much an ordinary-feeling road car during normal operation, this feels like a particularly hardcore bit of kit. Thanks to the much wider tyres, traction and ultimate grip appear endless, and acceleration is phenomenal. I simply cannot get anywhere near this GT-R’s limits on the road. And for a car that’s still in production in Japan, for now at least, there’s something delightfully mechanical about its character.

Of all the words you could use to describe any of these GT-Rs, they are all legends in their own right, whether you’re talking the R32’s allconquering race record, the R33’s top-speed tuning potential or the sheer mind-bending speed of the R35 – it was for many years the drag-strip king of the USA. Aside from the Nismo, which belongs to Nissan UK’s Heritage collection, all of these GT-Rs have been tweaked to varying degrees. It’s in their DNA and a huge part of the Japanese car culture during the 1990s. There’s certainly a sweet spot to be found, but part of the fun is deciding where that is for yourself.

THANKS TO Lord Pembroke and Wilton House, wiltonhouse.co.uk.

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1928 H.M. B ENTLEY’S FINES T

THE LA ST HA RRISON TO URER

1927 S PEED MOD EL 200B HP LE MANS REP

B L U E RN

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

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

James Bond DB5 recreation

One man’s very personal ‘Bond DB5’ project was born out of Covid lockdown frustration.

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A VERY SECRET SERVICE

Photographer Evan Klein reveals all

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James Bond DB5 recreation

I

t’s virtually impossible to look at an Aston Martin DB5 without hearing the James Bond guitar riff.

Of all the movie cars, 007’s much-modified Aston must surely be the most famous of all. But what if you could build your own?

It was Covid lockdown and Joe Kaminkow was going stir-crazy, stuck at home in Las Vegas reading car magazines. It was while perusing an article on Aston Martin Works’ continuation DB5s that inspiration struck. The Works cars can’t be driven on the road without extensive modification, and Joe thought: ‘Why spend $3.5million for a car you can’t register to drive?’

Now bear in mind that he already had a 1960s Batmobile, a Back to the Future DeLorean, a Bullitt Mustang and even a Knight Rider Firebird TransAm. ‘What if I just build my own, what if I build the best of the best?’ he pondered. And he quickly realised it was just the sort of quarantine challenge he was looking for.

Joe grew up with posters of Farrah Fawcett and Star Wars just like so many of us, a child of the ’70s. After college, he began a successful career creating video games and pinball machines, but Bond was a recurring theme in his life. He remembers From Russia with Love – he would have been about ten years old when he first saw it – and he was a fan of Roger Moore in Live and Let Die and The Spy Who Loved Me. He particularly liked the scene in Goldfinger where Q introduces Bond to the Aston. Years later he created the James Bond pinball machine, which led to him meeting Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, along with actor Pierce Brosnan. He was living his dream, and there’s a picture of him on the set of Goldeneye with the original Q , Desmond Llewelyn. So he knew he had to create the ultimate DB5. It was meant to be.

A plan was hatched to buy a DB5 and restore it – but as the movie car. Joe would utilise all his pinball software friends to help make the most advanced example possible.

He then approached Kevin Kay Restorations in California, Pebble Beach-standard restorers of ’50s and ’60s Astons.

He spoke with general manager Walter Boehringer, who told him he was always getting calls from someone wanting to build a Bond car. But Walter listened, and after half an hour decided Joe was serious.

Joe had a full industrial design team standing by, ready to go. They would do the gadgets, and Walter would oversee the restoration at KKR. They also brought into the mix Stephen Archer, Aston Martin consultant (and Octane contributor), who knew all of the original movie cars and had worked on the continuation series. Weekly Zoom meetings would keep everyone in touch.

That was September of 2020. Most Astons take two years to restore; this one took three and a half. Well, it would have to be fit for a secret agent after all, and every agent has to be prepared… so that meant bulletproof windows, carbonfibre bulletproof shield, hub-mounted tyre slashers, rear smokescreen system, oil slick deployer in the passengerside tail-light, revolving numberplates front and rear, battering rams front and rear, disappearing roof panel for the ejector seat, twin front machine guns…

And there’s more: a hidden control console between the seats, a caltrop spike delivery system from the driver’s side tail-light, driver-side wing mirror with active internal radar, 007 door puddle lighting both sides, a period telephone in the driver’s door, and last but not least a full hidden touchscreen display that controls all the gadgets (and plays Bond video games). A special detail was genuine 1963 British gold sovereigns in the armrest.

There was just one regret. One of the first things Joe wanted to restore was the glovebox cover – for one very special reason. Contact was made with Sean Connery at his estate in the Bahamas and he agreed to sign it. The lid made it to him, but then Connery passed away and sadly it never made it back.

The restoration itself was pretty straightforward: body, paint, mechanicals… It was the gadgets that took sorting.

Based in Chicago, a team of more than 30 worked on bringing the various movie-car mechanisms to life. It was quite a feat, and all had to be seamlessly integrated using state-of-the-art electronics that were hidden from sight.

The smoke machine system alone required its own 24volt electrics. The team had the car for six months, creating the devices and the wiring loom. And almost every week, Joe had a new idea that had to be incorporated.

For its part, KKR carried out all the restoration work inhouse. The straight-six engine was completely rebuilt, the resulting assembly simply flawless, a work of art. For the bodywork, panels were removed, refurbished and refitted around the Superleggera tubular framework.

‘Most DB5 interiors require two or three hides; ours took ten,’ says Boehringer. ‘We did our research with Connolly and found the original dye lot. They did a special run just for us. When you look close, you’ll see small certification approval plates on the various devices, like the secret weapons drawer under the driver’s seat.

‘With all the gadgets came extra weight,’ Boehringer continues, ‘so custom springs were made to ensure proper handling and ride height. When it came to the machine guns we found a company that makes live action simulators for the military. Their first response was “No”. We said: “Wait, let us tell you what we’re doing!”’

Probably the biggest hurdle was seamlessly hiding all the mechanisms that make the gadgets work: the DB5 is not a very big car. Boehringer and the engineers really had their work cut out here. He and Joe talked daily during construction; Joe reckons he sent thousands of emails, followed by phone calls. With teams of people working around the globe, he wanted to make sure everything was understood. So many disciplines were involved – computers, graphics, sound, fabrications – and all with Red Dot Award winners in the industrial design field. Boehringer believes 63 people in total were on the project across all areas, compared with Aston Martin’s continuation team of 20.

‘After we finished ours, Paul Spires of Aston Martin Works gave us a tour of his facility,’ says Boehringer. ‘Joe got to see and sit in one of the continuation cars – they really did a fantastic job, considering they recreated 25 truly unique cars that they hadn’t built since 1965.’

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Clockwise, from above Straight-six rebuilt by Kevin Kay Restorations with an upgrade from 4.0 to 4.2 litres; ‘extras’ include tyre-slashers, all discreetly hidden, as are the hydraulics for the bulletproof screen and battering rams.

Flip-up cover on gearknob reveals the ejector-seat red button.

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James Bond DB5 recreation

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SL ‘ IT ’

IKE

ED RS ME E IM AR ’ OU CE E. Y IEN AM PER O G EX IDE ND D V BO A 3 N THE I

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James Bond DB5 recreation

Clockwise, from above Mirror includes radar function; controls for gadgets in central armrest; safety warnings for onlookers; roof panel removed, though DB5 stops just short of actually deploying the ejector seat.

When I was asked to photograph the DB5, I knew I had to take it someplace special, somewhere the car could represent Bond, without James being there. The location we chose – an old power station with defunct generators – was closed to the public and the owners gave me free rein to shoot wherever I needed. I loved the dark, moody feel of the place.

When it was time to fire the machine guns we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We knew there would be flames, so I knew it had to be someplace dark. We closed all the doors, and with the camera set, our site rep signalled OK on the radio. We hit the button on the dash, the bumperettes opened, the gun barrels were revealed and BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!!! It was an automated process and we didn’t know how long they would run for, like kids with a string of firecrackers. Yes, there were flames, and loud? You better believe it. Scary loud. We’re-gonna-get-yelled-at loud.

The guns fired, left-right, left-right… and then it stopped.

Ears ringing, we waited, looked at each other, peeked out from the warehouse door. No-one. OK, let’s do it again!

And yet somehow the DB5 remains very dignified, with great presence. And all the gadgets work faultlessly. One taillight opens and sprays ‘oil’, the other tail-light the caltrops.

We weren’t sure what to expect for the smoke; I didn’t want it to look like a low-angle burn-out so I went high with the camera. Again, just one touch on the dash – if you’re James Bond you can’t fumble, you can’t take your eyes off the road – and the smoke starts billowing from the rear. It’s perfect!

As for the ejector seat, flip the cover on the gear shifter, press the button and the passenger seat starts to vibrate, smoke swirls and lights glow beneath the seat, and the dash screen displays a warning. The car is like a 3D video game. You are completely immersed in the James Bond experience.

Joe Kaminkow and Walter Boehringer revealed the finished car in Monterey last month at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. Joe himself hadn’t even driven it at that point and it was to be a live demonstration reveal. I was there waiting with camera rolling as the machine guns made themselves known. Definitely shaken, not stirred.

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PRE V

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

Artist: Alfredo de la Maria

W IE

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

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

South African Ford Sierra XR8

Take a humble repmobile, fit a V8, go racing: that’s the story of South Africa’s Ford Sierra XR8, a car so entertaining that its creator retired with one Words Ben Barry Photography Jonathan Jacobs

IMAGINE A motorsport series combining the minimal homologation requirements of Group B, the tribal loyalties of Australian Touring Cars and the European showroom relevance of Group A, and you’ll grasp the appeal of South Africa’s Group 1 championship in the 1980s. Car-makers had to produce only 200 saloons locally to contest this fiercely fought series, giving rise to all manner of homegrown CKD hot-rods – the Ford Sierra XR8 we’re driving today among them.

This remains a quick car. Powered by a 5.0-litre V8 borrowed from the ‘Fox Body’ Mustang, the XR8’s 210bhp and 276lb ft are significantly up on the outputs of the V6powered XR4i and XR4x4 sold elsewhere. It also offers comparable horsepower and around 35% more torque than the later and far more ubiquitous Sierra RS Cosworth.

Jump behind the wheel with its boomeranglike spokes and the XR8 makes for a curious if enjoyable juxtaposition. Rather than the gritty boost of a turbo four or the rasp of a V6, each time I blip the throttle the Windsor V8 sucks fuel through a four-barrel Holley carb and I shoot down the road with a big, airy woofle rumbling from the exhaust. The noise is pure muscle car, and the XR8 feels indulgently,

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South African Ford Sierra XR8

effortlessly powerful given just a breath of throttle, its sub-7.0-second 0-62mph time and 144mph top end being entirely believable. Yet every touch-point and every surface screams 1980s Euro rep-mobile.

Brian Gush, sitting alongside me, is best known as the architect of Bentley’s 2003 Le Mans victory, but 40 years ago he was in his late twenties and acting chief engineer for the XR8 programme. This is Gush’s own XR8, a car he’s meticulously returned from the modified if clean condition in which he imported it from his native South Africa to the immaculate standard specification I’m enjoying today. His own period development notes have been key in achieving that transformation. A relatively humble Sierra this may be, but provenance and scarcity rarely come more perfectly bundled than this.

From the top Period notes reveal just how much work was required to shoehorn-in the V8 and other mechanicals; Brian Gush at home with the XR8 he imported from South Africa.

The genesis of the XR8 dates back to the early 1980s, with Ford in South Africa looking to replace its Cortina Interceptor Group 1 racer with the incoming Sierra, of which only five-door variants were assembled domestically. But as with its predecessor, the 200-unit homologation requirement gave Ford motorsport boss Bernie Marriner plenty of room for manoeuvre.

Ford certainly needed something special to fight rivals Alfa Romeo and BMW. At the time, Alfa was racing the homegrown 3.0-litre GTV6, while BMW campaigned the unlikely 745i, later introducing the 333i – an E30 3-series with a 3.2-litre six from the 7-series – a year after the XR8’s debut.

‘Group 1 was competitive, there was a lot of brand loyalty, and Alfa and BMW started beating the Cortina quite comprehensively,’ remembers Gush when we first meet back at his home. ‘The Sierra XR6 [another South African novelty] used the 3.0-litre V6 but it wasn’t going to be any quicker than the Cortina, so the motorsport department realised it had to do something drastic.’

A drubbing for the Cortina at Kyalami was the final straw, with local competitor Willie Hepburn suggesting only a V8 could give the Sierra a fighting chance. The motorsport team made some preliminary investigations, finding the V8’s water pump fouled the top of the slam panel, but time and resources were scarce, and there was a general lack of enthusiasm internally.

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‘An uprated cooling system was complemented by a new slatted grille’

‘[Ford South Africa] was actually quite against it initially,’ reveals Gush. ‘They were trying to ramp up Sierra production, so the plant was busy and wanted nothing to do with it, and engineering had enough on their plates.

The consensus was that it was just too complex to build these cars in volume.’

However, as a young engineer who’d progressed from the powertrain department to lead chassis engineer and had previously rolled up his sleeves on other motorsport projects, Gush soon found himself called into the product engineering director’s office.

‘That was sometime in 1982 and I was told to assemble a group of like-minded colleagues and given carte blanche on condition that there was no overtime and that no existing projects would fall off the table,’ he recalls. ‘It was my first big project so my attitude was “nothing’s going to stop me”.’

Gush notes his colleague and powertrain specialist Rob Main was part of the skeleton crew from the outset, but more people joined as ‘the project got sexier and we built critical mass’. The five-door 3.0-litre V6 Sierra XR6 provided the logical base. All were Diamond White, with XR8 parts introduced on an addand-delete basis.

Bespoke XR8 components included a 5.0-litre V8 Mustang engine and T5 gearbox crated over from the US, with an uprated cooling system complemented by a new slatted glassfibre grille between the headlights. The rest of the drivetrain was strengthened to cope, with an uprated propshaft, Granada differential and hybrid Sierra/Granada driveshafts.

Spring rates increased a huge 50% front, 40% rear, new disc brakes replaced the standard drums at the rear, while Ford SA commissioned a small run of 15in alloys to the same style as

the existing 14in items from German supplier Ronal. The upsized alloys were then wrapped in skinny 195/60 R15 tyres covered by front wheelarch spats, while other cosmetic changes include a bi-plane rear wing from the XR4i, motorsport stripes and unique velour trim.

If it’s easy to list, the hardware was rather more difficult to shoehorn into a Sierra bodyshell, with much re-working required, all of it detailed by draughtsmen and painstakingly recorded in period notes Gush is sharing with us today. The bulkhead needed to be reworked with a hammer to clear the clutch housing, and even with grille and headlights moved a little forwards it was still too tight in the engine bay for an ABS system or powerassisted steering. New subframes were cut and welded to suit. Even the Mustang gearlever had to be heated and bent to the right for the righthand-drive Sierra.

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South African Ford Sierra XR8

Four-piston AP Racing calipers at the front took care of stopping but, with the project predating the discs-all-round Sierra RS Cosworth, Gush had to order off-the-shelf items to convert the rear axle from drums. ‘The only discs I could find for the rear with an integral handbrake were for the Porsche 914 and Ferrari 308, so I bought all the 914 calipers from spares,’ he laughs. Once the AP Racing discs and calipers arrived, however, Gush discovered they didn’t clear the bespoke wheels – his notes detail how the calipers were machined down by 4º, just enough to squeeze inside the wheel rim.

Finding somewhere to build the car proved another headache. ‘The production line agreed to build XR6s with deleted parts on condition we fitted the new XR8 parts ourselves, but when we set up our own production line in engineering we realised we’d never get it done,’

Gush recalls. ‘Thankfully the truck plant stepped in, so XR8s would go down the line alongside Louisville and Delta trucks.’

Gush also played his part in track testing – his notes detail the brake bedding-in process, while period photographs capture him powersliding past the cameraman in the name of thoroughness. He also recounts how a problem with the rear driveshaft outer stub nose breaking off was solved by introducing a helix to the splines to stop the rotational bending. If anything, reasons Gush, lack of development hours led to the XR8 being overengineered. Even so, it ended up only 30kg heavier than the V6 XR6 at just 1252kg.

A total of 250 examples were produced (half as many as the Sierra RS500 Cosworth), with Ford by then keen to take the XR8 beyond its minimum homologation requirements. Gush

Clockwise, from left 5.0-litre V8 from Mustang made a modest-sounding 210bhp, but, as Ben Barry discovers, it feels like more. A run of 15in wheels was specially commissioned to clear the AP Racing brakes.

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remembers ‘a couple of West Coast farmers writing blank cheques for the first two preproduction cars’. And when Bob Lutz, chairman of Ford of Europe, travelled to South Africa to sign off the car at the Scribante circuit, he liked it so much he bought one himself.

Another went for display at Ford headquarters in Dearborn.

Only two XR8 racing cars were produced, driven by rally driver Serge Damseaux (who also rallied the RS1700, which lived on in South Africa after Ford axed the project), John Gibb, and just once by Tony Martin. Both Damseaux and Gibb were thrashed and DNF’d on their debut in August 1984.

That led to Ford invoking an evo-type homologation change, with larger inlet and

exhaust ports – a change that was implemented on some road cars too – that helped put the XR8 back into contention. In fact, Damseaux won next time out in Killarney, Martin the race after, with the XR8 racking up seven wins from the 14 races Ford entered through to September 1985 – when Gibb signed off with a win in the first heat at Killarney.

The remainder of the production run was sold to the public, but while the young Gush was offered his own XR8 on the company-car scheme at 1% of the 27,500 rand purchase price per month, he couldn’t afford it on his junior wages. Then Volkswagen came calling for his services before the XR8’s short production run ended, Gush ultimately joining Bentley as director of chassis and powertrain

following Volkswagen’s acquisition of the British maker. He went on to mastermind first its Le Mans comeback, then the Continental GT3 motorsport programme, before he retired in 2019.

Two years ago Gush spotted this car for sale in South Africa, its previous owner selling up to fund a Chevrolet Firenza Can-Am 302 – another South African muscle car with European ancestry (see Octane 205). While it was quite heavily modified, more importantly the South African climate had spared its bodyshell. ‘There wasn’t a hint of rust on it, and the velour trim was in good condition, and that’s quite unique,’ enthuses the new owner.

‘The mechanical side of things was easily sorted, so I decided to buy.’

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South African Ford Sierra XR8

1984 Ford Sierra XR8 Engine 4942cc OHV V8, Holley four-barrel carburettor Power 210bhp @ 4800rpm Torque 276lb ft @ 3250rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar. Rear: semi-trailing arms, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1252kg Top speed 144mph 0-62mph 6.95sec

Once the car had arrived in the UK, Gush spotted that the engine was much too far back in the engine bay, only to discover that the XR8 build required the Mustang’s left- and righthand engine brackets to be reversed – at some point during this car’s life, they’d been reinstalled in line with Mustang specification.

That’s now been rectified in his workshop at home, while he’s recently replaced the radiator, heater hoses and clutch assembly.

One thing remains distinct from factory spec: standard XR8s had wheel-arch extensions only over the front wheels, but Gush’s car has matching rear extensions, apparently a posthomologation evolution. Returning it to standard would mean re-painting the rear quarters, so his instinct is to leave alone.

He cannot be certain which of the 250 units this is. ‘The cars weren’t numbered and simply got XR6 VIN plates with an ‘A’ stamped on them, meaning the car is going to be altered.

Another plate, under the driver’s side headlight, reads “Sierra 5000 XR8”,’ he explains. ‘The only indication of the production number is on the

engine blocks, which are numbered right through to 250. This is number 36, but back then people would change blocks all the time.’

Warning me that the car is ‘highly tractionlimited’, Gush hands me the keys and jumps in the passenger seat. The engine fires with a rumble, making a fitting complement for the physicality of the clutch and steering – this is a firm handshake in your first moments aboard.

But with speed the XR8 quickly becomes more fluid and the Mustang-spec gearshift doesn’t feel particularly out of context in a European saloon – it is, after all, the same unit Ford later fitted to the Cosworth.

It is a more laid-back drive than the RS, however (by coincidence I drove one a week after our XR8 shoot). The steering is more leisurely, its front end less incisive and – despite those uprated springs – it still rides with long-legged compliance, though even a Cosworth is hardly crashy.

I’m reminded of the blue-collar, longdistance GT feel of the Australian-market Ford Falcon – comfortable for daily driving, but

with a languid sort of flamboyance when you really open the taps. In fact, I’d guess at much more than 210bhp thanks to the effortless surge of its V8 performance (peak torque floods in from 3250rpm), not to mention the likeably raucous soundtrack. It also pulls vigorously to the red line, feeling rich and energetic at peak revs in stark contrast to the narrower performance window of a Cosworth.

Even given Gush’s warning, it’s surprising just how readily the XR8 Catherine-wheels one rear tyre if I’m too greedy with the throttle – much as Brian wishes he could’ve fitted a limited-slip differential in period, he plans to retain the open diff. He will, however, remove some of the friction from the steering column before enjoying it on various trips – since our meeting, Gush and his wife have taken the XR8 on a regularity rally in France, with plans for more outings to come.

Today, 40 years since the young engineer cut his teeth on the Sierra XR8, how nice that he’s finally able to enjoy his own example in his retirement.

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TILFORD, SURREY

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

Council Tax Band H. EPC E. HAMPTONS FARNHAM 01252 750883 HAMPTONS.CO.UK

2661 Country Life page for OCTANE magazine v2.indd 1

11/09/2024 11:35

Ultra-rare Ferrari 250 Super Monza

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Ferrari’s 250 Monza Spyder mixed lightweight bodywork with heavyweight power.

Then this one took things a stage further Words Massimo Delbò Photography Nathan Lindemann

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EVEN THOUGH THE marque was formally established only in 1947, by the early 1950s Ferrari was already considered one of the main players in racing, both in single-seaters and sports cars. After the successful 1953 season that saw the 340 and 375 MMs bring to Maranello the first World Sportscar Championship, Enzo himself felt increasingly uncomfortable as the 1954 season approached.

Ferrari’s rivals, notably Jaguar and Lancia, were worryingly close and the gap was getting narrower. As history has often proven, Enzo’s intuitions were right: Jaguar’s new weapon for the 1954 championship was the D-type, with its 3.4-litre straight-six and aircraft-inspired aerodynamics. It debuted at Le Mans and proved very fast indeed.

Maranello’s answer was two-fold: the 4.5-litre V12 375 in improved Plus form, and a new four-cylinder with a 3.0-litre capacity.

Ferrari shifted away from the compact

Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine in its smallest class of sports racers to this new line of four-cylinder engines, designed by Aurelio Lampredi and derived from the lightweight, reliable 2.5-litre F1 engine that had seen much success. The new sports racers debuted in 1953 as the 500 Mondial, followed in ’54 by the 750 Monza. They were superior in low-end torque at some expense to high-rev power, but their brawn and agility meant they competed successfully into the late 1950s.

Enzo, perhaps not surprisingly, didn’t want to move away entirely from the traditional V12 format, and launched a new sports racer in May 1954, powered by the 250 MM’s 240bhp 3.0-litre V12 engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo, mounted in the chassis of the 750 Monza, sharing its 2250mm wheelbase. To help with weight distribution, as with the 750, its gearbox was mounted as a transaxle, with de Dion rear suspension for superior

roadholding. Its kerbweight was the bare minimum: 850kg, or 2205lb.

The 250 Monza was born, and a short series of four cars would be manufactured: three with a Pinin Farina Spyder body (chassis 0420, 0432 and 0466) and one with a Scaglietti Spyder body (chassis 0442). Despite not having the lowest chassis number, 0432 was the first car delivered, on 12 May 1954, and is considered the prototype. Indeed, the assembly chart for its matching-number engine states ‘Prototipo 250 / GT’. The production timeframe was tight, with only five weeks between that first car and the last, 0420, delivered on 26 June. While 0420 entered the works team, the other three were delivered to Franco Cornacchia’s Scuderia Guastalla.

Cornacchia, a personal friend of Enzo Ferrari and owner of one of the first Ferrari dealerships, was based in Milan and a gentleman driver himself. He had founded

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Ultra-rare Ferrari 250 Super Monza

Scuderia Guastalla in 1951, and it became one of the most successful and renowned private racing teams, active in Sports and Formula 1.

The team had preferential access to Ferraris, and was often ‘unofficially’ backed by the firm, receiving new models well before others and racing in Europe and the Americas, with a soft spot for the Carrera Panamericana.

Days after its delivery, the 250 Monza 0432 made its racing debut on 14 May, and finished second overall in the Naples GP, driven by Giulio Musitelli. The car was then sold to Luigi Piotti on 5 June, entering the 12 Hours of Hyères in France a day later, driven by Maurice Trintignant and Piotti himself, achieving the first victory for the model.

Gentleman driver Piotti, an industrialist from Milan and a member of the Scuderia Guastalla, raced the car in the second half of the 1954 season, finishing 11th in the Supercortemaggiore GP in Monza on 27 June.

It raced in the VIII Coppa delle Dolomiti and the night-time Ten Hours of Messina, then scored another victory on 8 August in a secondary event at Circuito di Reggio Calabria.

On 9 September, both car and driver were on the other side of Europe, racing at the Skarpnäck Airfield in Stockholm, Sweden.

The 250 Monza was sold to ‘Kammamuri’, the racing alias used by gentleman driver Erasmo Simeone from Venice, on 7 April 1955 (he would die in 1957 while racing his Ferrari 250 TdF). Kammamuri, in the Monza, finished

15th overall and sixth in class in the 1955 Mille Miglia; a year later, the XVI Giro di Sicilia became the last race the car would enter in this first configuration.

A brief period of obscurity followed until 1957, when we find 0432 in Modena, owned by none other than Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari’s US agent. It’s noted in the Ferrari registers that Chinetti bought the car directly from Ferrari and, at his request, 0432 was rebodied by Scaglietti, copying the ‘pontoon fender’ style successfully employed by the 250 Testa Rossa that had debuted early that year. While the body was reworked, the engine received three 36 IFC 4C four-barrel Weber carburettors and Chinetti chose a new livery of white with a NART blue stripe.

Opposite page When the 1954 Monza Spyder became the Super Monza in 1959, its new bodywork aped the 250 TR’s – as did its uprated engine.

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‘ENZO, PERHAPS NOT SURPRISINGLY, DIDN’T WANT TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE TRADITIONAL V12 FORMAT’ Finally, in 1959, the document for its importation into the USA was released. Given that, in period, to rebody a car at Scaglietti took typically about five days of work, it is not known why the 250 Monza remained out of the public eye for quite so long. However, from that point on, the car would be referred to as a 1959 specimen and, as such, was shown at the International Automobile Show in New York in April 1960.

Shortly after, having been purchased by American Jeff Scott, 0432 was enlisted for the SCCA Regional Vineland races but the documents reveal that it never took the start at the half-mile New Jersey oval track. In the March 1961 issue of Road & Track magazine, the car was offered for sale by Scott, with a picture and a detailed description, declaring that the 250 – named as a ‘Ferrari Super Monza’ – had not been raced since its arrival in the USA, but had won first prize at the 1960 New York Auto Show, and that it had been completely overhauled at the factory, powered by a 1958 Testa Rossa 3.0-litre V12 engine with a special 1959 Scaglietti body.

The advertisement goes on to report the car as being in mint condition, with an invitation for that claim to be ratified by any qualified mechanic. The asking price was $7500 and no trades. For a better idea of that value, in today’s money that equates to around $80,000 – you can bet there would be a very long line of people willing to buy it for that sum!

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Ultra-rare Ferrari 250 Super Monza

1954/59 Ferrari 250 Super Monza Engine 2954cc 60 º V12, OHC per bank, three Weber 36 IFC4C carburettors Power 280bhp @ 7200rpm Transmission Four-speed manual transaxle, rear-wheel drive Steering Worm and peg Suspension Front and rear: transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs, lever-arm dampers. Rear de Dion axle Brakes Drums Weight 850kg (dry) Top speed 175mph (est)

Among the documents with the car, we find two bills of sale from a few years after the Road & Track ad. The first is dated 10 May 1968 and states that ‘the grantor for him [Wayne Sigmund of Cleveland, Ohio] and his heirs’ sells to Jack [possibly a misprint for John – see below] Reuters of Glendale, Missouri; the second, dated 5 August 1968, confirms a sale price of $4330 USD – about $46,000 in today’s money – as the car transfers from John Reuters to Deane Hutchison. The car is described very much as it was in Road & Track back in 1961.

Moving on to 1986 and the 250 entered the collection of Peter Sachs. Painted red, it was entered in the Mille Miglia commemorative runs of 1986 and 1988, as well as other classic events, before being sold to Antoine Midy in France in 1992. Midy returned the car to its original colours and it was displayed as part of the official celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Ferrari factory in 1997. It entered the UK collection of Peter Agg in 1998 before returning to an American collector in 1999.

The 250 Super Monza was shown at Pebble Beach in 2014, where it finished second in class. In August 2015, 0432 was granted Ferrari Classiche Certification, and the red book confirms full acceptance of the new ‘1957 body’ as an original one, fitted in period by the factory. The car then took Best of Show at the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic in 2016.

There is something genuinely special about the 250 Super Monza. It’s a car that represents an important period of the development of the Ferrari factory, when the only way to improve was – simply – to experiment. Indeed, it further proves how tight the relation was between Ferrari and his USA importer Luigi Chinetti, and how, without hesitation, it was possible to sell a six-year-old racing car as new.

126

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S CAN AND U SE C ODE MDOCA D

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Hot topic A MEETING OF MINDS One of the benefits of belonging to the HCVA as a Trade Member is free attendance at the organisation’s biannual ‘Heritage Matters’ conferences. These spring and autumn events are attended by the movers and shakers in the British historic vehicle sector and provide an excellent opportunity to rub shoulders with fellow industry leaders, as well as to learn about market trends, opportunities and legislative changes that provide important intelligence. Members can also bring guests they consider to be suitable candidates for membership, so they can learn something about the organisation.

This October’s event will be held at Jaguar Land Rover Classic’s impressive Ryton facility and is entitled ‘A Historic Future’.

Speakers will examine the contribution the classic vehicle sector makes to a modern economy, how it might evolve as time moves on, and how members can best prepare for the future. It will include sessions on how classic vehicle ownership models might evolve, employment law changes, an update from DVLA on its latest position regarding historic vehicle registrations, a look at market trends and the opportunities presented for agile businesses, how to recruit and retain staff successfully, and examples of how a workshop can work towards net zero.

The day will be moderated by Tony Jardine, and the keynote speech will be given by enthusiast Greg Smith, MP for Mid Buckinghamshire. To conclude activities, delegates will be shown around the JLR facility to see how it is addressing market evolution. The conference will also be addressed by the HCVA’s incoming CEO Dale Keller, and hear something of his plans for the next phase of the organisation’s growth and influence strategy.

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

Gamblin’ man 2005 Maserati 4200GT Cambiocorsa Peter Baker

WORKING WITH A three-car historic race team has launched yours truly on a roller-coaster ride that seems without end. In the past six months I’ve found myself trackside at Sebring in Florida, Valencia in Spain, Belgium’s SpaFrancorchamps, Zandvoort in Holland, and Le Mans in France.

Plus a plethora of recurring domestic circuits that include Silverstone, Donington and Brands Hatch.

Of course, galloping around the country like a demented ageing pop star comes at a price: Doris and Audrey, my matching pair of 1950s Daimler Conquests, have been spending the dubious British summer mostly garage-bound.

Not such a bad thing, as both are badly in need of some tender love

and attention. Doris has not been properly serviced since Rallye Monte Carlo Historique (see Octane 239), while Audrey has developed a worrying downchange jerkiness in her usually ultra-reliable Wilson pre-selector gearbox. I’ve spent many a frustrating afternoon with my long-suffering friend Clive looking for a cheap fix, but if anything (and typically) I only made things worse.

Meanwhile my life of undiminished optimism and irresponsibility continues.

Proof? Last week I scratched a long-term itch, took a train two hours east and, after exchanging signatures, enjoyed a relaxed drive home behind the wheel of my latest acquisition, a very nice 2005

Maserati 4200GT Cambiocorsa.

I love Italian cars and over the years have owned almost every type of Lancia, several Alfa Romeos and even a 246 Dino.

But, until now, never a Maserati.

Buying any 177mph subsupercar that’s nearly 20 years old, especially one fitted with a Ferrari-based eight-cylinder engine producing nigh-on 400bhp that’s coupled to a first-generation ‘flappy paddle’ gearchange, is, to put it mildly, a bit of a gamble. But we are not talking here of just another long-advertised, high-mileage and neglected Modenese orphan. Indeed, quite the opposite.

Thanks to Jerry Hutton, long-standing Maserati fanatic and previous caring owner, my

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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

‘Buying any 177mph sub-supercar that’s nearly 20 years old is, to put it mildly, a bit of a gamble’ Azzuro Nettuno (‘Neptune Blue’) Maser, with exquisite window-towindow stitched Cognac leather, wears its 19 years lightly, having in its lifetime covered a meagre 34,000 miles, each one carefully documented. I note this complete history file, neatly arranged in chronological order, includes recent bills for a new clutch, an air-con refresh and a full set of top-end Michelin Pilot tyres.

All good news.

Like most, I started out wanting a 3200GT with its trademark boomerang rear lights, but the experts chorused: buy a later car, built under the direct patronage and control of Ferrari (19972007). So I did. And with my first 1000 miles now done and dusted, including a day spent at Prescott Speed Hillclimb, I’m still smiling.

This page and opposite Sensible? Maybe not. But a Ferrari-based V8, full leather, and a certain itch scratched add up to satisfaction so far.

MARK DIXON Contributing editor • 1927 Alvis 12/50 • 1927 Ford Model T pick-up • 1942 Fordson Model N tractor • 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in JAMES ELLIOTT Editor-in-chief • 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI • 1968 Jensen Interceptor • 1969 Lotus Elan S4 ROBERT HEFFERON Art editor • 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i DAVID LILLYWHITE Editorial director • 1971 Saab 96 • 1996 Prodrive Subaru Impreza MATTHEW HOWELL Photographer • 1962 VW Beetle 1600 • 1969 VW/Subaru Beetle • 1982 Morgan 4/4 MASSIMO DELBÒ Contributor • 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 • 1972 Fiat 500L • 1975 Alfa Romeo GT Junior • 1979/80 Range Rovers • 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL • 1985 Mercedes-Benz 240TD ROWAN ATKINSON Contributor • 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom 131

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Octane Cars Running Reports

ANDREW RALSTON Contributor • 1955 Ford Prefect • 1968 Jaguar 240 SAM CHICK Photographer • 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider RICHARD HESELTINE Contributor • 1966 Moretti 850 Sportiva • 1971 Honda Z600 PETER BAKER Contributor • 1954 Daimler Conquest • 1955 Daimler Conquest Century DAVID BURGESS-WISE Contributor • 1924 Sunbeam 14/40 • 1926 Delage DISS MATTHEW HAYWARD Markets editor • 1990 Citroën BX 16v • 1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four • 1996 Saab 9000 Aero • 1997 Citroën Xantia Activa • 1997 Peugeot 306 GTI-6 • 2000 Honda Integra Type R • 2002 Audi A2 JESSE CROSSE Contributor • 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 • 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MARTYN GODDARD Photographer • 1963 Triumph TR6SS Trophy • 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII DELWYN MALLETT Contributor • 1936 Cord 810 Beverly • 1937 Studebaker Dictator • 1946 Tatra T87 • 1950 Ford Club Coupe • 1952 Porsche 356 • 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL • 1957 Porsche Speedster • 1957 Fiat Abarth Sperimentale • 1963 Abarth-Simca • 1963 Tatra T603 • 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 RS • 1992 Alfa Romeo SZ

Different churches 1927 Ford Model T Mark Dixon I’VE BEEN USING the Model T quite a bit over the summer, and it’s definitely benefited. The low-revs stuttering mentioned in Octane 254 has now completely gone, and I’ve found some Super Unleaded to put in the tank. The ‘T’ doesn’t need the higher octane, of course, but the lower ethanol content should prevent the fuel from going stale so quickly when the car’s parked.

For a car that’s only three years short of being a century old, it needs remarkably little maintenance – so much so that I almost feel guilty. Apart from a general oil and grease around every so often, I change the oil maybe twice a year and keep an eye on the water in the radiator header tank: it uses a bit on every run but that’s mainly because the rad leaks slightly. I’ve slowed that with some black spray-on leak fixer and don’t worry about it, since the system isn’t pressurised.

In fact, the car has been running so well lately that when I needed to make a trip to Tesco, I decided to go in the ‘T’. That might not sound like much of an outing but it’s a 25-minute drive

over the massive range of hills – the road is called Killhorse Lane, I kid you not – that lies between my house and Ludlow, where Tesco is located. Pleasingly, the ‘T’ chugged up the long, long ascent in top gear all the way – and without boiling.

As often happens, when I returned with my shopping in the Tesco car park I found a couple of blokes respectfully giving it the once-over, and we fell into a conversation. The younger guy, I guess in his mid-twenties, was a freelance panel-beater and a car enthusiast who had never previously considered owning a vintage car. Seeing the Model T in all its beat-up, patinated glory had made him an instant convert, so I’ve offered to let him have a drive on a local farmer’s land. You’ve got to preach the old-car gospel whenever you get the chance.

Speaking of preaching, on the way home I stopped at a tiny church I’d passed a few times but never investigated. I’m not at all religious but my partner grew up in a very churchy family, so I’ve come to appreciate the beautiful architecture and the ancientness of so many British churches. This one is an absolute gem, with a fantastic Norman tympanum (carved stone panel, 11-12th Centuries) above the front door.

That may seem incredibly old, but then my Model T is about a tenth as old as this church – and driving it on quiet lanes on a late summer’s eve, with the slanting sun turning the hedges golden, gives me a very similar feeling of peace and tranquillity.

Clockwise, from top A pause for contemplation; outside a modern Temple of Mammon; taking a break opposite Ludlow Castle.

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

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Car was built using all of our best parts available, needing needingballast ballastto tobring bringup upto tominimum minimumweight. weight.Neil Neil needing ballast to bring up to minimum weight.

Neil Brown Brownengine enginewith withonly only222hours hoursrunning runningtime. time.Eligible Eligiblefor for Brown engine with only hours running time.

Eligible for numerous numerousseries seriesin inthe theUK UKand andEurope Europeincluding includingMasters, Masters, numerous series in the UK and Europe including Masters, Motor MotorRacing RacingLegends, Legends,Peter PeterAuto Autoand andHRDC. HRDC. Motor Racing Legends, Peter Auto and HRDC.

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Car will come comein incomplete completerace raceready readycondition. condition.Eligible Eligiblefor forPeter Peter come in complete race ready condition.

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Mk1Lotus LotusCortina Cortina£115,00 £115,00 Mk1 Mk1 Lotus Cortina £115,00 Built Builtnew newfor forthe the2020 2020season seasonby byJordan JordanRacing RacingTeam.

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Competed Competedat atGoodwood GoodwoodRevival Revivalthree threetimes timesand and Competed at Goodwood Revival three times and Goodwood GoodwoodMembers MembersMeeting, Meeting,in inaddition additionto toselected selectedother other Goodwood Members Meeting, in addition to selected other events. events.Car Carwas wasbuilt builtusing usingall allof ofour ourbest bestparts partsavailable. available. events.

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Neil NeilBrown Brownengine enginewith with666hours hoursrunning runningtime. time.Eligible Eligiblefor for Neil Brown engine with hours running time.

Eligible for numerous numerousseries seriesin inthe theUK UKand andEurope Europeincluding includingMasters, Masters, numerous series in the UK and Europe including Masters, Motor MotorRacing RacingLegends, Legends,Peter PeterAuto Autoand andHRDC. HRDC.Car Carisis issold sold Motor Racing Legends, Peter Auto and HRDC. Car sold completely completelyrace raceready readywith withno noextra extraspend spendrequired. required. completely race ready with no extra spend required.

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10/09/2024 12:27

Above and left Much work has been carried out under the BMW’s skin, though Sanjay has plans for the interior – once his garage has been reinstated.

TOM HORNA / DRIVECLASSICS.CO

Octane Cars Running Reports

Building a Baur-house 1981 BMW 323i Baur Top Cabrio Sanjay Seetanah I CAN’T ACTUALLY collect my Baur, now that it has spent many months in the care of Radford Restorations. The flat roof over our garage was in need of repair and we thought, why replace the roof when we could build an extension above it? With various kids moving back in with us, it made sense. So we are now weeks into the build and I can’t bring the Baur home until the building work is complete.

Dean Sharp and his team at Radford have helped improve the car enormously, as shown in Tom Horna’s excellent photos (driveclassics.co). Renewing the floor was a huge job, which entailed removing the fuel tanks,

fuel lines, brake lines and exhaust.

Then the whole interior and wiring looms came out, front and rear. They took off the doors and front wings (which revealed more rust). They then welded gusset plates onto the chassis rails to improve strength and rigidity, while a bracing strut was fitted to reduce flexing of the inner wings.

We will be using improved soundproofing on the floors.

Among the small jobs still to do is tapping out a couple of dings on the bonnet, and I would like to beef up the brightness of the dashboard lights, maybe using LEDs. I have bought a set of front Recaro seats to fit, but one of them needs a repair to the cloth.

The interior fan is pushing out musky-smelling air, so that needs to be diagnosed, the indicator stalk does not self-cancel, the gear linkage has too much play, and while the carpets are out they could do with a good clean to bring back some of their original colour. In the future, I’d like to consider fitting electric windows, and I would be keen to see if I could retro-fit air conditioning – Clayton Classics in Coventry installs bespoke air-conditioning units in classics.

You know, it annoys me that the conversation about old cars has shifted too much from pure enjoyment to how much buyers can make from them. My dad kept

his 1950s MG Magnette going way past its youthful years, even though new cars were more comfortable, safer, better on fuel efficiency and cheaper to maintain. He wanted to drive the MG and he was proud to do so.

Every weekend, the car was meticulously cleaned ahead of our trip to the beach and off we went with a boot-full of food, drink and beach paraphernalia, and suffice to say that it always stood out.

The Baur has hit a part of me that compels me to make decisions that others would consider unreasonable. But I love it and I’m happy to keep improving the car as and when I can afford to.

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Over 1.4bn worth of assets are covered by our Private Client team

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1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII Martyn Goddard OUR AUSTIN-HEALEY is garaged in Kent, and ‘Motors by the Moat’ at nearby Leeds Castle promised not only a 1970s classic car show with the theme ‘Dad had one of those’ but also a stunt car display and parades in front of the moated medieval castle.

Over the years I have attended most of the world’s great concours, but they tend to exclude many enthusiasts. It’s interesting, therefore, to take part in events that attract younger petrolheads.

I made an early start in the ’Healey and, after driving top-down with the promise of 24ºC heat and zero chance of rain, there was still mist on the moat when I pulled onto the field. By the time the castle opened to the public, I had already checked out the cars on display: corrals of Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and McLarens, while the Alfa Romeo Club sported an exquisite Montreal and what must be one of few Alfasuds still on UK roads.

Across the way, a Countach was becoming an Instagram model with young families checking out Marcello Gandini’s masterpiece.

The show’s location at one of the South-East’s premier tourist destinations guaranteed a large audience and at 11am the first of the action events was staged on the moat. A jet-ski display wowed spectators young and old, as

former British and European champions performed 360º turns and looped the loop several times in an explosion of spray; then, maintaining this ‘need for speed’, Hollywood movie stunt driver Terry Grant put on a show along the castle drive. He began by performing doughnuts and burnouts while being inside, outside and on top of a little silhouette stock car, while his finale was to drive a Range Rover Sport up the hill on two wheels (below). Excellent.

‘Motors by the Moat’ is a bit different. There was plenty for the car enthusiast but the all-day action displays will have attracted a new and wider group of people.

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Octane Cars Running Reports

OTHER NEWS ‘I’m about to head off on a ten-day trip to Italy in the ’87 Countach QV. Having just resolved a dodgy battery earth connection, I’m not expecting problems, but watch this space!’

Harry Metcalfe

Show time 2000 Honda Integra Type R Matthew Hayward THERE AREN’T MANY more soul-destroying things than discovering a flat tyre just as you’re heading somewhere. After jumping into the Honda on a particularly sunny day, I immediately felt something amiss with the steering. Sigh. I jumped back out and confirmed that the passenger front tyre was completely flat. After quickly attempting to inflate it, I could hear a loud hiss, signifying that it was unlikely to get me much further than the end of the driveway. So I abandoned the car and took my Audi A2 instead.

Funnily enough (although I wasn’t particularly amused at the time), the Audi had suffered a similar fate just a couple of weeks earlier after hitting a monster of a pothole. While that destroyed the tyre completely, the Honda’s flat thankfully proved to be a more repairable ‘nail hole’. I was cheered up when a package arrived the same day, containing a set of genuine floor mats – something I’ve been trying to find for three years. The aftermarket ones in there just don’t fit right, and it’s another one of those touches that make the car feel complete.

With the Integra back up and running, I’ve been out and about at various local car shows, including a display slot alongside Glen Waddington’s BMW E30 on the Octane stand at the Boughton House car meet in Northamptonshire. It was a surprisingly diverse gathering, with our stand featuring everything from a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost to a Renaultsport Megane R26.R. As usual, I took the long way home, making a significant detour so that I would end up on the glorious B664 back to Market Harborough.

I’ve lived in this town for just over two years and one of the reasons I fell in love with it is its brilliant annual classic car show.

With the town centre closed off to through traffic, hundreds of classic cars descend and take over the place. For the first time I

thought I’d take something along rather than just being a spectator, and I ended up having some great conversations with some great car folk. It struck me that this isn’t just a show for car owners but also for kids, families and locals who are in town for the day – opening up the hobby to a considerably wider audience.

Although I’ve used the Honda to commute to the office a couple of times, it’s now due a service and the MoT is looming, so I am holding off from any bigger trips for a short while. I want to give the front brakes a full refresh before dropping it in, and I’m still waiting on a set of brake pads that have been on back order from Honda for over six weeks. There’s also a very occasional squeak from the auxiliary belt when I switch the air-con on, so I think it’s time to change all those belts, too.

‘The inevitable finally happened with my Jensen – workshop shut, come and get your car, no refunds – but I was instantly lifted out of my depression by the generosity of spirit of an amazing enthusiast’ James Elliott

‘The Impreza has sailed through an MoT and I’ve adjusted the offside front camber, which has been wrong since I had a driveshaft changed.

It’s now ready to take to Prodrive’s 40th anniversary gathering’ David Lillywhite

‘The Boxster is back.

Just in time for the autumn weather, it now has a functioning hood once more, after its most recent tantrum saw the roof stuck open – which was fine while the weather was dry!’

Glen Waddington

Clockwise, from above Flat tyre stopped play, but not for long; in the Octane line-up at Boughton House; nearer home at Market Harborough.

‘The BMW is in the body shop – it took a bump and needs a little grind.

I’m starting to see the appeal of a second car: can you still find 500quid runabouts?’

Rob Hefferon

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Overdrive Other interesting cars we’ve been driving

Aussie rules 1970 Bolwell Nagari MkVIII Alastair Watson THE MUSCULAR BOLWELL Nagari taps into a lot of emotional styling cues. There may be a hint of Ferrari 275 Competizione in the styling, possibly shades of Lamborghini Miura and Alfa Montreal, too. Nagari is said to be an Aboriginal word meaning ‘flowing’, which is definitely apt.

Think of it as Australia’s answer to British marques Lotus and TVR, a purpose-built muscle car with a 302ci Ford Windsor V8, 0-100mph in 14.1sec and a reported top speed of 130mph.

No Aussie boy who grew up in the 1970s was ever going to pass up an opportunity to get behind the wheel of one of the greatest performance cars ever created Down Under.

This example hails from 1971 and is one of 100 built in coupé form, with 18 roadsters rounding out the production run. It puts power down via a Ford four-speed top-loader ’box, with Girling disc brakes and coil-sprung wishbones

up front, and a Ford Fairlane live rear axle with coils, trailing arms and drums at the rear. Most of the Nagari’s parts inventory comes from Ford Australia but, like Lotus and TVR, Bolwell relied heavily on multiple car companies, sourcing steering racks from BMC, and switchgear, signal lamps, door handles and more from other established manufacturers.

Bolwell followed Lotus – where one of the three founding brothers took a working holiday in 1966 – by incorporating a steel backbone chassis into its designs.

Likewise, the company initially allowed customers to build their cars at home, but that option ended with the Nagari.

Current owner Kevin Schramm, from Tasmania, first saw the Nagari in 2017. Its chassis was in a poor state with surface rust threatening to become structural, and the one-piece glassfibre body was rough though

largely sound. The restoration took nearly six years, with the majority of the work carried out

by Kevin, including modifications such as extra bracing, extended wheelarch flares and an additional air-scoop below the grille, plus cross-bracing the chassis to eliminate the flex and cracking that had previously afflicted it.

The original 302 V8 was replaced with a Windsor crate engine of the same capacity, with the addition of a Holley 650 Double Pumper carburettor, an Edelbrock intake manifold, electronic ignition and a pair of ceramiccoated extractors.

Cabin space is tight, thanks to the sizeable transmission tunnel (the engine and gearbox are set well aft) and the seating position is low. The V8 fires up eagerly, emitting a throaty growl that settles to a comforting burble, and steering is heavy at manoeuvring speeds but just right on the winding, undulating roads of

northern Tasmania’s picturesque Tamar Valley wine region. Maybe it’s a bit slow to turn-in but, once it does, the Nagari sits flat and provides plenty of feedback. Gearchanging is best achieved with a light touch, which belies the very mechanical feel of the top-loader’s short, notchy shifter, while the muscle-bustingly heavy racing clutch seems to have only two options: disengaged or fully and instantly engaged, with absolutely nothing in between.

The car thrusts forward under acceleration, accompanied by a glorious V8 roar, and the whole car feels muscular and taut, yet not as harsh as you might imagine.

It’s loud and exciting without quite being raucous, the powerassisted brakes pull up strongly, and it’s beautiful in a purposeful rather than a showy way. Certainly the driving experience lives up to the dramatic shape: how could you not adore a car that looks fast standing still?

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‘The car thrusts forward under acceleration, accompanied by a glorious V8 roar’

This page and opposite Tasmanian owner Kevin Schramm restored the Bolwell Nagari himself, replacing its original Ford 302 V8 with a Windsor crate engine.

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Overdrive Also tested

Keepin’ it real 2024 Isuzu D-Max Mark Dixon YEE-HA! In a world increasingly dominated by EVs that are about as involving to drive as an airport baggage tug, there’s something reassuringly old-school about a traditional pick-up with a gruff diesel engine and a ladder chassis.

Now that Land Rover has in effect given up on making utility vehicles, trucks such as the Isuzu D-Max have rushed in to fill the gap as the farmer’s friend – and they’re also finding favour with people who may wear Nike Air rather than Dunlop wellies but like the ‘lifestyle look’ that a pick-up conveys.

Since it landed on these shores in 1987, Isuzu has built a reputation as a no-nonsense brand, and this latest iteration of the D-Max will only reinforce that. There’s just one choice of engine, a four-cylinder 164bhp diesel offering a useful 266lb ft of torque at 2000-2500rpm, and a rear diff-lock is standard on all but the bottom of the range – and it’s optional for that. You get a 3500kg towing capacity and shift-on-the-fly two-to-four-wheel drive, with both high- and low-range gearing for the latter.

Inevitably, if not necessarily desirably, Isuzu has facelifted the D-Max with a more ‘assertive’ grille ‘that adds to its dynamic and commanding road presence’ so that ‘this truck exudes power and authority on the road’. Please, enough of the willy-waving, already. It actually doesn’t feel too monstrous on the road, however, and is a pleasant-enough steer on tarmac, with a cabin that is noticeably more ‘premium’ than the previous-gen D-Max that I drove for Octane 221, three years ago. The ride is still typically nervous and choppy but it would significantly improve once that rear end was laden with some of

its tonne-plus potential payload, while the engine is not especially charismatic but not coarse, either.

Off-road is where the D-Max really comes into its own, its high chassis, good approach, breakover and departure angles – and, of course, its full-house 4x4 smarts, that include hill descent control – ensuring that it’s practically unstoppable. Truth be told, the white ‘Mudmaster’ D-Max in the photos is a show car tricked up with snorkel and funky graphics, so not showroom spec, but the stock version is scarcely less competent; even the basic ones come with a front-end bash plate and underbody protection.

Cheapest of the range – and, frankly, the most appealing – is the steel-rimmed, two-door Utility at £27,995 plus VAT (you can buy a 4x2 version for two grand less), running through the mid-priced DL20 (two-door) and DL40 (four-door) to the highestspec V-Cross four-door auto at £38,495 plus VAT. But even the Utility is pretty much fully loaded.

Those prices make it very competitive against the hugely popular Ford Ranger, almost as common on city streets as the current Defender. But the D-Max has recently picked up a string of industry awards and with good reason. To borrow another familiar product’s slogan: ‘It does exactly what it says on the tin.’

From top D-Max is a proper off-roader; interior now better finished than ever before; even minus snorkel, it’s ideal for wading; ‘Mudmaster’ has been tricked up with off-roading extras.

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Gone but not forgotten Words by Richard Heseltine

Left Ronnie Bucknum was plucked from obscurity (unless you were American) to conduct his first single-seater race at the ‘Ring. In F1!

Ronnie Bucknum Rated in the US as a potential great and the spearhead of Honda’s Formula 1 assault, but early promise soon petered out IN MANY WAYS it was the highlight of his racing career. In others, it represented a crushing disappointment. Ronnie Bucknum came home fifth in the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. It was a respectable showing for a driver in only his ninth start at this level. The thing is, the outright victor was his team-mate, Richie Ginther claiming Honda’s maiden win in Formula 1. Bucknum never came close to bagging further points, his time at the top table comprising just 11 starts. History paints him as being just another Tail-End Charlie, but then history is wrong.

The Californian tends to be recalled not so much for what he achieved on-track but more for how he became a Grand Prix driver. Given that he had never raced a single-seater before Honda entered him in the 1964 German Grand Prix – at the Nürburgring, no less – he wasn’t at the top of many team-managers’ wish lists, assuming that any were aware of his identity. Honda’s decision to pick a complete unknown as it dipped its toe in Formula 1 appeared a bizarre one. There was a sort of skewered logic, though: the team had zero experience, so why not the driver?

There was, however, another reason. Should the Japanese squad fail to shine, Bucknum was

a perfect scapegoat. Except he didn’t. The Los Angeles native qualified ninth on his debut, fluffed the start and then overtook such minor talents as Jack Brabham, Lorenzo Bandini and Innes Ireland before his race ended with steering failure at the Karussell. Fact is, this rookie wasn’t without experience in other categories, even if his achievements had passed by without fanfare in Europe. The former surveyor had form, winning on debut at Pomona in 1956 aboard a Porsche 356.

Nevertheless, he soon quit racing after marrying his childhood sweetheart, only to make a comeback as a salesman for local AC distributor, René Pellandini. The gig stretched to drives in a red Ace-Bristol recently vacated

by Lew Spencer. Bucknum dominated his class in SCCA events in 1960, even if the car wasn’t strictly legal (or at all). Bucknum subsequently starred aboard an Austin-Healey 3000 and MGB prepared by hot-rodding icon Doane Spencer, and then came that phone call. In early 1964, Bucknum was flying across the Pacific en route to Suzuka for his maiden run in Honda’s first Grand Prix weapon.

Gus V Vignole reported in MotoRacing: ‘We have been pumping for Ronnie Bucknum for a long, long time. He’s out of the league of the

honky-tonk racing we see here. He’s overdue for the Big Tent. I have harped on that.’ Road & Track, for its part, gushed: ‘He’s off to a good beginning, with the ambition, the skill and the automobile. Ron Bucknum and Honda – champions of the world in 1965?

Who knows? But if you’re planning to bet against them, get good odds.’

Except his stop-start Formula 1 career went nowhere, not least due to a lack of reliability.

Bucknum came up with a solution, but one that ultimately shortened his time in F1. He suggested to Honda that it engage his idol Richie Ginther, the problem being that the renowned car whisperer hired to help the young buck sort out his racing car soon asserted himself. Bucknum was out for good before the end of 1966, but he had a soft landing courtesy of Ford GT40 drives with Carroll Shelby and Holman Moody.

Then there was IndyCar. Bucknum scorched to victory in the Michigan 500, averaging an incredible 162mph aboard his outdated Eagle. Bucknum should have parlayed this into a starring role on the super speedways, with Roger Penske among his biggest cheerleaders. Except he didn’t.

His career flamed out. Bucknum was a boozehound and he was under the grip of alcohol during the run-up to the 1970 Indy 500. He was on hand to race the MVS Special, except his mechanics had to bang on his motel door and practically drag him to the circuit.

Bucknum made the start and showed well, only to get caught in a multi-car accident.

He was hired to race a Vollstedt for the 1971 running, but he said the wrong thing to his wheel-hammer-wielding chief mechanic (the one known as Mad Dog). He was chased out of Gasoline Alley and never returned.

The rest of the decade was a blur, but he found salvation after hitting rock-bottom.

Bucknum’s marriage had long gone the way of many a betrothal in motor racing, but he and his ex-wife Nancy reconnected and remarried.

He also joined Alcoholics Anonymous, moved out to California’s Central Coast area, and became a surveyor again.

Bucknum even returned to racing, fielding a Ford Mustang in entry-level IMSA races for cars running on street tyres. However, years spent burning the candle at both ends ultimately caught up with him. Acute diabetes robbed him of his eyesight and then claimed the rest of him. Bucknum died in April 1992, aged just 56. His was a life less ordinary, and one steeped in both kinds of luck.

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1936 Talbot BI105 Aero Coupé

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Gearbox

Tim Layzell Renowned automotive artist, steeped in familial enthusiasm for historic motorsport

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1. My grandad Cyril was stationed at Goodwood (RAF Westhampnett) in 1942, then moved to Marston Moor as an engineer on Halifax bombers. In this photograph he is acting Flight Sergeant Engineer, experimenting with three engines off to see if it could fly on one. It was said to be safer to jump out than to try to land on one engine.

2. I bought this finisher’s medal from the 1955 Mille Miglia at Pebble Beach from a lovely French memorabilia trader. I have painted that legendary race on several occasions and had the pleasure of meeting Sir Stirling Moss many times. Holding this opens one’s mind to what it must’ve been like to experience that momentous day.

3. My dad lit my passion for historic cars and racing, taking us all to race meetings and making incredible models from scratch for my brother and me. He made me this Lister Jaguar ‘MVE 303’, with the legendary Archie Scott Brown driving, from a block of wood and bits of scrap metal, then hand-painted it.

4. I’m lucky enough to have raced at Goodwood quite a few times. When I’m on track and when he’s not telling jokes, my friend Simon Jordan (Jordan Bespoke) helps man my exhibition. He makes these fabulous leather driver’s and helmet bags. I have one of my paintings featuring Peter Collins and Fangio on the lining; literally a bag for life.

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6. I bought this patinated 1.5m x 1.2m photo from Spencer Elton at Goodwood Festival of Speed in the late 1990s. He’d obtained it from a house clearance of an old pilot. It’s hung in our living room, a reminder of the sacrifices made for our freedom. The pilots, from No.19 and No.616 Squadron, include ‘Grumpy’ Unwin and his Alsatian, Flash.

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5. I’ve had a Casio watch all my life. Not exotic, but I surf with it, run with it – it’s all I ever need. As my wife would attest, I ask everyone else the time even if I’m wearing it!

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7. I’ve had my artist’s palette for 20 years and it shows no signs of wearing out. I clean it at the start of every day, so it’s a glimpse into the thoughts and experiments in mixing colours from the previous day. All the paint that’s been applied to my paintings in that time has passed over this surface.

8. I bought my Cannondale CAAD10 road bike in 2012. I cycle for exercise in the Mendip hills nearby, between walking the kids to school across the fields and painting.

I’ve done some brilliant long-distance trips with my brother and friends across France, Belgium and The Netherlands on it.

9. I mostly surf in West Cornwall, often with my son, Charlie, 11. It’s one of the hardest sports to get good at, and it’s taken me a long time. This 8ft 6in board was handmade in California and given to me by a friend. Surfing brings me a feeling of calm and a powerful connection with nature. It’s my go-to activity: there is nothing better.

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1977 DE CADENET LM3 Multiple entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Over 40 years in the same family

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Overhauled engine & Hewland sequential gearbox

COLLECTION

12/09/2024 15:36

Icon Words by Delwyn Mallett

Bauhaus chess set The famous art school wasn’t just steel chairs and nests of tables. Neither was it all an improvement on what went before JOSEF HARTWIG WAS a keen chess player and a master in the sculpture and woodworking department of the Bauhaus art school in Weimar. In 1924 he penned an article for the Leipziger Tageblatt newspaper, in which he declared: ‘Fans of the regal game are in for a huge surprise: the demilitarisation of the chess pieces.’

He continued by observing that ‘chess has functioned for more than a thousand years as an imitation of a battle between hostile armies’, but with his new chess set it would become ‘a pure abstract game of the mind’.

His desire to demilitarise seems perfectly reasonable in the light of Germany’s domestic suffering in the wake of the most devastating war that the world had experienced.

The Bauhaus, the Weimar Republic’s seminal art school, was founded in 1919 by architect Walter Gropius, who was on a mission to redefine design aesthetics. As part of this mission Gropius wanted the school to produce ‘practical, durable, inexpensive and beautiful’ objects that could be sold to help fund the institution. Today perhaps best known for tubular steel chairs and furniture, the Bauhaus workshops also produced designs for lamps, textiles and toys. In 1922, Josef Hartwig, who had been appointed the previous year, began to apply the school’s

analytical and minimalist principles to the chess set, one of the most traditional artefacts he could think of.

Hartwig abandoned 1500 years of chess piece orthodoxy and, following the school’s Modernist credo of functional analysis and form following function, produced a set of pieces fit for the new machine age.

Surprisingly, it hadn’t been until 1849, and the increasing popularity of international tournaments, that chess pieces had become standardised. Previously, each nation had formalised pieces into a style that reflected national taste, but as competitors started moving from country to country they found the variations were a distraction. Even so, Hartwig wasn’t exactly overturning centuries of uniformity.

Howard Staunton, then considered by many to be the world’s number one player, was a regular contributor of chess articles to the Illustrated London News, the editor of which, Nathaniel Cooke, was brother-in-law to John Jaques, proprietor of the eponymous Hatton Garden games company. Between them they designed a new set of chess pieces.

With Staunton endorsing it and the Illustrated London News promoting it, the ‘Staunton’ set rapidly became the standard chess set worldwide and remains so to this day.

Hartwig took a different tack with his pieces, reflecting their mode of movement on the board rather than their status. The imperial, militaristic and religious references of the game were jettisoned – no more kings, queens, knights and bishops. Between 1922 and 1924 Hartwig produced a number of different variants, but his most minimalist version was the Model XVI of 1923. Each man in the Hartwig set is based on a cube, with smaller cubes for the pawns.

Only the ‘king’ and ‘queen’, to use the old terminology, are taller, topped by a rotated smaller cube in the king’s case and the only sphere in the set for the queen. Bishops, which move diagonally, are represented as an ‘X’ in plan (it retains the overall dimensions of the cube with cutouts creating the ‘X’ shape). The knight is the most complex of the Hartwig pieces. As it moves in an ‘L’ shape, Hartwig’s solution was to remove a cuboid chunk on opposing faces of the cube and so create the semblance of an ‘L’ when viewed from any direction. The rooks, which move only in straight lines, are, like the pawns, straightforward cubes.

The pieces, because of their cubic shape, lent themselves to space-efficient packaging.

The Bauhaus student (and later master) typographer and graphic designer, Joost Schmidt, fitted the pieces into a tightly packed square cardboard box that also contained a folded paper chessboard. The box was furnished with a typographically striking label declaring it Das Moderne Schach Spiel von Josef Hartwig (‘The Modern Chess Game from Josef Hartwig’). Schmidt also designed a series of promotional ads and posters for it.

Despite the Bauhaus mission to bring modern design to ordinary people, the chess sets, like so many of its products, were expensive and that limited their popularity.

Also, no doubt, its very ‘modernness’ was simply too much for traditionalists.

For design aficionados the Bauhaus has assumed the status of a cult and many of its artefacts, notably tubular steel chairs, were reintroduced in the 1960s and ’70s. Modern reproductions of the Hartwig XVI chess set are also available, but originals are much sought after by Bauhaus enthusiasts, some having changed hands for upwards of £20,000.

Hartwig left the school when the Bauhaus relocated from Weimar to Dessau in 1925. He joined the Frankfurt School of Arts and also continued his career as a sculptor.

Rather unexpectedly, in 1937 Josef Hartwig joined the Nazi Party, which in its earlier National Socialist incarnation had vehemently opposed the progressive teachings of the Bauhaus, enforcing its closure in 1933. After World War Two, Hartwig earned a living as an art restorer. Born in Munich in 1880, he died in Frankfurt am Main in 1956.

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OCTANE_256_SOVEREIGN_222mm w x 285mm h.indd 1

16/08/2024 16:22

Chrono Words by Mark McArthur-Christie

Jump hour watches Thanks to over-complication and wayward timekeeping they have never quite caught on DIGITAL WATCHES are, despite what the watch snobs will have you believe, nothing new. As always in horology, it’s hard to say definitively who came up with the idea, but in the mid-19th Century the idea of showing the time on rotating discs, viewed through a window on the dial, started to catch on. They were called ‘jump hour’ timepieces because the hour disc (and the minute disc, too, if you want to be picky) would ‘jump’ rather than move gradually.

The French watchmaker Antoine Blondeau is recorded as having made jump hour watches around 1830. The Steve Jobs of his day, Austrian clockmaker Josef Pallweber built a jumping hour clock in 1883, patenting the concept in the UK in the same year, before demonstrating an early version of Moore’s Law by making a movement small enough to fit a pocket watch just two years later.

Pallweber described his invention as ‘a watch or clock in which rotary disks having numerals near their peripheries are employed in connection with a plain slotted dial or face plate, instead of hour and minute hands in connection with a graduated dial.’

It wasn’t long before he’d licensed the tech to established maker IWC and nipped off to start working on developing cash registers and the pocket calculator.

Despite the clarity and simplicity of the design, jump hour watches never really caught on. The public, although they appreciated the novelty value, were too wedded to what they knew. There was also the complexity of the watchmaking engineering needed to drive the jump hour complication.

For example, the Chopard in the photo uses four mainspring barrels (the watch on your wrist will, almost certainly, have just one) with a total of nearly two metres of mainspring (1.88m if you’re being fussy), quite the feat in a movement that measures just under 5mm thick. For comparison, the mainspring in your watch will be around 20cm.

That’s because with a jump hour watch, torque is everything. The watchmaker needs to find a way to store and impart the torque needed to snap the hour disc round precisely on the hour, each hour and control it. A movement with rotating hands is easy to drive – it simply needs a steady source of torque that’s easily regulated by a gear-train and passed on to the hands. A jump hour has to handle a series of

explosive impulses. The favoured way is through a cam or a star wheel that transmits power to a lever on the hour disc, flipping it forward.

This erratic power delivery also has a tendency to knock timekeeping for six, so jump hours are often not the most accurate of watches.

Fortunately, the shortlived heyday of the jump hour was, without doubt, the 1920s and ’30s. This means there are some Art Deco stunners on offer if you can live with the slightly flaky timekeeping. If you’re the sort of person who gets the butler to park the Bentley, there are glorious vintage offerings from Patek Philippe, Rolex and Cartier.

If you’re not, go hunting in the rather more chestwiggy 1970s, when Waltham even made a jump hour chronograph (google it). You may not get the sleek elegance of the earlier watches, but you still get to enjoy watching your hours click past. If you’d prefer something a little more up to the minute, the Christopher Ward C9 Harrison Jumping Hour is a modern take on Pallweber’s theme and, thanks to watchmaker Johannes Jahnke’s cam-and-lever module adaptation of an ETA movement, it’s also bang-on accurate.

ONE TO WATCH

1978 Vulcain Jump Hour Seemingly made from girders, this watch presents differently

NEVER MIND ‘fire up the quattro’, it’s more a case of ‘kick the Capri’ with this ’70s Vulcain. Better-known for its rather more refined ‘Cricket’ alarm watches, the La Chaux de Fonds company wasn’t afraid to move with the times to make bruisers like this.

Inside the lump of a case is a proper Adolf Schild cal. 2027, adapted to power a jump hour mechanism using a sprung lever and an additional hairspring as a power reserve that gets released to snap the hour disc round. Not easy to find but not expensive if you do – between £150 and £500.

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TA L A C R E S T

the world’s number one classic ferrari dealer

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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

Books Reviewed by Mark Dixon

Morgan An English Enigma

MARTYN WEBB, Crowood Press, £45, ISBN 978 0 71984 249 8

IF YOU’RE WONDERING why the main image on this page that’s reviewing a book about Morgan is of a hand-drawn map and an aerial photo, it’s to show why this work deserves our Book of the Month slot: since 2009 the author has been Morgan’s archivist, so you’ll find stuff in here that’s never been published elsewhere.

The map and the photo both date from World War Two. The former was drawn by an air-raid warden in 1940 and shows where several bombs fell during a raid in the area around the Morgan works at Malvern Link; the latter is a Luftwaffe photo from about the same time, with potential targets ringed in red. Rather unflatteringly, Morgan’s factory at Pickersleigh Road is not among them – even though, as the author explains, the works produced small but vital precision components for RAF aircraft.

This book covers what its jacket describes as The Vintage and Classic Years, which means that it ends with the cowl-rad Morgans of the 1960s and a tantalising tease about the prototype Plus 8s – opening the door for a further volume, perhaps?

So its 300-plus pages provide space for a fantastically detailed Morgan history, along with hundreds of period photos; not just official factory shots but lovely period snaps of owners with their cars in the ‘real’ world. The story of the Morgan family is inextricably bound up with that of the cars, of course, and there are some wonderful anecdotal asides – such as about how a (then) unknown actor called Errol Flynn turned up in sleepy Malvern during its theatre week, asked if he could go out with one of Harry ‘HFS’ Morgan’s daughters and was firmly told ‘No!’ While the evolution of every Morgan model is meticulously (and very readably) charted, the chapter dedicated to coachbuilt Morgans and one-offs is particularly riveting. Some amazing and little-known customer creations are described and pictured – such as the Ferrari MM-lookalike and Superleggera-style Clarkson Plus 4 Coupé, specifically built by Roy Clarkson for the 1953 Monte Carlo Rally to circumvent its ban on open cars. And have you ever seen a photo of the Greek-built 1962 ‘Bioplastic’4/4 roadster, looking rather like a contemporary Simca or Fiat? You’ll find one here, along with a full description.

This is by far the best-produced book we’ve ever seen from UK publisher Crowood Press, which has long produced a prolific but, frankly, rather uninspired output of populist motoring titles. Hats off to them for releasing such an impressive work.

If and when author Martyn Webb comes up with volume two, we’ll have what could well become the definitive series about one of the world’s best-loved motor manufacturers.

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The Cars You Always Promised Yourself

Looking for the Real Weasel

The Vintage Alvis Silver Eagle

In one sense, not a new book – this title first appeared in 2019 – and yet, in others, a very different kettle of fish, Saxty’s much-praised paean to Ford coupés from the 1960s-on has been reissued as a signed limited edition of 500 copies. As before, it’s packed with rare archive pics and design sketches of aborted projects, but it’s now larger in format, has extra content, and comes with a free copy of Saxty’s Secret Fords – RS Icons book. If you want one, don’t hang about.

Unashamedly cheap ’n ’cheerful, and informal to the point of flippancy, there’s lots to enjoy in this self-published paperback about ‘Great Train Robber’ Roy James, who was also a talented – if rather reckless – racing driver. Intriguingly, his life is told backwards, an affectation that works surprisingly well, and there are dozens of great anecdotes, including about a topless hang-gliding girlfriend and the AK-47 reputedly buried in the garden of James’s Surrey house. There’s some racing stuff, too.

Not a great deal has been written about the six-cylinder Silver Eagle and its 14.75 precedessor, made by Alvis from 1927 to 1933, which have long been overshadowed by the perennially popular 12/50. But the Silver Eagle, with its smooth straight-six, is a lovely car in its own right, and owner Dick Wilkinson has untangled its rather complex production and coachwork history in this well-produced hardback that features lots of period images. Order it from the author by emailing wilkinson237@btinternet.com.

STEVE SAXTY, Seven Spoke Publishing, £89.95, ISBN 978 1 8382232 9 8

RICH DUISBERG, available from Amazon, £8.75, ISBN 979 8 8766 113 2 1

RICHARD DB WILKINSON, £40 inc UK p&p, ISBN 978 1 914458 24 8

The First Lady of Dirt

MG Century If there’s one thing the world doesn’t need, you might think, it’s another book about MG. But there are at least two good reasons why this celebration of MG’s centenary deserves a decent review slot: the first is that it’s an attractive piece of work, with interesting pics used large (like the one, above, of the 1998 MGF Super Sports concept). The second is that, since MG passed into Chinese hands in 2005 – yes, that’s nearly 20 years ago, amazingly – an awful lot of octagon badges have been stuck onto an awful lot of vehicles.

The chapters dealing with the Chinese ownership are the ones that will offer fresh info to most of us, and there are some amazing facts to be found here. In the UK, we get a mere handful of MG car models, but in other territories MG badges can be found on everything from microcars to minibuses. Remarkably, in India you can buy an MG Hector, apparently named after an obscure RAF biplane of the 1930s, the Hawker Hector, and there is also an MG Gloster (as in Gloster Gladiator, another outdated RAF biplane). This is top-level trivia.

Nevertheless, the bulk of this 240-page, large-format hardback is, of course, given over to what we might term the MG glory days, from William Morris’s souped-up Bullnose tourers onwards.

While there are a number of ‘happy snaps’ taken at car shows, they are outnumbered by excellent archive pics, and high-quality repro makes the most of all of them. It’s a book worth buying.

DAVID KNOWLES, Motorbooks, £45, ISBN 978 0 7603 8315 5

Be warned: this is not an easy read. Nothing at all wrong with the prose style, it’s just that The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass (as the subhead sums it up) is particularly heavy on the latter.

At its heart is an inspiring story about how a female Black teenager took on the white establishment in 1970s dirt-track racing and became hugely successful – for a while, at least. Her family history is a mirror of US societal change in the 20th Century: grandparents from the impoverished rural deep South (both her mother’s parents ended up in jail for shooting people dead), parents clawing their way out of poverty to affluent middle-class jobs in Seattle – which allowed them to fund Cheryl’s racing.

Tragically, however, the early victories did not translate into a lasting career. Severe racing injuries may explain why a mental decline led to her committing suicide, aged 35. But she was a true pioneer. As the author concludes: ‘Black women didn’t race Sprint cars before her. They still don’t.’

BILL POEHLER, Rowman & Littlefield, £25, ISBN 978 1 5381 8405 9 153

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Gear

Compiled By Chris Bietzk

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo 90th Anniversary Edition Fuji is thriving at 90 thanks in part to the astonishing resurgence of interest in instant photography; in the last year, sales of Instax cameras and film accounted for nearly two thirds of Fuji’s imaging business. There will be no shortage of customers, then, for this 90th anniversary edition of the Instax Mini Evo – a model that, unlike a regular instant camera, lets you save and review pictures before printing them directly from the camera. £199.99. instax.com

Paul Newman Getting Ready to Race

by Al Satterwhite Until 9 November, PDNB Gallery in Dallas is hosting a retrospective of the work of Al Satterwhite, who photographed many of the world’s top racing drivers in the 1960s and ’70s. Sure to be among the shots on show is his deservedly famous portrait of Paul Newman at Sebring in 1977, but anybody able to visit the exhibition should look out, too, for another of our favourite Satterwhite images: a snap, taken in 1964, of a Ford Falcon station wagon rammed full of surfboards and groaning under the weight of a dozen teenage beach bums, most of them riding on the car’s roof. $9500 (24x36in limited edition print; other sizes available) PDNB Gallery (pdnbgallery.com) via 1stdibs.com

‘Parabolica’ shirt by T-lab Ahead of this year's Italian GP at Monza, T-lab reissued this design from its archive.

It's a tribute to Monza’s epic right-hander, the Curva Parabolica – since 2021 officially named the Curva Alboreto in memory of Formula 1 driver Michele Alboreto. £32. t-lab.co.uk

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Ruark R810 hifi system It was inspired by a radiogram that belonged to the grandmother of Ruark founder Alan O’Rourke, but the new R810 is very much equipped for the modern age – optimised for streaming music and supporting high-res audio files. The best thing about it, though?

The beautifully designed, UFO-like remote control. £3000. ruarkaudio.com

Hornby 00-gauge Locomotion Two hundred years ago, the Stockton & Darlington Railway Company commissioned Robert Stephenson & Co to build two steam locomotives. The first of them, eventually dubbed Locomotion, was ready a year later, and it became the first steam locomotive in the world to haul passengers on a public railway.

On 27 September 1825 it reached a heady top speed of 16mph as it laboured from the Brussleton Incline to Darlington and then on to Stockton, not helped by the fact that almost 700 people – more than twice the agreed number – had piled aboard!

George Stephenson (Robert's father and the designer of Locomotion) was the driver that day, perching atop the wooden-clad boiler like the figure on this new model from Hornby. £184.99. hornby.com

Clemence Munro The second offering from Edinburgh-based microbrand Clemence is the Munro, a very nicely finished but modestly priced 37.5mm field watch, powered by Miyota's workhorse 9039 movement and torture-tested on a series of trips to the Scottish Highlands. £575. clemencewatches.com 155

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Gear

Noble Audio Fokus Apollo headphones Noble's first set of over-ear wireless headphones is good for 80 hours of listening time on a single charge, or 60 hours with Active Noise Cancelling turned on. More interestingly, though, they feature a dual driver design, pairing a dynamic speaker with a planar magnetic speaker to deliver both bass and clarity.

$649. nobleaudio.com

Vintage 1971 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance poster The 1971 Pebble Beach Concours was a bit of a dud, attracting only 107 entries and precipitating the restructuring of the event – but the poster promoting the ’71 Concours was a cracker. The image of René Panhard out for a spin with his wife and kids was produced by the great Eldon Dedini, who contributed cartoons to The New Yorker, Esquire and Playboy. $325. arteauto.com

Shelby American ‘Warning’ tag A bit of fun, genuine vintage ephemera, made to be hung in the cars at Hi-Performance Motors, the Shelby ‘factory showroom’ in Los Angeles. This tag warns buyers of the hazards of owning a Shelby – chief among them unwanted attention from lots of pretty girls!

$75. www.vernonestesclassics.com

Ollech & Wajs OW C-1000 A In the middle of the 20th Century, the major watch manufacturers were racing to engineer dive watches with ever more impressive depth ratings.

By the early 1960s, the best minds at Rolex and Omega were working hard to achieve a 600m rating when a family business called Jenny Watches revealed a left-field monobloc case design that dispensed with a screwdown back. Its potential was recognised by Zurich-based Ollech & Wajs, which licensed the design and in 1964 unveiled the Caribbean 1000, a watch certified for a mind-boggling (by the standards of the time) 1000m.

That goalpost-shifting model inspired the modern OW C-1000 MkII, a fine bit of kit, but not nearly as faithful to the original as this, the new C-1000 A. CHF 1856. ow-watch.com

156

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Storage - Sales - Events - Servicing - Detailing New Secure West London Vehicle Storage Facility just 15 minutes from both Heathrow and the West End with 24/7 access now open New Classic Car Hub with Showroom, Additional Storage, Bar, Café, Restaurant, Event Space and Workspaces opening Q3 2024

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Gear

Norton Motorcycles sweatshirt

Surly Moonlander

Norton’s latest collection of casualwear includes this comfy sweatshirt, embroidered with the ‘curly N’ logo that has now endured, more or less unchanged, for 110 years.

It first appeared in 1914 on a catalogue cover, having been drawn up the year before by company founder James Norton and his daughter, Ethel, at the dining table. £79.99. shop.nortonmotorcycles.com

Cult bicycle maker Surly has revealed its most indomitable fattyre model yet, designed to ‘float’ over terrain off-limits to any other pedal bike. The new Moonlander boasts proprietary 24x6.2in tyres and a nine-speed Pinion gearbox, and in the name of stability the frame has a notably long rear triangle and a low top tube, while the bottom bracket is raised for increased ground clearance. $4199. surlybikes.com

OUR EXPERTS RECOMMEND

Donald Healey’s 8C Triumph Dolomite

Château Julia Assyrtiko 2022

Ixo 1:18 1973 BMW 2002 Monte Carlo Rally

Recommended by Hortons Books

Recommended by Private Cellar

Recommended by Grand Prix Models

There’s simply nothing to dislike about this beautiful book, written by Jonathan Wood and published in 2017. Like his previous awardwinning book about Squire, it’s impeccably researched, beautifully designed and very nicely printed. Only two eight-cylinder Dolomites were completed and the model’s story was rather vague until 8C owner Wood produced this definitive 300-page hardback, still available for little more than it cost eight years ago. £95. hortonsbooks.co.uk

Forget the old days when Retsina smelt and tasted like paint-stripper: Greek wine is now well regarded and the Assyrtiko grape variety especially so. This 2022 Château Julia Assyrtiko is superb, one of the best created by revitalised Greek winemakers. Dry and full-bodied, made in stainless steel so there’s no oak, the wine is fresh and clean, vibrant, minerally and plump, with a delicious zing to the finish.

Astonishingly good. £21.76. privatecellar.co.uk

Extremely bad weather forced literally dozens of crews to retire from the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally when stages became blocked. Among them was the Jägermeister-sponsored BMW 2002 of Wolfgang Stiller and Axel Wagener, but at least they have the (very) late consolation of being commemorated with this fantastic 1:18-scale diecast model. It’s fully detailed inside and out, from its internal roll-cage to the rolled-up traction mats bungeed onto the bumpers. £83.95. grandprixmodels.com

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TA L A C R E S T

t he wo rld’s n umb er o n e c l a s s i c ferra ri dea l er

DEALING IN DREAMS special Edition

The first Edition of Dealing in Dreams, published in 2017, was a never-before-seen insight into the dealings of Talacrest and a record of the worlds most sought-after Ferraris and other incredible marques that passed through the Talacrest stable. The book sold out with incredible feedback and has afforded the opportunity for 10 charities to receive a share of a total of £175,000 raised by the book and donated by Talacrest.

Talacrest have remained at the forefront of Classic Ferrari dealing with over $1 billion of sales.

This updated and redesigned edition includes an additional 100 pages, never-before-published photos and the inclusion of an even wider range of road and race Ferraris. In this special edition, John allows the reader a chance to see his personal collection including two specially commissioned Ferraris.

The book has a limited print run with all proceeds going to charity.

ORDER YOUR COPY SECURELY ONLINE NOW!

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

!

CAST YOUR VOTE Voting is now open for Car of the Year 2024

Book 1.indb 160

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22 NOVEMBER 2024 | THE PENINSULA LONDON

HISTORICMOTORINGAWARDS.CO.UK VISIT FOR FULL DETAILS, TO BOOK TICKETS, NOMINATE AND VOTE

Book 1.indb 161

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Edited by Matthew Hayward

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

TOP 10 PRICES J U LY 2 0 2 4 £13,176,693 ($17,055,000) 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB California Spyder RM Sotheby’s, California, USA, 17 August £10,839,578 ($14,030,000) 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Mille Miglia Spider Gooding & Company, California, USA, 16 August

BONHAMS

£10,032,211 ($12,985,000) 1955 Ferrari 410 S RM Sotheby’s, California, USA, 17 August

Top UK sales continue to struggle Following the flat Monterey sales, two major UK auctions fail to gain traction RUMBLINGS OF a generational shift in the market are not a recent phenomenon, but those voices suggesting that 1950s and ’60s classics have peaked are becoming more vocal. It’s difficult to draw too many conclusions when the European auction market has been struggling this past year, and, while the US has generally been holding up a little better, this year’s Monterey sales painted an interesting picture. Read Rob Sass’s full breakdown and analysis of the auctions on pages 72-74.

Not long after Monterey Car Week, two big UK auctions struggled to gain much traction. While the US might be experiencing pre-election jitters, economic uncertainty in the UK is not helping the market, either. Most recent was Bonhams’ Revival auction, with provisional figures suggesting a 51% sale rate, with sales of £6.1m. The extremely wet weather may have played a part, and as always there’s so much to do and see at Goodwood that it’s easy to miss the auction. Top seller was a very special 1998 Porsche 993 Turbo coupé – the very last to leave the factory, going through the Sonderwunsch

department – at £614,200. A solid figure, but still some way off the £700,000-£800,000 estimate.

Gooding & Company’s London auction was held alongside the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace: a smaller catalogue of lots, just 23 compared to last year’s 47. Despite a brilliant effort by auctioneer Charlie Ross to rouse the room, only 12 of those sold on the day, totalling £7,507,125.

With undisclosed post-event deals, the total may well end up over the £8m mark, but it was a tough sale.

Top seller was the 1933 Bugatti Type 43A Roadster ‘Sport Luxe’ from the Jack Braam Ruben Collection, which made a close-to-estimate £2,981,250. Its stablemate 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante sold for £2,362,500, short of its £3-4m estimate.

As we all know, the auctions are not always representative of what’s going on elsewhere in the market, which is why John Mayhead has taken a more holistic view for the whole of the last year on the opposite page. While we’re not out of the woods yet, it’s not all doom and gloom – especially if you are a buyer.

Matthew Hayward

£6,076,499 ($7,865,000) 1969 Ford GT40 MkIII Mecum, California, USA, 17 August £5,479,601 ($7,045,000) 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Rennversion Broad Arrow, California, USA, 15 August £4,338,149 ($5,615,000) 1959 Ferrari 250 LWB California Spyder RM Sotheby’s, California, USA, 17 August £4,253,163 ($5,505,000) 1995 Ferrari F50 RM Sotheby’s, California, USA, 16 August £4,133,410 ($5,350,000) 1955 Ferrari 857 S Spider Gooding & Company, California, USA, 16 August £4,083,191 ($5,285,000) 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (alloy) RM Sotheby’s, California, USA, 17 August £4,017,520 ($5,200,000) 1958 Ferrari 250 GT TdF Gooding & Company, California, USA, 16 August The top ten data is supplied courtesy of HAGERTY

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Market watch: summer 2024 The post-Covid boom is definitely over, but that just means there are bargains out there to be snapped up, especially Brit classics TAKE THE NUMBERS at face value and it’s been a difficult year in the classic and collector car world.

Over the past 12 months, 40% of the models covered in the UK Hagerty Price Guide have dropped in value, and only 11% rose. That’s unprecedented in the guide’s 12-year history and has been reflected by some very mediocre auction results.

The malaise isn’t confined to British shores: 35% of vehicle generations listed in the US Hagerty Price Guide saw their Condition 3 (‘good’) value drop in the year to July. The results of the bellwether Monterey auctions in August (see pages 72-74) suggest that the top of the American market has been hit hard, too, with total sales on the day valued at a shade over $391m, nearly $40m below Hagerty’s low pre-event estimate. There, big-ticket $1m-plus pre-1974 Ferraris, usually big sellers in Monterey with a mean sell-through rate of 84% over the past three years, sold at a rate of just 51% this year.

Look wider, and it’s not surprising why people are being careful with their money. It’s election year in the US, the new British Labour Government is still to announce its full fiscal policy for its term in office, and there are two regional conflicts both threatening to expand. Closer to home, dropping values have probably made many potential buyers pause – why buy now when the model you lust over may be cheaper in a few months?

But there are some reassuring signs. In the last quarter, things have calmed significantly: nearly 90% of UK Hagerty Price Guide values remained static, with five of the six Hagerty Indices (below) remaining within one point of neutral. Plus, restorers are reporting full order books, and the summer events have been thriving on both sides of the Atlantic. I’ve just returned from judging at Salon Privé in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, and the quality of the cars there – both in their restorations and their provenance – was the strongest I’ve ever seen. At the local level, a car meet in my hometown this weekend was inundated with enthusiasts, all keen to show off their rides and meet likeminded souls. Whatever the impression given by a docile auctions market, it would seem that people still want to spend money on their hobby.

Now may be a good time for them to consider a purchase. The post-lockdown boom, and the often-unrealistic prices that followed, have well and truly left the building and some traditional classics now seem to be excellent value. Hagerty’s Best of British Index is now just a shade above where it was in 2018 and, after accounting for inflation, that means there may be some bargains to be had. Some British dealers are already reporting – warily – a strong August, traditionally a very quiet time in the market, so the tide may already be turning.

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

Average value change percentage over time (Feb 2018 is 100%)

HAGERT Y UK INDICES TO SEPTEMBER 2024

125% Gold 120% Hot hatch 115%

RADwood Classic

110% 105% 100%

Best of British

95% FOTU 90% Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul 2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024 163

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The Market Auction Previews

Munich masterpieces RM Sotheby’s, Munich, Germany 23 November

RM SOTHEBY’S

IT’S REFRESHING to see a collection of BMWs that isn’t focused around M Sport cars.

This wonderful selection heading to RM’s second Motorworld auction in Munich later this year certainly features a few, but the bulk of the collection celebrates many of the company’s earlier cars.

Naturally, though, the M1 is the star of the show. This particular example is one of the 399 road cars produced, and features unique paintwork designed by the artist Walter Maürer. Showing 33,862km and complete with its original engine, this icon is expected to make €450,000-550,000.

The core of the collection is a remarkable selection of 326s and 327s. One highlight is a 1939 BMW 327/28 Sport Cabriolet, originally sold to Sweden but remaining unregistered for years due to the outbreak of WW2. Now fully restored, it’s expected to make €150,000200,000. Slightly more unusual are the East German versions, badged EMW. The 1954 EMW 327/2 Sport Coupé (estimate: €80,000-120,000) is perhaps the most interesting, having been used for Finnish rallying and ice-racing events.

Another particular rarity is the 1955 BMW 502 Coupé by Baur, one of only 29 thought to have been built. It’s estimated to sell for €130,000-180,000. Check out the collection via the online catalogue. rmsothebys.com

Born survivor H&H, Duxford, UK 9 October FORD’S AVO department was a dedicated production facility for high-performance road cars, Graham Hill famously driving the first Escort RS1600 off the line in November 1970.

This car is believed to be the second of four pre-production Escort Mexicos built there for homologation. During its time with Ford, it was loaned to Hendon Police College to be used as a pursuit training vehicle, and was bought by one of the training officers.

Discovered by the current owner in 2006, aware of its significance he embarked on a £60,000 restoration – the focus on retaining as many original parts as possible. It’s thought to be the oldest surviving AVO car, and is expected to make £60-70,000. handh.co.uk 164

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2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 Bond Edition

AUC T ION DI A RY

Bonhams, Stafford, UK 13 Oct, cars.bonhams.com

28 September Classic Car Auctions, Stoneleigh Park, UK Classicbid, Grolsheim, Germany 2 October Ewbank’s, Send, UK 3 October Charterhouse, Sparkford, UK (motorcycles) 3-5 October Mecum, Indianapolis, USA 4 October Bonhams, Newport, USA 5 October Aguttes, Brussels, Belgium 6 October Bonhams, Knokke-Heist, Belgium 9 October H&H, Duxford, UK 9-10 October RM Sotheby’s, Hershey, USA 10-12 October Vicari, Biloxi, USA 10-13 October Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, USA 12 October Barons, Southampton, UK Broad Arrow Auctions, Chattanooga, USA Oldtimer Galerie, Toffen, Switzerland 12-13 October Bonhams, Stafford, UK (motorcycles) 16-18 October Mathewsons, online 17 October DVCA, Stalbridge, UK 17-19 October Mecum, Las Vegas, USA 18-19 October Branson Auction, Branson, USA 19 October Cheffins, Cambridge, UK 23 October Brightwells, online 24 October Brightwells, online Charterhouse, Sparkford, UK 26 October WB & Sons, Killingworth, UK 26-27 October Manor Park Classics, Runcorn, UK 27 October Artcurial, Paris, France 30 October H&H, Bickenhill, UK (motorcycles)

This year marks the 200th year of the RNLI and, to support the important work done by the charity, James Bond actor Daniel Craig is donating a pair of Triumph motorcycles. Inspired by those used in No Time To Die, the Tiger 900 and Scrambler 1200 bikes will be signed by Craig and offered individually, each with a £10,00020,000 estimate.

1984 Porsche 911 SC RS

2002 Opel Speedster

1972 Lotus Europa

Broad Arrow Auctions, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA 12 Oct, broadarrowauctions.com

DVCA, Stalbridge, Dorset, UK 17 Oct, dvca.co.uk

Spicers, Goole, Yorkshire, UK 26 Oct, spicersauctioneers.com

Always an interesting alternative to the Lotus Elise, with which it shares a huge amount, the Vauxhall VX220/Opel Speedster seems to have been forgotten. Which is a shame, because it was every bit as special. This one looks to have been well looked after, though in dry storage since 2018. Now with a fresh MoT, it’s estimated to make a reasonable £17,000-19,000.

This S2 Europa might not appeal to the purists but, thanks to a Ford Zetec engine fitted by Banks Engineering, along with uprated and refreshed suspension, exhaust system and other upgrades, it’s a very well-sorted car. To get it to this standard, over £26,000 was spent from 2018 to ’21, which makes the £15,000-20,000 estimate a potential bargain.

Built in very limited numbers – 21 cars, of which this is the last – by Porsche Motorsport, the rallyfocused 911 SC RS is one of the most sought-after 911s today. This car’s limited competition history – it placed 14th on the 1984 Tour de Corse – means it’s in great, highly original shape today. It’s estimated at $2.6-3.5million.

Also Look Out For… In the 1960s, Bob Peak tried his hand at producing a luxury GT, teaming up with Coco Chinetti, the son of Ferrari’s USA agent, Luigi Chinetti. Bob and Coco drew up a dramatic if slightly rotund car with gullwing doors and asked Giovanni Michelotti to bring it to life. The finished article, a rebodied Ferrari 275 P, was proudly presented at the 1968 New York Auto Show, but it would remain a one-off, and the awkwardly named Chinetti/Peak Research/Design Company didn’t last.

Bob had something to fall back on, though: he was by 1968 one of the most in-demand movie poster artists around, and he went on to create iconic posters for hits including Star Trek, Superman and Apocalypse Now. His original, magnificently restrained art for Apocalypse Now (he worked up additional designs featuring star Marlon Brando) will be sold by Heritage Auctions in Dallas on 15 November, and the well-preserved watercolour is expected to command $150,000-250,000.

Thought you’d like to know Stegosaurus skeleton (see issue 254) sold for a record $44.6m. President Eisenhower’s golf clubs (issue 255): not sold.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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The Market Data Mining

Gallardo vs Audi R8 V10

R8 V10 AND GALLARDO %AGE OF MILLENNIAL QUOTES

ride in Seventeen Again – and then Tony Stark, Iron Man, a guy who could have whatever he wanted, chose one as his daily driver. The Gallardo’s role in Beverly Hills Chihuahua didn’t quite equal it.

Both are now Millennial favourites, but in 2016 Baby Boomers accounted for nearly half of all R8 quotes, and 60% of Gallardo. The latter now represent around 15% of each.

There’s a big discrepancy in US and UK prices, with US Hagerty Price Guide valuing both much higher – up to 45% for the R8 – compared to British equivalents.

Here, higher-mileage Spyders are the entry point, from about £40,000 up to £82,800 for original (Type 42) GTs.

Collectors look for low-mileage cars in top condition with quattro; rear-wheel drive in an Audi feels like it misses the point.

UK Gallardo values range from £50,000 for a standard Spyder to about £130,000 for a special edition or GT3, though some sales in America, especially of the Spyder, have been much higher.

The number out there means buyers can be picky. Rarer editions, good options and great colour combos with low mileage will be in demand, so values will vary massively from ‘fair’ examples. That gap will widen as the cars age, but cheaper cars still offer a lot: Noughties supercars at an accessible entry price.

After it had traded at around $400,000 for a number of years, a significant uptick in 2013 saw Bonhams achieve a benchmark $836,000 (£634,000) at its Quail Lodge sale. That momentum continued in 2014, with Bonhams setting new records at the beginning of June at $1,210,000 (£917,500) and three weeks later at £953,500, before Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach sale delivered the current auction high when an early example in largely unrestored condition fetched $1,870,000 (£1,418,000).

Four cars have changed hands multiple times at auction since 2015, including an ex-Rod

Stewart Countach that was given a targa-top conversion during his ownership. Subsequently restored to its original spec, albeit now in left-hand drive, it made €775,625 (£656,500) at RM Sotheby’s in 2021 (pictured), was re-sold by RM Sotheby’s at Villa Erba in 2023 for €989,375 (£837,500) after €60,000 was spent at Lamborghini Polo Storico, and then by Bring a Trailer in July 2024 at $714,444 (£541,500).

Tom Hartley Jnr comments: ‘The Countach was first shown at the 1971 Geneva motor show and I imagine that “spaceship” was the word on everyone’s minds.

Although I have sold many, I am

John Mayhead

38.6% 40.8% R8 5.2 (T42)

THE AUDI R8 V10 versus the Lamborghini Gallardo – two Noughties heavyweights built under the same parent company, sharing an increasing number of parts as they developed, and with Coupé and Spyder options, plus various special editions.

Neither is rare: the Gallardo was the best-selling Lamborghini of the time (over 14,000), but 28,000 of the Type 42 Audi R8 puts it in a different league. The Gallardo benefitted from a raging bull badge, heritage and status; the R8 was a departure for a brand known for performance saloons and rally cars.

Audi’s marketeers excelled, though, the R8 starring in Forza Motorsport 4, being Zac Efron’s

GALLARDO

Can you afford to buy a great V10 Noughties supercar? Can you afford not to?

22.

71%

ALL HAGERTY QUOTES

NUMBER MADE, R8 / GALLARDO

28,000 14,000

HAGERTY MEDIAN QUOTED VALUE: R8 5.2 (Type 42) vs Gallardo

$115,000 (£88,000) $116,400 (£89,000)

Auction Tracker

Lamborghini Countach LP400 Lamborghini built 151 of the first generation Countach between 1974 and 1978, and these remain the most highly prized among collectors. Styled by Marcello Gandini during his time at Bertone, the LP400 represents the model’s purest form, unadorned by the wheelarch extensions, wings and spoilers that evolved on later versions.

£1,500,000

not a fan of the car: the cockpit was designed for a very small person and a Miura is a much nicer car to drive. That said, they are extremely collectable and today range from £1,000,000 to £1,500,000, depending on colour and quality of restoration.

‘An all-original car [of which few exist] would be towards the higher end of those values and my advice would be to buy only a car that ticks all boxes – provenance, great original colours (not red), and perfectly restored by one of Italy’s best workshops or totally original. Just don’t expect to enjoy it on many tours!’

Rod Laws

Line charts the top prices for comparable cars at auction.

£1,000,000

£500,000 2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Glenmarch is the largest free-to-access online resource for classic and collector car auction markets.

Visit glenmarch.com to keep up to date.

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C HARLES P RINCE

Le Mans

Worldwide Collector Car Sales

We are always eager to buy important collectors cars.

Valuations and advice always available.

1935 Bentley 3.5/4.25 Litre Continental Tourer

An exceptionally attractive Derby with rare coachwork by Vanden Plas to an Oxborrow and Fuller design.

Rebuilt to a very high standard. Uprated with a 4.25 litre engine and gearbox, high compression pistons, lightened flywheel, and overdrive. Full history.

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

1959 Jaguar XK 150 DHC Totally restored to 3.8S Specification

All cars can be seen tried and tested at Quin Hay Farm Petersfield Hampshire GU321BZ or in central London.

Please see our website for full stock photos videos and details. Valuations always available.

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

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The Market Dealer News

SHOWROOM BRIEFS

1968 Meyers Manx Dune Buggy £38,750 Although dune buggies are not particularly unusual, this original Meyers Manx is one of roughly 6000 Mk1 models built. Based on a ‘68 Beetle, it arrived in the UK from Florida in 2019. dukeoflondon.co.uk (UK)

2006 Morgan Aero 8 €138,500 from Thiesen, Hamburg, Germany DESCRIBE A car as old-fashioned and in most cases it would hold some negative inference.

Morgans, however, have always tended to make a feature of their somewhat traditional nature – until the Aero 8 arrived on the scene in 2000, that is.

Representing the beginning of Morgan’s modern era, it was billed as the company’s first supercar.

The Aero 8 marked a significant shift for Morgan, and offered not only more modern, aerodynamic styling (albeit with a somewhat cross-eyed face) wrapped around a bonded aluminium chassis, but also a new 4.4-litre BMW V8 and six-speed Getrag gearbox. The suspension featured race-inspired inboard dampers and double wishbones all-round.

This example is a late Series 2 car, painted in Honda Stratus Blue metallic and featuring polished 18-inch alloys. Series 2 cars retained the VW Beetle headlights (the Series 3 got more forward-facing Mini items) but also received airbags, ABS and five-stud wheels as standard. The big draw of this car is that it has had only one owner and covered 1742km from new. It also boasts some interesting factory options: the AP Racing braking package as well as a stainless-steel sports exhaust. Although thoroughly modern when it was launched, it now presents as a desirable and seemingly old-fashioned, rear-wheel-drive, manual V8 sports car. thiesen-automobile.com

The Insider WITH THE RECENT launch of the exceptional new Aston Martin Vanquish, it seems particularly timely to consider the original, Newport Pagnell-built, V12 Vanquish – the Ian Callum-designed successor to the Virage that was launched in 2001 – as an underappreciated classic.

Values are now perhaps as low as we might reasonably expect them to go, and with only around 2600 cars constructed – and only around 1000 of those being the S models that were introduced in 2004 with tweaked engine and more track-focused ride and handling – rarity is not in question.

Each car was handbuilt here, taking around 440 hours, and incorporated not only a muscular 6.0-litre V12 engine but, at the time, cutting-edge motorsport-derived transmission technology, a unique and bespoke bonded aluminium composite chassis, and all the trademark luxury features that define Aston Martin.

The original Vanquish is, then, a collector’s item in waiting and a snapshot of both Aston Martin engineering ambition and true luxury.

Justin Pearce Sales Manager, Aston Martin Works

1964 Renault Dauphine Gordini €14,750 This charming Dauphine Gordini is offered in fully operational condition and looks great in blue with a white stripe, although it’s described as needing cosmetic and bodywork restoration. mecurito.pt (PT)

1994 RUF RCT POA Every RUF is special, but this one was a press and development car, and the only 964-based RCT built on a Carrera RS chassis – chosen due to its additional stiffness and lower weight. hymanltd.com (US)

1961 Chrysler Valiant R Series $59,999 AUD Just 1008 of these Aussie six-cylinder saloons were built, and this recommissioned car – an older restoration – is in fantastic driveable condition. collectableclassiccars.com.au (AU)

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THE CLASSIC ASSIC

MOTOR HUB

AVA I L A B L E F O R S A L E

1935 Riley MPH 14/6

£480,000

1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL

£135,000 1966 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 FHC

£135,000

1971 Porsche 911T 2.2

£62,500 1962 Jaguar MKII 3.8

£45,000

ENQUIRIES : +44 (0)1242 384092 : SALES@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM : CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM

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12/09/2024 16:53

The Market Buying Guide

THE LOWDOWN

WHAT TO PAY Prices are very much dependent on condition; while you might find a basketcase from around £1000, for a complete car that could be turned around expect something closer to £3000.

For a runner in fair condition, prices seem to sit around £7000, although recently a top-condition, right-handdrive car sold for £12,000.

LOOK OUT FOR

Panhard 24 Coupé A futuristic French laboratory with push-me-pull-you aesthetics WHAT WOULD YOU have bought if you wanted an innovative, stylish, French car during the 1960s?

The answer for millions of people was, of course, the Citroën DS, yet there was something decidedly more niche. Panhard’s front-wheel-drive, two-door, air-cooled flat-twin-powered 24 Coupé would be the company’s last car, and today it remains a very select choice among classic owners. Yet, like most forward-thinking cars, it has aged incredibly well, and despite its fantastic ageless looks, prices still seem to be extremely tempting for anyone willing to take the plunge.

The story of Panhard is a fascinating one, yet like most innovative manufacturers its downfall would ultimately be the business of actually making money.

Starting out in 1890, French manufacturer Panhard et Levassor was a company known for innovation.

After World War Two, Panhard built a string of lightweight, efficient cars, but ultimately financial woes would see the company fall under the control of Citroën in the early 1960s. With Panhards now forming a part of the larger range, a coupé model was mandated for the PL17 saloon’s replacement, so as not to cannibalise sales from the DS. The 24 CT was launched to the press in 1963, a gloriously stylish and clever car, although bodied in steel rather than the aluminium of earlier cars.

With a distinctive trapezoidal roofline, the body looked futuristic and aerodynamic. Its 848cc twin-cylinder engine was a development of a power unit that dated back to the 1940s, and was showing its age – although it had been pushed to produce a healthy 60bhp. This meant that performance was eager enough, with a top speed in excess of 90mph.

Although the suspension set-up of independent transverse leaf springs at the front and torsion bars at the rear gave it a good ride and capable handling, the car’s all-round drum brakes were considered to be less than adequate even in period.

It went on sale in 1964 as the basic C – a lowerspec model with a reduced 48bhp output – and the higher-spec CT, and sales were mildly disappointing.

Although offered officially in the UK, it was extremely expensive (due to the horrendous import duties of the time) and not many were sold here.

1965 saw arguably the biggest change, with new longer-wheelbase B and BT models launched. The two versions were generally the same as their shorter siblings, with the BT getting the higher-output engine and a higher level of equipment. All models received front disc brakes from 1965, too.

Citroën took full control of Panhard later that year, which in reality spelled the end for Panhard.

Despite a lack of investment – Citroën choosing to make use of the extra production capacity to build additional 2CV vans rather than continue development of the 24 Coupé – 1966 saw a new, much more basic BA model offered, although very few of these were built as sales continued to slump.

Production of the 24 Coupé soldiered on until July 1967, at which point Citroën pulled the plug completely after building only 28,651 units, and with it ended the Panhard marque being associated with road-going cars. The name did continue, however, with the company building military vehicles for many decades. There’s a great Panhard club in the UK, but buying a 24 Coupé is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Matthew Hayward

Even when new, most mainstream mechanics were unaware of the engine’s quirks so finding one that’s been correctly looked after is difficult. The whole oil system runs at low pressure, and that pressure is fed mainly to the hydraulic tappets and main roller bearings. The little ends and bores are splash-fed by slingers on the crank web, and these are known to clog and starve big-end bearings. Oil must be changed every 3000 miles. There’s no oil filter either, simply a wire mesh around the oil pump. If the car hasn’t been used regularly, the engine will most likely need a rebuild.

All body panels except the roof bolt on, although finding parts is a nightmare. Rust often hides unseen beneath these panels. One key area to look at is where the rear wings bolt on around the boot, as well as the tops of the rear wheelarches. The back of the roof should be inspected, as well as the floors.

Although the structure is monocoque, it uses a heavygauge tube that runs behind the sills and around the car to which the front subframe and rear axle are fixed. This can rust beneath the sill.

Exhaust system condition is critical as the entire engine and gearbox rely on it for support – and a system can cost around £1200. Club tech advisor John Passfield warns buyers to be aware that there are no UK garages that specialise in repairs.

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PETER PETER BRADFIELD LTD LTD PETERBRADFIELD BRADFIELD LTD PETER LTD

1934 Frazer Nash TT Replica 1965 1965 Alfa AlfaRomeo Romeo TZ1 TZ1- -Period Periodcompetition competition history, history, known known provenance, provenance, beautifully beautifullyrestored restored Outstanding condition, unparalelled evocative history, matching numbers.

1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Roadster by Park Ward 1925 1925 Bentley Bentley3-4½ 3-4½ Speed Speed Model Model --Original Original super patinated patinated Vanden Plas Plaswith withsorted sortedmechanicals mechanicals Unique and gorgeous.

In superb condition withVanden documented history.

1925 Bentley 3-4½ Litre 1925 1925 Bentley Bentley 3-4½ 3-4½ Litre Litre

YK 1360 is a Short Chassis Speed Model still fitted with its original Vanden Plas coachwork. It has been uprated with a perky 4½ giving itSpeed a good turn of speed andwith mechanically feels goodPlas on the road. The Ittalented Mr.uprated Getley at with KingsYKYK 1360 1360 islitre aisShort aengine Short Chassis ChassisSpeed Model Model still still fitted fitted with its its original Vanden Vanden Plas coachwork. coachwork.

Ithas hasbeen been uprated with a perky a perky bury Racing has maintained it.

However, a number of previous owners have taken a dogged delight in willfully ignoring the 4½4½ litre litre engine engine giving givingit ita agood goodturn turnofofspeed speedand and mechanically mechanically feels feels good goodon onthe theroad. road.The Thetalented talentedMr. Mr. Getley Getley at at KingsKingspaintwork and itmaintained has accordingly developed a depthof ofprevious patina youowners could drown in. Itsaadogged bears itsdelight battle-scars and witness marks bury bury Racing Racing has has maintained it.it.However, However, aanumber number of previous owners have havetaken taken dogged delightininwillfully willfully ignoring ignoring thethe as badges of and has appeared withaadistinction on at least three drown Flying Rallies and raced atand the Goodwood paintwork paintwork and and it honour has it hasaccordingly accordingly developed developed depth depth of of patina patina you could could drownScotsman in. in.Its Itsbears bears itsitsbattle-scars battle-scars and witness witness marks marks Frazer Nash Le three Mans Replica Revival.

Concours types and ‘try-hards’ need noton apply but will suit any number of Rallies bounders, blaggards orthe cads. as badges as badges of of honour honour and andhas has appeared appeared with with1954 distinction distinction on at least three Flying Flying Scotsman Scotsman Ralliesand and raced raced at at the Goodwood Goodwood Ulimate specification, period international history, eligible everything.

1952 1952 Frazer FrazerNash Nash Targa Targa Florio Florio--Unique, Unique, highly highly eligible competition car car with good goodroad road manners manners Revival.

Revival.

Concours Concours types types and and‘try-hards’ ‘try-hards’ need need not not apply apply eligible but comp will will competition suit suit any anynumber number offor ofwith bounders, bounders, blaggards blaggards oror cads. cads.

Also available available Also Also available

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

See See Website Website more moredetails details details See See website website for for more more details See website for more details

8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON LONDON SW7 3HE 8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON LONDON SW7 3HE Tel: 020 7589 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com 8 REECE 8 peter@bradfieldcars.com REECEMEWS MEWS KENSINGTON KENSINGTON LONDON LONDON SW7 SW7 3HE 3HE peter@bradfieldcars.com Tel: 020 7589 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com peter@bradfieldcars.com peter@bradfieldcars.com Tel: Tel:020 0207589 7589 8787 8787 www.bradfieldcars.com www.bradfieldcars.com

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13/03/2024 13/03/2024 11:2711:27 10/09/2024 11:56

A C

H E R I T A G E

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

1955 AC ACECA Period Works Rally Entrant (Monte Carlo, Liège Rome Liège etc.)

Ruddspeed 2.6 Ford Zephyr engine upgrade with four speed manual with overdrive. POA

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

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

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

For more information about any of these vehicles, please contact our sales team.

AC Heritage · International Broker of Historic & Classic Motorcars · Brooklands Motor Circuit, Surrey, UK Telephone +44(0)1932 828545 · Mobile +44(0)7557 878123 · www.acheritage.com AC HERITAGE

1968 FERRARI 275 GTB 4 CAM (#11069) Rosso Corsa with beige leather interior. This is a car we have known for many years and is one of the very few UK RHD cars sold, believed to be 1 of only 27. The car has covered 64,824 miles and has the Ferrari Classiche Certification.

+44 (0) 1772 613 114

|

sales@williamloughran.co.uk

|

www.williamloughran.co.uk

The leading specialist in sourcing the rare and unobtainable. We are always looking to buy interesting cars.

The leading specialist in sourcing the rare and unobtainable. We are always looking to buy interesting cars.

WL_Sep2024_new_Octane_222x285.indd 1

09/09/2024 12:49

2017 Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Zagato

2022 Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae

2016 Lamborghini Aventador V12 LP 750-4 Superveloce

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

1 owner, Sensonum sound system, Carbon backed seats, Carbon fibre interior, Ultimae full livery, Lifting system, 20/21” Leirion forged alloys in Bronze. 3,000 miles. £374,990

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

2020 Ferrari 812 Superfast V12

2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan V12 Black Badge

2018 Lamborghini Aventador V12 LP 740-4 S

2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast V12

2018 Lamborghini Huracan V10 LP 640-4 Performante

Suspension lifter, Adaptive headlights with SBL function, Scuderia shields, Rear privacy glass, Titanium exhaust pipes, 20” forged diamond alloys, Ferrari main dealer history. 2,400 Miles. £261,990

2021 Lamborghini Huracan V10 LP 610-2 EVO

Colbalto Blue and Black leather interior, Massage front seats, Starlight headlining, Rear privacy glass, Night vision with pedestrian recognition, Electronic towbar.15,000 miles £259,990

Fully electric and heated comfort seats, Piano black interior trim, Satin black tailpipes, 8,500 miles. £214,990

Front bumper mouth piece in Carbon fibre, Carbon fibre front spoiler, Carbon fibre racing seats with seat lifter, Privacy rear windows, Matte black forged racing wheels. 11,600 miles. £205,990

1967 Jaguar E-Type Roadster

2013 Lamborghini Aventador V12 LP 700

Supplied via Jaguar cars of New York in October 1967, Undergoing a full nut and bolt restoration, LHD to RHD conversion, Full UK registration.

120 miles. £189,990

Finished in Nero Pegaso over a Nero leather interior, Multi-functional steering wheel finished in perforated leather, Transparent engine cover, Arancio brake callipers. 3,200 miles. £174,990

2016 Ferrari 488 T V8 GTB

2019 Aston Martin DBS V12 BiTurbo Superleggera

Finished in Grigio Ferro over Rosso Ferrari and Nero leather interior. Daytona style seats, Suspension lifter, Yellow brake callipers, 20” Forged alloys in Grey. 18,000 miles. £132,990

Heated and Ventillated front seats, Bang & Olufsen surround sound, 360 degree cameras, Carbon fibre shift paddles. 16,000 miles. £131,990

Q-citura stitching, Transparent engine cover, Lifting system, Red brake callipers, 20/21” Dionne alloy wheels finished in Gloss black with Diamond face 12,500 miles. £237,990

1 owner from new, dark chrome interior package, Lazer engraved stitching, 20” Loge alloy wheels finished in Gloss black. 16,000 miles. £204,890

2013 Ferrari 458 Spider

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

2023 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye

Finished in Frostbite over a Black leather interior, Harmon Kardon sound system, 309 rear axel ratio, 8 speed automatic gearbox, Red brake callipers and 20” SRT alloys. 2,500 miles. £129,990

BUYING OR SELLING LAMBORGHINI MOTORCARS T +44 01580 714 597 E sales@vvsuk.co.uk W www.vvsuk.co.uk (Viewing by appointment only) Address: VVS UK LTD PARK FARM, GOUDHURST ROAD, CRANBROOK, KENT, TN17 2LJ www.lamborghinibuyer.com Additional Websites: www.justlamborghini.com OCTANE_257_VVS_222mm w x 285mm h.indd 1

12/09/2024 10:22

MILESTONE MOTORCARS

561 509 7251

For our current inventory please visit our website

www.MilestoneMotorcarsLLC.com

1965 Jaguar 4.2 litre, XKE Roadster

Finest, Restored E Type available today

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Telephone 01753 644599

Mobile 07836 222111

2019 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake Finished in very rare Lava Red with a beautifully sculptured black hide interior with pronounced triple ZZZ pattern in red stitching to the ultra-comfortable sports seats. Built to launch specification which includes the Black and Gold Road wheel finish and a considerable amount of additional carbon finish to both interior and exterior, including the floor of the boot space. This car is number 32 of the limited production run of just 99 cars built. It has covered a mere 2,745 with a complete service record. This totally unmarked example was first registered 15/03/19 and is truly stunning on the eye as well as being a fabulous car to drive.

Competitively priced to sell at £395,000

1963 Aston Martin DP214 Project Car (Perfect Tool Room Copy) The original four Project Cars were built in 1962 & 63 specifically to endeavour to repeat the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hour Win. This highly detailed and perfect copy was originally laid down in the late eighties but not finished until 2004. Correct throughout with DB4 GT 12 plug cylinder Head and original bespoke interior. Will be supplied with new FIA/HTTP Papers. Owned by us for the past 19 years. Raced extensively throughout the UK and Europe including events at Goodwood, Le Mans, Spa Francorchamps and with various podium finishes.

Also raced in California at Laguna Seca in 2011 winning both races entered and the Rolex Award of Excellence. The car will come with acres of history showing diligent maintenance over the whole period of our ownership including recent considerable expenditure. Spares will include 2 sets of Borrani wheels and 2 further sets of race wheels. Eligible for numerous high-profile events throughout the UK and Europe.

Please enquire ££

Email: martinrunnymedemotorcompany.com | www.runnymedemotorcompany.com

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Ferrari 612 Scaglietti F1 Rosso Corsa 44,513 Miles

£54,995

Stock Number - 22751

Ferrari 360 Modena F1 Rosso Corsa 27,730 Miles

Ferrari F430 Spider Manual

Ferrari 458 Spider

Rosso Corsa 53,001 Miles

Rosso Corsa 29,941 Miles

£89,995

Stock Number - 22770

£64,995

Stock Number - 22662

£129,995

Stock Number - 22778

1962 Abarth Simca 1300

Highly original and historically signi�icant Abarth Simca.

Known as “Giant killer” major victories were scored by Simca 1300 GTs in 1962.

Excellent maintained by marque specialist.

Ferrari 488 Spider Grigio Silverstone 16,188 Miles

£159,995

Stock Number - 22631

Ferrari 512 BB Carburettor Giallo Fly 13,867 Miles

£179,995

Stock Number - 20945

www.tfcgb.com True Ferrari Connoisseurs Cavallino Building, ME15 9YG

180

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

1969 Lola T70 Mk 3B - Chevrolet Chassis SL70/143 was one of the 16 B-spec. T70 MK3 GTs constructed by Lola.Supplied new to Swedish Formula 1 driver, Jo Bonnier, chassis 143 replaced chassis 101, an old 1967 example that Ecurie Bonnier had campaigned throughout 1968.

The new car was painted the Bonnier team colours of yellow with a broad white centre stripe and single red pinstripe and contested World, British and Swedish sportscar championship events in 1969 plus a smattering of big independent events as well. Highlights of its inaugural campaign included fifth overall and first in class at the Spa 1000km World Championship race, a brace of seconds in the British Sportscar Championship and outright victory in the Paris GP at Montlhery. Regularly driven by Bonnier, Reine Wissel, Ronnie Peterson and on occasion Herbert Muller. Well documented history file and restored by Colin Bennett this car is a fantastic piece of sportscar history that is invited to and eligible for the premier historic motorsport events.

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1975 Lancia Fulvia S3, 1.3 V4

ASMotorsport Motorsport ltd AS ltd

1979 Lotus Elite 504

Poplar Farm, Bressingham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2AP Tel: 01379688356 Mob: 07909531816 Web: www.asmotorsport.co.uk Email: info@asmotorsport.co.uk restored in Italy by a classic restorer for 32,500 miles since new, auto, PAS, his father........ ............................£24,995 complete history, original ...........£19,995

1965 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

1976 Porsche 911 2.7

one owner 1965 to 2003, recently driven LHD, supplied new in Germany, 60,000 to Spa ........................................£19,995 miles, very clean and correct......£42,995

1956 Morris Minor

1961 Bristol 406 drophead Coupe

ASM hand build bespoke versions of the R1 roadster, inspired by the Aston Martin race cars that won Le Mans and the world Sportscar championship in 1959.

Contact us for details of commission builds and stock.

4 door, 803cc, 21,000 miles with history, four seater, stunning build, three owners............ ..................£10,995 unique........... .............................£75,000

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

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

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ASM R1 Stirling Moss tribute car enjoying track time at Goodwood.

ASM hand build bespoke versions of the R1 roadster, inspired by the Aston Martin race cars that won Le Mans and the world Sportscar championship in 1959.

Contact us for details of commission builds and stock.

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JOIN US FOR OUR ONCE A YEAR BIG SHOW BBQ | OVER 150 CARS LAST YEAR | FACILITIES TOURS | WORKS AND SPECIAL CARS ON DISPLAY | NEW BUILDS AND RESTORATIONS ALL COOL CARS WELCOME TO THE SHOW!

182

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1966 Porsche 910-001: First of 29 910 racers built. Full frame-up restoration.

Historical, FIA and title papers. Driven by Niki Lauda, Hans Hermann.

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

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

All orig., fresh rebuild, race ready.

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.

1962 Lotus Super 7: 22 year ownership.

Super well developed; quick and easy to drive. Known for its winning provenance.

Everything has been rebuilt or replaced.

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

1958 MGA Twin Cam: Rare, disc brakes, Dunlop competition wheels, frame-up, show quality restoration on an iconic sports car.

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

1965 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8, red/tan, frame-up resto., 4sp OD, Webers, comp wheels, headers, electronic ignition.

Performs better than it ever did.

www.MotorClassiCCorp.CoM 350 ADAMS STREET, BEDFORD HILLS NEW YORK 10507 914-997-9133 • SALES@MOTORCLASSICCORP.COM MtrClassicNov24octaneHalf.indd 1

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1994 Ferrari 348 Spider

FOR SALE

8/31/24 10:55 AM

1968 Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior

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

www.vsoc.nl

2010 Ferrari 599 GTO 183

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Now is the time to experience an E-Type...Why wait?

1966 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L FHC VIN: 1E32211

1965 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E10734

We WeWe perform We perform We perform perform Service perform Service Service Service Service &&Renovations &Renovations &Renovations &Renovations Renovations of ofallall oftypes ofalltypes ofalltypes all oftypes ofclassic types classic of ofclassic ofclassic cars. cars. classic cars. cars. cars.

1961 JAGUAR E-TYPE O.B.L. 3.8L OTS VIN: 875360

1970 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1R12850

1965 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 10155

1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E13011

ROLLS-ROYCE ROLLS-ROYCE ROLLS-ROYCE ROLLS-ROYCE ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SILVER SILVER SILVER SHADOW SHADOW SILVER SHADOW SHADOW SHADOW TWO TWO TWO DOOR TWO DOOR TWO DOOR DOOR DOOR DROP DROP DROP HEAD DROP HEAD DROP HEAD COUPÉ HEAD COUPÉ HEAD COUPÉ COUPÉ COUPÉ

1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E13274

1966 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L FHC VIN: 1E33015

1964 JAGUAR E-TYPE 3.8L FHC VIN: 889819

1965 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E10570

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by by H. H. J.by Mulliner J.H. by Mulliner J. H. byMulliner J. H. Park Mulliner J.Park Mulliner Ward, Park Ward, Park 1968 Ward, Park 1968 Ward, VIN: 1968 Ward, VIN: 1968 CRX VIN: 1968 CRX VIN: 6598.

CRX VIN: 6598.

CRX 6598.

CRX 6598.

6598.

A really A really Anice really Anice really car A nice really car innice excellent in carnice excellent car in excellent car inused excellent inused excellent condition. used condition. used condition. used condition.

It came It condition. came Ittocame ItRohdins tocame It Rohdins tocame Rohdins toClassic Rohdins toClassic Rohdins Classic Classic Classic CarCar ABCar AB for Car AB for anCar AB an extensive forAB extensive for an for extensive an repair extensive anrepair extensive during repair during repair during repair thethe during years during years the2019 the years 2019 the years –2019 2021. years – 2019 2021.

–2019 The 2021.

–The 2021. entire – The entire 2021.

The entire The entire entire hydraulic hydraulic hydraulic /hydraulic brake / hydraulic brake /system brake /system brake /system was brake was system renovated. system was renovated. was renovated. was renovated.

Everything Everything renovated.

Everything Everything from Everything from brake from brake from pumps brake from pumps brake pumps to brake to pumps pumps to to to thethe level level thecontrol. the level control. the level control.

The level control.

The big control.

The big 10-year The 10-year bigThe big 10-year service big 10-year service 10-year service waswas service done. service was done. was The done.

The was done. front The front done. suspension The front suspension The front suspension front suspension suspension waswas renovated was renovated was renovated was and renovated and renovated theand the springs and springs theand the springs and the springs and shock springs and shock and absorbers shock absorbers and shock absorbers shock were absorbers were absorbers replaced. were replaced. were replaced. were The replaced.

The rear replaced.

The rearThe rear The rearrear suspension suspension suspension suspension received suspension received received new received new bushings received new bushings new bushings new and bushings and new bushings and new shock and new shock and new absorbers. shock new absorbers. shock absorbers. shock A absorbers. lot A absorbers. lot ofAwork oflot Awork of lot Awork of lotwork of work on on thethe on electrical on the electrical on the electrical the system. electrical system. electrical system.

New system.

New system. windshield New windshield New windshield New windshield and windshield and rubber and rubber and rubber seals, and seals, rubber many rubber seals, many seals, lamp many seals, lamp many lamp many lamp lamp lenses lenses were lenses were lenses also were lenses also replaced. were also replaced. were also replaced.

New also replaced.

New replaced. radio New radio New and radio and New speakers radio and speakers radio and speakers asand speakers well as speakers well as electric well as aselectric well as well electric antenna as antenna electric as electric antenna antenna antenna were were installed. were installed. were installed. were The installed.

The AC installed.

The AC compressor The AC compressor The AC compressor AC compressor was compressor was alsowas also replaced. was also replaced. was also replaced. also All replaced.

All these replaced. these Allrepairs All these repairs All these repairs are these are repairs repairs are are are documented. documented. documented. documented.

The documented.

The total The total cost The total cost The was total cost was total approximately cost was approximately cost was approximately was approximately approximately SEK SEK 860,000 SEK 860,000 SEK 860,000 SEK !! 860,000 !! 860,000 !! !! !!

TheThe carThe car is The now is carnow The car isbeing now car is being now is sold being now sold being at sold being the at sold the very at sold very the atreasonable the very atreasonable the very reasonable very reasonable price reasonable price ofprice of SEK price SEK ofprice 545,000.

SEK of545,000.

SEK of545,000.

SEK 545,000.

545,000.

(Euro (Euro 47.500 (Euro 47.500 (Euro 47.500 (Euro or £40.000) or 47.500 £40.000) 47.500 or £40.000) orLOCATION: £40.000) orLOCATION: £40.000) LOCATION: LOCATION: LOCATION: Trollhättan Trollhättan Trollhättan Trollhättan Trollhättan FöljFölj ossoss på FöljFacebook! på oss Följ Facebook! på oss FöljFacebook! på ossFacebook! på Facebook!

Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan 4, 46137 4, 46137 4, 46137 Trollhättan, 4, Trollhättan, 46137 4, 46137 Trollhättan, Trollhättan, Sweden Trollhättan, Sweden Sweden Tel. Sweden Tel. +46520-18800 Sweden Tel. +46520-18800 Tel. +46520-18800 Tel. +46520-18800 +46520-18800 Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan 4, Industrigatan 461 4,anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se 461 37 4, 37 461 Trollhättan, 4,www.rohdinsclassiccar.se Trollhättan, 461 37 4,www.rohdinsclassiccar.se 461 Trollhättan, 37www.rohdinsclassiccar.se Trollhättan, Tel: 37 Tel: Trollhättan, 0520-188 0520-188 Tel: Tel: 0520-188 00 Tel: 0520-188 000520-188 00on 00 00on Följ Följ oss oss Följ på Facebook! på Följ oss Facebook!

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Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan Industrigatan 4, 461 4, 461 4, 37461 37 4, Trollhättan, 461 Trollhättan, 4, 37461 Trollhättan, 37 Trollhättan, 37Tel: Trollhättan, Tel: 0520-188 Tel: 0520-188 Tel: 0520-188 Tel: 0520-188 00, 00, 0520-188 anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se 00, 00, anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se 00, anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se, anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se, anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se, anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se, anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se, www.rohdinsclassiccar.se www.rohdinsclassiccar.se Follow Follow us Follow us Follow on us Follow us on us on anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se anders@rohdinsclassiccar.se

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THE UK’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT FERRARI SPECIALIST | EST. 1968 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

1984 Ferrari 308 GTS QV

1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer

1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

1989 Ferrari Testarossa

2006 Ferrari F430 Manual

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£147,995

£POA

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speedsport gallery

Zandvoort 1964 Nicholas Watts Jim Clark leads Graham Hill and Dan Gurney on the 1st lap of the Dutch Grand Prix in 1964.

Includes an original Jim Clark signature which is inset into the mount.

­

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

Gouache on Board PRICE: £3,500

­

­ ­ ­ ­ ­­

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

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Specialist electroplaters, polishers and Specialist electroplaters, polishers Specialist electroplaters, polishers and metal finishers. and metal finishers. metal finishers.

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LEADERS IN DRIVER SAFETY SINCE 1967

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Protect your ride, 365

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If it matters to you, it matters to us.

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NEW STORAGE - Motorbike and Porsche - 61x92 OCTANE EIGHTH PAGE - PRINT READY.pdf

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Situated 5 minutes from the A3 on the Surrey / Hampshire / Sussex borders convenient for Goodwood Discreet secure insulated storage facility for any car or motorcycle.

Onsite service and repair available

Storage

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VEHICLE STORAGE BY SLSHOP

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For further information Tel: 01420 472 273 E-mail: southlandsccs@gmail.com Web: www.southlandscherishedcarstorage.co.uk

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

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

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ESSEX BASED CAR STORAGE

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8 MOTOR CAR STORAGE FULLY ENCLOSED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES OWNED AND RUN BY A COLLECTOR AND ENTHUSIAST 01245 426587 | info@elmscollection.com | www.elmscollection.com 192 I-342623.indd 1

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CAR STORAGE IN THE COTSWOLDS CONTACT US

UNITED KINGDOM

S TO R A G E & TRANSPORTATION

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LOCATIONS

STORAG E@CL ASSI C M OTOR H UB .COM CL ASSIC M OTOR H UB .COM

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Autobiography Interview by Stephen Dobie

Craig Callum The British design manager at Hot Wheels whose ’70s Mini has been joined by hot rods in California WHEN I WAS FIVE, mum had a 2CV. She was once driving me to school in it and a bunch of students were in another 2CV next to us, leaning it on its doors around a roundabout, cheering and laughing when they saw ours. I was like ‘Wow – cars can create this kind of reaction in people.’ It was my first realisation that a car represented so much more than just transport.

All my friends wanted to go into finance but I’d been drawing cars since a young age. I’d design wacky hotels on wheels with helicopter pads, things like that. Mum said ‘You could be a car designer.’ I knew straight away that’s what I wanted to do. She put me through art classes after school and helped me find out which universities did car design. I ended up at Coventry.

My first car was a ’70s Mini. Even at 17, I knew I didn’t want a boring car. I wanted a car that would inspire the same reaction as that 2CV. I’ve still got it – it’s just moved over to the States to be here with me. I have several hot rods, too. I’ve always had ridiculous cars and, now that I’m out here, I can have odd stuff without roofs, which is great.

The obsession was fed by my toys as a kid.

I was a big Matchbox boy growing up. Hot Wheels wasn’t really a thing in the UK at that point. I must have been a bit older when someone brought a couple back from America; they had rubber tyres and all these chrome details. I was like, oh, OK, these are the cars, this is the toy I should be playing with. Lego was the other toy I loved; that taught me how to be a designer. To have now worked for both companies feels very special.

My first job out of university was at Gibbs Automotive on the Quadski – a jet ski that turns into a quad bike – then I did a bit of consultancy work for Chrysler, Bugatti and a few others. I designed interiors for Renault Trucks in France, too. But the car design

world was so competitive and didn’t offer the collaborative process I wanted. I left the industry thinking ‘I’ve always wanted to be a car designer, but what do I do?’ Fortunately, I was contacted by Lego which is where I really started my toy design journey, helping develop its Speed Champions range.

I now live in California where I’m surrounded by not just Hot Wheels and Matchbox, but every Mattel product you could name. We’re creating fun for kids – thinking on a daily basis about what kids love, what makes them happy and what inspires them. It’s really motivating. There’s nothing for which kids’ laughter isn’t the medicine.

I’m old school, I like to sketch by hand.

Most of my designers are sketching digitally.

I’m running the die-cast design team, so we cover the licensed replicas as well as Hot Wheels Originals. Those are fantastic because we get to go wacky while ensuring we keep all of the automotive authenticity. I’m still the five-year-old who was drawing those crazy hotels on wheels! As a designer, as much as possible you’re trying not to grow up.

However crazy the designs, we want to

make sure they can perform a loop-the-loop in our track system. With our licensed cars – where we must recreate all the detail – that can be more challenging, but we want to make sure that kids can still race these cars.

The biggest difficulty with our ‘main-line’ replicas is producing cars for one dollar. We have a limited number of parts we can use at that price point. We get early access to new cars more and more, though. I love that they trust us enough to share CAD data and details even when they’re still in the development process themselves. Sometimes our lead times are long enough to see their clay models. It was the same at Lego, with around a year between us deciding on a car and getting it to the shelves. We need plenty of time so it’s great the carmakers work so closely with us.

Is it the best job in the world? There’s no maybe about it. We get to flex our creativity and my team here are so talented, other design studios now tell us how much they love our work; that they’ve got one of our cars on their desk and that it really inspires them. It’s probably the biggest compliment we could be paid. I’m very happy with that.

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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1990 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 3.2 SPEEDSTER One of the last of only 64 Speedsters built for the UK market. Commissioned by a Porsche VIP customer and uniquely finished in PTS Forest Green Metallic. 8,000 miles from new and completely original.

1994 MERCEDES BENZ E500 LTD One of the best we’ve seen. A 62,000 miles from new super rare Limited example in factory fresh condition. A rare and special car.

1973 LOTUS ELAN SPRINT DHC A very nice late Sprint Coupe to original spec inc Dellortos and Lagoon Blue body. Well documented history from new and very well sorted.

1977 MERCEDES BENZ 450SLC Exceptional RHD example, 52,000 miles from new with history. Blue lthr interior, A/C, elec sunroof, headlight wash/wipe, Becker stereo. Fully sorted by Roger Edwards Motors.

2019 LAND ROVER DEFENDER V8 WORKS

Rare LWB version, great spec inc full black leather interior, stability control system, full roof rack with light bar. Just 5,500 miles. As new throughout.

T E L : 0124 9 76 0 6 8 6 • T H E H A I R P I N C O M PA N Y. C O . U K T H E H A I R P I N C O M PA N Y C O M P T O N B A S S E T T W I LT S H I R E S N11 8 R H

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