EDITOR’S WELCOME

250 not out

IGNITION

EVENTS + NEWS + OPINION

COMING UP…

Established springtime favourites and some new events, too, including a very inclusive meet at the British Motor Museum

FORWARD PLANNING

There’s a heck of a lot going on in 2024. To help you organise your diary for the rest of the year, we’ve compiled a list of some of the bigger events that are coming up

Mullin UK still ‘on’ despite US closure

Those close to the £150m scheme claim collector’s passing will not derail it

NEWS FEED

Bluebird K7 finally goes ‘home’ The long-running legal

Royal appointment

Salon Privé gears up for its London spectacular

Mongolian madness

MAN & MACHINE

Richard Hammond

Top Gear and The Grand Tour star who now runs DriveTribe and The Smallest Cog classic vehicle restoration workshop

JAY LENO

The Collector

DEREK BELL

The Legend

STEPHEN BAYLEY

The Aesthete

ROBERT COUCHER

The Driver

Phone call of a lifetime

Letter of the month

Model T goes to the movies

OW NING + DRIVING + MAINTAINING

Talking dirty

Engine removal speedy; readying the shell for

Fuellish things

Fuel pump is easier to replace from 1969

Teething problems

A2 in picturesque surroundings near the Trough of

Blithe spirit

Other interesting cars we’ve been driving

Appearances can be deceptive

Looks like a Porsche 914 with a few tweaks,

Lucy O’Reilly Schell

The first American woman to compete in a Grand Prix was also a distinguished rally driver and team owner

Atomium

An iron molecule, 100m tall and scaled-up 165billion times, was the future in ’58

The Valjoux 7750

Rendered obsolete in the late 1970s, Edmond Capt’s wonder movement is not only back, but selling 200,000 units a year

The Casio DBC-62

ONE TO WATCH

KINETIC SERIES 2 PRINTS BY GUY ALLEN

Collectors of Guy Allen’s work will soon need to find a load more room on their walls, because the British artist has just completed a second set of drawings for his ongoing Kinetic project. Featured this time are the Alfa Romeo Alfetta, the Lotus 25, the Ferrari 312T and the McLaren MP4/4, the cars together representing the first four decades of the F1 World Championship. £75 each, or £265 for the set of four. guyallen.co.uk

The Last Eye Witness

DOUG NYE, Porter Press International, £195, ISBN 978 1 913089 91 7

1959 JAGUAR MK2 3.8

1:18 scale

THE MARKET

BUYING + SELLING + ANALYSIS

1969 Moretti 500 Coupé

Bonhams, Scottsdale, Arizona 25 January

The fast show

Bonhams, Amelia Island, USA 29 February

Sellers’ market

H&H Classics, Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK 13 March

QUICK GLANCE

1984 Ford Capri Tickford Turbo Classic Car Auctions,

ALSO LOOK OUT FOR…

Early adopters of new gadgets always suffer through

1965 Gordon-Keeble

£89,995 from The Hairpin Company, Wiltshire, UK

SHOWROOM BRIEFS

1980 MERCEDES-BENZ 300D $12,480 Although diesel cars never

Mercedes-Benz 250SL Pagoda

Hidden gem that’s almost as quick as a 280, valued closer to a 230

THE LOWDOWN

WHAT TO PAY Condition and history will always

SL SHOP

As the world’s leading classic Mercedes-Benz destination, we

Nathalie McGloin

The only female tetraplegic racing driver in the world and co-founder of Spinal Track, a charity supporting disabled drivers

RHAPSODY IN BLUE

One of the rarest and most beautiful Ferraris, this Zagato-bodied 250GT garners award wherever it is shown. But its owner is not afraid to use it, as Mark Dixon finds out

THE PACE RACE

How the supercar arms race dashed from 200mph to 250mph – and more…

THE SPEED KINGS

These are the brave knights of air, land, sea and two wheels who were first to crack the magic 250mph mark

WINNING WAYS

A mainstay of Formula 1 grids for longer than any rival, the Maserati 250F powered the true greats of racing to championship domination. This is its story

TINY GIANT

Only 250cc, but ten straight race victories thanks to six cylinders, six carburettors and six exhaust pipes! This is the rival-slaying Honda RC166

OCTANE’S FAVOURITE 250S

No celebration of Octane’s 250th issue would be complete without venturing a little off-piste!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Two legends of the rally stage also make for democratically enjoyable road cars: the Subaru Impreza Turbo and Mistubishi Lancer Evo

BACK AGAIN FOR MORE

ALFA ROMEO 8C 2300 ZAGATO SPIDER 

LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE

The René Bonnet Djet was the world’s first mid-engined production road car. Glen Waddington enjoys a momentous French Lotus rival

Micky Pople

Octane meets the 95-year-old and talks about his life with the stars as one of Bristol’s ‘Filton Fliers’

LONG-TERM LEGENDS

These two SS100 Jaguars have been in the hands of wellknown and dedicated enthusiasts for five decades and more. Chris Mann divulges their entertaining histories

OUR MAN IN JAPAN

James Elliott joins an exclusive Japanese classic tour in an exquisite Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato 1600