Democratising greatness

PROBABLY THE MOST frequent topic of conversation in

FEATURING

PETER TOMALIN ‘I’ve driven every post-war Aston, thanks

IGNITION

EVENTS + NEWS + OPINION

Dates for your diary

Goodwood Festival of Speed, 11-14 July Image: Dominic

Have your say on DVLA

Owners are urged to respond to a Government consultation that could prove crucial for UK classics

New partner and venue for awards

From top The 2024 awards will take place

Salon Privé stars revealed

Best-ever Blenheim ‘garden party’ promised

News feed

Healeys come home THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY of the

Martin Stretton

Having raced or tested over 350 competition cars, this super-successful driver also runs a restoration and race preparation business

JAY LENO

The Collector

DEREK BELL

The Legend

STEPHEN BAYLEY

The Aesthete

ROBERT COUCHER

The Driver

With an old nail and I

Letter of the month ROWAN ATKINSON’S theory of

OCTANE CARS

OWNING + DRIVING + MAINTAINING

OCTANE’S FLEET

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

OTHER NEWS

‘I went to visit my Jensen for the

OVERDRIVE

Other interesting cars we’ve been driving

Clive Cussler

Author of Raise the Titanic, whose fictional hero ran a selection of niche cars that mirrored his own collection

Air Jordans

More than just a pricey pair of pumps

Collecting Heuer

Experts on the coolest watchmaker of the 1960s talk Octane’s man through the peaks and troughs

Mühle SAR Rescue-Timer

This search and rescue mule is tough as old boots

Gear

LEGO APOLLO LUNAR ROVING VEHICLE It has a

Books

JaguarSport XJR-15 PETER STEVENS, Porter Press International, £149,

The Market

BUYING + SELLING + ANALYSIS

Auctions

GOODING & COMPANY/MIKE MAEZ Better than staring at

MGB: still top of the tree

And will the marque’s new Cyberster EV boost demand for the evergreen MGB?

Bugatti Chiron

The Veyron’s successor debuted at the 2016 Geneva

1959 MGA Twin Cam Roadster

£59,995 from The Hairpin Company, Wiltshire, UK

The Insider

WE’VE HAD MORE visitors in the months since

SHOWROOM BRIEFS

1974 Maserati Quattroporte Frua, POA This is one

Opel Manta A

Better to drive than a Capri, and significantly cheaper, too – if you can find a good one

THE LOWDOWN

WHAT TO PAY While there is some variation

Alessandro Farmeschi

Head of Lamborghini Polo Storico and global after-sales director

HIGH POINT

As Aston Martin launches the latest Vantage, Octane looks back to the marque’s first junior sports car – and discovers a bargain high-performance landmark, in V8, Roadster and V12 form

THE VIEW FROM UP HERE

A brief history of Vantage, from bigger carbs via Zagato specials to the individual sports model we now know

A DREAM MADE REAL

When is an Alfa Romeo not an Alfa Romeo? When it’s the unique and visionary 6C 2500 SS Riva ‘Serenissima’ Berlinetta

FIRST STEP TO THE PODIUM

Bentley had dreams of reigniting Le Mans success before big brother VW made plans. This is the car that convinced them victory was possible

Ray Christopher

Octane meets the hot rodder and inveterate car-builder who made his name creating Ford-sanctioned GT40 replicas

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE NUTS

…to run a Ferrari Testarossa in London every day, but it helps – as does the car being a later variant, re-coloured in Nocciola

THE OTHER KIWI RACER

Most of us have heard of Bruce McLaren. But the RA4 Vanguard also hails from New Zealand – and deserves to be better known

DESERT STORMERS

Deep in Arizona there’s a track where historic NASCAR racers get to play – and Octane is invited to see the action

SIGN of the TIMES

One Bristol enthusiast liked the company so much he bought the famous Kensington showroom frontage – plus examples of its first and last cars. Robert Coucher drives the 400 and Fighter