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EAGLE E-TYPE FIRST DRIVE OF THE 1M SPYDER GT

5.00 | ISSUE 165 MARCH 2017

CLASSIC & PERFORMANCE CARS

MONTE CARLO WINNING RESTORED: LOLA GT


Prototype that inspired GT40

HOW TO BUY A 250 GTO


The secret world of $50m sales

CLASSICS TO OWN IN 2017


Flat-out with Sandro Munari & his 1977 team Citron Ami to Porsche 911 GT3

OUTLAW AURELIA
MCRAES CHEVETTE
DAYTONA PROTOTYPE
JAGUAR E-TYPES from EAGLE
For the worlds most spectacular choice of cars currently for sale, ranging from original low mileage classics, to our uniquely upgraded,
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Appreciate the Difference
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Genieen Sie vier intensive Tage auf den historischen Straen von Mathilde von Canossa, Knigin Italiens whrend des XII. Jahrhunderts.
Freuen Sie sich auf die perfekte Verbindung wunderschner Autos mit fahrerischer Herausforderung, touristischen Highlights, gastronomischen Genssen und stilvoller Entspannung.

www.gpcanossa.it
Issue 165 / March 2017

CONTENTS
ID NEVER SO MUCH
AS SAT IN A RALLY
CAR UNTIL I WAS
30 YEARS OLD
JIMMY McRAE AND
CHEVETTE HSR
Page 142

7
Issue 165 / March 2017

CONTENTS

FEATURES
SANDRO MUNARI
AND HIS LANCIA STRATOS
Page 64
With the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally winner, the car
he drove and the team that made it possible
104
HOW TO BUY A FERRARI 250 GTO
Page 82
Theres one for sale right now

EAGLE SPYDER GT
Page 86
Examining Eagles latest reimagined E-type

RALLY OF THE INCAS


Page 94
Epic 6000-mile escapade in South America
116 94
LOLA GT
Page 104
50-year restoration of the GT40s inspiration

PEUGEOT 205 RALLY CAR


Page 116
Back on the gravel after a 25-year hibernation

FERRARI DAYTONA PROTOTYPE


Page 124
Leonardo Fioravantis flight of fancy made real

LANCIA AURELIA OUTLAW


Page 130
A whole new attitude for Italys graceful GT

THE OCTANE INTERVIEW


Page 142
Jimmy McRae reunited with a Chevette HSR

PRESIDENTIAL CITRON
Page 148
124 At the lyse Palace with De Gaulles DS

9
Issue 165 / March 2017

CONTENTS
REGULARS
NEWS AND EVENTS
Page 20
Cars to buy this year; BMWs centenary
celebrated; AMG GT R and Bentley tested

COLUMNS
Page 51
Monthly missives from Jay Leno, Derek Bell,
Stephen Bayley and Robert Coucher

GEARBOX
Page 58
20 TVs multi-talented motor restorer Ant Anstead

LETTERS
Page 61
Reader discovers last De Tomasos in restoration

OCTANE CARS
Page 158
Mark Dixon is reunited with his old rally Rover

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN


Page 170
46 170 Artist who brought colour to cars, Paule Marrot

ICON
Page 172
Keeping campers in hot tea: the Primus stove

CHRONO
Page 174
How Omega has touched the lives of so many

PLACES TO GO
Page 176
166 A private museum hidden away in Albuquerque

BOOKS, PRODUCTS, MODELS


Page 178
Read it, use it, gaze at it, covet it, need it

THE MARKET
Page 187
Auction news, previews, star buys and advice

DAY IN THE LIFE


Page 274
178 180 Joel Baker, restorer of giant Mufer Men

10
TOURBILLON G-SENSOR RM 36-01
SEBASTIEN LOEB

RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES


Didier Gourdon

GENEVA PARIS LONDON MILAN MONACO MUNICH


ABU DHABI DUBAI DOHA BEIRUT

www.richardmille.com
Issue 165 / March 2017

FEATURING

STEFAN SAUER
MASSIMO DELB
In 1977 I was eight years old, playing
with an Alitalia-livered Lancia Stratos
model. To celebrate the 40th anniversary
I brought together the 1977 Monte Carlo
MARK DIXON

Rally-winning Stratos, the team that worked


on it and driver Sandro Munari himself.
Its a childhood fantasy come true.
Turn to pages 64-80 for the full story.

EDITORS WELCOME
Waiting for our
star cars
EVAN KLEIN
WE LOVE IT when a plan comes together. While on the subject of long waits, how I truly felt privileged to be photographing
Back in August last year, deputy editor Mark about the owner of the Peugeot 205 rally car on the Lola; it played such an important
Dixon and I latched onto two fantastic but very pages 116-121. He bought it new, rallied it, part in history, as well as being a beautiful
different cars that we just had to feature in the blew the engine to smithereens, sold it in machine. It was a warm desert day, we had
pages of Octane but weve had to wait this pieces and then 25 years later happened to the track to ourselves and, when the owner
long to be able to do so. see it for sale in exactly the same condition. fired it up for the first time, the thing roared
At The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, we What could he do but buy it back, restore it and and my camera clicked away. Perfect.
saw the just-about-finished Lola GT and knew then start a rally series especially for the 205? The Lola GT is featured on pages 104-114.
immediately that wed found the winner of the And lets drag this tenuous theme out to one
Octane Editors Choice award. The car looks more feature car, the cover-star Lancia Stratos,
amazing, as youll see on pages 104-114, but which won the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally in the
its the human side the former Shelby hands of Sandro Munari. A full 40 years on, we
factory race driver waiting 30 years to start the managed to bring together car, driver, co-driver
restoration that really makes the story. Our and mechanics for an emotional reunion.
photoshoot took place at the very first test-run But it is not really the car itself, more the
of the completed car. magical memories it brings back, said Munari
At the McCalls Motorworks Revival event, and who are we to argue. Were just delighted
a crowd had gathered around a roof-chopped that the plan worked out so well.
Outlaw Lancia Aurelia. We knew of the car
but hadnt seen it in the metal; when we did, we GERARD BROWN
were blown away. Outlaw tends to be more When Im covering an event lasting a month
associated with West Coast Porsche 356s but or more its a marathon, not a sprint. Early
the Aurelia was built in the UK, inspired by starts and late finishes are part of it. Long-
the factorys race cars. It sounds contentious distance events for old cars are a challenge
but the reaction to it at the Jet Center was for all involved but they bring out the best
overwhelmingly positive. Once again, were in man, machine and photographer.
finally in a position to show you the finished David Lillywhite, See Gerards stunning photographs of
creation; see what you think, on pages 130-140. Editor the Rally of the Incas on pages 94-102.

12
Important Sports, Competition ENQUIRIES
and Collectors Motor Cars +44 (0) 20 7468 5801
ukcars@bonhams.com
Sunday 19 March 2017
Chichester, Sussex 1961 JAGUAR E-TYPE SERIES 1
FLAT FLOOR 3.8-LITRE ROADSTER
Chassis no. 850151
160,000 - 190,000

ENTRIES NOW INVITED

bonhams.com/motorcars
Issue 165 / March 2017

NEXT MONTH EDITORIAL


EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
David Lillywhite
info@octane-magazine.com @OctaneDavid

INTERNATIONAL EDITOR DEPUTY EDITOR

DRIVING THE
Robert Coucher Mark Dixon
robert@octane-magazine.com mark@octane-magazine.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR

BARN-FIND
Glen Waddington Chris Bietzk
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ART DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER

MASERATI
Mark Sommer Robert Hefferon
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TEST DRIVERS
Rescued from a French chteau, Tony Dron, Mark Hales, Richard Meaden

now back on the road EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE


Ruth Haddock, John Simister

Issue 166 OFFICE MANAGER


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1961 FERRARI 250 GT SWB BERLINETTA
Coachwork by Scaglietti; Chassis no. 2639; Ferrari Classiche Certied

1928 BENTLEY 4-LITRE LE MANS SPORTS BOBTAIL


Coachwork by Vanden Plas; Chassis no. KM3088

1971 FERRARI 365 GTB/4 DAYTONA BERLINETTA


Coachwork by Scaglietti; Chassis no. 14115

1937 BUGATTI TYPE 57S CABRIOLET;


Coachwork by Vanvooren;
Chassis no. 57513

The renowned ex-Bob Roberts car; original


chassis, body, engine, and gearbox; never
restored; remarkable known history.

1973 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA RS 2.7 TOURING


Chassis no. 9113601315
AMELIA ISLAND 10-11 MARCH
T H E R I TZ- C A R LTON , A M E L I A I S LA N D, F LO R I DA

Official Auction of the Amelia Island Concours dElegance

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IGNITION / News

IGNITION
N E W S + E V E N T S + O PI N I O N

The cars to buy in 2017


Well admit that were following our hearts as much as our heads with
these suggestions but, if you dont do it now, dont blame us later
Words Chris Bietzk, Mark Dixon, David Lillywhite and Glen Waddington

1. TOYOTA CELICA (FIRST GENERATION) 1


8000-20,000
Select lumps of J-tin are now hot property, and
the first-gen Celica is getting there. Handsome
(if you steer clear of the mid-period US plastic-
bumper cars), lively (for the day) and well-
built (no qualifier needed; it was a Toyota),
it deserved its Baby Mustang nickname. CB

2. CITRON TRACTION AVANT


10,000-20,000
Convertibles fetch six-figure sums these days,
but a plain-Jeanne saloon every bit the same
masterpiece of engineering can still be had
for Ford Fiesta money. Cars this influential,
this easy to live with and this good to drive
are rarely this cheap. Forget future values,
because youll probably never want to sell. CB

3. BMW Z4M COUP 15,000-30,000


Many have tipped the E46-generation M3
as the place to put your modern(ish) BMW
money, but 20,000 in a well-kept Z4M coup 2 3
could make more sense if you dont need the
space. Only 200 came to the UK, way fewer
than the roadster. And look what happened
to the breadvan Z3M that preceded it GW

4. JAGUAR 2.4 Mk1 20,000-30,000


The original compact saloon may only be
a 2.4 but it comes with the Dinky Toy jelly-
mould shape and Art Deco spats, and it goes
perfectly well. So much rarer than an XK,
less ostentatious, and a third the price. MD 4
5. LAND ROVER COUNTY STATION WAGON
5000-20,000
If you like your Landy with a dash of comfort,
the 1980s County Station Wagons not only
came in funky two-tone colour schemes with
lairy side-stripes but also had tweed cloth seat
facings. So you can drive a proper old Land
Rover but your bum will stay warm, too. MD

20
5 6. RENAULT-ALPINE GTA 8000-15,000
Name a rear-engined sports car with history
at Le Mans and on the Monte. Now name
one thats not a 911. With Alpine about to be
relaunched, now could be the time to buy a
GTA, once the worlds most aerodynamic car
and still a stunning looker. Turbo version has
performance to match; wide-bodied Le Mans
is the most sought-after. GW

7. SUBARU IMPREZA P1 10,000-30,000


The two-door P1 is the Holy Grail of first-
generation Impreza Turbos. Only 1000
were built by Prodrive, with the (stronger)
Japanese-market body and a 276bhp version
of the turbo flat-four. Prices are only going
one way. Same goes for other limited-edition
Scoobies, such as the RB5 though theyre
still some way behind the P1. GW

8. TOURING CARS 20,000-200,000


Touring Cars of the 1980s and early 90s are
6 7 suddenly big news in UK Historic racing,
with headline races at Goodwood Members
Meeting and Silverstone Classics, and series
with HSCC and CTCRC. Sierra Cosworths
and M3s are core but one of the cheapest ways
in is the good old Alfa Romeo GTV6. DL

9. MGA 14,000-30,000
With the best now asking far more than our
top figure, one of the last bastions of attainable
mid-century automotive glamour seems to
8 9 be trundling (MGAs were always slower than
they looked) beyond the reach of normal folk.
Ignore the potentially vexatious Twin Cam,
buy a tidy car on steels and use it often. CB

10. PORSCHE BOXSTER 9000-15,000


Its scarcely credible that you can get so much
proper Porsche for so little money and a
convertible, to boot. Find out more in our
Buying Guide on page 196. MD

10

21
IGNITION / News

11. PORSCHE 997 GT3 80,000-100,000 11


You know a cars going to end up out of reach
all too soon when it hasnt actually depreciated
from new. Always the purists favourite 911, the
GT3 went without turbos and driver aids to
focus on feedback, precision and involvement
at their height in the 997 generation.
Buy now, enjoy, treat as a pension plan. GW

12. JAGUAR XJ SERIES 3 5000-20,000


Has there ever been a better-looking saloon?
We all know the best Series 1s have become
highly collectable, but the S3 best-engineered
and most refined of the lot is taking a long
time to follow suit. Immaculate and historyd
4.2s are out there for 15,000 and wont
always be; if you can stomach its complexity,
the XJ12 is stunningly refined and brisk. GW

13. CITRON AMI 4000-10,000


The brilliantly kooky 3CV has become a
very rare sight in the UK. The Ami 6 Berline
with its far-out, reverse-rake rear window is 12
priciest; the Ami 8 with better-resolved front
styling remains a bargain. A search for either
will inevitably lead you to the Continent. CB

14. ALFA ROMEO 75 3000-5000


Alfa Romeo had nothing left in the cupboard,
so the 75 looked even weirder than the 1970s
Giulietta on which it was based. But Alfa
gradually honed the bits you cant see, making
this the finest-handling of all its transaxle cars.
If you can find one, a late, unmolested 3.0-litre
manual is a thing of joy. GW

15. ENDURANCE RACERS 200,000-5M


Just as Group B rally cars were given new life
by the Slowly Sideways demonstration group,
so the new 90s Endurance Legends is allowing

JAGUAR HERITAGE
1990-2005 GTs and Sports Prototypes to be
driven on UK and European circuits. Think
Porsche 993 GT2 to McLaren F1 GTR. DL

13 14

15
PAUL HARMER

22
IGNITION / News

NEWS FEED THEY


New era dawns for Donington circuit; a celebration of SAID
streamlining; fuel injection for cars with SU carburettors

Donington Park bought SU launches carburettor-look Jaguar Land Rover goes on Can you check under
by MotorSport Vision fuel injection system attack over Defender defence Alecs vehicle and see
Dr Jonathan Palmers company Following Jenveys launch of a JLR has won a trademark
MotorSport Vision has added Weber DCOE-lookalike injection infringement case against Canadian if theres an oil leak?
Donington circuit whose GP system, SU brand owner Burlen company Bombardier Recreational Forensic officer on BBC1s
Silent Witness, on discovering
history goes back to the Silver Fuel Systems has announced a products, which was marketing a an oil-stained driveway, calling
Arrows of the 1930s to a similar idea to be available initially recreational off-roader badged his colleague about a suspects
portfolio that already includes in an HD8 size as fitted to Jaguar Defender. JLR is determined to Series III Land Rover. Cue mirth
from Landy-owning viewers
Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Oulton XKs. As with the original carbs, protect use of the name and the
Park and Cadwell Park. The lease is each SUi will feed at least two body shape, referring also to the
initially for 21 years and Palmer is
promising some exciting new
cylinders. The kits will include
sensors, wiring and an ECU.
Ineos company that had been
hoping to continue production
We plan a great new
events and even better value. of the original vehicle. era for Donington, with
HCS takes over well-known much enhanced quality
Jet cars to thrust their stuff at UK engineering company Group B rally cars to take to
Santa Pods Easter festival Belgium-based Historic Irelands Kerry stages of experience
Jet engines are to join pistons for Competition Services, run by Following on from 2016s Circuit Ex-F1 driver Jonathan Palmer,
announcing the acquisition
the Pods season-opening Festival Julian Messent, has acquired a Dj Vu, with period rally cars of Donington circuit by his
of Power. Entries include Martin majority stake in the UKs demonstrated on old Circuit of company MotorSport Vision.
Hills FireForce 3 and 4 Funny Cars Formhalls Vintage and Racing Ireland stages, this years Dj Vu
and his five-second FireForce 5 company. Formhalls is renowned event is centred in County Kerry
dragster, Gerd Habermanns for its white-metalling and and will feature machinery from I put the passenger
jet-powered yellow school bus from engine-building services. rallyings most spectacular era, the window down and now
Germany, and Herv Franquins Group B cars of the 1980s. Dates
Peugeot 205 jetting in from France. Test your hillclimb car are 15-16 April. it wont come back up
at Shelsley Walsh New owner of Mark Dixons
Lamborghini Espada, five
Streamlining celebrated The Worcestershire hillclimb, Dan Gurneys Eagles land minutes after taking delivery.
at the Zeppelin Museum Britains oldest live motor sports at Petersen Museum, LA
Set in Friedrichshafen, the home of venue, has a test day in its events Eleven Eagle racing cars from
the old Zeppelin companys wind calendar for the first time. The Gurneys All-American Racers Tingling testicles! is
tunnel, the museum is tracing the Open Practice Day is on Saturday stable (or Anglo-American if its
history and iconography of the 17 June, open to all classes of cars, the 1967 Weslake-engined F1 car) all Im allowed to say
streamlined form in an exhibition and gives the opportunity to hone are on display at the Petersen from after this experience
running until 17 April. It includes driving skills as well as fine-tuning 28 January. As well as the F1 racer, Motor sport broadcaster Henry
stylishly streamlined domestic your car. Runs will be timed and they include a 1968 McLeagle Hope-Frost on Twitter, after
viewing a Porsche 917 thats
objects and covers the symbolism drivers must hold an MSA licence. CanAm car, a 1993 Toyota Eagle under restoration.
of smooth shapes in a streamlined, Shelsleys monthly breakfast club GTP IMSA machine and a 1999
smoothly functioning society. meetings continue for 2017. Gurney Eagle CART racer.
It hasnt been a terrible
life I just lost out on
about a hundred million
Join Octane for our exclusive Goodwood trackdays dollars. Thats all
Fast-living Irish racing driver
A choice of two: Tuesday 2 May and Thursday 5 October Tommy Byrne in the new
must-see documentary about
his career, Crash And Burn.
Goodwood Motor Circuit is full of history. Its also one of the UKs fastest
circuits, and getting the lines right is a real thrill. Our trackdays give you the
time and space to explore your classic cars dynamics and hone your skills, as Flying off to Cape Town
part of a great social event with like-minded enthusiasts.
The days run from 8am to 5pm, and to ensure plenty of track time for all
this afternoon for a hot
were restricting them to 30 cars. EFG Private Banks support has pegged Christmas. Hope to see
MARTYN GODDARD

prices at 299 for one car and driver and 60 for an extra driver. Bacon rolls,
hot and cold refreshments and a two-course lunch in the control tower are
you after 2 January
Email from Robert Coucher to
included, and are available for spectators at 35. Book on octanetrackdaymay. Octane staff as they head into a
eventbrite.co.uk or octanetrackdayoctober.eventbrite.co.uk. Fees apply. difficult December press week...

24
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Factory Left-Hand-Drive Example A Highly Original Factory Racing 911
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IGNITION / News
TRINITY MIRROR / MIRRORPIX / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Campbell commemorated
liken it to a blue lobster. That first record was set
at 202.32mph; K7 set six more up to the end of
1964, four of them on Coniston Water, the last on
Lake Dumbleyung in Australia at 276.33mph.
Daughter Gina leads the tributes, precisely 50 years after In 1966, K7s engine was uprated from the
3500lb static thrust original to a 4500lb Bristol
Donald Campbells ill-fated water speed record run Orpheus unit from a Folland Gnat aircraft.
Words John Simister Campbell was aiming for 300mph and, after
solving fuel starvation problems in December
AT 8.51AM ON 4 JANUARY 1967, Donald which restricted speed to 250mph, it was time in
Campbells attempt at setting a new world water January 1967 to go for a new record.
speed record ended in disaster as his hydroplane, The first run achieved an average of 297.6mph
Bluebird K7, broke up. On 4 January this year, with a peak speed over 310mph, but a new record
50 years to the minute since Campbell was killed, would involve a return run. K7 was just 200 yards
his daughter Gina laid flowers on Coniston Water from the end of that run when violent bouncing
exactly where the accident happened. and a sudden cut in engine thrust caused the nose
It was the most poignant moment in a weekend to lift and K7 to somersault and break up.
of events organised by the Speed Record Club to Work didnt begin to recover the wreckage
mark Campbells death. Speaking at Coniston until 2000. Campbells body was retrieved the
GETTY

Water, Gina Campbell said: My dad did not do following year, and buried in Coniston Cemetery.
things for public display but I think he would Bill Smith located the wreck, organised its
Top and above
be delighted to see the public here today. The Donald Campbell in reflective mood before the record run; recovery and has masterminded its restoration
enormity of what he did I just didnt grasp for a Gina Campbell and mascot on the lake, about to lay flowers. on behalf of the Campbell Family Heritage Trust
long time. Im so pleased and proud its not just and Conistons Ruskin Museum, to which Gina
old fogeys like me that have been inspired by Mr Whoppit, which was her fathers mascot and Campbell donated K7. The engine, installed in
what he did. Its young people, too. which was recovered from the wreckage. K7s hull, was tested in November.
It was beyond these days of risk assessment Donald Campbell had already set world water Meanwhile, as part of the anniversary event,
and Health and Safety, she added after laying a speed records in Bluebird K7, the first in 1955 at Ian Lazenby ran a one-sixth scale model of K7,
wreath at her fathers grave. He went and did Ullswater, two years after work began on the itself jet-powered, on Ullswater. Ians father Ernie
what he did, and he did it most times with huge steel-spaceframed, turbojet-powered craft with began building the model in 2005 and completed
success. Gina Campbell held a teddy bear, named its pair of front pontoons that caused Donald to it two years later.

26
Double bill at Brooklands Double Twelve hardcore was laid on the straight under the
hangars concrete base, leaving the straight
itself remarkably well reserved.
June event will feature the re-opening of the Finishing Straight The re-opening will include a reinterpretation
Words John Simister of the 1907 opening parade with veteran cars,
surviving Brooklands racing machinery and
THE BROOKLANDS Double Twelve Motor Clockwise from top left taxi-ing runs by the museums historic aircraft.
Test Hill Challenge promises spectacular starts; Finishing
Sport Festival is a regular June fixture, but the Straight in its heyday; Wellingtons under construction.
The Double Twelve itself is made up of the
dates take on a special significance this year. Speed Trials (a timed sprint) on the adjacent
The events first day of two, 17 June, will unfold under a Bellman hangar since 1940, when the Mercedes-Benz World track, Driving Tests and
110 years to the day since the Brooklands former aircraft manufacturing site was given the Concours, the results aggregated over the
circuit opened in 1907. To mark the anniversary, over to wartime production of the Wellington two days. A Test Hill Challenge, car club
Brooklands will stage a grand re-opening of the bomber. The hangar, itself now a listed building, displays and live music are also planned.
original Finishing Straight, its uncovering close has been dismantled and renovated, and it will Well be digging deeply into Brooklands
to completion as we go to press. be re-erected to the right of the straight as seen ambitious renovation plans in the next issue of
The Finishing Straight has been hidden in the period photograph above. A layer of Octane, and reporting on the work so far.

Early racing Renault lands on its feet


A pioneer US racing car is donated to the Simeone Museum

A RENAULT IN THE USA? These are not between four giant, slightly oversquare cylinders.
normally words youd find in the same sentence, The cars sent to the US were in similar vein, and
unless the unlikely 1980s joint venture with AMC Vanderbilt got friends such as Guggenheim, Paine,
is part of the conversation, but this one has been Whitney and Dodge to buy them. They scored
there since its 1907 birth. It was one of the first many successes, including a 24-hour endurance
cars to be raced in America, and now it has a race at a converted horse-racing track in New York.
permanent home at the Simeone Foundation The cars, overtaken by progress, gradually went
Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. to ground, but four possibly five have survived.
Millionaire William K Vanderbilt was one of This Simeone Museum example had a post-racing
Americas racing pioneers. He wanted a Renault to life dragging a large wet canvas around a dusty
race following the marques victory in the carnage- horse-racing track before a race, and was rescued
strewn 1903 Paris-to-Madrid event (curtailed in from oblivion in 1928 by Kirk Gibson, in whose
Bordeaux) and in the first race to be called a Grand family it has stayed until now.
Prix, held in 1906 on what later broadly became Gibson and his wealthy friends demonstrated
the Le Mans circuit. Renault acceded to the Renault during the 1930s along with other
Vanderbilts request, but only on condition that he early racing cars, and later it passed to Kirk Gibson
took 10 cars and found buyers for the other nine. Junior. Now he and his family have donated it to
Top and above
The 1906 GP winner was a monster machine in the Simeone Museum, where it is on display with The 1907 Renault racer stayed with two generations of
the genre of the time, its 12,986cc distributed other pre-World War One racing machinery. Gibsons; its now part of the Simeone Museum collection.

27
IGNITION / News

Left and below


Chapouris in the Pete & Jakes
days; with Alex Xydias and the
re-born SO-CAL operations
Roadsters, finished in the shops
famous scalloped paint scheme.

RANDY LORENTZEN
Pete Chapouris 1940-2017
to protect the name since closing shop in 1963.
In November 1997, SO-CAL (now in capitals)
was back in business. Talk about right time, right
place: the hobby was tiring of Boyd Coddingtons
He resurrected the So-Cal Speed Shop and built some smooth look, and Petes New Traditionalist
approach became the next big thing.
of the most influential hot rods of the post-war era Surrounded by his old cohorts, Pete and
Words Tony Thacker SO-CAL turned out some amazing cars: the Bob
McGee Roadster, Kopperhed for Gibbons, the
CHAPOURIS GOT HIS start in hot rodding Chapouriss marketing strategy once again Duffy Livingston Eliminator and the iconic red-
because his dad worked for Edison, installing jump-started the industry. and-white scalloped SO-CAL Roadster. It would
power lines between Los Angeles and Boulder In 1986, the Pete & Jakes operation was sold be cloned around the world, just like The Kid.
Dam. Dad earned good money and could afford and Chapouris moved to the Specialty Equipment Petes innate skill at being in the right place and
to fix up his cars. His first hot rod was a Model A, Market Association (SEMA) as vice-president of doing the right thing garnered lots of attention.
as would be his sons. marketing. He brought personality and pizzazz; The first big job was a Bonneville ZT-T wagon for
Pete Chapouriss break into the industry came more importantly, he brought passion for hot MG Rover. It didnt set a record but ran 225mph
through his old friend Gray Baskerville at Hot rods of all kinds. He helped initiate programmes and returned SO-CAL to its lakes racing roots.
Rod magazine. Gray introduced Pete to Jim Jake that are still in place today, and was inducted into Such a fine guy, with a great eye for line, form and
Jacobs, as they were both bucking the resto-rod the SEMA Hall of Fame in 1999. detail, said MG Rover (and McLaren F1)
style that was popular at the time dammit, they From SEMA it was up the hill to Crestline, designer Peter Stevens of Chapouris.
were chopping the tops. Gray put Jakes Coupe California, where he overbuilt the neighbourhood One of Petes proudest moments came when
and what became The California Kid on the cover with a huge shop which turned out numerous he worked with Mark Reuss and Al Oppenheiser
of the November 1973 issue of Rod & Custom. significant hot rods including Limefire, the on the GM Bonneville programme, particularly
Suddenly, Pete and Jake were in business. They Pierson Brothers Coupe, the Doane Spencer when they wanted all the cars in SO-CAL colours.
got a call from Batman producer Howie Horowitz Roadster, HogZZillas for Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Regardless of all the project cars, though, Petes
looking for a car for his TV movie called, yes, The Top and, fortuitously, the So-Cal Belly Tank enduring mission was to help young people
California Kid. The show put The California Kid in Lakester for Bruce Meyer. discover their talents. So in 2010 he co-created
households all across America, initiating Cal Kid Being so far removed from the action didnt the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts
clones around the world. work for Pete, so in 1995 he moved back to LA (AXC) at Fairplex, Pomona.
Hot rod trends seem to shift every 10 years or and opened a new shop, PC3g, in Pomona. It was AXCs goal is to help high-school students
so. A decade after The California Kid, Pete and a struggle, and Pete didnt know what to do. Then, prepare for a career in the automotive industry.
Jake launched the Fat Attack with Petes purple- one night, he had an epiphany: resurrect the Former SO-CAL shop manager Shane Weckerly
flamed 39 Ford convertible. Hot rodding a so- So-Cal Speed Shop. He made the call to So-Cal says it best: He took all the young guys under his
called fat-fendered car was nothing new, but founder Alex Xydias, who had been canny enough wing, and guided them towards greatness.

28
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTOr CArS IN THE WOrLD

Illustrated 1959 BMW 507 SerieS ii roadSter with hardtop

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1953 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia Berlinetta l 1965 Lamborghini 350GT l 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 S (6,380km) l 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S (original RHD)
1988 Porsche 959 Komfort l 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage X Pack (ex-Geneva Motor Show)
1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary (6,500km) l 1994 Lamborghini Diablo SE30 (ex-Paris Motor Show, 6,513km)
Please note that to respect client confidentiality not all motor cars available may be shown

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IGNITION / News

AUTOMOBILIA

Allards Monte winner


Lets be absolutely clear: any resemblance
between this cheaply made, 5in-long toy car
and the real-life Allard P1 is more down to luck
than judgment.
With its grinning driver and passenger
depicted in the crudest possible 3D through
imaginary windscreen and side windows, its
certainly charming, and there are speed-
suggestive whooshes of air around the
wheelarches. The only design sophistication is
a separate tinplate grille and headlights, held
in place by the crimping method which

Dont write off books yet


secures the one-piece stamped body to the
baseplate with its rattly, hollow tin wheels.
Dont get me wrong, I love its naivety. It was
made by GTP, Glamorgan Toy Products. The
company, founded by Jacob Beatus in 1935
Reports of the death of motoring books may have been exaggerated and vanished by 1953 (although his packaging
Words and photography Martin Gurdon business survives to this day), made simple
tinplate toys that were mostly sold by
Woolworths. The plant was on the Treforest
DO MOTORING BOOKS have a future? Print It looks as though the coffee table-sized Industrial Estate in Glamorgan, South Wales.
media has massively retrenched in the face of photographic histories are here to stay, but only if GTP made several variations on this generic
online content and the web has eaten into TV done to a high standard. Thats where the market saloon police car, taxi, re chiefs car,
and music sales, but vinyl records overtook is changing; you get what you pay for, he adds. chauffeur-driven limo and basically they
were just different sheets of printed tinplate
downloads in December. Could automotive Porter Press International, a long-established, stamped out from the same press. But the
books enjoy a similar Indian summer? bigger niche car publisher offering factual titles No 533 Rally Car here caused the most
I think the bleaker days are behind us, says and biographies (Sir Stirling Moss was a recent interest, being from the period, 1950-53, when
Mark Hughes, freelance motoring book publisher subject), has embraced some of these trends. Sydney Allard was in the unique position of
and former Haynes editorial director. It was Its a tough old game, agrees founder Philip campaigning a car bearing his own name in
difficult for about five years after the 2008 crash. Porter. You can publish books on Porsche, the annual Monte Carlo Rally.
Allard started in 1949 and put in some
We were getting hit by the internet, and high Ferrari and ERA, and the ERA book will fly off spectacular drives until, in 1952, he achieved
street bookshops pulled out of car books because the shelves because there arent many others. the near-impossible and won the event outright
they were under the cosh from Amazon, and the He once asked someone at publishing giant in a P1 saloon. It was one of the coldest,
books were so niche. Simon & Schuster if its success rate was about snowiest, iciest and darkest Montes ever, but
He thinks some formats, such as reference one in five. They said one in ten to one in 20. the combination of Sydneys driving precision
works and book of the car generic titles, are One of Porters endeavours is biographies of and Tom Lushs navigation brought victory.
Allards wife was encountered in a ditch en
dead in the water but that high-end specialist individual cars, often paid for by owners and sold route after her own P1 had crashed out; once
titles have a future, in part because they are often in limited numbers. This allows them to be they had checked that she was alright, they
beautiful objects. There are still specialist funded and produced as he would like, keeps simply pressed on!
publishers who produce lavish titles with lots of skilled writers, editors and designers busy, and GTP quickly capitalised on the success,
pages and good content, says Hughes, adding that results in potentially definitive works. emblazoning MONTE CARLO RALLY on the
the internet makes telling clients about them As for eBooks, Foyles Christian Whitehead roofs of freshly minted No 533s before they
were dispatched to eager young customers.
easier. He singles out motor sport autobiographies thinks theyve come and gone but he reckons As Sydneys win was the rst for Britain since
and near-bespoke single-marque or model car-themed examples havent reached their Donald Healey with his Invicta in 1931, its
histories as examples, saying these are often potential. Having quality sound clips and video rather surprising how little is known about his
produced by little enterprises, publishing books would be a tremendous step forward, he explains. epic victory. Thats all down to the course of
for people who still love them. Marque histories are still as important today history and, as Harold Macmillan reputedly
Christian Whitehead (above) is Foyles as they were. Publishers just need to make sure said, events, dear boy, events.
At almost the exact moment that Sydney
bookshops transport book buyer. He says that theyre investing in new areas of interest. Allard arrived back at Dover, King George VI
car book publishing sometimes suffers an The consensus seems to be that, like LPs, car passed away, and the mass mourning meant
overlapping of genres and repetition, with endless books may have a smaller, more niche market, a deserved and proper heros welcome for
titles on E-types, Ferraris and VW Beetles. but its one that is more than avoiding extinction. Allard never happened. Giles Chapman

30
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IGNITION / News

If it moves, insure it
UK Government is forced to take action after EU court ruling
Words John Simister

DOES IT MAKE sense for your restoration project,


notified as off-the-road with a SORN declaration
because its in pieces, to require accident insurance?
What if the only way it can be insured is by being
roadworthy and MoT tested, so by being in pieces YOUR QUOTE
its illegal? Thats one of the paradoxes posed by
the Governments review of motor insurance. Theres
a public consultation via an online questionnaire on
Select your veh
RIDE-ON LAW
icle
NMOWER Brian Laban
1948-2016
SEGWAY
DODGEM CAR
the whole business, closing at the end of March. FAIRGROUND
MOBILITY SCO
OTER

Whats going on? In 2007, a Mr Vnuk, a Slovenian FORKLIFT TRU


GOLF BUGGY
CK

CLE
-ASSISTED BICY
farm worker, was knocked off his ladder by a tractors ELECTRICALLY Reporting the passing of a well-known
trailer. He claimed compensation but the problem Intended place
of use motoring figure is a necessary hazard
ACCESS
D WITH PUBLIC in this job, but its especially hard when
PRIVATE LAN
was that the accident happened on private land, use PRIVATE LAN
D WITHOUT PUB
LIC ACCESS
its one of your own. Brian Laban, who
PUBLIC ROAD
on which the tractors insurance didnt cover. OTHER PUBLIC
PLACES
succumbed to cancer just after
Mr Vnuk lost his claim twice in the Slovenian Christmas at the age of 68, was truly
appeals court, but that court then went to the the informed motoring and motor sport
journalists informed motoring and
European Court of Justice which in 2014 ruled in Would a dodgem car need a number plate? The motor sport journalist. He seemed to
Mr Vnuks favour. This is why the EU including the consultation sets out two approaches. know everyone and had anecdotes
UK, currently is obliged to re-think the areas that The comprehensive option, as favoured by the about them all, always told with his
motor insurance covers. EU, all-embracingly requires that all vehicles being straightforward Yorkshire humour,
The points at issue are: (1) requiring vehicles to be used in a way consistent with the vehicles normal bullshit monitor on full alert.
Brians output was prodigious,
insured to cover use on private land to which the function and purpose would be required to have with over 40 books to his name, all
public has access; (2) requiring insurance even if the third-party insurance (not necessarily comprehensive, produced while writing or editing for
public doesnt have access; (3) expanding the in the way normally understood for insurance), even magazines, newspapers, websites or
definition of what constitutes a motor vehicle, which if used only on private land. Whether that includes anyone else. He started on this road in
1973, as the British Automobile Racing
may be far beyond what currently bears a registration exercising or testing your SORN vehicle is as yet
Clubs press officer, and seemingly
number; (4) deciding whether what is nominally a unclear, but use does suggest a functional vehicle. never paused for breath. He thrived on
motor vehicle is functionally one at a given time, and The UK will have to adopt this approach while it crises, always forging ahead with the
capable of being used for its intended purpose, which remains in the EU, if the EU so dictates, but the detail next thing and never looking back,
a SORN vehicle may well not be. is up for discussion. always panicking about having too
much to do while actually getting nearly
Theres a minefield of ramifications from this. The amended directive option, favoured by the all of it done, apart from getting on top
Vehicles used in motor sport might need wider- Government, would still require insurance for a wider of his collection of old motor cars.
ranging insurance than they currently have, if indeed range of vehicles than now to be insured when used In recent times this consisted of an
they have any at all. Would the burden fall on the on private land with public access, but otherwise MG TB, a Triumph Dolomite Sprint,
a race-spec Jaguar S-type and the first
vehicle driver, the owner or the event organiser? leaves things closer to how they are now. The EUs
right-hand-drive, five-speed Golf GTI,
Vehicles caught in the new net could include ride-on new insurance directive, yet to be enacted, would be but there may well have been others.
lawnmowers, Segways, fairground dodgem cars, amended after Brexit. Either way, premiums will rise, This writer last saw him, and shared a
mobility scooters, forklift trucks, golf buggies, there will be more forms to complete, more claims car with him on a press launch, in late
electrically assisted bicycles and more. There could will be made, people will be more worried about 2014. Brian looked exactly as he had
done 25 years earlier; he never allowed
even be a case for including human-powered bicycles, using historic vehicles in ambiguous circumstances, himself the time to acknowledge the
if the thinking is taken to its logical conclusion. and life will get a little more complicated. Find the passing years. Well miss him.
Would there need to be registry of all such vehicles? questionnaire on www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/4CWY6/. John Simister

WHY WE LOVE ahead and social progress unstoppable. New Roads


For Old shows urban motorways cutting through the
Ranks Look at Life films clutter, towering over the rooftops of dilapidated
terraces whose roads lead nowhere, now that the
more important fast traffic has free rein. Transport
It was a gentler world in 1959, when the Rank Minister Ernest Marples features a lot.
Organisation (symbol: man hitting a giant gong) Then theres Down In The Dumps on scrapyards
began its 10-year series of mini-documentaries on, and the scourge of abandoned wrecks, featuring
well, life. They were shown in cinemas before the a very sound-looking 1930s Dodge (left) entering
main event, and several had a motoring theme. the new-fangled crusher. What Price Safety?
The tone was one of wonderment and assumptive introduces seatbelts and has a Rover P6, an E-type
optimism, with music to match. The past was and a DB4 being ragged mercilessly around the
rubbish, with war still a powerful memory for many; MIRA test track. Its compelling stuff. And,
the future was bright, with new technology rushing thankfully, theyre all on YouTube. John Simister

32
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IGNITION / News

HOW TO...

Get on the cam


Mild, hairy, fast road, rally, peaky, full
race many are the adjectives applied to
camshafts, depending on what they do to
an engines demeanour. The history of
sporting cars is full of camshaft lore: BMC
Special Tunings 631 or 749 cams for hot
Minis, a Cosworth A2 in a souped-up
Ford, Isky cams in US hot rods.
Underpinning all camshaft designs, though,

Londons classic show is go are some undeniable truths.


More overlap the period when exhaust
and inlet valves are both open tends to
boost high-revs power at the expense of
Covetable cars and historic racers set to excel at ExCel low-down vigour. More valve lift makes
everything better everywhere provided the
Words John Simister ports and valves are big enough. More
duration the length of time a valve is open
BETWEEN 23 AND 26 February, and separated series promoters plus famous Historic motor allows more intake air in and gives a
only by a wide corridor, two shows covered by sport manufacturers and suppliers. Octane has a bigger chance for the exhaust to escape.
Up to a point, anyway; the valves have to
one entry ticket will draw car enthusiasts to stand in each show, shared with sister magazine
be shut some of the time, otherwise the
Londons ExCel exhibition centre. The third Evo in the London Classic Car Show hall, jointly mixture will never be compressed and
London Classic Car Show will celebrate 70 years featuring concept cars past and present such as therell be nothing for the burning gases to
of Ferrari, see 60 classics in action on the Grand Peugeots sleek Oxia supercar from 1988. work against when theyre forcing the
Avenue that runs up the halls middle, feature a Classic car dealers and clubs will abound, but piston down. That time can be short in a
pop-up Beaulieu Autojumble and, on the the centrepiece is the Grand Avenues Perfect 10: really revvy racing engine, which is why
Cosworths Keith Duckworth dubbed his
Thursday evening, host a gala evening on stage ten categories of body style, from single-seaters
early Ford Formula Junior camshaft the
with Jacky Ickx as the guest of honour. and streamliners to shooting brakes and saloons, Windmill cam after the famous theatre.
Some of Ickxs past racing cars will form a each represented by six examples including some As in: We never close.
major display, and Ickx himself will open the competition cars. Broadcaster Henry Hope-Frost So its all a compromise, slanted to suit
Historic Motorsport International Show. Here, will host talks and a Q&A, covering Historic the purpose. Knowledge changes, so do
exhibitors include event organisers and race motor sport and the classic car industry. fashions, so do legislative requirements for
emissions and suchlike, so do fuels. It was
usual in past times for camshafts to be
symmetrical in their inlet and exhaust
events, but clever people have found new

Tables turned on villain


ways of getting more out of old engines by
opening minds, shunning needless
convention and observing what designers
Classic dealer Graeme Hunt foils robbery at Kensington showroom of modern engines sometimes do.
Ken Newman, of long-established
camshaft creator Newman Cams (set up
A THIEF slipped into Graeme Hunts Radley by father David in 1967), describes the
Mews showroom on 1 December and tried to thinking. Therell be a shorter duration on
make off with a valuable Transcriptors Hydraulic the inlet valve than the exhaust valve, but
Reference turntable. Hunt and his colleague gave more lift, he explains. Thats actually the
reverse of some very early engines, which
chase and pinned the culprit to the cobbles for 20
tended to have a mild inlet lobe and a big
minutes before the police arrived. exhaust one. Helpfully, more-volatile
While Hunt was giving a statement a brain modern fuels make for a better tickover
haemorrhage struck, leading to a nine-hour with hotter camshafts, and mapped
operation by leading neurosurgeon Mr Nair on ignition or full engine management can
14 December. Octane is delighted to report the make a tuned engine surprisingly tractable.
Camshaft design is highly complicated
operation was a success and Graeme is recovering
and calls for much mathematics. Or you
PAUL HARMER

well. We look forward to his No 1 buzz cut growing can just rely on experience: Its still a bit of
back to his usual, more luxurious bouffant. a black art, says Ken. Which, in this digital
Meanwhile, business continues at the Mews. age, is strangely comforting. John Simister

34
1965 Dino 206 P Berlinette Speciale #0840

Online catalogue
RETROMOBILE 2017
THE OFFICIAL SALE
Auction Contact:
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Friday 10 February 2017 artcurial.com/motorcars


IGNITION / News

Mopar celebrates 80th


The worlds oldest manufacturer-owned
aftermarket parts brand is 80 years old this
year. But Mopar means more than just an
oil filter or a fanbelt. Its also enthusiast
shorthand for any car, particularly a quick
one, produced by the US end of the
Chrysler Corporation and wearing
Chrysler, Plymouth or Dodge badges.
Nowadays Chrysler is merged with Fiat,
which means that Europes Fiats are
serviced with Mopar-branded parts. Back
in the Mopar musclecar heyday, Detroit
wouldnt have seen that coming

MOPAR ANTIFREEZE
The rst manifestation of the Mopar (MOtor
PARts) brand in 1937 was on cans of
antifreeze. Lasts all winter was the promise.

MAN & MACHINE

Keeping it cleverly simple


Ewen Getleys Bentley 3/4 Litre
Words and photography Paul Hardiman

DON GARLITS
EWEN GETLEY learned to drive in this car, about doubled to 9.5:1, and it runs 2in SUs to The Big Daddy, one of the biggest names in
aged 13, in fields. When he was 18 his dad, improve the top end, but is back on Bosch drag racing, took to Chrysler Hemi power in
whod bought it in 1956 as collegiate transport magnetos. 9.5:1 is as much as I can get before 1956 and has stayed with Mopar ever since.
before he went up to Cambridge, handed it hitting the valves, says Ewen. Of which there He stopped racing in 1970 but has since
over to him. Now, after a career in engineering, are four per cylinder, opened by an overhead promoted the Mopar Drag Pak Dodge
Challenger: 0-145mph in 9.4 seconds.
Getley owns and runs Kingsbury Racing Shop camshaft which, remarkably, remains standard.
at Bicester Heritage, exploiting the subtleties of Flowbench work shows very good breathing
tuning vintage Bentleys accumulated during a through the engine a consequence of the
lifetime of tinkering with this car. The art of work WO did on aircraft engines during WW1
understanding the four-cylinder Bentley is: and its dead reliable, according to Ewen.
keep it simple, but do it well. It pulls 4200rpm in top gear, which equals
This is a 1924 3-Litre Red Label, which has about 120mph on Dunlop Racers, though the
Brooklands history it won a Junior Car Club Blockleys that Ewen runs on the road would
race there in June 1933. Its now on a 9ft- probably confer a few more mph as theyre
wheelbase chassis, same as a Super Sports, and taller, giving a larger rolling diameter.
it became a 4 Litre or a 3/4 as Bentley Its beautifully neutral when you go in too
circles term it in 1986. Its about as original as fast it just slides sideways and scrubs off speed THE FIRST EUROPEAN CONNECTION
Chrysler UK (ex-Rootes Group) and Chrysler
Old No 1!, Getley jokes. and the chassis is a bit nervous, but quick to France (ex-Simca) were served by Mopar-
Thing is, it remains matching numbers catch. It has been the quickest vintage sports branded spares. They became Motaquip
because the Bentley wears its engine number car both in the dry and the wet at VSCC sprints when Peugeot bought Chrysler Europe.
on one of the bearers cast into the crankcase: to and hillclimbs, and won the Lycett Trophy for
make a 3 Litre into a 4 you change the block, all-round performance in a single car. But its
which includes the head and valve gear. versatile, he adds, pointing to a picture on the
Such cross-pollination makes for the wall of it ascending Drumhouse on the VSCC
sweetest strain of Cricklewood Bentley, and Lakeland Trial. And you can still take three
this one is quick, probably the quickest one friends to the pub or the family on holiday: can
racing. It delivers a conservative 220bhp (at there be a better vintage car?
4500rpm) and weighs just 1050kg, giving it a Development continues as Ewen uses it as a
power-to-weight ratio about the same as a 911 mobile test-bed for new parts produced by
2.7 RS Tourings. Getting the weight out of Kingsbury, named after the works in north
them is the thing, and making them handle, London which became Bentleys original racing CRATE HEMI
shop, but he is determined to avoid the popular Today you can buy a brand new old-style
says its creator. Theres nothing radically
Hemi engine from the Mopar Pro Shop, ready
different about the engine. Its about optimising option of a non-standard 5.3-litre engine block. to t, in a variety of favourite sizes from 426ci
whats already there, because what you start I want it to be the first 4 to 300bhp and upwards. Prices currently start at $16,950 for
with is pretty good. Compression has been just were well on the way. a 1960s-style Generation Two unit.

36
IGNITION / Events

LEFT-HAND PAGE: AMY SHORE. RIGHT-HAND PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PETER McFADYEN; STUART GALLAGHER; CHARLIE WOODING; JEFF BLOXHAM
SUNDAY SCRAMBLE,
BICESTER HERITAGE, UK. 8 JANUARY
Rain didnt stop play at the former RAF
bases popular bring a classic meeting.

38
in association with

VSCC WINTER
DRIVING TESTS, BICESTER DETROIT AUTO SHOW,
HERITAGE, UK. 2 JANUARY USA. 8 22 JANUARY
Guy Woodlie-Thomas smokes Black magic: Dodges Shakedown Challenger
away in his Humber 8/18 Tourer. marries 1971 shell with modern drivetrain.

THE MONTH
IN PICTURES
AUTOSPORT Enthusiasts scramble to Bicester Heritage;
INTERNATIONAL,
BIRMINGHAM, UK.
50 years of the DFV engine at Autosport
12 15 JANUARY International; vintage crews go competing
Amazing! A full grid of 49s,
courtesy of Classic Team Lotus.

HSTA MONTY PETERS TRIAL,


KENT, UK. 10 DECEMBER
Frank Lyons shows the eects of
the g-force generated by his 1172cc
Cannon trials car as it achieves li -o.

39
IGNITION / Events in association with

100 Years BMW


Autoworld, Brussels, Belgium
16 December 2016 8 January 2017
Photography Dirk de Jager

A DISPLAY OF around 50 cars and move at fantastic speeds. I wanted my BMW


motorbikes at Belgiums premier motor Art Car to express the same qualities.
museum rounded off BMWs centennial year. Competition cars included the 1800 TiSA,
The vehicles were garnered from BMW in 2002tii, 3.0 CSL and the 2016 Spa 24 Hours
Munich as well as from international collectors, M6 GT3. As well as the full-size cars and bikes,
and covered every era of the marques 100-year a collection of 200 scale models told the tale of
history, with significant models from the pre- BMWs success in motor sport. The iconic
war 328 racer to todays i8 hybrid sports car. M-cars warranted a special display, including
Representing BMWs 17 Art Cars was the an M1, M535i and E30 M3.
1989 E30 M3 painted in bright colours by
Australian Ken Done and inspired by his love Clockwise from top right
BMW icons on display at Autoworld included
for his native countrys landscape and animals. R66 bike; 507 and Glas 1600 GT (behind);
Of the car he once said: I have painted parrots Art Car by Ken Done; 328 in front of 2002s
and parrot fish. Both are beautiful and able to and 3-series; and Isetta 300 and 600.

40
TO
AN E
TR RE
CE
EN F

BUY TS
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2 TICK42
FQOUORTE OCTA*NE
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The worlds most iconic


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Ferrari Celebration Live Motoring Runway Car Club Hall
Octane & EVOs Concept Cars Quentin Willsons Smart Buys
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*Offer valid on standard adult Friday-Sunday tickets only, transaction fee applies

Six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx joins


us for our Gala Evening celebrations and
receives our 2017 Icon Award
IGNITION / Events in association with

William Medcalf open morning The next car park was less spectacular but
just as eclectic in content. A rorty-sounding
MGB GT, a Riley Special, a Minor Tourer just
West Sussex, UK 7 January restored as part of a wedding hire business,
Words David Lillywhite Photography Tony Large several Morgan three-wheelers, a Mk1 Cortina,
an XK150, a Defender, Bentleys Mulsanne and
SOMETIMES ITS the most innocuous Arnage You get the idea. As for the packed
events that provide the greatest thrills. One moderns car park, there was amusement when
week into 2017, William Medcalf Vintage someone called out Does anyone here have a
Bentley launched the first of its new open Continental GT? and several hands went up.
showroom mornings at the company HQ in The big draw of the morning, though, was
Hill Brow, West Sussex. To mark the occasion, the chance to see behind the scenes at the
customers and Octane readers were invited Medcalf facility. Nothing was out of bounds,
along and the result was a wonderful gathering including the restoration areas, the engine
of a wide and wild variety of classics. shop, the stores and the new mezzanine, where
A team of marshals was needed to direct the recently discovered 1928 Le Mans Bentley
visitors around the overflowing car parks, with chassis nestles alongside the Medcalf family
pre-war machinery allowed pride of place next Minor van and Williams racing Mini.
to the showroom, post-war classics next door, The company holds 1100 lines of stock
and moderns tucked away round the back of for vintage Bentleys. Complete gasket sets?
the neighbouring industrial estate. No problem. New, stronger differential and
A trail of oil led to the heavily campaigned halfshafts? Yes perfect for rallying, which
Itala of David and Karen Ayre, the oldest of all tends to destroy the standard items.
the cars present. London dealer Gregor Fisken With all this over, William put out an
turned up with wife and kids packed into their attention paddock notice over the PA for
lovely 4 Litre Maythorn Saloon, the last in a everyone to return to their cars for a convoy to
line-up of ten pre-war cars that also included Brooklands, to view the newly revealed start-
a tiny (especially noticeable in this company of finish straight (see page 27).
behemoths) T-series MG and a fascinating From top
Wish you hadnt missed out? The Medcalf
James Young-bodied Bentley 4 Sedanca Inside the showroom; the Royal Automobile Club brought open showroom mornings will take place every
Coup with parallel-opening doors. its mobile catering unit; Louise Cartledges patinated 3 Litre. Saturday, from 9am to noon.

42
IGNITION / Events Diary

COMING UP
A selection of highlights to make the
bleak midwinter seem a little less so

as the Akshardham Temple towards


the Buddh International Circuit.
21gunsaluterally.com

23-26 February
London Classic Car Show
and Historic Motorsport
International
Three Legs of Man, 16-18 March
Following the success of last years
Image: HERO inaugural London Classic Car Show Goodwood Members Meeting, 18-19 March. Image: Goodwood
at the ExCeL, the organisers have
3-5 February announced that the 2017 Show will popular with enthusiasts as it 10-12 March
Bremen Classic Motor Show be complemented by a motor sport is with the trade; in fact it is Amelia Island Concours
Switching places on the calendar showcase; entry to both events is now one of the more important dElegance
with Rtromobile this year, the covered by a single ticket. Among dates on the calendar for the The winner of the 2016 IHMA
German show is an inclusive affair, the attractions is a display dedicated many Spanish car clubs. prize for Motoring Event of the Year
with all eras and most marques to Cosworths brilliant DFV engine, classicautomadrid.com will doubtless put on a first-class
represented by 650-odd exhibitors. which turns 50 this year. show again in 2017, welcoming
Special displays this time will thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk 2-4 March some of the best cars in the world
celebrate Zndapp and Karmann. WinteRace to sun-soaked Florida. Al Unser Sr
classicmotorshow.de 24-26 February A field of 80 pre-1977 cars in six has been confirmed as the guest
Race Retro classes, a 400km route through the of honour, and special classes will
8-12 February The winters traditional historic Dolomites and some of Europes include Movie Cars, set to feature
Rtromobile motor show will feature an most jaw-droppingly beautiful the likes of the Goldfinger Aston
The Porte de Versailles Exhibition even noisier Live Rally Stage than mountain scenery, and snow, Martin DB5 and Steve McQueens
Centre in Paris is filled with top- usual, as Group B cars tear around snow and more snow. Porsche 917K from Le Mans.
notch classic cars, but theres room Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. winterace.it ameliaconcours.org
for plenty of quirky fare, too; tank Inside the venue visitors will enjoy
enthusiasts are always catered for displays, auction action and live 3-5 March 16-18 March
here! Among the key displays at interviews with racing stars. Antwerp Classic Salon Three Legs of Man
the 2017 show will be a tribute to raceretro.com More than 350 exhibitors from Nowhere are classics given a
Group B rallying, featuring Audi 14 countries are set to attend the warmer welcome than on the
Quattros, Lancia 037s, Peugeot 24-26 February 40th Classic Salon, which will Isle of Man, and in mid-March
205 T16s and many more mad ClassicAuto Madrid boast a goldmine of parts and the motor sport paradise hosts
machines besides. First held in 2010, ClassicAuto has collectables in addition to displays this two-day, three-leg event
retromobile.com grown from a purely commercial from clubs, dealers and museums. featuring more than 20 tests
event into a bustling show as siha.de and some 15 regularity sections.
17-19 February heroevents.eu
21 Gun Salute
At once a vintage car gathering 16-19 March
and a cultural tour of New Delhi, Amelia Island Vintage Gran Prix
21 Gun Salute sees Indias capital Hot on the heels of the Amelia
welcome a quality field of cars to Island Concours comes this SVRA-
the Red Fort in the centre of the organised meeting, which should
city for a concours, before they draw big crowds in its second year.
motor past other historic sites such Fernandina Beach Airport hosts the
action and, if the 2016 list of entries
is anything to go by, there should be
some interesting rarities on show.
svra.com

17-19 March
Phillip Island Classic
The largest Historic meeting in the
Southern Hemisphere, held on
Amelia Island Vintage Gran Prix, 16-19 March Phillip Island just off Melbourne,
Image: SVRA The Flying Scotsman, 31 March 2 April. Image: Gerard Brown attracts cars from Australia and

44
New Zealand and much further
afield, too. Grids are organised by
the Victorian Historic Road Racing
Register and cater for Touring Cars,
various single-seaters, sports racers
and pre-war machinery, too. CLASSIC + MODERN CAR CLASSIC + MODERN BIKE
vhrr.com MULTI VEHICLE COLLECTORS KIT CAR CLASSIC MOTOR TRADE
COMPETITION CAR MOTORSPORT SUPPORT VEHICLE
18-19 March Pioneer Run, 19 March
Goodwood Members Meeting Image: David Southcott
Three years on from the revival of
the Members Meeting, we suspect sidecars in the Epsom Downs,
you know the drill: world-class before releasing them for a 47-mile
Historic racing cars tangle on trundle down to Madeira Drive in
Goodwood Circuit in front of Brighton. No other event offers
a deliberately limited number spectators the chance to see so
spectators. (No need to sharpen many early machines in one place,
your elbows to ensure a good so its well worth dragging yourself
view here.) Were pleased by the out of bed to see the riders off.
return of the SF Edge Trophy for The first is flagged away at 08:00.
spiritedly driven and indecently sunbeam-mcc.co.uk
quick Edwardian specials, and
a dedicated grid has been added 31 March 2 April
for Lister sports-racers to honour The Flying Scotsman
the Knobbly (60 this year) and From the starting point of Slaley
the late Archie Scott Brown, Lister Hall in Northumberland, cars
pilot extraordinaire. as early as a 1907 Itala 40 and as
goodwood.com late as a 1948 MG TC will wind
their way along spectacular and
19 March frequently empty roads towards
Pioneer Run Gleneagles. Overnight halts at
As it has done pretty much every Edinburgh and Aviemore will
year since 1930, The Sunbeam give crews a chance to recharge At FJ we understand every classic vehicle owner is dierent.
Motor Cycle Club will corral almost their batteries; the hospitality is With FJ+ you can add to your policy from a range of cover
400 pre-1915 bikes, tricycles and always as good as the driving.
endurorally.com options* including breakdown, agreed value, salvage
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31 March 2 April
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Birminghams NEC is again the
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which offers displays of pristine
0333 207 6047
restorations and untouched barn or visit: footmanjames.co.uk
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Classic Car & Restoration Show, 31 March a trade village packed with parts.
2 April. Image: Classic Car & Restoration Show necrestorationshow.com

PROUD PARTNERS OF:

*All cover is subject to insurers terms and conditions, which is available upon request.
Footman James is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England
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Kent ME14 3EN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Telephone calls may
be monitored or recorded. Sign up to our newsletter at footmanjames.co.uk to receive updates on
all the latest news, events, offers and competitions.FP ADGE674.9.16
WinteRace, 2-4 March. Image: Porsche

45
IGNITION / New Cars

Ring master
So confident is Mercedes-AMG of the GT Rs abilities
at a certain track, it named the paint colour after it
Words Kyle Fortune

SAND-BAGGING. Thats what the people at of which was around the Nrburgring its Factor in wider tracks front and rear as well
AMG did when I last experienced the AMG Green Hell Magno paint amusingly nods to. All as those wings and its clear that those in the
GT R. I was at the Nrburgring, in the this creates a sharper, more immersive and aerodynamics department have been extremely
passenger seat with AMG racer and GT R capable AMG. Helping achieve that is the usual busy indeed. That aero work is enhanced by
development driver Thomas Jger driving me go-faster recipe of less and more, less being rear-wheel steering, improving both agility and
around. Afterwards I was quietly pulled to one weight, the GT R shedding 15kg over the GT S stability, again to the benefit of those lap times,
side and asked if Id timed the lap. No, was my via a race engineers exotic material wish-list, while the suspension retains adaptive dampers
short answer. Not for want of trying, but Jgers the GT R having more carbonfibre, aluminium with variable settings, though its now a coil-
ferocity behind the wheel left me unable to do and titanium than any of its relatives. over set-up with adjustability. Then theres the
so. It felt quick, though. Very, very quick. Seven That 15kg might not sound like so much, until traction control system, the GT R offering nine
minutes 20 seconds is around the time we you consider the mores. Obviously theres more yes, nine! settings, all the electronic
expect, said the PR man from AMG. power, AMGs 4.0-litre biturbo V8 re-worked thresholds and controls tuned to suit the GT
I had been used. Fast-forward a couple of to produce 577bhp and 516lb ft via revised Rs more focused, hardcore nature.
months and it has managed ten seconds less breathing, more charge pressure from faster- December means the Nrburgring is out of
than that, AMGs rival to the 911 GT3 RS spinning turbos, and lighter, stronger internals. the question for seat time, but Portimao in
monstering its most obvious foe around the Theres active aerodynamics, an element in the Portugal is open for business. Bernd Schneider
benchmark track. So its fast, but then so is the front splitter adding 2kg of mass, but generating is suggesting a few laps in Race mode, which
GT S from which the R is derived. a more useful 40kg of downforce when its leaves the ESP on. For now. That a five-time
Here theres some sophistication, lessons extended. It contributes to the overall 155kg DTM champion is sensationally quick isnt a
learned from both its AMG GT3 racer relation of downforce, that number achieved despite surprise; what is, is that its possible to just
and the extensive development work much a reduction in drag over the standard car. about keep up, despite a serious shortfall

46
Left and above
A little lighter than the
GT S on which its
based, and more
powerful too, but
trick aero and traction
control count for more.

ITS NOT THE WAY IT Its not the way it gathers speed that shocks
so much, though. Its what it can do with it. At
that having multiple modes of traction control
is actually useful, rather than merely a
GATHERS SPEED THAT the end of the main straight a brief glance at the
speedometer reveals 165mph. Standing on the
gimmick. Six is fine for the faster stuff, though
wind closer to completely off and the GT R
SHOCKS SO MUCH, optional, but must-have, carbon ceramic brakes will arc out of slower bends with wilful
sees the GT R scrub off its speed with a disregard for its rear tyres.
THOUGH. ITS WHAT physicality thats incredible for a road car. Too Juvenile stuff, perhaps, but it highlights the
IT CAN DO WITH IT much braking for the first couple of laps, the
fast right-hander that follows can be taken
sophistication of the development work on the
GT Rs chassis. On the road it remains
faster, the combination of the sharper turn-in impressive; its suspension is obviously taut, but
in talent. The GT R is immediately a friendlier, response, the greater stability and the sheer grip not overly compromised given its focus, the
easier car to drive than its GT S relation, the it generates allowing it to do so. Reach and Mercedes losing some of its civility in favour of
limits significantly higher, but also delivered breach its high limits and itll move around, but a far more involving, interesting drive. Its
with greater clarity. the way the GT R communicates whats going worth it; the GT R is a sensational car.
The responsiveness of the controls helps, the on means that, unlike its GT S relation, its Theres more to come, too, AMG boss Tobias
engines keenness for revs, the automatic never intimidating, but something that can be Moers recently announcing AMGs F1-derived
transmissions deftness in selecting ratios enjoyed, even exploited. hypercar, and not quite admitting (though
whether left alone or via the paddleshift, and Schneider suggests ESP-off and that nine- neither denying) that theres space for a Black
the sensational soundtrack from the blaring mode traction control setting to be dialled Series above the GT R. On AMGs current
titanium exhaust thats been added to it, around to six. That Im even considering it form, and on evidence of the GT R and the
bringing a racers edge, and wicked pace. underlines how impressive the GT R is, and recent E63S, rivals should be worried.

47
IGNITION / New Cars

Torque of the country


Rather like a well-known type of oven, this Bentley burns oil to hugely impressive effect
Words Robert Coucher

BENTLEYS WERE LONG known for their Scorpion all-season tyres, signal intent and, yes,
low-revving, large-capacity, high-torque engines. the V8-DIESEL badges are a delete option.
And with this latest iteration, the bloody Climb up into the high, bolstered chair and
thump is back. This Bentayga is Bentleys first the interior appointment is supreme swathes
diesel and the specifications are astonishing: of leather, cross stitching, chrome organ-stop
429bhp at 3750rpm, 664lbft at 1000rpm, controls, burr walnut and other twinkling
0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of jewellery. Fire the engine and all of a sudden
168mph from a diesel SUV! nothing happens. You cant hear it. Hop out and
But why would you bother with the fastest stand next to the bonnet and you can just about
diesel SUV on the market when the W12 petrol make out a slight diesel tickover. Pull the
version is more than man enough? Set off on a chunky, eight-speed auto selector back into
600-mile tour (walking in Scotland, wine- Drive and the 2390kg Bentayga wafts off on its
tasting in Bordeaux, skiing in Verbier) and almost instant mountain of torque.
youll do so on just one tank. Thats why. The power delivery is the nearest any internal
The secret is the triple-charged 4.0-litre V8 combustion (or even pressure combustion)
(co-developed with Audi, whose diesels did power unit comes to an instant-torque electric
rather well at Le Mans). It employs two twin- motor. The thrust is fabulous, near-silent, silken
scroll turbochargers, plus an electrically and refined. While the acceleration could be
powered supercharger that primes the first described as astonishing, with so little apparent
turbo in the mid- range and the second at the effort or drama it is more amazing.
top end good to see a charger back on a On the road the Bentayga is no sports car
Bentley once again. This set-up offers the full (though it does have a Sports mode) yet it
664lb ft force at just 1000rpm and a claimed can be hustled thanks to its four-wheel-drive
35.8mpg. The CO2 emissions figure of 210g/ traction, powerful brakes, sharp-enough
km is the lowest ever for a Bentley, too. steering and that smooth, instant power Above and below
The Bentayga has never been an elegant delivery. As a car enthusiast you might miss an V8 diesel employs two
machine because, well, its an SUV. But it sure engine note because this one simply thrums, turbos and a supercharger for
instant massive torque and
offers presence, even if its a bit bling. The but as a capacious gentlemans GT this diesel country-crossing range on a
signature meshed radiator grille, together with SUV delivers and will be more than capable of full tank, though there are few
meaty alloys shod with 285/45/R21 Pirelli taking you off-road at your next shoot. clues that its an oil-burner.

48
AT HISTORICS,
WE DELIVER MORE THAN
YOU BARGAINED FOR
LD LD
SO SO
RICS RICS
TO TO
HIS HIS
BY BY

1954 JAGUAR XK120 DROPHEAD COUP 1989 PORSCHE 930 CABRIOLET

LD 52% over estimate 39% over estimate


LD
SO SO
S S
ORIC TORIC
T
HIS HIS
BY BY

D D
1967 MERCEDES-BENZ 250SL 1991 FERRARI TESTAROSSA

L 75% over estimate 27% over estimate L


SO SO
S S
ORIC TORIC
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1978 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE VOLANT 1992 LANCIA DELTA INTEGRALE EVO 1 MARTINI 6
56% over estimate 75% over estimate

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Passion. Cars. Expertise.
Experience Girardo & Co.
Available Centre:
1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso by Scaglietti
Chassis no. 5143. Ferrari Classiche certied

Available Foreground:
Lancia D24 Sport
Chassis no. D24R 0001. Four-cam, Twin-plug Lancia V6

Tel: +44 (0)203 621 2923 info@girardo.com The Showroom, London, SW6 UK

Girardo.com
IGNITION / Opinion

JAY LENO
The Collector

T
he other day I started up my 41 Plymouth, Anyway, we had to replace the Vanos unit, which
for the first time in over a year. Every collector has controls the cam timing. Taking the engine out was
one or two vehicles that dont get driven as often pretty straightforward. And we did it without using a
as the others. My Plymouth is not special, just a single tool from the toolroll! As sophisticated as the F1s
good old girl. Its unrestored, a two-door business powerplant is, its still a car. Its a V12 and compared to
coupe; the Deluxe model with heater, radio and three- modern cars its pretty straightforward. A good mechanic
speed column shifter, with a vacuum assist to make can look at that engine and pretty much figure out
shifting easier, a 201ci six-cylinder flathead engine and what they have to do. Would I try this with my McLaren
about 87 horsepower. P1 or a 918? Not on your life.
Even after sitting for over a year, the engine cranked Remember the Ray Bradbury book Fahrenheit 451?
about half a dozen times and started right up. The reason Where all the books are destroyed and so each person
it made me smile is that so many modern cars would needs to memorise one book, and become an expert
be almost inoperable after sitting for so long. If they on it. Thats what seems to be happening with
are not turned over every week or two, injectors get supercars. Theres only a few Veyron guys and a handful JAY LENO
clogged from lack of use. And you have to keep them of P1 guys. I dont know many Porsche dealerships that Comedian and talk show
on a trickle-charger. could actually work on a 918; there legend Jay Leno is one of the
most famous entertainers in
I have a 2002 Firebird that I cant be many.
had to get emissions-tested. The
battery was ten years old so I
THE LAST REAL I feel that the days of the
general mechanic who can work
the USA. He is also a true
petrolhead, with a massive

MAINTENANCE I WAS
collection of cars and bikes
changed it for the exact same on anything are just about over. (see www.jaylenosgarage.
factory-standard battery. And Those lucky enough to be trained com). Jay was speaking
swapping the battery confused ABLE TO DO ON A mechanics on machines like the with Jeremy Hart.
the computer, so they couldnt
get it to pass the emissions test. MODERN CAR AT MY McLaren P1 and LaFerrari pretty
much have jobs for life, travelling
The technician said, drive it for 50
or 100 miles and see if it re-boots. OWN GARAGE WAS the world, re-booting computers on
10-to-20-year-old supercars, many
Im still waiting.
When I called my Porsche ON THE M LAREN F1 c
with very low mileage.
The way technology is going,
dealer about getting a part for my collecting modern cars will be
Carrera GT, he said We dont work on any of the really extremely hard. The fun part about working on old cars
old stuff. I said its a 2004! He said hed check to see if is that, if you dont have the proper tools, you can
any of the old guys are still around who worked on them. measure up what you need, go to the lathe, and make
I mean, how old could they be? Forty-five? one. On modern cars, if the manufacturer decides to
I have a warning light on my 2005 Mercedes SLR lock you out of their code then thats it, youre pretty
McLaren nobody can turn off. It doesnt seem to affect much done. Unless you have the Ferrari code-reader, for
anything. The car runs beautifully. But nobody knows instance which someone told me is $25,000 youre
how to deal with it. I wanted to put new tyres on it too not going to get to work on the car. Thats it. So any
and, like many cars, it has a locking lug nut. So I gave the work on these cars in the future will probably mean
tyre guy the key for the lug. And he lost it. So we called having to go back to manufacturers. How much is that
Mercedes and McLaren, quoting the serial number, but going to cost?
we couldnt get one and couldnt make one. So we had to Thats fine for rich guys, who will always be able to
torch the lug nuts and cut the wheels to get them off. have somebody take care of their car. Its the little guy
The last real maintenance I was able to do on a modern whos going to get screwed. Unless they stick to analogue
car at my own garage was, surprisingly, on the McLaren cars from the 1970s and earlier.
F1. Ironically the F1 comes with a tool kit. A tool roll, In 100 years from now, after my garage has been
actually, which contains wrenches, pliers and buried under some massive earthquake, and some
screwdrivers, all made of titanium. Was there ever an F1 automotive archaeologist will find my stash and dig it
owner whose car broke down on the motorway, pulled up, Im guessing the only one theyll be able to drive
out his trusty tool roll and got it going again? away is the 41 Plymouth!

51
M A X T E D -PAG E
HISTOR IC R ACI NG POR SCH E

Brun Motorsport / Repsol 1990 Porsche 962C | Chassis # 962-163


We are delighted to offer this genuine factory-built Porsche 962 which was supplied new to Brun Motorsport for the 1990 World Championship and liveried in the famous
Repsol sponsorship. Chassis 962-163 was built by Porsche in July 1990, being one of the final 962s constructed at the factory with carbon tub and fully water-cooled
3.0 litre Turbo engine with Bosch MP 1.78 ignition and fuel system.
Raced only twice, its debut at Montreal in 1990 resulted in retirement after just 22 laps, chassis 163 then completed a further 56 race laps in Mexico, before a broken
drive-shaft forced retirement at this, the final round of the World Sportscar Championship. As such and having been in storage ever since, the present condition of this car
is similar to that of an ultra low-mileage road car and is Possibly the lowest mileage and most original 962 in existence - to quote from the book of John Starkey & Ian Briggs
- The Golden Era - The History of Group C and IMSA GTP.
An outstanding, factory-built Porsche 962 with excellent provenance and outstanding investment-grade potential. This car is waiting to be prepared as a highly competitive entry
for the new Peter Auto / Group C Racing series and future historic Le Mans races.

Richard Lloyd Racing


1988 Porsche 962C | Chassis # RLR-200
We are delighted to offer for sale another famous Richard Lloyd Racing Team Porsche - this superbly presented and fabulously documented RLR Porsche 962C,
built for the 1988 season for Derek Bell to lead the World Championship assault for the RLR team. The car went on to compete in the 1989 World Championship season,
also with Richard Lloyd Racing Team, in the sponsorship liveries of Porsche Cars Great Britain and CABIN.
This famous Richard Lloyd Racing Porsche 962 has been in the hands of some great drivers and comes with a superbly documented history file which includes its original,
1988 and 1989 F.I.A., Technical Passports, plus a multitude of original RLR team correspondence and Porsche Customer Racing Services invoices for engine supply and parts, etc.
In 2007, X-Tech Engineering rebuilt the engine and the car once again proved highly competitive in the Group C GTP series, this time in the hands of Andrew Purdie.
Since this time, the car has been beautifully re-painted back into its 1989 Le Mans CABIN livery. The recent amalgamation of the Peter Auto - Group C Racing series,
including a new 2016 Le Mans Classic Group C grid, makes this an exciting time for the historic racer and / or Porsche collector to acquire one of these iconic, yet user-friendly,
racing cars from the golden era of modern sportscar racing - and for less than the cost of a 2.7 Carrera RS Lightweight!

P.O. Box 7039 Halstead Essex CO9 2WL United Kingdom


Tel: +44 (0) 1787 477749 Mob: +44 (0) 7771 922433 (7 Days) Email: enquiries@maxted-page.com

w w w. m a x t e d - p a g e . c o m
IGNITION / Opinion

DEREK BELL
The Legend

L
ooking back, my itinerary in 2016 was of the years ago; of marketing opportunities. Its all about
eye-watering variety. I may be a former racing making new heritage, if you will, but not forgetting
driver, but I seemed to be busier than ever. It was where you came from.
a wonderful year, though, full of great experiences As such, our road trip incorporated a special dinner
that I wont forget in a hurry. I saved the best til in association with the Bruce McLaren Scholarship
last, too, an eight-day trip to New Zealand with scheme, his daughter Amanda attending alongside her
McLaren Automotive shortly before Christmas, husband Stephen. Scroll back to the late 50s and into the
promising an epic drive. It was all that and more, and 1960s, and several Kiwis came over to the UK on
on so many levels. scholarship deals to become drivers. Whats more, they
I used to love racing in the Tasman series back in the were annoyingly talented, with Bruce being very much
late 60s. I have written about it before, so wont re-tread to the fore. And thats before you factor in the many
familiar ground, save to say that we were always made engineers, mechanics and fabricators who set sail for
to feel welcome when racing Down Under, whether in Blighty and entered into motor racing lore. This mass-
Australia or New Zealand. People would often say migration of talent ended a long time ago, but this DEREK BELL
that they had been reading about us all year so to programme aims to send a student to Europe to become Derek took up racing in 1964
have us in town for a weekend immersed in racing car design and in a Lotus 7, won two World
Sportscar Championships
was pretty special. In-between engineering. Who knows, the lucky
cocktail parties, barbecues and the
like, we would often try to
WHAT IMPRESSES recipient may end up becoming
equally legendary.
(1985 and 1986), the 24
Hours of Daytona three

ME ABOUT M LAREN
times in 1986, 1987 and
reciprocate; to give something c Sadly, New Zealand has had more 1989, and Le Mans five
back. We would earn our keep by than its fair share of heartbreak of times in 1975, 1981,
visiting schools and hospitals. IS THAT IT HONOURS late, our arrival following soon after 1982, 1986 and 1987.
He was speaking with
That sort of thing mattered to a lot
of people, even if I didnt fully ITS HERITAGE the earthquake, which left a trail of
devastation in its wake. I will admit
Richard Heseltine.

appreciate it at the time.


Its funny how memories WITHOUT BLUSTER to being a bit nervous about our
party rocking up in town with a load
come back unbidden and in
Technicolor and this was AND FANFARE of supercars; that it would somehow
appear disrespectful. Those fears
certainly the case on my first were soon assuaged, though.
visit to New Zealand in decades. It is just the most McLaren owners are hugely enthusiastic, but not at all
amazing country and one that I recommend everyone showy. Whats more, they are not wary of letting others
should visit at least once during their lifetime. Close on play with their toys. Wherever we stopped, crowds
30 McLaren owners took part in the event, which assembled and people were genuinely pleased to see us.
covered around 2000km of driving on some of the It was almost like the Tasman years all over again. Kids in
most amazing roads imaginable, accompanied by scenic particular were drawn to us like a moth to a flame. They
vistas that took your breath away. would sit in the cars and beam from ear to ear. You didnt
As time went by, I started to recall experiences from need to be psychic to know what they were imagining.
when I raced in Tasman; the sort of thing that made me I wouldnt have missed that for anything.
feel a little wistful. I also thought about Bruce McLaren On a personal note, being helicoptered onto a glacier
who, quite aside from being a superb driver and team left me open-mouthed, and the gala do in Auckland
principal, was also a lovely chap. He was that rarest of was riotously enjoyable. I was joined on stage by
things: a natural leader for whom nobody ever had a bad Bruno Senna and my old mate Stefan Johansson. Weve
word to say. I drove for him once, even if my outing in all been around the block a few times, and I think the
the 1969 British Grand Prix aboard the four-wheel-drive audience enjoyed us telling tall tales and ripping the
M9 remains something of a career footnote. mickey out of each other. But, most of all, what I took
One thing that impresses me about McLaren, the away from that magical eight days was a rekindled love
marque, all these years later is that it honours its heritage of a country that is quite unlike any other. That, and a
without bluster and fanfare. It isnt just a case of leeching reinforced appreciation of Bruce McLaren. He left
off the accomplishments of something that happened behind quite a legacy, thats for sure.

53
7 Editio
IGNITION / Opinion

STEPHEN BAYLEY
The Aesthete

T
here are years when more happens than usual. different artistic expressions for these gloriously different
Caused by climacteric oscillations, who can say, engines. All cars look the same. Are you mad?
but 1848 was, for example, a year of remarkable It is tempting to think of 1967 as a miracle year for car
revolutions in all of Europe. So much happened design. Will such variety ever be repeated? Certainly
in 1913 that Florian Illies recently wrote a whole 1977 had less to offer: the year of the Daewoo Maepsy (a
book about it with lots of Viennese angst, but only after kimchi-flavoured Opel Kadett) and the Peugeot 305, a
Liliane Brion-Guerry had devoted three entire volumes car that marks the beginning of that manufacturers
to the same 12 months with lots of Parisian lan. descent from principled ingenuity to anhedonic market-
Personally, I have always been fascinated by 1957. It led banality. We will pass over the Triumph TR7, whose
was when the last Jaguar D-type won at Le Mans, the strange, scalloped lateral panels made Giugiaro say:
Space Age began with the launch of the Soviet Sputnik 1, Dear me, have they done that on the other side as well?
while Bill Haley and his earthbound Comets landed at Yet two 1977 cars demonstrated mans perverse genius
Southampton, introducing Britain to rock n roll. Plus in finding idiosyncratic answers to questions not asked.
the Chevrolet Bel-Air, Detroit Baroque at its outrageous Each a big 2+2 with ample power and luxury, offered by STEPHEN BAYLEY
peak. Goodness, what a busy year. Then there was 1967. manufacturers with reputations for engineering integrity. Author, critic, consultant,
One of the most boring tropes Winking at each other like Gustav broadcaster, debater and
curator, Stephen co-created
is: All cars nowadays look the and Hermann in a north European
same. I actually never mind when
people are hostile in this way.
ONE OF THE MOST gay sauna, I give you the Volvo 262C
and the Porsche 928. If I ever
the Boilerhouse Project at
Londons V&A, was chief

SHOCKINGLY ILL-
executive of The Design
Theres no doubt that the become disenchanted with looking Museum, and fell out with
automobile offers only limited at cars, I will return here to refresh Peter Mandelson when he
evidence of mans ingenuity PROPORTIONED CARS my sense of awe at the superhuman told him the Millennium
Dome could turn out
and artistry, while providing
irrefutable proof of his selfishness, EVER MADE: ARCTIC curiosity of these machines.
The only explanation for the
to be crap.

brutality, venality, stupidity and


general inclination to destroy the SNOW-SHOES WITH Volvo is that, while they were
discussing a personal car for the US
planet and its occupants. Still, its
true that all artefacts created in ARMANI DETAILS! market, someone slipped magic
mushrooms into the lingonberry
a common era exemplify the compote, promptly called Bertone
Zeitgeist or Spirit of the Age, and why should they not? in Turin and asked him to turn the cumbersome six-
To be sure, shared circumstances often lead to similar cylinder 164 into a coup. The result was one of the most
solutions to shared problems. But 1967 confounds that. shockingly ill-proportioned, maladroit and odd cars
Its the year that gave us the Alfa Romeo Montreal: ever made. Arctic snow-shoes with Armani details!
Marcello Gandini asserting himself at Bertone. Claus Superlatively ugly, thus fascinating.
Luthes NSU Ro80? Still a technical and aesthetic Only slightly less curious impulses gave rise to the
achievement that astonishes. Dino 206? The most 928. Its designer was Wolfgang Mobius, working under
beautiful Ferrari ever. By contrast, the Fiat 125 was an Anatole Lapine who, with or without a knowing
Italian Lotus-Cortina, but with better seats and superior reference to the Hollywood depressive Nathanael West,
reliability. The quirky Saab 99 was a Mini designed by told me his education had been at The University of
aerospace engineers. So that was a good thing. Hard Knocks. Thus, the company founded by a professor
Or the Citron Dyane, a de luxe 2cv. One version was of daunting academic attainment left the design of its
called Weekend because, the joke went, it was so slow most ambitious product to an ex-GM Latvian-American
that it took two whole days to get anywhere. I had one. who wanted a German Chevrolet Camaro. Its these
Beige with brown perforated vinyl trim. It took me all cultural absurdities that make car design so fascinating.
over Europe and I once mended the throttle linkage with Though the Volvo 262C and Porsche 928 have all but
a wire coathanger. So thats a V8, a twin-rotor Wankel, a disappeared, the anthropologists myth of the perpetual
V6, a twin-cam four, a single-overhead-cam four that return predicts a comeback. But I am less confident
would eventually birth the first popular turbo, and an air- about 2017s potential for leaving us with future classics.
cooled flat-twin. And the designers found satisfyingly 1967 and 1977? Look back not in anger, but in wonder.

55
IGNITION / Opinion

ROBERT COUCHER
The Driver

B
ritish drivers are generally excellent. You wouldnt the Tube is efficient if ghastly at rush hour. It moves
think so from reading the newspapers or watching an amazing 4.8 million passengers per day.
television, where driving is reported as a contact Londons problems include a significant rise in
sport with horrendous resulting carnage. Of population, economic growth, the cycle superhighway,
course, every road injury or death is a tragedy but mail order deliveries and Uber taxis. Take ex-Mayor
the fact remains that Britain has some of the lowest road Boris Johnsons cycle lanes. With a worrying number of
death statistics in Europe, only bettered by Norway and cycle deaths in the past, something certainly had to be
Sweden. Ukraine is the worst, followed by Portugal, done. But reducing the Embankment and other major
Italy, France, Germany, then Spain. arteries down to single lanes cannot be the answer. What
Being a small island, Britain suffers terrible traffic happens during the rush hour is that the Lycra Lads get
congestion (Londons is the worst in Europe). So it is annoyed with the Boris Bike plodders, so they cut and
remarkable that the vast majority of British drivers are thrust into the traffic lanes, slowing it all down further.
safe and considerate. I grew up in South Africa (fewer And during the day it is mostly empty. We now learn, just
vehicles, five times the space) where the road death rate eight months after the superhighway on the Embankment ROBERT COUCHER
over the Christmas weekend is higher than the annual was opened, that a large section of it is to be rerouted. Robert grew up with classic
UK rate. Driving in Europe is a This causes a knock-on effect for cars, and has owned a
Lancia Aurelia B20GT,
pleasure but some of the motorists those of us who drive cars, especially
are scary. In France, tailgating is
the norm, and in Italy theres no
MY PHILOSOPHY classic cars. Gridlock is taxing for
old vehicles with mechanical cooling
Alfa Romeo Giulietta and
Porsche 356C. He currently

IS TO HAVE A SINGLE
uses his properly sorted
such thing as forming an orderly systems and no air conditioning. My 1955 Jaguar XK140 as his
queue, its just a free-for-all. Maybe everyday Jaguar XK 140 has been daily driver, and is a founding
thats stereotyping but just try CLASSIC CAR THATS upgraded to cope and opening the editor of this magazine.
driving down to the Le Mans 24
Hours or clocking into the READY TO DRIVE TO window does cool things down a bit
inside. The good news is that most
regularity sections on the Mille
Miglia! And in America the LE MANS OR THE Londoners dont get up early on the
weekend, as a blast across London
undertaking and full lane changes
at 70mph are hair-raising. LOCAL DELI along the Strand to the Savoy for
breakfast one Sunday morning
The one thing that gets a British attested. And getting off the
driver flustered is infringing their personal space. motorways and finding the backroads to Goodwood,
Considering the rapidly deteriorating traffic congestion Silverstone or Castle Combe circuits is always a pleasure.
its a wonder that the drivers here remain so calm and Having cut my classic car fleet down to just the
stoic, but thats the national character on four wheels. Jaguar, I feel a sense of relief. My philosophy has always
Living in London, one of the greatest cities in the been to have a single classic car thats in good nick, ready
world, Ive noticed how the traffic conditions have now to drive to Edinburgh, Le Mans, the Alps, or the local
reached gridlock in many areas. Figures show London deli multiple cars can become a hassle and a worry in
suffers from 12,776 congestion hotspots, so its no busy London. Other solutions? Columnist Jay Leno has
surprise that in the last year its average traffic speed a warehouse for his cars in Burbank, California, and if
has dropped to 7.8mph (down from a less-than-heady you have a house in the country with plenty of
8.1mph the year before). This is slower than a horse and weatherproof garaging, then the more classics the better.
cart of 100 years ago. And some boffin has determined Being a denizen of such a large city means adapting.
that traffic congestion costs the country 4.3 billion a Im as guilty as any of using belching buses, filling up
year. Yet the actual traffic volume has declined and trains, relying on home deliveries and the occasional
people are taking fewer bus journeys. minicab. Maybe I should find a compact hybrid like
I ride my bicycle nearly every day. It is simply the best Mark Dixons Honda Insight or borrow Sir Stirlings
way to get about the city, with no parking problems and Renault Twizy, as I enjoy electric propulsion in town.
a bit of exercise thrown in without the need to resort to In the meantime, Ill enjoy my bicycle (Im trying an
any Lycra whatsoever. I also use the No 19, 319 and 49 electric one soon) and get up early with the Jaguar,
buses, which are rather gentle when not in a hurry, and which now has a sat-nav to help me get lost.

56
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IGNITION / Gearbox

ANT ANSTEAD
1. I carry my life in my Land Rover
Discovery I have always had a workhorse.
I never clean her and have a reputation
for filling her with rubbish. Shes on her
Car builder, designer, artist, footballer and TV presenter second engine, which was installed to
Interview and photography Martyn Goddard keep her going for a bit longer.

2. Ive played more than 700 semi-pro


football games at Ryman and Conference
level. I carry my boots in my car just
in case I sniff out a game. The last two
seasons Ive played for Arsenal Legends
team as a Spurs fan!

3. Ive really got into racing and have my


MSA race licence. In 2016 I competed in
2 an Austin A35, VW VR6, Ginetta G50
and the Lotus Elite on Channel 4s For The
Love Of Cars. In fact, I have got the bug to
such an extent that I bought myself a new
Ginetta for the 2017 season
1
4. Im hugely proud of my six-year police
career and these certificates. Being a
member of the Tactical Firearms Unit
3 meant I attended some dangerous
incidents. Being awarded for bravery
twice is something I will never forget.

5. I build loads of unique cars. This new


GT was designed and built from scratch
and inspired by the cars Ive restored over
the years. Although it is unnamed at
present, this one will be available in both
petrol V8 and fully electric form.
4 5
6. Anyone who knows me knows I
ALWAYS wear my rigger boots! I go
through two pairs every year and always
buy the same ones each time. They are
so well-worn they feel like slippers.

7. Travelling is a privilege and in 2016


I made 22 flights around the world. Im
a light traveller so often jump on a plane
in whatever Im wearing plus my passport.

6 7 8 8. My bonkers cockerpoo Teddy Ruxpin.


He causes so much nuisance at home, but
hes also a legend and family member.

9. I am a self-confessed professional cake


eater. I have a strict cake rule for those
attending the workshop and even have
a cake leader board. I eat cake daily.

10. Youre only as good as your tools and


I use the best! I am something of a tool
magpie and a little obsessive. If its
available I need it. I lay them out with
9 10 OCD precision and I get a lot of stick
from the team in the workshop.

58
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IGNITION / Letters

Faster isnt always better


How I agree with Jay Leno in
Octane 164 about how cars have
become too fast. He is in a better
position than most to give his
views on this, given his access to
pretty much all of the latest crop
of cars you cant really use.
Unfortunately, manufacturers
of high-performance cars are in John Bolsters road tests of them.
a constant arms race to provide In all honesty, it has provided
the next ludicrously powerful more fun and driving pleasure
machines, which need massive than anything else I have owned,
Letter amounts of computer technology and it does so without resorting
of the to provide some sort of control to licence-losing speeds. I am now
month for the people who can afford 70 years old and, while I can still
them but do not possess the skills get in and, more importantly, out
to drive them without it. of it, I shall continue to enjoy it.

De Tomasos discovered I have owned some interesting


cars, including a 4.2-litre E-type
Jaguar back in the 1970s which,
The Seven seems to be a car type
missing from Jays collection and
I recommend he rectifies that
THE ARRIVAL OF the latest issue of Octane always guarantees I admit, I drove at reckless speeds situation soon.
an escape from the real world for a few hours. But issue 164, in all over the place. You were much Remember, the paradox of
particular, brought back some fond memories. less likely to get caught then but speed is the faster you go, the
It was back in 1997 when I first visited Modenas motor valley things have changed since in a big less time you have to enjoy it.
Im not even sure it was called this at the time. During a five-day trip way. In more recent times I have Richard Bradbury, Surrey
I visited Lamborghini, Ferrari and a little car manufacturer named driven a Lamborghini Diablo,
De Tomaso. I remember I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Noble M12 GTO, Honda NSX Action heroes
craftsmanship of this small company. Besides production of the and others, so I am in a position I have subscribed to Octane from
Guara and Bigua there were some historic cars on display. As well as to have some opinion on this. your first year and the standard of
the familiar Pantera there was a single-seater and some engines to be However, my only indulgence photography just gets better. In
seen [bottom right]. as a second car is a 1992 Octane 164 I enjoyed your report
Ever since that visit Ive never forgotten about De Tomaso. Ive Caterham Seven HPC which on the New Atalanta with pics by
even kept both the sales brochures that were given to me during my I bought in 1996 and cherish to Charlie Magee [below].
visit. This young teenager had been infected for life. this day. Back in the 60s I lusted While all the photos are
My love for Italian cars never faded and so we fast-forward to after a Lotus Seven, having read excellent, are they reproduced
2016. In May my partner and I visited the motor valley again, this
time in our own Ferrari yes, dreams can indeed come true. Arriving
in one of their products means you are never short of conversation.
While visiting a classic car dealer in Maranello, I learned that some
of the De Tomaso prototypes had been found and saved.
While talking about cars in general and the fate of De Tomaso,
I was excited to be invited to see the cars! They were undergoing
restoration in a nearby workshop. Seeing the cars in their unrestored
state was painful, as it would be for any car enthusiast, but I knew
they were in good hands, and at last someone was willing to invest
in saving a little piece of De Tomasos heritage.
Reading the article in Octane 164 certainly was a trip down
memory lane: some old memories, some more recent. I hope the CHARLIE MAGEE
story of De Tomaso will never be forgotten and, fingers crossed,
it might even rise from the ashes one day.
Enclosed are some pictures I took of the prototypes during
restoration [Bigua is bottom left, new Pantera at top] and from my
visit in 1997. The readers of Octane may appreciate them.
Maarten-Jan Groenen, The Netherlands The Letter of the Month wins a beautiful Toccata
watch by Raymond Weil, worth 595
This elegant, classically styled mens timepiece features
a quartz movement inside a stainless steel 42mm case,
and a stunning blue galvanic dial with appliqu indexes
and date window, protected by a sapphire crystal.
It is water resistant to 5atm and supplied on a black
calf leather strap with an alligator grain nish.
Raymond Weil is one of a handful of Swiss
watchmakers that remain in family hands. The Toccata
name reects the Weil familys interest in music, which
has led to many of the watch collections bearing
musically themed names. www.raymond-weil.com

61
IGNITION / Letters

think the E-type was out yet but Bentley in bloom


the lines suggested Jaguar and I Around three years ago I noticed
remember the rivets in the centre an irresistibly beautiful Bentley
section being very prominent. parked under a blossom-covered
The badge said XKSS and the tree in the car park at a National
bright red sports car certainly set Trust property in Cheshire.
tongues wagging, as it was often As a keen amateur artist, I
seen being driven enthusiastically decided that I must use the car as
and the squeal of brakes a subject of one of my artworks
sometimes announced its arrival and now I would dearly like to
ahead of the exhaust note. find the owner. Can anyone help?
Later we learned that the chap The cars registration is XK 578.
had wrapped the red Jag around Philip Johnson, Staffordshire
a concrete column on the newly
opened M5. It had then caught
fire and been destroyed.
Anton Fletcher, Worcestershire

Coincidentally, we also received the


following letter about a red XKSS.
Is it the same car? MD

Vintage red at the Chteau


I loved your article How to build
a new XKSS in Octane 163.
Heres a photo [below] of Bill Fergie in a far-off land
Riggs car being driven by his son I was astounded to see the
JAMES LIPMAN

Mark at Chteau Impney in 1962. Ferguson TE20 tractor in Gone


Im leaning up against the car, But Not Forgotten, Octane 163.
in the yellow sweater. I am a member of our local
The Rigg equipe campaigned historical society and we have just
this car, which previously was completed the restoration of such
direct from the camera or are they The main recipient of the BR1 was owned by the chairman of UDT a machine [below].
further improved via Photoshop? the Sopwith Camel. and registered as UDT 1, at many Although Im an Aussie, my
Would that be an insult to the Second, the Sopwith Camel did meetings but it was spun into the family migrated from England in
photographer or is it regarded as not end the Fokker scourge of bank at Becketts, Silverstone, 1948 and I was born in 1941 at
a part of the editorial process? 1915/16. The aircraft that ended considerably damaging the Hitchin, Hertfordshire. I believe
Chris Glasby, Cambridgeshire the Fokker E1-3 monoplanes monocoque and front subframe. it was very noisy at that time,
superiority were the Nieuport 11 After Bill had spoken to Lofty something to do with someone
Most images will receive a certain and 16 and the DH2 single-seat England at Jaguar I drove their lobbing great lumps of
amount of post-production but scouts. The Camel did not see transporter (the ex-Mike ironmongery in the direction
action shots like the one pictured on service until 1917, almost a year Hawthorn Green Line bus) to of London.
the previous page are best handled after the last Fokker monoplanes Browns Lane and picked up the Mike Iverson, Queensland, Australia
in camera because its difficult to had left the theatre. very last monocoque and front
add truly convincing motion blur John Starkey, Florida, USA subframe available after the fire,
on a computer. Charlie Magee according to Lofty England.
confirms that this Atalanta picture Mystery Midlands XKSS The car was rebuilt by Mark,
is basically a straight shot taken at Reading about the Jaguar XKSS myself and our mechanic Maurice
a slow shutter speed on an image- in Octane 163, I am reminded of Owen, who later became chief
stabilising lens. He says it helps not a time in the distant past when engineer of the Morgan Motor
to drink coffee beforehand! MD I worked in the offices of the Company, as a full D-type. It had
largest forge in Europe, which always had the works number
Bentleys Boche beater made automotive forgings for all XKD 539. The car was raced in
While I thoroughly enjoyed the the car, truck and tractor firms in club events until it was sold after Write to
article in Octane 163 about the UK and some in Europe. Bill Riggs death in 1964. Octane Letters,
Bentleys BR1 and BR2 radial One day a newly employed and Mike Virr, Connecticut, USA Dennis Publishing,
engines in World War One, there apparently well-connected young Bedford Technology Park,
were a couple of errors. chap turned up in a very noisy Thurleigh, MK44 2YA, UK
First, the BR1 [top] did not go white vintage sports car (possibly letters@octane-magazine.com
into the Avro 504K. That aircraft the White Riley). A while later,
used either the 130hp Clerget, a colleague said Go and see what Please include your name, address
the 100hp Gnome or the 110hp so-and-so has turned up in today and a daytime telephone number.
Le Rhne. The BR1 did go into and there, parked in front of the Letters may be edited for clarity,
the later Avro 504L floatplane but offices, was a bright red, very and views expressed are not
not many of those were produced. modern-looking sports car. I dont necessarily those of Octane.

62
1994 Jaguar XJ220. Sold for (): 275,625

24th - 26th February 2017


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MUNARIS STRATOS

THEY ARE
LEGEND
Sandro Munari and his Lancia Stratos were unassailable on the
1977 Rallye Monte-Carlo. Four decades on, Octane meets both
Words Massimo Delb and Angus Frazer Photography Matthew Howell
Archive images McKlein

64
65
MUNARIS STRATOS

T
he sound comes first, an angry bark all he afforded his rivals as they chased him in vain through
more animal than mechanical that roils the Alpes-Maritimes.
around the Italian countryside. And I love this Stratos, says the Italian. I am fortunate that
then the Lancia Stratos HF that won due to my friendship with the owner, Guido Avandero, I
the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally graces us get to see it and drive it quite often. But it is not really the
with its presence. car itself, more the magical memories it brings back.
The four decades that have passed since that epic When Sandro Munari took the start of the Monte Carlo
victory have dimmed none of the cars brilliance. Even Rally in 1977 he already had three wins in the event under
today its wedge-like shape looks positively futuristic. Its his belt. He rates his first in 1972 as the most important
hard to imagine just what an effect this to borrow a line though, and not just because it was taken in an unfancied,
from The Carpenters interplanetary, most extraordinary understeering, front-wheel-drive Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coup
craft would have had in a world populated by Ford Escorts HF against the might of the all-conquering, ultra-nimble,
and Vauxhall Chevettes. Harder still to reconcile that, by rear-engined, rear-drive Alpine-Renault A110s.
1977, the Stratos itself was almost something of an The Fulvia Coup was seven years old and not selling
oldtimer, having been unveiled in prototype guise way very well, so at the end of December 1971 Fiat shut down
back in 1971 at the Turin motor show and having gone on the production line and sent 6500 workers home, explains
to secure Lancia a hat-trick of World Rally Championships Munari. But after I won the Monte Carlo people crowded
between 1974 and 1976. into the dealerships to order a Fulvia, the production line
As it spears towards us the Stratos begins to slow, was reopened and the people who had been made
affording us a better chance to pore over it. It is a truly redundant got their jobs back!
imperial sight. There is haughtiness imbedded in those While 1972 was undoubtedly a dream victory, Munari
Bertone-penned lines that, in the Alitalia green, red and knew that after winning the rally in a Stratos in 1975 and
white battle colours, borders on arrogance. 1976, victory in 1977 would give him a hat-trick and
Just as the car pulls tantalisingly level, the driver Monte Carlo immortality. Today, at the age of 76, there is
reapplies the throttle and, with a howl from its Ferrari a slight frailty to the man they called Il Drago and his
Dino V6 engine, the Stratos surges contemptuously away breathing is a little laboured. But he has kept himself in
from us. It almost feels like we have reached out to stroke good shape. He has no problem fitting his slim frame into
a thoroughbred racehorse that has shaken its head his original Alitalia racing overalls and his memory of the
disdainfully and galloped off. drive of four decades ago is as crystal clear as the ice was
As we gaze at the fast-disappearing spoiler, those big, on the Col de Turini in 1977.
round taillights and the oh-so-1970s The Stratos always gave its best on
louvred window, the man standing beside Below and right slippery roads and the 1977 Monte Carlo
us smiles. Perhaps Sandro Munari is Munari (Parmalat overalls) and
co-driver Maiga (moustache)
was absolutely perfect for it because the
recalling that, between 22 and 28 January during the 77 Monte; the car snow did not stop falling, says Munari. The
1977, that particular view of the Stratos was still wears its original livery. car was quite similar to the specification
MCKLEIN IMAGES

66
MUNARIS STRATOS

There is haughtiness in
those Bertone-penned lines
that, in the Alitalia green, red
and white battle colours,
borders on arrogance

68
69
MUNARIS STRATOS
MCKLEIN IMAGES

of the Stratos I drove to victory in 1976, but Above and right on the brake pedal. I never used the
we adjusted the engine to give a little less In action on the Monte in handbrake to steer the car.
1977; today the car reveals
horsepower and to have better torque at its highly patinated interior
Instead Munari relied on the natural
lower revs for more traction and greater and mechanicals. inertia provided by the mid-mounted
control. We shortened the gear ratios too, engine to create a pendulum effect to set-up
because we were using the 24-valve engine the car for the endless snow-covered
that didnt really pull strongly until 4500rpm and there hairpin bends. As soon as you spot the corner, you start to
were not many very long straights to deal with. turn the steering wheel to move the car around beneath
So Munari had the satisfaction of knowing that his car you. If you understand it, and you are good, then you are
was perfectly honed for the rally. In addition, the Stratos safe and you are fast. If you dont, then the car is in charge.
gave him a huge advantage over the drivers of other, And presumably you are in a snow bank
far less sophisticated cars, as it could very quickly be What a treat it must have been to stand well wrapped-
further modified if the need arose. Removable front up and watch Munari drift the Stratos through the winter
and rear body panels gave easy access to the fully wonderland. And one man had an even better view, at
adjustable suspension, while the ratios of the five-speed least when he wasnt looking down at his roadbook. Silvio
gearbox mounted beneath the engine could also Maiga, now 67, sat just a few inches away from Munari
be quickly changed. guiding him to victory.
With its significantly reworked suspension, where all Sandro is absolutely right in calling it a dance, because
the rubber bushes were replaced with uni-bond joints, I do remember the very same feeling, recalls Maiga. At
Munaris TO N41648 Stratos was far removed from the some points I was able to raise my eyes from my notebook
once-green, 190bhp, 12-valve road car it had been based and find myself captivated by the magic of the moment.
on. With its competition 24-valve engine capable of Snow everywhere around us, the V6 engine singing at its
delivering up to 290bhp, and its chassis sharpened to a best and Sandro mastering the dancing Stratos flat-out in
near-knifepoint, the rally Stratos offered performance and fifth gear. And he made it all look so effortless, he was
handling that few could ever hope to access, never mind always calm, always precise, always master of the situation
master. For Munari, though, it was just perfect. and always, always terribly fast.
I still vividly remember the intense pleasure of piloting From stage three onwards, for mile after mile of snow-
my Stratos by using just the gas pedal to let her dance on covered mountain passes, Munari and Maiga held the lead
the snow always in a controlled drift without any form all the way to the end, keeping 228 rivals behind them.
of roughness, recalls Munari. For me it was easy, steering The huge variety of machinery in their wake included four
with my hands, right foot on the gas pedal and left one works Fiat 131 Abarths plus state-of-the-art Opel Kadett

70
71
MUNARIS STRATOS

Below and right


Stratoss styling is still stunning
even after four decades and more;
Munari and Maiga celebrate their
victory after an eventful rally.

72
73
MCKLEIN IMAGES
MUNARIS STRATOS

Spending time with a Monte Carlo-winning


Lancia Stratos and its crew is very special indeed

GT/Es piloted by the likes of Walter I hated it!


Rhrl and Jean-Pierre Nicolas. What? I hated it, repeats
Not that everything ran Avandero with a cheeky twinkle in
completely smoothly for the crew of his eyes, because it meant the end
the Number 1 car. As Maiga recalls for me. Before the Stratos I could
with a shudder, disaster struck afford to buy a Fulvia and compete
almost within sight of the finish. against Sandro on some rallies. OK, I
During the climb from La Turbie to was never going to beat him, but at
the Col de la Madone de Gorbio, the least I could drive a similar car. Then,
lights, all of them, went out. It was after the Stratos came, everything in
the last night and there wasnt a light rallying changed forever.
to show us the road. The 1977 Monte Carlo-winning
Luckily the gremlins struck on a Stratos finally came into Avanderos
road section, not a special stage. As care in the early 1990s. Prior to that,
the navigator rummaged in the legendary Stratos engineer Claudio
fusebox in front of him, the driver Maglioli owned it, having purchased
peered desperately up at the top of it from the factory in 1984. Turn
the trees to try to determine the Above the clock back a little further and
course of the road. The most terrible ten Guido Avandero bought the TO N41648s last outing in the World
minutes ever, is Maigas verdict. Stratos from engineer Claudio Championship was in the forests of the UK
Maglioli Markku Aln had
Luckily a fast-response service team campaigned it after Munari.
on the 1979 Lombard RAC Rally. Sporting
headed-up by former British Grand Prix black-and-white Lancia England colours
driver turned principal Stratos development with Pirelli sponsorship, it was brought
engineer, Mike Parkes, was able to resolve the problem, at home in fifth place by Markku Aln and Ilkka Kivimki.
least partly. With just a few seconds to spare we got to the The year before that, it carried full black, red and white
start of the Col de Turini, the most important stage in the Pirelli livery for a second crack at the Monte Carlo Rally
most important rally in the world. But we had only two in 1978, this time running with two valves per cylinder,
lights working, not six, remembers Maiga. due to changes in the rules. But the best its crew of Fulvio
For Munari, a man famed for demanding utter Bacchelli and Arnaldo Bernacchini could manage was
perfection in all machinery, in all people and in all tenth place. Today it is fully restored to its 1977 Monte
circumstances, it was not ideal. I do remember very well Carlo Alitalia livery and, of course, the V6 engine runs
these minutes. It prevented me from having a good once more with the 24-valve cylinder heads.
perception and view of the side of the road with its walls Unfortunately, not even taking a few moments to recall
of snow. But these are the moments where all the training all those great names who climbed so elegantly and so
work and the testing come into play. I knew the road and effortlessly into the confined cockpit of the Stratos
we had a good idea of the conditions we would face. I guarantees a dignified entry for the novice. Even though
simply had to try to go as fast as possible and do my best, theres no visible rollcage to clamber over (its incorporated
hoping that it would be enough. into the monocoque and is therefore hidden by the
And it was. There were a good 25 or 30 cars on the bodywork), it still makes for an ungainly experience.
event capable of winning and we defeated them all, recalls Once nestled in the co-drivers seat, you realise how
Maiga proudly. There we were in the Princes Palace of very, very close together the crew sat. As Sandro
Monaco with Prince Rainier and his wonderful wife mentioned to us earlier: The Stratos was a very physical
Princess Grace presenting the trophy. I have only one car to drive; it was very hot inside even in such a cold
regret, that I did not immediately realise how important environment. I think we were living at about 55 to 60
that victory would be for us in the future. It was just the degrees inside the car. Factor in the extreme length of
conclusion of a normal, hard-working day. rallies in those days and you really would want to make
For us this has been very far from a normal working day. sure that you and your co-driver exchanged Christmas
Even in the occasionally pampered and often access-all- gifts of racing-spec endurance sport deodorant.
areas world of motoring journalism, spending time with a Such silly daydreams are banished from your mind the
Monte Carlo-winning Lancia Stratos and its crew counts moment the V6 barks into life right behind your ears. Its
as something very special indeed. And now things are set visceral cry fills the cabin and your whole world.
to get even better. It is time to have a ride in the car. Avandero, though, does not embark on a full charge
Before we clamber in, though, we take another stroll immediately; instead, he simply lets the Stratos trickle
around to admire the Stratoss beautiful lines. How did along at 1000rpm in 3rd gear a task it performs quite
the cars current owner, Guido Avandero, feel when he happily. The engine certainly seems to be a little more
first cast his eyes on it in the early 1970s? tractable now than it must have been in Sandros day.

74
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MUNARIS STRATOS

This is a Maglioli engine, he explains proudly, referring As the V6 howls towards the redline and the Stratos
to the previous owner of the car, Claudio Maglioli. If cuts forwards, again the car seems to exude a sense of
Sandro Munari was hailed as the man who could always imperialism as if somehow it knows it was put on this
coax the most from the Stratos from a driving point of planet purely to win rallies. And you can see how, if you
view, then Maglioli is equally lauded as the engineer who could master this car, particularly in the snow of Monte
could extract just that little bit more than anyone else Carlo, that sense of superiority would become infectious
from every single nut and bolt. and you would be quite convinced of the peerlessness of
A highly successful Lancia racing driver turned your own abilities.
engineer, Maglioli stayed loyal to the Stratos after the Its easy to imagine how Sandro Munari might have
works team withdrew. He worked with the French thought: Let Ford, Porsche, Opel and even Fiat send
importer team and helped Bernard Darniche snatch a late what and whom they want. Ill beat them all. The rally and
victory on the 1979 Monte Carlo in the iconic blue the victory will be mine. And thus it proved many times.
Chardonnet Stratos. The history books recall that, despite Eventually the engine falls silent. We stand and watch
the brilliance of Darniches drive, his slender six-second right to the end, until the doors of the lorry the Stratos is
victory was ensured only after spectators placed rocks in loaded into are closed. And then the interplanetary, most
the path of Bjrn Waldegrds Ford Escort. extraordinary craft is gone from our sight.
Magliolis workshop was very close to Avanderos home Avandero is not sure when he will drive it again. He
in Biella, in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. I am takes it out on private roads, tracks and various events
lucky, explains Avandero, there are still some of the about five times a year. The last big outing was when
mechanics around who worked on the Stratos in the old Munari drove the car at the three-day Eiffel Rallye Festival
days and they know what to do. As he snaps down through in Germany in 2015. There it was awarded The
the crash gearbox and presses hard on the accelerator, its Champions Choice by judges including Walter Rhrl,
obvious that those mechanics have not lost their touch Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist and Timo Salonen.
since they kept the Stratos running in the dead of night Its reassuring to know that the Stratos casts its spell
four decades ago. on rallyings elite as well as on your average fan. End

1977 Lancia Stratos HF


Engine 2418cc V6, DOHC per bank, Kugelfischer fuel injection Power 270-290bhp @ 8500rpm Torque 188lb ft @ 6500rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front: double wishbones, coil springs,
telescopic dampers. Rear: MacPherson struts with lower wishbones and radius arms Brakes Discs Weight 960kg
Performance Top speed c130mph. 0-60mph c4.8 sec

76
MUNARIS STRATOS

78
WITHOUT
WHOM
It takes more than a driver and a navigator to win
a rally. These are the men behind Lancias victory
Words Massimo Delb Photography Matthew Howell

SANDRO MUNARI AND SILVIO MAIGA were not Left


solely responsible for the epic rallying success of the Author Massimo Delb
manoeuvres the Stratos
Lancia Stratos. The Lancia Racing Team, managed by with Piero Mario Spriano
Cesare Fiorio, was considered the perfect example of its otherwise known as Piero
type: organised, experienced and full of enthusiasm. The Stratos. Behind them, from left
best engineers and mechanics were part of it, and they all to right, are Sergio Martinetto
(former mechanic with the
have fond memories of that 1977 event. Lancia Corse race team),
Monte Carlo was the greatest event because of the engineer Gianni Tonti, electrical
media coverage all over the world, says Fiorio. We had genius Antonio Scintilla
already won it, with the Fulvia, which was a sort of Giannelli, Sandro Munari and
Elio Cavagnino, also an
miracle, and also with the Stratos. For me, the 1976 rally
ex-Lancia Corse mechanic.
was much more difficult to manage, because when I asked
the drivers to maintain their positons, I had a rebellion
from Bjrn Waldegrd, who was unhappy to be second to
Munari. To convince him not to fight, I had studded tyres
installed on his car before a clear tarmac special stage
In 1977 the biggest topic was the tyres; we had about
800 of them, and to choose the right kind depending on
the changing conditions was not an easy task. I still
remember those tyres, like a sort of porcupine, able to
stop the Stratos in 80 metres on the snow.
Second to that, the main task was to manage the fast
assistance vehicles, which had almost no radio coverage
because of the mountains and piles of snow surrounding
closed roads. We received help in creating radio coverage
from the Italian air force, using a couple of their aeroplanes
as wave bridges.
Engineer Gianni Tonti is one of the fathers of the
Stratos and was dispatched into the field for the 1977
Monte. I remember very well the feeling at the start of the
race, so snowy that the first three special stages from Gap
and Monte Carlo had to be deleted. We knew we had the

79
MUNARIS STRATOS

We had the best


car, but Fiat was
pushing hard to see
its 131 win, so we
felt very vulnerable

and Maiga when they drove away with working lights. Left
Gianni Tonti led Munaris
Giovanni Gariboldi was the engineer responsible for
support crew for the 1977
Pirelli sport tyres from 1963 to 1981. For the 1977 Monte Monte, and masterminded
Carlo we had the new BS [Battistrada Separato or split the fix when his lights failed.
tread], with a universal-design tread on studded tyres,
allowing us the use of smaller studs, meaning less
unsprung weight. The Stratos was very respectful of the
tyres, but for me it was very easy to see a used set and
recognise who drove it: Munari left them as new; Pinto
was definitely more aggressive.
Monte Carlo was the race, and we prepared the 1977
best car, but we knew too that Fiat was pushing hard to see winter tyres [the 5C], narrower than usual to increase the
its 131 win, so at a political level we felt very vulnerable. specific weight on the tyre for greater penetration in the
We had three works cars with Pirelli tyres, and a fourth hard snow, with 527 studs for each wheel. We prepared a
car with Bernard Darniche, backed by Lancia France special CN36 too, a tarmac tyre with studs included in the
that was the only car equipped with Michelins. We were tread. The strategy was, when conditions were mixed
very fast from the beginning, and that put us in a strong usually tarmac, snow, tarmac to have the rubber working
position, until Raffaele Pinto lost six minutes plunging at the start of a hill, then as the rubber was used up the
into snow, and Darniche crashed badly. To avoid any studs would start working, and then, with the tyres getting
further problems, Fiorio and Daniele Audetto [who was warmer going down, the compound would lose the studs
in charge of Fiat] agreed to keep the team order, and and we had a tarmac tyre again.
Andruet, who was fastest in the 131, was not happy at all Piero Mario Spriano, known to everybody as Piero
with the decision. Stratos, was also key to the success of the Stratos. He is
I remember helping to prepare some flying assistance the man who, during the 1976 Monte Carlo, fixed
areas, sometimes in such thick fog that it was impossible Munaris gearbox in record time using fresh butter to
to see the nearest white stripe in the road, and, despite speed up his work! He was not a formal employee of
this, the racing guys were achieving times on special Lancia, but his experience with the car is invaluable.
stages similar to those on sunny days. I grew up as a mechanic at the Maglioli firm in Biella,
I was in charge of the assistance where we fixed and the Stratos was our daily bread. We worked a lot with
Munaris lighting problem, we were waiting for him, the official team, and Mr Tonti really liked me, and when
alerted by Parkes. With me I had Scintilla, our best we were following the Chardonnet Stratos of Darniche, at
electrician, and I knew he could fix the problem. What the 1977 Monte, we were all mixed together, the works
Sandro did on that snowy Turini with almost no light still mechanics and us. I was in the Fiat 242 van with Casarsa,
astonishes me. We won, and with only two people in the and I still remember the start from Rome. We had to drive
technical office, against the 100-plus people of Fiat. 2000km before the race. To me the best word to define
The mechanics obviously played a fundamental role, those days is sleepless.
and Antonio Giannelli, alias Scintilla, was the star of the We were lucky, because the Stratos never breaks, and
1977 Rallye Monte-Carlo. I was with Tonti in an we had only to cope with routine emergencies. It is a
assistance area in Peille, just after the Turini. We had been simple car, with only an additional condenser, already
alerted by Parkes about Sandros problem, so we knew used in the Fulvia, to help make sure the platinum-tipped
exactly what to prepare for. It took me no more than four points do not burn. This device was red in all the other
minutes to dive under the dashboard to check which was cars I saw, but in this car it has always been green.
the burnt relay that created the problem, replace it and I have only two regrets: that I dont have pictures of the
change the right fuse. Not very difficult but for the event, because for us it was just another working day; and
uncomfortable position I had to work in, upside down of selling my personal Stratos in England in 1984 for
under the dash. Ill never forget the happy faces of Munari 35,000,000 Lire. Thats about 17,000! End

80
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FERRARI 250 GTO

HO W T O B U Y A G T O
Theres a Ferrari 250 GTO available on the open market
right now. What will it take to become its new owner?
Andrew English investigates
Illustration Mark Sommer

PLANNING ON BUYING a car this spring? Championship racing against Jaguar, Aston Enzo Ferrari tended to charge private
Probably not like this one you arent, unless Martin and Shelby. All 33 series I, three series II customers what he thought they could afford,
your butler is reading this article to you on your and three 330 GTO specials were built between but in the 250 GTOs pomp of the early 1960s
private yacht as you lounge in your gold-plated 1962 and 1964. Creative use of non-consecutive they sold for about $18,200 (6500 or
Jacuzzi. John Collins at Ferrari specialist chassis numbers and deft vehicle movements 125,094 in todays values). In the early
Talacrest has on his website an advert for one meant Ferrari got the GTO accepted for Group 1970s, when their competitiveness had long
of 39 examples of arguably the worlds most 3 homologation despite the FIAs ostensible disappeared, values fell below $10,000 (4000,
expensive and desirable car: a Ferrari 250 GTO requirement that 100 should be built. or 51,000 today) and one distinguished motor
or Gran Turismo Omologato. If you want it, the Based on the chassis and a hepped-up version sport historian tells of one offered at 2000
trade reckons youll need to hand over at least of the 250 SWB driveline, the GTO was a huge with a Dino 196SP thrown in as a sweetener.
$50 million (US) as he points out, its cheaper success. One of the last front-engined GTs, the Then the investment ramp-up started By
than a Picasso. GTO won its class in the FIA GT Championship the mid-1970s, Nick Mason was reputed to
Designed by a team that included Giotto for three years running as well as countless have paid $86,000 (43,000, or 222,526 in
Bizzarrini, the 250 GTO was launched in 1962 endurance races and hillclimbs. As an todays values). In 1987, Robert Brooks was
with a powerful 3.0-litre V12 and immaculately investment piece of industrial design, its been working for Christies when he dropped the
honed aerodynamics to go World Sportscar more than superlative, however. hammer on what remained for years the worlds

82
most expensive car, a Bugatti Royale, for $9.7 testing at Monza with Lorenzo Bandini at the And both men concur that theyre also fun.
million US (5.5 million). A few months earlier wheel, it was sold to egregious New York dealer The 250 GTO came at a point in motor-racing
the first GTO to be auctioned had just broken and Ferraris North American distributer Luigi history where successful racing cars could still
the 1 million barrier one fifth of what the Chinetti in March 1962 and raced in the just be raced on a track or a road circuit. Front-
Bugatti made. The classic car boom saw another Sebring 12 Hours later that month by Phil Hill engined and with a conventional layout, they
GTO sold privately in 1990 for 10 million, and Oliver Gendebien. It then sold to Bob have handling benign enough for gifted
before the market collapsed and the same GTO Grossman, who raced it at Le Mans in 62. amateurs to race quite competitively. When
was resold three years later for 2 million. Grossman sold in 63 and it was raced in John Surtees observed that the GTO was quite
Since then theyve recovered spectacularly, various American and Bahamas Speed Week an ordinary car, what he meant was that it had
culminating openly in August 2014, when events for the next decade. It changed hands a no bad habits when it got to its limits and that
Bonhams sold the ex-Fabrizio Violati 250 few times, was crashed, rebuilt in America, allowed an ordinary driver to drive it pretty
GTO chassis number 3851 for $38,115,000 allegedly had a replacement engine and, in quickly. Add in a brilliant power-to-weight
(22,843,633) at its Quail Lodge auction in 1987, was sold by plastic surgeon Dr Ron ratio, a beguiling soundtrack, the magic of the
Carmel, California. This was less than experts Finger to wealthy lawyer Bernard Carl, whom Ferrari name and the breathtaking coachwork,
had predicted, but Violatis collection was being Collins confirms as the vendor. and its small wonder that 250 GTOs have
sold quickly for profit and this was the only What hes not saying is what the arrangement become so valuable.
250 GTO in which its driver was killed; French is between him and Bernie Carl, though it With prices seemingly well on their way to
skiing champion Henri Oreillera died when he doesnt take the soothsaying talents of nine figures, however, as Kidston points out:
crashed into a marshals hut in October 1962 at Nostradamus to glean that this might include There are very few people capable of writing a
the Montlhry autodrome. permission to negotiate around the offer price, cheque in cold blood for that amount of money.
John Collins, like fellow Scot Tom Hartley, is which Collins confirms is $60 million (US) And its unsurprising that the generation of
a breed of granite-hard Granite City used car for the record, in February 1969, 3387 sold to gentlemen drivers who owned them for
dealers specialising at the apogee of the market. Kirk White for the princely sum of $5400. decades are now selling out to the masters of
Based in a fortified headquarters in the Thames Lawks a-mercy, how did GTOs get so the collecting universe.
Valley, hes gruff, to the point and doesnt suffer valuable? Collins says it is because theyre like Fact is, however, most of these deals are
fools gladly. I get the feeling he was a pretty a work of art. If youre a collector, you should leveraged in some way, dependent on time (to
fearless journalist when he worked for The have a GTO. Theyre the holy grail of classics, raise the cash via sales of other cars or assets),
Daily Express. Most of Collinss history and his they put you at the top of the tree.
company, Talacrest, is written by folk employed At the other end of the business spectrum,
by Collins, some of them good writers, some Simon Kidston agrees. Hes the founder of the
not so this Octane commission was not for
the faint-hearted.
eponymous Swiss-based classic-car consultancy
and brokerage, who has orchestrated at least IF YOURE A COLLECTOR,
Collins, though, is also widely respected, three sales of 250 GTOs including the most
liked and trusted by those who knock around
in this weird ber-investment car world, and
recent sale of Hartmuth Ibings car.
Theyve become a billionaires calling card,
YOU SHOULD HAVE A GTO.
when you hear him talking about what it is to
drive a GTO with his faithful German Shepherd
he says. Theres an unequivocal number in
existence and there are not really any GTOs
THEYRE THE HOLY GRAIL
at his side, you can forgive the brusqueness.
Touchingly hes still looking to repurchase his
with horror-story histories. Theyve all been
documented thanks to author Jess Pourrets OF CLASSICS
first-ever car, a 1969 Triumph GT6. painstaking research decades ago.
I got involved in this business because a car
dealer ripped me off in the 1980s, he growls.
I bought my first Ferrari in 1976. I was a highly
paid photojournalist [and] if that car dealer
hadnt ripped me off, I would still be one.
I figured that if he could do it, I could do it
selling, not ripping people off.
And so Talacrest was formed in 1987. Story
goes, Collins begged and borrowed a lot of
money from friends to put down deposits on
some 3-million worth of cars from various
dealers. He then advertised those cars and sold
them for more than the dealers were asking.
Needless to say, they went ballistic, but a
commitment is a commitment and Collins was
in the business. Setting up as a used Ferrari
dealer next door to Maranello Concessionaires
in Egham, Surrey, describes Collinss chutzpah;
you need to get up early in the morning
to out-manoeuvre John.
This car will be the ninth GTO he has sold
In this case its chassis number 3387 GT, the
second GTO to be built. Originally used for

83
FERRARI 250 GTO

In most cases this involves painstaking in question had actually been sold at a record
research and discovery, just as if you were price, which subsequently helped inflate the
WOULD YOU buying a company or property, but in the case
of Ferrari theres potential salvation in its
value of the other 38 extant 250 GTOs.
Journalists need to have a care not to get
SERIOUSLY GO INTO own Classiche programme of authentication.
Collins says the Carl car doesnt have this.
involved in this sort of confabulation.
Like collecting duelling pistols or trophy

A $50-MILLION-PLUS Emmison says that while older buyers


tend to rely on innate or long market knowledge,
a new breed of younger and perhaps less
wives, owing a Ferrari 250 GTO is mainly a
male thing, a form of chest-beating virility
symbol, but they are also very beautiful pieces
CAR DEAL ON JUST knowledgable buyer likes to have the peace
of mind offered by this process.
of design, which hold a special place in dealers
hearts. As Kidston observes: If youre in the
THE SHAKE OF Kidston agrees. Its helpful to have, he says,
especially for less experienced buyers, but
business, of course youd be proud to say youve
sold a GTO, but the reality is that barely one
A HAND? there are cars where the history is so well-
known that the inclusion of Classiche
changes hand every year and no deal is ever
straightforward.
certification is superfluous, time-consuming, So is the GTO safe in its position as Numero
costly and occasionally humiliating, when the Uno investment Ferrari? Collins admits it isnt
factory, which hasnt been in th