Octane

Octane is the authoritative guide to the best classic cars in the world.

A lasting legacy for the next generation • IF YOU MAKE YOUR LIVING FROM THE HISTORIC AND CLASSIC VEHICLE INDUSTRY, JOIN US NOW.

It’s OK to be old – and look it

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The Brighton Run • Nowadays properly titled the headline-busting ‘RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run’, the 126-year-old event faced the worst weather for decades when 330 largely weather-gear-free pre-1905 cars set off from London for the coast on 6 November. Despite the lashing rain and flooding, 272 of the starters successfully completed the 60-mile trip from Hyde Park to Madeira Drive in Brighton, including two that were running on sustainable fuel. Oldest finishing car was Bernard Holmes’s 1896 Reynaud.

COMING UP… • Your guide to the first shows, concours, tours and rallies of the new year. Fill your boots!

GET OUT THERE! • There are dozens of tours and rallies on the calendar for 2023. We’ve done the easy bit by listing some here; you have the much trickier task of choosing between them all…

FURTHER AHEAD… • Intrepid adventurers, start prepping your cars now for these long-distance challenges in 2024

The petrol supercar is not ready to die • Are exciting new launches a last hurrah or a new dawn for petrolheads?

Massive pledge to US car restoration college

NEWS FEED • Dynamic duo in Norfolk; Paddock Club auctions; Masters of Motoring; brace of new auction sites; diary dates; Scramble donations; Dixon’s honour; ticket savings; concours winner

BMW looks to the past for thrills • New limited edition echoes a ’70s legend

Patrick Tambay b.1949

Going, going, and still going! • Auctioneer Duncan Kensington Moir has enjoyed his Jaguar XK120 for 21 years

WHY WE LOVE… Daily-driver classics

Paul Harmer • His superb photography has graced many a page in Octane; now it’s the turn of his favourite things

JAY LENO • The Collector

THE DEREK BELL TOUR – IBERIA • JOIN ME FOR A 5 - DAY DRIVING ADVENTURE THROUGH PORTUGAL AND SPAIN

DEREK BELL • The Legend

STEPHEN BAYLEY • The Aesthete

ROBERT COUCHER • The Driver

IGNITION / Letters

The Spring Auction • Saturday 11th March, Frome, Somerset

Big Issues • The HCVA is the vital professional voice of our £18 billion industry, working tirelessly to protect the future of classic motoring for everyone. Progress has been significant but the ever changing landscape results in this being a constant challenge.

Dishing the dirt • Ever wondered how special a totally original, unrestored Shelby Cobra would feel? This guy should know: as well as the ‘Dirtbag’, he’s owned 50 of them. Preston Lerner finds out more

A NOBLE ENDEAVOUR • The Ascari Ecosse is one of the more obscure supercars of the 1990s, yet being engineered by Lee Noble suggests it could be one of the most thrilling. Glen Waddington finds out

HARDLY THE LAST RESORT • Circuito Ascari is a playground in paradise for petrolheads

The clear leader • This humble 1950 Fiat 1100 was coachbuilt by Castagna with a radical panoramic windscreen. Massimo Delbò enjoys a new perspective from the driving seat

EIGHT into FIVE • This unique DB5 was created by Aston Martin’s Experimental department as a test-bed for its new V8 engine. Peter Tomalin takes the wheel

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN • Hot rod enthusiast Bruce Meyer owns eight of the world’s most desirable 1932 Ford ‘Deuces’ – and the Bob McGee Roadster is a personal favourite. In this extract from his recent book, Ken Gross explains why it’s so significant

Peter Dumbreck • You may...