Octane

Octane is a premium monthly magazine celebrating over 100 years of automotive design, from classic Bentleys to the latest BMW. We have been at the heart of the motoring industry for seventeen years, so we know our stuff when it comes to classic cars. Written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, the magazine captures the exclusivity and excitement of the classic car world so you can experience it all wherever you are.

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR

FEATURING…

NEXT MONTH • ISSUE 277, ON SALE 27 MAY

Octane

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Ignition • EVENTS + NEWS + OPINION

Dates for your diary

Speed icons are lined up for Wilton • There will be a distinct Land Speed Record flavour to the inaugural Concours des Légendes, which takes place in Wiltshire in June

Life of Gandini celebrated

Jay Leno • Why progress is the enemy of accidents – and connection

Derek Bell • In racing as elsewhere, variety is the spice of life

Stephen Bayley • When in Venice, do as the Venetians do

Robert Coucher • The joys (and otherwise) of racing at Le Mans

Elise elation

THE LAPS OF THE GODS • Le Mans has been legendary since 1923. These are the most heroic victories from 2232 hours of truly arduous racing

NEW AGE HERO • The Valhalla takes no lessons from any Aston Martin before it – and it’s all the more extraordinary for that

MILORD, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN • No stranger to concours victory, this stunning 1936 Delage D6-70 Milord Cabriolet by Figoni et Falaschi is a reminder of greatness lost

LESSONS LEARNT • Driving a prototype of next year’s four-door GT alongside some of the marque’s greatest hits reveals how Jaguar is translating past glories into the future

Hail THE Saviours • Rev Adam Gompertz has dedicated his life to helping others. Now a television show has repaid a public debt by restoring his beloved Rover P4

STAR QUALITY • The Cizeta-Moroder V16T was a supercar like no other, engineered, designed and funded by superstars. And this is the very first of an ultra-rare line

Sam Battle • As Look Mum No Computer, he is this year’s UK Eurovision entry. But musician Sam Battle has been a hands-on car enthusiast for far longer

DRUM ROLE • Veteran drummer Peter Boita needed appropriate transport for his kit through thick London traffic. Cue the restoration of a 1970 Porsche 911T Sportomatic

MISSION IMPROBABLE • A three-month journey across 20 nations from London to Singapore, encountering tricky geo-politics via impossibly remote locations – and all in vintage cars. What could possibly go wrong?

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

Old, not obsolete • 1924 Dodge & 1930 Ford

Overdrive • Other interesting cars we’ve been driving

Alan Hess • The mastermind behind Austin’s globetrotting stunts of the 1950s was the master of many trades

Ollie Crosthwaite • Coachbuilder and engineer extraordinaire, famed for recreating some of the world’s greatest might-have-beens and long lost cars

Klipschorn speakers • Big box sound, in production for 80 years

Beauty beyond the bean-counters • Watchworld has an admirable track record of valuing traditional skills and materials over cost

The Bugatti Type 59

Tamiya R/C Porsche 934 50th Anniversary Model

Ferrari and Porsche star in single-owner sales • Personal collections of Fritz Neuser and Magnus Walker go under the hammer

TOP 10 PRICES MARCH 2026

Early vs late: the eternal dilemma • Later, more developed models are usually better, but there’s huge value in purity, even if...