Automotive
Octane
DREAM INTO ACTION
For one entrepreneur, the lure of Italian beauty with American power was not enough: it needed German build quality, too. The result was the Bitter CD
8 min |
January 2023
Octane
DESERT RIDER
In 1986, one privateer tackled the Paris-Dakar in his own very special Range Rover Audi Quattro Proto. This is its story
7 min |
January 2023
Octane
Heat & light
The Maserati A6G/54 is a thinly disguised racer with just enough civility for the road - beautifully wrapped in ultra-lightweight Zagato bodywork. Peter Tomalin is treated to a rare thrill
9 min |
January 2023
Octane
The factor
2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the Mini Cooper S and this example is the oldest survivor. Mark Dixon tells the story of a Mini that has truly lived a life
10+ min |
January 2023
Octane
The friendlier face of Ferrari
AN OLD MATE of mine, whose parents were Worcestershire farmers in a village just a few miles from where I live, tells a wonderful story from the early 1960s. Knowing him as I do, m absolutely certain it’s true.
6 min |
January 2023
Octane
ROBERT COUCHER The Driver
The expression giant killer’ has become hackneyed these days, but back in the mid-Sixties it certainly applied to John Cooper's reimagining’ of his friend Alec Issigonis’ revolutionary small car.
3 min |
January 2023
Octane
STEPHEN BAYLEY The Aesthete
Prometheus stole fire from the gods, who punished him for his creative impertinence.
3 min |
January 2023
Octane
DEREK BELL The Legend
Just so you know, this column is being lovingly crafted on my birthday.
3 min |
January 2023
Octane
JAY LENO The Collector
There’s nothing quite like opening the throttle of a steam-powered vehicle and feeling the massive torque pushing you forward, like the hand of God.
3 min |
January 2023
Octane
Alex Hornoff
Motul’s oil doctor by day, historic house renovator by night
4 min |
December 2022
Octane
Looking a proper Charlie
I WAS FASCINATED to read about the late Tony Dron and his marvellous Austin Seven above] in Octane 233.
6 min |
December 2022
Octane
MAN & MACHINE True Brit's American muscle
Meet John Hogan and his daily-driven V8 Jaguar XJ6
2 min |
December 2022
Octane
Roaring start for Alpine club
Motorsport-linked Swiss village rejuvenates a prestigious past
2 min |
December 2022
Octane
Big progress on new fuels
Tests of synthetic fuels in historic cars suggest they could be a viable alternative to rampant electrification
4 min |
December 2022
Octane
FIRST of the FEW
In 1925, Bugatti offered a more customer-friendly version of its Type 35 Grand Prix car, which it named the 35A. Mark Dixon drives the prototype
7 min |
December 2022
Octane
CLASS ACT
IT DASHED THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE AND DOWN A FAST FOUR-MILE STRAIGHT WHILE THE ATTENTION OF LOCAL POLICE WAS ELSEWHERE'
8 min |
December 2022
Octane
Robin Shute
From the flattest corner of England to three victories at Pikes Peak, the most celebrated hillclimb in the USA: meet the new (British) King of the Mountain
8 min |
December 2022
Octane
SWISS HIGH-ROLLER
The Basel-based supercar-builder Monteverdi was long shrouded in mystery. After a lifetime of dreaming about it, Marc Sonnery finally gets to drive its definitive GT: the Berlinetta
7 min |
December 2022
Octane
WHEELS & WAVES
A cruise along the central western coast of Portugal uncovers a unique but growing classic car scene driven by surfers, who chase the swell in vintage vehicles
8 min |
December 2022
Octane
HOW TO WIN PRIZES (and influence judges)
Take a rookie concours entrant, an obsessively restored Ferrari, a curious Octane editor and set them loose at Salon Privé. James Elliott reveals all
9 min |
December 2022
Octane
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LAGONDA...
...and so much more. Peter Tomalin celebrates the life and works of a remarkable design talent - with special guest stars from Aston Martin, including DBS V8 and Bulldog
10+ min |
December 2022
Octane
Scheckter's timely stash
For someone claiming little interest in watches, the F1 star has quite a collection
3 min |
October 2022
Octane
Compact Disc
It was the future, once. And there's still something good about holding a physical embodiment of a sound source
3 min |
October 2022
Octane
Ford Thunderbird
After 20 years, is this retro-styled T-Bird worthy of re-evaluation?
3 min |
October 2022
Octane
National Museum of Arts and History, Dublin, Ireland
Ireland's turbulent past explained - and a Guinness to enjoy
3 min |
October 2022
Octane
HERO'S RETURN
This Singer Le Mans once belonged to a tail-gunner from the intrepid wartime Dambusters mission. John Simister retraces its old Air Force haunts
9 min |
October 2022
Octane
WUNDERCAR!
It's 70 years since Mercedes-Benz won at Le Mans in the 300SL Gullwing. Here we go again
10+ min |
October 2022
Octane
Alan Gow
Meet the BTCC boss who turned unknown drivers of souped-up repmobiles into household-name heroes of the racetrack
7 min |
October 2022
Octane
WATER WAY TO TRAVEL
In 1933, Niniette III set a World Water Speed Record. In 2022, John Simister braves the newly restored Bugatti-powered hydroplane
9 min |
October 2022
Octane
Anna-Louise Felstead
You'll see her on the concours circuit, rendering the scenes surreal in ink or paint
4 min |