Octane

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

The Octagon hits a century

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NEXT MONTH • ISSUE 259, ON SALE 27 NOVEMBER

Octane

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Ignition • EVENTS + NEWS + OPINION

Dates for your diary

BOOK NOW! • Some of these events may seem a long way off, but you’ll need to secure your place now if you want to take part

IHMA shortlists revealed • Awards judges have their work cut out choosing between these contenders

Vote for Car of the Year!

All change at Essen

3 ISSUES FOR JUST £5*

Jay Leno • It’s not all glamour among the original Jet Set crowd

Derek Bell • Our hero swears blind that he’s not grumbling

Stephen Bayley • In difficult times, noise is a new definition of artistic endeavour

Robert Coucher • Why elegance in motion is now more important than condition

Spyker’s first supercar

Celebrating the MG Centenary with 100 MARQUE-DEFINING MOMENTS • Against all odds, the MG name has survived for a century. We highlight a hundred key moments in the marque’s often turbulent history

RACE-BRED BEAUTY • Seventy years since it shocked the world on its debut, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing remains a staple for collectors worldwide. Richard Heseltine finds out why

GULLWING: STILL FLYING HIGH? • Every serious collector needs one, but values have near-doubled since 2020. So what next?

SPEED MERCHANT • Alex Xydias was the late founder of the legendary So-Cal Speed Shop. Here his friend Tony Thacker recalls a life devoted to hot rodding

GEN Z • BMW’s Z cars told of a new sports car future, starred in a Bond film, and saw a slow roadster become a rapid coupé. One stands above the rest – and you might be surprised which

CLUB CLASS • Do you enjoy driving in France? Love the Dordogne? Then a new car club based around a restored château could be your dream home-from-home

Dave Brodie • From saloon car racing to turbocharging road cars via Star Wars, Dave Brodie has been making things go faster since the 1960s

Star of India • Built to see if ‘the best car in the world’ could be made even better, this Sports Phantom prototype was first owned by an Indian maharajah

THE HOLY ’GRALE • Richard Heseltine drives the unique Autec Delta Integrale Evo 1 Martini 6 prototype, built by Lancia’s skunkworks to commemorate six World Rally Championships

BACK FOR MORE! • Martini-style stripes reappear on the Lancia Ypsilon Rally 4 HF

The junkyard dawg • The Rudi Klein collection has been whispered about for decades, but who was the man that amassed it?

LE MANS AT THE DOUBLE • This Frazer Nash uniquely contested Le Mans as two different models and has been with one owner for the past 55 years

Happy days are here again • 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI

OCTANE’S FLEET • These are the cars – and ’bikes – run by Octane’s staff and contributors

Voyage of the Alfanaut • 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider

Quality, but at what price? • 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom

Life in the open • 1999 Porsche Boxster and 1989 BMW 320i convertible

OTHER NEWS

Forwards to the future • 1981 Electrogenic DeLorean DMC-12

Ultima power • 2024 Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima

Eric Thompson • A rare talent who put life before racing and called it quits after the horrors of Le Mans 1955

Povilas Eitutis • Founder of Automuziejus Vilnius, a 110-exhibit Lithuanian motor museum opened in 2023

Lava Lamp • The essential psychedelic accoutrement, your own personal light show to complement Interstellar Overdrive by The Pink Floyd

Shop swap • A...