‘My mother recounted something that happened when I was away from home at boarding school in 1960-64.
‘A red Ferrari came to a halt on the main Worcester to Hereford road at the bottom of the drive to my parents’ farmhouse in Leigh Sinton. The driver walked up to the farmhouse to enquire where the nearest garage might be.
“He was met by my mother, who offered him a cup of tea whilst she contacted a Mr Cyril Dyson, the local garage owner.
The fault was rectified and, before going on his way, the visitor left his card and invited my mother and father to visit him and his car factory at Modena in Italy at a time to suit themselves. It was Enzo Ferrari.
‘Not being a car enthusiast, my father never took up the invitation. Perhaps it would have been more fitting if my father had met Ferruccio Lamborghini when he arrived home that day rather than Enzo Ferrari. Had it been a tractor rather than a sports car, then the outcome might have been different!’
Ian Smith, Worcestershire
Bouncing balls
In his article on Richard Trevor-Roper’s Singer Le Mans, Octane 232, John Simister states that the bouncing bomb that destroyed the Ruhr dams was a giant oil drum: This is not correct. The bouncing bomb was spherical.
The earlier trial bombs were indeed oil drum-like’ but were replaced by the spherical design when it was found that the oil drums didn’t bounce straight on hitting the water. This was proved in slow-motion film taken by Louis Klemantaski, the famous period photographer.
During tests, Klemantaski filmed the dropping of the oil drum version and showed that, when it hit the water, it dug in one side or the other and veered off line. This film is readily available for anyone to see.
Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin January 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin January 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The Pro route to faster lap times
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+
The power to corrupt
2024 Aston Martin Vanquish
Hyperactivate!
1967 Austin-Cooper MkII 998 by Crafted Classics Tuning Glen Waddington
De Tomaso Racing Blue Blood
IF THE MARQUE De Tomaso is mainly familiar to you through cars such as the Mangusta, the Pantera, maybe the Longchamps and, if you're next-level classic car geek, racers such as the P70, then the sheer variety to be found in this mammoth tome is going to come as something of a shock. There are literally dozens profiled here, and one or two will probably be news to even the most seasoned enthusiast.
The best watch in the world
We've been here, but it bears repeating these gems will soon be cheaper than a 1st class stamp
A star is reborn
This recently revived coachbuilt beauty made the final four at the Pebble Beach concours in August
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
The gyroscopically stabilised Gyro-X blurred the line between reality and science fiction. Sam Glover takes the prototype for a spin
SAYONARA GT-R
After a remarkable 17-year career, the supercar-humbling Nissan GT-R bows out on a high
Shiro Nakamura
Nissan’s long-standing Chief Creative Officer became architect of the marque’s style-led revival… and is also known as ‘Mr GT-R’
LIGHT SPARKS
How does the electric Tesla Roadster compare today?