Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Motor Sport Magazine

There’s are a certain symmetry to the fact that this issue contains both a celebration of Renault’s pioneering turbo era and also of the sleeping Formula 1 giant that is Williams Racing. Throughout the 1990s the team that Frank built and the state-owned French F1 engine manufacturer dominated the sport beating pretty much allcomers. Only Benetton managed to break the hegemony by taking the constructors’ title in 1995 (using Renault power of course) and preventing Williams claiming six successive victories between 1992-97. Who then would have thought that the bitter title victory in Jerez for Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 would secure the last world title for Williams for 28 years and counting. Then again as Mark Hughes explains in his forensic style on page 50, Williams has never been an…

Drivers who won races at Reims didn’t have far to go for a glass or two of champagne. This wonderful old circuit, where slipstreaming down the super-fast straights was thrilling to behold, used undulating public roads through the wine country near the city of Reims. This was a circuit that favoured the brave and the late brakers, in the days before DRS trains and ‘dirty air’ made racing at close quarters so difficult. One of the fastest tracks of its time, the challenge of Reims was also a twisty section with some swift corners that required perfect set-up. Originally conceived in 1926 as the Circuit Reims-Gueux, named after the local village, the roads were used for the Grand Prix de La Marne and the Reims 12 Hours – a sports…

If it’s September 1, the IndyCar season must be over and done with. In terms of the championship, the drama ended on August 10 as a third-place finish at Portland guaranteed Álex Palou his fourth series championship in the last five years. That’s a statistic of historical significance, achieved before only by AJ Foyt (four USAC titles between 1960-64), Sébastien Bourdais (2004-07 Champ Car) and Dario Franchitti (2007-11 IRL). And Palou has only gotten better since embarking on this streak when he joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. This was his most dominating performance yet, with eight wins in the first 15 races; he could match the record of 10 set by Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970 if he sweeps the final two ovals that wrap up…

You’ll not have failed to notice that electric vehicles are now being thrown at us thick and fast, and I’m afraid to report that most I drive are still heavy, expensive, compromised and nothing like as good as the cars they’re intended to replace. Which may go some way to explaining why the public has been rather less welcoming of them than the government had either expected or wanted. What I find interesting is that the most convincing EVs I’ve driven of late are not twoand-a-half tonne behemoths with six-figure price tags and four-figure power outputs, but those of decidedly more modest aspirations. Like these. That the new Renault 4 is a terrific example of its art should be no great surprise. I’ve already written in glowing terms about the…

In August 2020 Dorilton Capital purchased Williams from the Williams family for a reported £152m. Its mission statement was to return Williams to the top, investing however much time and money it would take. Easy to say, and predictably it was greeted with a certain degree of ‘heard it all before’ cynicism. But five years on, it’s a vastly improved team from that of 2019, albeit still progressing towards the light after so many years in the darkness. Dorilton, as it promised, is standing firm behind its commitment to its investment, helped no doubt by the increase in value of F1 itself since the purchase and therefore all the franchise teams within. Williams is steadily being dragged into the 21st century but it’s a long haul. As Paddy Lowe observed…

Thirty years ago, in September 1995, David Coulthard scored the first of his eventual 13 grand prix wins at only his 21st attempt, and what turned out to be his only victory in a Williams. There could – should – have been more in the benchmark team of the decade. But after just one full season the Scot, then 24, walked away from arguably the best car he’d ever drive (the FW17 is certainly still his personal favourite), and turned his back on a chance to go head-to-head with Damon Hill for the 1996 world title. Who knows how that might have turned out? Then again, Coulthard had good reason. In fact, you could argue he was left with little choice, as he switched to a McLaren team winless for…

here can be few more genteel supercar showrooms than the one situated in the Orangery at Tollerton Hall, the magnificent Nottinghamshire stately home owned by entrepreneur and avid car collector Ian Kershaw. In business since 2017 and co-owned by Kershaw and manager Gary Tolson, Kaaimans has established a well-deserved reputation for stocking and selling some of the best and most interesting modern and classic collector cars on the market. Which probably explains why the 2016 Aston Martin Vulcan pictured here is not the first but the sixth example of the 24 cars built to have passed through the Orangery doors. Launched at the erstwhile Geneva Motor Show in 2015, the Vulcan drew gasps from punters and industry figures alike when the wraps came off, with its spectacular lines penned by…

1976 FORD ESCORT RS1800 SOLD BY HISTORICS AUCTIONEERS, £276,848 If anyone had suggested 20 years ago that a Mk2 Ford Escort would sell for more than a quarter of a million pounds, they would have been laughed out of court. Times have changed and the RS1800 has become one of the most collectible fast Fords of all. Just 109 were made to homologate the car for international rallying, with Ari Vatanen using one to win the 1981 WRC championship. This example represented a once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy an RS1800 that began life as a press car before being sold in 1977 to the family which consigned it. Just 24,186 miles on the clock, and pristine and original. 2010 MORGAN 4/4 ‘THE HORNSLETH NO1’ SOLD BY BONHAMS, £10,925 Easy to spot…

This incredible collection of Formula 1 machinery lined up at Silverstone before the circuit’s F1-75-tinged Festival – 34 cars representing all F1 world champions since 1950. Of course, Silverstone is where it all begun on that spring afternoon 75 years ago in a race won by Nino Farina in an Alfa Romeo 158 – an example of which you’ll notice at the front of the grid sitting next to Sir Jackie Stewart’s 1973 Tyrrell 006. So Silverstone Festival went out with a bang. After more than a decade at Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire, CarFest will be taking its place for August Bank Holiday ’26. Plans are afoot for a retro-racing event – working title Silverstone Classic – in July 2026 to give fans their fix of on-track action. But for…

LE MANS CLASSIC, JULY 3-6 A thoroughly enjoyable week – 238,000 spectators, 800 race cars, 900 drivers. I’m told for spectating it’s more enjoyable than the actual 24 Hours. I was with Rolf Sigrist and his Chevron B19 run by Ombra Racing in plateau five. Unfortunately we had electrical gremlins, but we got a fastest lap and had a brilliant time. Also, I drove in the Endurance Racing Legends support race with John Emberson and his Corvette, and in plateau three his 1962 Morgan Plus 4 Series 1 run by Brian Gateson of marque specialist Techniques. We ended up seventh, in good company with a Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Maserati ‘Birdcage’, Jaguar D-type and Lister Costin. Fortunately for us it rained in the third race, which gave us a chance…

Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons gave few interviews in his lifetime, which is why this slim but pricey volume, published 40 years after his death, has such value. As is evident from the title – Sir William Lyons on Jaguar – this is the Jaguar story in Sir William’s own words. As he explains in his introduction, prolific motoring author Giles Chapman chanced upon the text of an address Sir William delivered to the Institute of the Motor Industry in April 1969, titled The History of Jaguar and the Future of the Specialised Car in the British Motor Industry. “The simple rationale of this book,” Chapman explains, “is to share his spoken words with the wider Jaguar-supporting community for the first time, by reproducing them exactly as they were delivered…

“It was fantastic for me – I had team-mates who were world champions,” Nigel Mansell boomed from the balcony of Goodwood House at July’s Festival of Speed F1-75 celebration. “Keke Rosberg, Alain [Prost], Nelson Piquet, Mario Andretti – and when you’re the number two driver beating them, they just don’t like it. Ha!” Only the inimitable Red 5 could choose such a moment to self-aggrandise and still have the crowd lapping it up. In Ed Foster’s December 2015 piece, we get Mansell’s full verdict on the biggest characters he came into contact with in a roller-coaster racing career. The man from Birmingham famously had a difficult relationship with Lotus boss Peter Warr in the opening phase of his career, but prior to that had been signed by founder Colin Chapman…

June 21 produced one of those ‘Is the glass half-empty or half-full?’ moments for IndyCar fans. The IndyCar Series formally confirmed a new car to replace the ancient Dallara chassis in use since 2012 is finally forthcoming – in 2028. Taken in isolation, any fresh technology on the way is good news for a series that has been unable to regain the popularity it enjoyed 25-30 years ago before a destructive battle for control of the sport drove away fans, sponsors and manufacturers. But there’s also a strong sense that the appearance of a new Dallara spec car – built to essentially the same technical formula that has evolved over the past 15 years – could be too little, too late to revive a form of racing that veered off…

Ah, 1985: heart of the decade of Cold War superpowers and Dayglo socks. The year of Marty McFly and Back to the Future – “You made a time machine – out of a DeLorean?” Dodgy Sylvester Stallone action hero sequels Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. A James Bond movie too far for dear old Roger Moore and his Duran Duran-soundtracked A View to a Kill. Jennifer Rush’s ultimate pop ballad The Power of Love selling 7” vinyl by the million (1.2 million to be precise), as Dire Straits earnt Money for Nothing on Brothers in Arms compact discs (unscratchable and unbreakable, apparently). Meanwhile, there was No Jacket Required for Phil Collins, Madonna was properly getting into her groove… and Bob Geldof shouted at us on the telly…

● Shape yourself and you might still get a few sunshine-soaked drives in 2025 in this recently refreshed 1968 CITROËN DS21 DECAPOTABLE IVANOFF, inset, right – which has a link to F1. MAX VERSTAPPEN was its passenger in 2019 on a drivers’ parade at Spa, where he signed the glove compartment. It’s on sale with MOTORVAULT in Loughborough for £155k. ● Online car-buying platform CARWOW has published its annual DRIVER POWER SURVEY, where thousands of new car owners share their thoughts on such things as reliability, interior space, safety features, value and driving experience. For the second year, SUBARU is king of the makers; TESLA drops from the Top 10 to 11th; and MG sits last in 31st. ● In the hands of ELIO DE ANGELIS this LOTUS 87, left,…

As Bruce McLaren drove his Mercedes to Goodwood that fateful June day in 1970 he will have passed wheat fields of golden promise not quite ready for harvest. His own team, founded four years earlier, was in a similar state; not quite ready yet but with a bountiful harvest to come. Poor Bruce didn’t get to see the glories his efforts would yield – and is continuing to yield – across three evolutions and six decades. The original version of the team was taken to glory by his partner Teddy Mayer but by 1980 was facing potential oblivion, only rescued by the ambition and vision of Ron Dennis. And so the second generation of the team took shape and in time came to redefine what an F1 team was. But…

This is a what? A Garagisti & Co. Nope, we’ve never heard of it either, and it’s already an autocorrect nightmare – ‘garaging’, ‘gargling’ and even ‘garbage’ have been unwanted substitutes. It doesn’t roll off the tongue. It certainly does not, but what does sound good is this – GP1. Designed to be a very analogue supercar in a very modern world. Although it’s a brand-new British company, it has assembled some key partners to help on this limited (and expensive) project. Like who? At the heart of the GP1 is a new 6.6-litre V12 engine by Italtecnica, which used to make racing Lancias, Alfas and Ferraris – remember the awesome 550 Maranello? Garagisti & Co reckons 9000rpm, 800bhp and over 700Nm of torque will be possible and it’ll be…

email: editorial@motorsportmagazine.com Your feature Great Lost Circuits reminds me each month of the Marlboro Motor Speedway in the States, right. This compact 1.8-mile track had nothing to do with the famous brand of cigarettes, but was so named because of its proximity to the town of Upper Marlboro in the state of Maryland. Not a ‘great’ circuit by any stretch of the imagination, but one that has a certain significance for UK racing historians. I was a student at Georgetown University, Washington DC, in the 1960s and attended race meetings at Marlboro on a regular basis. It was used mainly for local SCCA events including the annual Marlboro 12 Hours for touring cars. This was held from 1961 to 1966, before the track closed down in 1969 for safety reasons.…

It had seemed just a temporary setback for Williams when its engine partner Renault withdrew from F1 at the end of 1997. Yes, it meant a couple of seasons as a customer team, but the link with BMW had already been made and in time that was surely going to become the new gold standard partnership. After all, Williams had bestridden the sport for two decades, often steamrollering the opposition with outrageous performance superiority regardless of which manufacturer’s engine was in the back of the cars. It had made world champions out of Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve (as well as adding titles to the rosters of Nelson Piquet and Alain Prost). No team had ever been the fastest for so long. So the…

“I remember an early 1978 argument over the chassis of the RS10 and the use of the engine,” said Renault Formula 1 team driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille. “Whether to put a twin turbo in it and modify the chassis to a ground-effect car. I thought ground-effect was obvious because Lotus were doing it already. Some people in the aerodynamics department at Renault Sport thought we could achieve greater efficiency going out of the corners, but there were others who were against the twin turbo and the ground-effect system. “I was in favour of a ground-effect car with twin turbos,” Jabouille added, “but some were not convinced. So we made a ground-effect car with a single turbo. I was certain that it wasn’t a good idea after I had run a race…

The Sea Lion automotive name might have been nabbed by modern-day electric vehicle maker BYD but, back in 2012, it was aptly used on the remarkable creation you see pictured here – which was once fantastically described as ‘the world’s fastest amphibious car’. The Sea Lion is just one of the 275 lots of cars and motorcycles and 1000 lots of automobilia being dispersed from the estate of the late Larry Klairmont, a decorated WWII marine who went on to make his fortune in property cleaning and real estate. Clearly a fan of the unusual, his collection also includes a 1990 Pulse Litestar Autocycle (think: jet-fighter cockpit on wheels), a Pebble Beach concours-winning Rolls-Royce Phantom III with aerodynamic bodywork and a 1956 Continental bubble top custom car with a Perspex…