Up periscope

Design is not a democracy.” Such a bold statement, wonderfully out of tune with modern group-think, could only apply to a car as radical as the Lotus Esprit. These words were only uttered today by Gio

It all started with Jean Rédélé razzing around in his Renault 4CV. The youngest Renault dealer in France following WW2, Rédélé cut his teeth – metaphorically, but perhaps also those of the transmissio

1939 Alvis 12/70 Special, 1958 Austin-Healey Sprite, 1972 Porsche 911T Berthold Dörrich WHEN MY BRITISH colleagues approached me as the publisher of Octane’s German edition to contribute to this secti

If it hadn’t been for a keen online rival bidder, you would now be reading about how I’d just bought a Renault Avantime and how I was embarking on an ill-judged foray into weird French car ownership.

The obvious question is whether it would have been easier to soup-up a stock Europa rather than streetify a 47. It’s a fair one, too, especially if you are unfamiliar with quite how different a Type 4

‘They’re actually the same rear tyres as a Lamborghini Countach’s.’ A fun fact dispensed by this car’s eager owner, Dominic Taylor-Lane, as I’m hunched down behind it. It measures two full metres acro