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Octane is a British car magazine, published monthly, focused on classic and performance cars. It was launched in 2003 and is now published by Autovia Limited.[2] The magazine features news, road tests and buyers' guides of classic cars and some modern performance cars. It also has a "For Sale" section that lists cars from all around the world.
 Octane Magazine, April 2009 | |
| Editor | James Elliott |
|---|---|
| Categories | Motoring, Cars |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Total circulation (June 2016) | 38,428 [1] |
| First issue | June 2003 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | London |
| Website | subscribe |
| ISSN | 1740-0023 |
It has a cover price of £5.99 in the United Kingdom and sells an average of 35,000 copies.[3] The Octane office is situated in Wollaston, Northamptonshire.
History edit
Octane Magazine was launched in May 2003 following a chance meeting between David Lillywhite and Geoff Love. They were invited to a meeting to discuss the launch of a motoring magazine (eventually to be launched as Practical Performance Car) but came away with the idea for a classic magazine that focused on the upper end market.
A team was quickly put together consisting of Robert Coucher, previously editor of Classic Cars during its heyday; Sanjay Seetanah, ex Classic & Sports car and Classic Cars Advertising Manager; David Lillywhite, ex-deputy editor on Classic Cars and freelance writer for a number of publications, and Geoff Love, ex Publishing Director at E MAP (now Bauer) Automotive.
Classic & Sportscar and Classic Cars were publishing magazines that targeted a broad range of cars, from restoration projects to exotic supercars. However, there was nothing really targeting the serious collector, the historic racing driver, or the devoted enthusiast. This gap in the market was the opportunity that the team of four identified and where Octane was to make its entrance.
The editorial concept was established, and the business plan was created. All the team needed was funding. Obtaining finance for a magazine launch is not easy, but Sanjay, a Crystal Palace fan, knew another supporter who revealed he had Simon Jordan's phone number on his mobile. In a moment of drunken inspiration, Sanjay challenged his friend to call the Crystal Palace Chairman and see if he was interested in investing in a classic car magazine.
As luck would have it, Simon was looking for investments, and a couple of weeks later the four found themselves in the boardroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel being grilled by Simon, his tax advisor and financial advisor in a scene reminiscent of the Dragon's Den. During the day, Simon had been presented to five other potential entrepreneurs, and the Octane presentation came at 5.30pm.
After an hour of tough questions, Simon turned to his advisers and agreed to make the investment.
That was February 2003, and the magazine launched on 15th May of that year. The magazine achieved critical acclaim within the market very early on, and advertisers were prepared to support the magazine. Commercial success was slower to follow, but over time circulation grew to over 30,000 per issue.
The initial business plan outlined a trade sale within a three to five-year period as the most likely exit strategy for Simon Jordan, and it also identified Dennis Publishing as the most likely buyer. It was no coincidence that Octane took evo as its template in terms of production values and physical size. Remarkably, Dennis Publishing made an initial contact to say they liked what Octane was doing within six months of launch, and indicated they would be following its progress.
They had recently acquired evo magazine, so Octane would make a good fit in their portfolio.
It was three years later that Dennis expressed a real interest in the acquisition of Octane magazine, and this led to the purchase in May 2007. Since then the magazine has gone from strength to strength, with the founding team still at the helm. In addition to the version for the United Kingdom, Octane is now published in Italy, The Netherlands, Germany and Sweden. A Japanese and an Argentine edition launched in 2013.
In 2021, Octane and the rest of Dennis Publishing's automotive assets were spun-off to an independent company, Autovia.
The team edit
Editor: James Elliot
International Editor: Robert Coucher
Deputy Editor: Mark Dixon
Production Editor: Glen Waddington
Art Editor: Mark Sommer
Designer: Robert Hefferon
Staff writer: Matthew Hayward
Columnists: Nick Mason, Jay Leno, Brian Johnson, Tony Dron
Content edit
Regular features include:
- Glossy features on the classic and performance cars
- News and market analysis
- Icon
- Gone But Not Forgotten
- Day in the life of
- Time with
- Automobilia
- Buyer's guides
References edit
- ^ "Mag ABCs: Full circulation round-up for the first half of 2013". Press Gazette. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ "Country Life owner buys Dennis Publishing in £300m deal". the Guardian. 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Octane at Dennis Publishing". Dennis.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2011.