Octane Magazine
Encyclopedia
Octane is a British
car magazine
, published monthly, and concentrating on classic and performance cars. It was launched in 2003 and is now published by Dennis Publishing
. The magazine features news, road tests and buyers guides of both classic cars and some modern performance cars. It also has an extensive for sale section, showing cars from all around the world. It has a cover price of £4.50 in the United Kingdom
and sells an average of 35,000 copies.
The Octane office is situated in Wollaston, Northamptonshire
.
), but came away with the germ of an idea about a classic magazine that focused on the upper end of the market.
Classic & Sportscar and Classic Cars were publishing magazines that satisfied a broad cross section of collectors from the very top of the market to the more workaday cars, but there was nothing really targeting the collector, or the serious enthusiast who wanted to extend his knowledge.
A team was quickly put together consisting of Robert Coucher, previously editor of Classic Cars during its heyday; Sanjay Seetanah, ex Classic & Sportscar 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 EMAP Motoring.
The editorial concept was established and the business plan created. All the team now required was funding. Obtaining finance for a magazine launch is not easy, but Sanjay was a Crystal Palace fan and knew another fan who revealed he had Simon Jordan's phone number on his mobile. In a drunken moment Sanjay challenged his friend to call the Crystal Palace Chairman and see if he wanted to invest 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 board room of the Grosvenor House Hotel being grilled by Simon, his tax adviser, and financial advisor in a scene reminiscent of the Dragon's Den. During the day Simon had been presented to by 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 invest the money.
That was February 2003, and the magazine launched on the 15 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 magazine's circulation still represents under 40% of the total circulation of market leader, Classic & Sports Car. Octane is beautifully produced, but is frequently accused of going for style over substance.
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.
International Editor: Robert Coucher
Deputy Editor: Mark Dixon
Production Editor: Glen Waddington
Art Editor: Mark Sommer
Designer: Robert Hefferon
Assistant Editor: Keith Adams
Columnists: Nick Mason
, Jay Leno
, Brian Johnson
, Tony Dron
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
car magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, published monthly, and concentrating on classic and performance cars. It was launched in 2003 and is now published by Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing Ltd. is an independent publisher. It was founded in 1974.As of April 2010 the company publishes 31 magazine or online titles, predominately in the UK....
. The magazine features news, road tests and buyers guides of both classic cars and some modern performance cars. It also has an extensive for sale section, showing cars from all around the world. It has a cover price of £4.50 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and sells an average of 35,000 copies.
The Octane office is situated in Wollaston, Northamptonshire
Wollaston, Northamptonshire
Wollaston is a large village in the borough of Wellingborough. in Eastern Northamptonshire, England. The name is derived from the Saxon "Wulfaf's Town" - named after a Saxon chief of that name.-Wollaston Today:...
.
The Octane story
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 CarPractical Performance Car Magazine
Practical Performance Car Magazine is a British car magazine published monthly by Blockhead Media. The magazine uses the strap-lines "Performance Tuning for Grown Ups" and "Building, tuning & buying real-world performance cars"....
), but came away with the germ of an idea about a classic magazine that focused on the upper end of the market.
Classic & Sportscar and Classic Cars were publishing magazines that satisfied a broad cross section of collectors from the very top of the market to the more workaday cars, but there was nothing really targeting the collector, or the serious enthusiast who wanted to extend his knowledge.
A team was quickly put together consisting of Robert Coucher, previously editor of Classic Cars during its heyday; Sanjay Seetanah, ex Classic & Sportscar 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 EMAP Motoring.
The editorial concept was established and the business plan created. All the team now required was funding. Obtaining finance for a magazine launch is not easy, but Sanjay was a Crystal Palace fan and knew another fan who revealed he had Simon Jordan's phone number on his mobile. In a drunken moment Sanjay challenged his friend to call the Crystal Palace Chairman and see if he wanted to invest 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 board room of the Grosvenor House Hotel being grilled by Simon, his tax adviser, and financial advisor in a scene reminiscent of the Dragon's Den. During the day Simon had been presented to by 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 invest the money.
That was February 2003, and the magazine launched on the 15 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 magazine's circulation still represents under 40% of the total circulation of market leader, Classic & Sports Car. Octane is beautifully produced, but is frequently accused of going for style over substance.
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.
The team
Editor: David LillywhiteInternational Editor: Robert Coucher
Deputy Editor: Mark Dixon
Production Editor: Glen Waddington
Art Editor: Mark Sommer
Designer: Robert Hefferon
Assistant Editor: Keith Adams
Columnists: Nick Mason
Nick Mason
Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
, Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson is an English singer and lyricist who has been the lead singer for the rock band AC/DC since 1980. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with the other members of the band....
, Tony Dron
Content
Regular features include:- Glossy features on the finest classic and performance cars
- News and market analysis
- Icon
- Gone But Not Forgotten
- Day in the life of
- Time with
- Automobilia
- Buyer's guides