Andrew Frankel

2 weeks ago | goodwood.com | Andrew Frankel

It was not always this way. As my mind spools back half a century, I am reminded of the circumstances in which Derek Bell took the first of his five wins in the French classic. I am reminded too, that to this day only Jacky Ickx and Tom Kristensen have won more.

3 weeks ago | motorsportmagazine.com | Andrew Frankel

Porsche’s 917 wasn’t a beacon of safety at the best of times, but its 1971 challenger stands as perhaps its most radical evolution. Stunning in its classic Martini Racing livery, beneath those stripes lay a car that pushed boundaries like never before. Now you can recreate the legend thanks to this new addition to the Pocher 1:8 kits range. Founded in Italy 60 years ago and now part of the Hornby family, Pocher creates super-detailed recreations of some of history’s finest cars.

3 weeks ago | motorsportmagazine.com | Andrew Frankel

The success of a track test depends on the car, the environment and its owner. The car was Porsche 917 chassis 22, painted to look like its Le Mans-winning sister chassis 23. Its greatest claim to fame was to be camera car for the Steve McQueen Le Mans movie. The environment was a dry and deserted Silverstone, the owner you know. Just like the winner, chassis 22 had a 4.5-litre engine and short tail – even so I thought 580bhp in a car weighing little more than 800kg enough to be getting on with.

3 weeks ago | motorsportmagazine.com | Andrew Frankel

Richard Attwood strides into the pub, dapper as ever just days after his 85th birthday, and greets me with an enormous grin. The pub is significant, not for what, but where it is. When we were arranging our meeting he insisted on knowing the precise route I’d be taking from my home in the Wye Valley to his in the Midlands because he wanted to make sure it was as convenient for me as possible. If you know Richard, this will surprise you not in the very least.

3 weeks ago | motorsportmagazine.com | Andrew Frankel

It gives me no pleasure to say it, but the only true BMW M car of recent times to which I’ve felt a proper connection is the baby of them all, the M2. As an alternative to a Porsche Cayman for those in need of rear seats it’s the possible choice you can make. It could be lighter – a lot lighter indeed – but it’s quite compact, well-balanced, more than fast enough and once properly wound up, really good fun.