The world’s premier spectacle of history and racing, the Goodwood Festival of Speed betters itself with each passing year. We give you a short glimpse into the 2013 edition, as the Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Goodwood has always been a spectacle, as it gives car lovers the unique opportunity to witness some of the finestmachines ever produced. Naturally, this draws enthusiasts to the festival in droves, eager to see their heroes – inthe metal, and in flesh and blood.
The success of the event – conceived by Lord March, in who’s premises it’s held – has meant that it’s grown tremendously over the years. The fact that 195,000 people attended the Festival of Speed this year – its 20th edition – is testament to the popularity of this unique event. The lineup, of course, was stellar – with over 150 star drivers from around the globe, and over 500 vehicles of all typestaking part in the event.
The headliners this year were dominated by anniversaries – apart from Goodwood’s 20th, it was also the 50th anniversary of the iconic Porsche 911, McLaren, and, of course, Lamborghini. The premier display outside Goodwood House was a 911 inspired sculpture, towering over the rest of the show.As one would expect, this year’s festival was full of 911’s from all seven generations, as well as the various racing and rallying versions spawned over the years. So, apart from the road cars, there were also race and rally 911’s produced over the years, including the 2.7 RS, 911 Dakar, and 911 GT1 racecar.
Of course, there were other legendary Porsche’s too, such as the all-conquering 917, 956, and the fascinating flat-nose 935 ‘Moby Dick’ – with its mammoth whale-tail bodywork, which inspired the famous name. Porsche also took this opportunity to showcase their upcoming sports car, the 918 Spyder, which, with its Hybrid powertrain, promises to offer an all-new level of performance and efficiency. Needless to say, it’s achingly good to look at, and promises to be a cracker of a machine.
McLaren, of course, celebrated their anniversary in style with a lovely exhibit showcasing their famous cars – with some of the most famous ones taking to the track. This included the legendary M8 racecar, the LeMans winning F1 LM, and the latest F1 machine. The other attraction was, of course, the upcoming P1 – which, with its earth shattering performance, promises to be one of the fastest cars on the planet. Let’s just say that it looks and sounds the part – and, being McLaren’s latest flagship, we expect it to deliver on the performance front too.
The other highlights included an exhibit of Lamborghinis to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The crowd favourite,Bob Riggle’s 1,500bhp ‘Hemi Under Glass’ 1965 Plymouth Barracuda was there as well, which did wheelies on demand and left behind a trail of tyre marks and sparks from the rear bumper grinding on the asphalt.
However, the biggest news over the weekend was British auction house Bonham’s sale of the Juan Manuel Fangio’s Mercedes W196R single-seater racecar, which was sold to an unidentified bidder for a record $31.6 million! The only ‘Silver Arrows’ racecar in private ownership, the car was used by Fangio to win the German and Swiss Grand Prix’s of 1954, paving the way for his first F1 World Championship title with Mercedes.
Needless to say, we are eagerly looking forward to the 21st edition of Goodwood, and I hope that will be the year when I’ll lose my Goodwood FOS virginity. After all, where else can one see the most beautiful and prestigious cars in the world, surrounded by some of the world’s greatest racecardrivers. And if you’re lucky, you’ll even spot Nick Mason driving an Auto Union Type C up the hill!
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