Our media team attended the 30th anniversary of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which was held from Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th July 2023.
The annual event is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, where both modern and historic motor racing vehicles compete in a series of challenging events.
History
The history of Goodwood goes right back to 1936. The first hill climb meeting, for a small group of pre-war Lancia enthusiasts, was organised, by renowned amateur motor racer Freddie March, the 9th Duke of Richmond, in the grounds of his estate at Goodwood House.
The present race circuit was built on the site of the RAF Westhampnett airfield, on land donated to by the Duke to help the war effort. In 1948, it opened to the public as Britain’s first permanent post-war motor racing venue. Eighty-five drivers entertained a crowd of 15,000 eager enthusiasts, deprived of motor-racing spectacles since Brooklands closed in 1939. Sadly, in 1966, the circuit closed its doors to public events.
Revival
In 1998, after six years of renovation, racing finally returned to Goodwood when the first revival meeting was held on a circuit lovingly restored in great detail to resemble its former glory.
A few years earlier, in 1993, the Duke's grandson, James Erskine, the Earl of March, presented the first Festival of Speed, hosting a small number of entries from invited historic vehicle owners. The event attracts a wide range of participants, including famous racing drivers, teams, and manufacturers.
Speed
Visitors can witness dynamic displays of cars and motorcycles in action, ranging from cutting-edge supercars and Formula 1 cars to the classic vehicles on the Cartier Style et Luxe Lawn, displaying their exceptional age-appropriate dateless personal number plates.
Auction
London auction house Bonhams run a prestige auction of classic cars and related memorabilia at the festival. This includes a number of cherished number plates and, this year, the following lots attracted some stunning prices (including auctioneer's premium);
£9,200
£57,500
£14,950
Team update
Porsche, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, showcased an impressive range of models illustrating the brand’s evolution from the original 1948 356 No 1 to the latest 718 Spyder RS. A wealth of other manufacturers chose the festival to exclusively debut new models, concept cars and prototypes, such as the Bugatti Bolide, Ferrari KC23, Ford Mustang GT4 and McLaren 750S.
Many celebrities and automotive influencers were there to watch and take part. Recently retired four-time world champion F1 driver Sebastian Vettel attended and rode the circuit, as did comedy legend Rowan Atkinson, although not in Mr Bean's mini.
There was also a tribute to rally and stunt driver Ken Block who sadly passed away this year. Two of his cars were on the track, including one owned and driven by automotive YouTuber Mark McCann.
Unfortunately, the Saturday show had to be cancelled, for the first time in 30 years, due to high winds. That left just ‘Shootout Sunday’, the last day of the show when timed races decide the fastest run, for us to pack everything in.
Here are some of our media team's photos:
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
Ferrari 250 GTO
Porsche 911 Carrera 2
Ken Block's Ford Fiesta
McLaren 570S
Aston Martin Valkyrie
You can find many more on Instagram and Facebook post.
If you are looking to match your car with a personal number plate that compliments it:
