12.7.11

Racing Revolutions

Now in its eighteenth year and with 175,000 visitors over the 4 days, the Festival remains an unmissable celebration of  human endeavour, on 2, 4 and more wheels. With multiple exhibits from global motor manufacturers, “factory” museums and renowned, private collections, combined with the stars who have influenced our sport, the event remains unmissable, whatever your interest!!

Celebrating its Golden Jubilee, the Jaguar E type was the focus of Gerry Judah’s sculpture outside Goodwood House, with Jaguar owner, Tata Industries, providing another of their products… steel, shaped into a 28 metre high silhouette of the fixed head coupe. Additional celebrations included –

• 100 years of the Indianapolis 500
• 60 years of Jaguar’s first Le Mans victory
• 50 years of the Mini Cooper
• 100 years of the Isle of Man TT
• 110 years of Skoda 

The 3 established paddocks, located either side of the House, were split by entrants of the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours, and with an eclectic entry of 44 cars, ranging from 6 variants of the aforementioned Jaguar, via the unique Connaught D type, to a very rare Volkswagen Type 1 - there was a car to suit every taste! Catching my eye, was Lukas Huni’s stunning Vauxhall 30/98 Wensum, Pat Lockyer’s Farina bodied Jowett Jupiter and the overall winner – David Cottingham’s Ferrari 340 America, whilst sharing the “stables” lawn, were 7 of BBC Radio2 DJ, and FOC member, Chris Evans’ Ferrari collection, helping to raise more than £1million for UK charity, Children in Need.
 
The adjacent supercar paddock, featured products from 32 manufacturers, displaying either production models, prototypes or design concepts - Ferrari Northern Europe presented a 458 Italia, a California and FF (driven by TV chef and car enthusiast James Martin), Citroen its stunning Survolt concept car and Maserati a Grancabrio and Granturismo Stradale. Very popular with visitors were the Aston Martin One-77 and BAC Mono (designed and built in Cheshire UK, with assistance from Ferrari preparer JMH), whilst award for most ungainly car on display, must go to the 6 wheel Covini C6W and I never even mentioned the gaudy Bentley Continental Supersports Ice!

The well attended Bonhams Auction had something for every budget – (all figures include buyer’s premium) an unrestored, one owner for 40 years Aston Martin DB5, made a “head-scratching” £254.5k, a partially restored, Bentley R type Continental realised a healthy £298.5k, whilst top sale of the auction was the ex Innes Ireland, 1952 Aston Martin DB2 drophead (£606.5k).

Of the 6 Ferrari’s offered – only the Daytona Coupe failed to sell. With a non-matching no.s, a LHD, 330GTC was expensive at £172k, a Classiche certificated F40, achieving a market correct £353.5k, a 2,700 mile from new 328GTS a worthy £47.7k, an Isle of Man domiciled, low mileage Testa Rossa (£43.3k) and a seldom used, specialist maintained 348ts (£23.5k). My car of the sale - the gorgeous, rare, ex Sir Paul McCartney Lamborghini, looked very good value and sold at £122.5k

On the “hill”, the Ferrari enthusiast saw rapid demonstrations from the F1 Scuderia’s test driver, Marc Gene in the 2010 F10, historic racer Paul Knapfield in his 312PB, Sally Mason Styrron in her Tasman Dino 246, Andreas Mohringer in his recently acquired 375MM, Annette Mason in her family’s Competition Daytona, Evert Louwman’s 375 Indy (the Grant Piston Ring Special) and previous FOS winner Ernst Schuster, in his 312 B3, raced in period by both Lauda and Regazzoni.
  
With the F1 season all but at  halfway point, 6 teams stopped off en route to Silverstone, to entertain, in the sunshine of the Sussex countryside – Williams, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and Lotus shared the limelight, with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, driving the MP4-12C road car and ex John Watson British Grand Prix winning McLaren MP4 respectively. Elsewhere, “Flying Finns” Hannu Mikkola, Rauno Aaltonen and Bjorn Waldegard were amongst the many famous names who took part on the rally stage, designed by Mikkola.

The popularity of  the Festival of Speed, can be seen from the number of famous drivers and riders, past and present, who relish the opportunity to be reunited with their original charges – this year, the Drivers Club welcomed amongst others Sir Stirling Moss, Emerson Fittipaldi, John Surtees, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Bobby Rahal, Dario Franchitti, Bobby Unser, Eddie Cheever, Al Unser Jnr, Hans Stuck, Helio Castro Neves, John McGuinness and Leon Haslam

My highlights – there were many :

• The centenary of the Indy 500 was this year’s key celebration and Lord March had assembled a fantastic entry of 35+ cars, charting the race’s history from the 1911 Marmon .php to the current Dallara Honda.15 drivers, with 27 victories between them, formed on the “grid”, in front of the House, and were introduced to the enthusiastic crowd, before a rendition of “Back home in Indiana”.

• Audi Tradition provided 2 variants (C and D type) of the supercharged, 450+ bhp, all conquering pre-war Auto Union…..demonstrated by Nick Mason and former F1 racer, Hans Stuck.
  
  
• Texan race-car constructor and innovator, Jim Hall, freighted three of his Chapparal’s to the Sussex coast – the 1966, semi-automatic, high-wing “2E”, was driven by double “Brickyard” winner, Gil de Ferran; the 1970, 7.6 litre Chevy V8 and snow-mobile powered “2J”,Can-Am racer, by its original driver, Vic Elford, and the 1980, “2K” Indy 500 winner, also by its original driver, Johnny Rutherford
  
  
• The Jaguar E type celebrated its first victory at my local circuit, Oulton Park in April 1961, driven by Graham Hill; ECD300’s current custodian, is a fellow FOC member – Paul Vestey, and resplendent in its later, Equipe Endeavour livery, it was joined by the Geneva Motor Show display car and the man who drove it overnight from Coventry to Switzerland, fifty years ago - Norman Dewis.

Sadly missing from this year’s event was a celebration marking the centenary of the birth of five times Formula One Champion, Juan Manuel Fangio. Born in Balcarce, Argentina on June 24th 1911, he raced for Alfa Romeo, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari and Maserati during his illustrious career. His on-track prowess was matched by his off-track persona, and in retirement, he was Honorary Life President of Mercedes Benz Argentina.

With Ken Block, Terry Grant, Patrick Friesacher and Chris Meeke amongst many others, entertaining the crowd, the Festival of Speed has become a unique celebration of car culture and innovation, which in future should grow further, to include karting, drag-racing and rally-raiding.....maybe Dakar legend Vladimir Chagin and his Kamaz will make it to Sussex soon?

With my season now in overdrive, I’ve just enough time to post this, before heading cross-county to the fourth Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, where stars include multiple Le Mans winner Derek Bell, and four times World Rally Champion Juha Kankunnen and four days later, to the Silverstone Classic, see you there!!

Click here for a slideshow of additional pics.
   

The author is a Director of 2B Consulting Automotive who offer the sale and brokerage of fine automobiles. Click on the logo to go to their website.