Postcard from Sussex: Stars and Cars from Goodwood Festival of Speed

July 30, 2015
Story By
John Brooks

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015 Picture by: Simon Hildrew 07970 808510 www.simonhildrew.com

The Goodwood Festival of Speed should be on the list of "must do" events of every auto enthusiast, there is literally something for everyone: cars and stars are everywhere, concours d'elegance rubs shoulders with showrooms. At every point of the compass there is something going on, it almost overwhelms you.

Mercedes-Benz had a particularly strong presence at the Festival of Speed; it has to be said that they are are very aware, and rightly proud, of their heritage. This year sees the 60th anniversary of their victory in the penultimate Mille Miglia, so a squadron of racers from the '50s were on display, like the 300SLR, 300SL, W154 and more.

Sir Stirling Moss and his navigator, Denis Jenkinson passed into legend on that day in Italy. (I will be having a look at this fantastic drive soon...) Sir Stirling remains a firm favorite with the public even though he has retired from any form of competition, mind you it was 2011 when he finally hung up his crash helmet. It is always a privilege to see such a great driver and we are fortunate to have him still with us and he remains sprightly even at the age of 85.

One of Sir Stirling's contemporaries in the Mercedes Grand Prix team of the mid-'50s that swept all before them was Hans Herrmann. Hans had a long and varied career, rounding it off with a victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1970. By then he was driving for Porsche and with his co-driver, Richard Attwood; he scored the first victory for Porsche at a race that they came to consider as their own property, though these days Audi might dispute that claim - though not this year. Hans is 87 and still behind the wheel of a race-car.

Back to the heyday of Porsche at Le Mans during the '80s: the Rothmans 956 and 962, cars that had victories from '82 through '87 and '94. I talked to the man behind these fantastic cars, Norbert Singer, last month HERE.

One year that Porsche did not win at Le Mans was 1978 when Renault overwhelmed them with a fleet of prototypes, notably this A442B taking the top step of the podium.

The world of Formula One was also very well represented at Goodwood; here Damon Hill, World Champion in 1996, takes the beautiful Lotus 49 that his father, Graham, raced in 1967 up the hill. Dad was a pretty handy racer as well, with two World titles (1962 and 1968) to his credit, plus a win at Le Mans (1974) and the Indy 500 (1967).

David Purley is remembered with affection by many of us who are of a certain age. He had been a Captain in the Parachute Regiment, seeing action in Aden, then he got involved in motor-sport displaying a talent that saw him soon racing in Formula One in the 70's. He was awarded the George Medal for bravery for single-handedly trying to rescue Roger Williamson from his overturned and burning March at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. Purley left the Grand Prix scene for a few seasons returning in 1977 in his own LEC chassis. The rabbit comes from that season's Belgian Grand Prix where Purley led at one point during a confused wet/dry race. Niki Lauda, World Champion and Ferrari's lead driver, felt that Purley had held him up in his chase for victory and described the tough Brit as a "Rabbit". The next race the sticker appeared, much it is said, to the amusement of Lauda. Purley also made the Guinness Book of Records, though not in a way that he would have wished. While trying to pre-qualify for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that year the throttle jammed open and he hit the railway sleepers at Becketts going from 108mph to 0 in just over two feet, a deceleration of 179.8g, the highest ever survived at the time. Although badly injured Purley eventually recovered enough to make a racing comeback but dropped the sport in favor of competition aerobatics and killed in 1985 when his aircraft crashed into the English Channel. Fearless would be the only way to describe this abnormally brave man.

Arguably the biggest star of the show, at least by the reaction of the crowd, was Valentino Rossi, whose dramatic entrance on his Yamaha included a trip up the main staircase of Goodwood House. Rossi's record of nine World Championships is unparalleled, though there were plenty of two-wheeled legends on hand. This list included John Surtees, so far the only man to win a World Championship on both two and four wheels.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed not only incorporates action on the Hill but on the lawn is the Cartier "Style et Luxe" Concours to add a touch of class to the excitement.

One of the stars of the Concours was this Delahaye 135M Torpedo Cabriolet; I looked at this car in more detail a while back HERE.

In the absence of a motor show in the UK, the Festival has attracted support from manufacturers who create temporary showrooms, dominating a corner of the estate.

Ford used the opportunity to remind the crowd of their former triumphs in GT Racing, in anticipation of their return to competition in that area of the sport. Le Mans 2016 represents a significant anniversary for the Detroit giant at Le Mans and they intend to celebrate properly.

Somewhere between cars for show and cars for sale is the display of super-cars, and here, in an expensive traffic jam, they're waiting their turn to run up the hill.

Typical of the exotica on offer was this Ferrari FXX.

Candidate for the maddest car of the show is this original Austin Mini with a Cummings 4,400bhp QSK95 engine mounted in the rear. The QSK95 is a V16 95-liter powerplant developing more than 16,000Nm of torque. Each cylinder is 5.9-liters, and the engine is designed to power locomotives, mine and quarry trucks, power generator and ships. This is, unfortunately a static exhibit, as it has no transmission, fuel tank, cooling system or exhaust system. Including these vital elements would extend the Mini to over 40 feet - overkill to say the least. Another Festival of Speed has brought out an amazing selection of motoring treasures, and a gallery of these jewels will soon follow. (Photos: copyright and courtesy of Simon Hildrew)

Postcard from Sussex: Stars and Cars from Goodwood Festival of Speed

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