Vintage Goodwood!
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The Goodwood Revival is renowned for its attention to detail, and the ability to get up close and personal to the cars and drivers across the site. However, between the track fence and race track, obviously, and the tow road and assembly area are places which are considered to be less safe for the general public and are only accessible to the teams and accredited members of the press.
I hope the following photos give you a small taste of what goes on in those two areas and if, in some of the shots, it looks like chaos, let me tell you that it is all beautifully choreographed thanks to the skill and dedication of the hard-working marshalls. Oh and just a thought with regards to attention to detail, each year the Driver’s Club is built around a theme. Last year it was the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, this year it was a jungle theme even down to the weather which was tropical to say the least.
Winner of the first ever race at Goodwood on the 18th September 1948, the Jaguar SS100 based Pycroft Jaguar, built and driven by P.de.FC Pycroft.
Maserati 4 CLT and 6CM
Bruce Meyer with Aaron Shelby
Maserati 6CM and V16 BRM
Maserati 8CM
Sea of Green
Alfa TIs
Ferrari Breadvan
Delage 15 S8 dash
Dolly and Gracie
ERA B Type R9B
Lotus 49
Lotus 56B cockpit
Lotus 56B Pratt & Whitney Gas Turbine
Paddins Dowling’s ERA R5B Remus
Talbot T26C
Ferrari TdF 250
What a line up!
Waiting to do the belts up, the mechanic sits on the nose and then straps the driver in place once he is in the cockpit
Lotus 79
GTOs out in force,
Bugatti T44
GT40s getting ready to go.
SWB and LM
Dino 246S
Shelby Daytona Coupe CSX2300, 1968 Ford GT40 MKIII winner of Le Mans in 1968 and 69, 1966 GT40 MK111 winner of Le Mans in 1966.
The 1000 HP Sunbeam, the first car to attain speed of over 200 mph, driven by Major Henry Segrave at Daytona Beach on the 29th March 1927. Known as ‘The Slug,’ the Sunbeam is currently being restored by the National Motor Museum to running order ready for the Centenary of Major Segrave’s record.
Elegant pushing, Alfa 308C.
Alfa 8C2300
Birdcage Maserati
It was blooming hot at the Revival so I decided to have a sit down in the shade in the corner of the assembly area, and this was the view from my seat
And green Cobras….
Bizzarrini P538
Shelby Group shot.
Don’t know!
Symphony in red.
Alfas under the trees.
since i’m old i wonder if i ever wrote you about a c- or d-type i saw in the bassano del grappa rally for open cars in ’17. i asked the french owner about this fascinating machine and he told me it had a french body, really lovely (or at least different). i was having so much fun in general on that sweltering day that i never asked him if it was a rebody after an accident, or whatever. pale blue. anybody else ever seen it? road registered of course.
The “don’t know” Ferrari is I think Jason Wright’s 246SP replica, about which Doug Nye wrote in an Autosport forum following the 2022 Festival of Speed, quoting the serial number as 0790R and saying that it was built around an original engine and transaxle by Setford Racing.
Much as I dislike climbing into an airplane, Goodwood has moved way up on my bucket list. Great pictures, lots of history.