For a few days each July, the tranquil West Sussex countryside trades its pastoral calm for the thunderous roar of high-performance machinery.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed returns to Goodwood House from 9 to 12 July, promising another spectacular collision of motorsport history and cutting-edge automotive innovation.
Billed by the event itself as the “ultimate summer garden party” and “an intoxicating celebration of the world’s most glamorous sport”, the festival draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.
The centrepiece of this quintessentially British occasion is the towering Central Feature sculpture erected on the turning circle lawn outside Goodwood House, honouring a specific theme each year.
This year, that honour falls to Singer Vehicle Design, a Californian firm founded by Rob Dickinson, the former frontman and guitarist of the rock band Catherine Wheel.
Singer specialises in restoring and modifying Porsche 911s, and at just 17 years old, the company is among the younger subjects ever chosen to headline the festival’s iconic sculpture.
Singer’s latest DLS Turbo restoration will be among around 600 machines ascending the famed 1.16-mile hillclimb, powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.8-litre flat-six engine producing around 700PS.
Many Singer restorations are multi-million-pound commissions, with the DLS Turbo estimated to cost between £2m and £2.5m, placing it firmly in rarefied company.
Also on display will be the GMA S1 LM, a car auctioned last November for £16.3m, underlining the extraordinary financial stakes at play within the collector car world.
This year’s festival theme, “The Rivals – Epic Racing Duels”, curates a collection of famous motorsport showdowns ranging from the venomous to the respectful across the paddock.
The paddock will mark the 60th anniversary of Ford shattering years of Ferrari dominance with its famous clean sweep at Le Mans in 1966, reuniting three original Ford GT MkIIs.
Ferrari will also have a significant presence as the festival celebrates 75 years of the Italian manufacturer’s success in Formula One, honouring one of motorsport’s most storied legacies.
James Hunt’s 1976 championship-winning M23 Formula One car will feature as Goodwood marks the 50th anniversary of his legendary title battle with Niki Lauda.
The Supercar Paddock will once again serve as a living encyclopaedia of the automotive industry’s upper echelons, blending screaming combustion engines with the latest electrified performance machines.
Lexus will show off its concept for a next-generation all-electric LFA, while Alpine will debut its latest A110 sports car and Audi will bring its Nuvolari supercar.
Bentley’s Continental Supersports will attempt the hillclimb, and BMW will have an ‘M’ concept car making its presence known alongside a host of Mercedes AMG models.
Lamborghini will showcase the latest iterations of its supercars, while a production-ready Renault 5 Turbo 3E will run the hillclimb, representing the electrified future of the hot hatchback.
Visitors will also be introduced to several Chinese manufacturers entering the British marketplace, including Lepas, Denza, and Yangwang, which will showcase its U9 Xtreme hypercar.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed remains, above all else, a gloriously extravagant automotive spectacle, cementing its place as the world’s most decadent celebration of cars as mechanical art.