The Goodwood Festival of Speed 2006

One hundred years of Grand Prix were celebrated across the weekend of 7th-9th July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with thousands of visitors convening at the vast estate to watch racing legends Sir Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell and Mika Hakkinen taking to the wheel to tackle the famous hill climb. By early Friday morning the hill was abuzz with famous faces and roaring with celebrated engines of past glories, and the paddocks were flooded with a cascade of legendary motors on display.

Sculptured canopy of the Renault Stand

Seering start for McLaren Mercedes SLR

Gulf Porsche 917k

Damp conditions on the first day cleared to reveal blue skies on Saturday, with a sizzling hot sun glinting off the bonnets of such astounding super cars as the Bugatti Veyron, the world’s fastest, most powerful and expensive road car and undoubtedly one of the stars of this year’s show; the beautiful Aston Martin DBR9 and the rarely seen Enzo-based Ferrari FXX. Notable debuts of the weekend included BMW’s Z4M Coupe and Ferrari’s 599 making its first UK appearance, having been driven across the Alps from Maranello, along with its rival the new Porsche 911 Turbo.

Super cars and Grand Prix legends were only a paddock apart from the great names of yesteryear, and the Cartier Style et Luxe brought an edge of glamour to Lord March’s busy estate. Fifty of the world’s most beautiful vehicles lounged on the lawns in the scorching heat, drawing Goodwood’s visitors easily in quiet appreciation under the beguiling notes of the jazz band playing from the podium. A collection of Lamborghini Muiras settled side by side with a selection of bikes and trikes, although the 1936 Phantom Corsair topped an extraordinary assortment of designs with its striking black looks. Nearby in the Stable Yard, Ferrari took over and displayed twenty quarterscale models depicting new concept designs for future models; and was well represented throughout the event with several road and race cars.

Throngs of excited enthusiasts lined the hill cheering as a series of world champion drivers donned their helmets and leapt cheerfully behind the wheel. To a chorus of throbbing engines heard rumbling and finally screaming from the car parks, Justin Law opened the weekend’s action racing up the hill climb in an 1886 Benz Tricar. In a tumult of smoking tyres he was joined by F1 hero Allan McNish in a Type C Auto Union, Sir Stirling Moss in a 1954 W196 Mercedes, and Jack Brabham in a 1959 Cooper Climax. Nigel Mansell was reunited with his 1993 championship winning Newman-Haas Indycar and took to the hill for the first time on Friday; and on Saturday Mika Hakkinen, two times F1 world champion, made his Festival debut in the McLaren F1 car. Jensen Button in his Honda and Jackie Stewart in a modern BMW F1 car were another two heroes to be cheered in this all-star Festival line-up.

Jaguar XK R

Lamborghini

Bugatti Veyron

Aston Martin DBR9

Penelope Pitstop

Custom Motorcycle

Sand sculptured F1

As part of the Festival’s main theme of ‘Racing for Glory- a Century of Grand Prix’, sand artist Andrew Baynes spent the weekend putting the finishing touches to a circle of ten beautifully sculpted Grand Prix cars moulded from 200 tonnes of sand, one for each decade of the past century. A huge number of packed stalls and stands sweltered under the hot sun selling all manner of motor-mobilia, and the Bonhams’ Auction as well as a Junior Festival of Speed with Wacky Races cars added interest to the already exhilarating race programme. Along with an aerobatic display by an RAF Tornado and demonstration by the Red Arrows completing the weekend, the Festival was certainly another success and wound up with the fourteenth prize-giving of this hugely popular annual spectacle. Lord March and Hurley Haywood presented Richard Lyons in his Nissan 350Z GT500 with the fastest time of the weekend, recorded at 49.51 seconds; with Gary Paffett being named Dunhill Driver of the Festival for his performances in three different cars. The 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B was awarded the Cartier Style et Luxe concours award against tough competition.

With the final crowds trailing home in weary elation on the Sunday evening, tribute must be paid to the organisers of such a wonderful event that’s certainly one of the jewels of the motor sport calendar. The atmosphere at the Festival of Speed is totally unique, and it’s a date to set aside for 2007 when the fifteenth such Festival is sure to be an even greater success.

Lanna Marshall photos Mike Swain & Tom Howard