Goodwood is an estate located in West Sussex, England and is the seat to the Duke of Richmond. Among the facilities on this 12,000 acre-large piece of lush green earth are a flying school, an airstrip, a motorsport circuit, and the headquarters of the Rolls Royce Motors, a British marque of no ordinary heritage.

Ever since 1993, between the end of June and onset of July, this otherwise silent estate has been witness to many a coveted car that ever touched this planet’s soil.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, as it is called, is a three-day event that was initiated to restore the fading legacy of Britain’s rich motorsport history. Today, it attracts a global audience of over 100,000 enthusiasts, who will not only attend the entire event but rush home to the 24 hours of Le Mans and the Formula 1 races too.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FESTIVAL OF SPEED
Manufacturers are assigned paddocks where they put their best cars on display every year. The cars are not limited to mainstream automobilia but include outrageous concepts, limited run and one-offs as well. Here are our favourite features of the Festival:

Central display: Every year, the front lawns of the Goodwood House feature a display commemorating important events in the history of various marques. However, the 2017 exhibit was a tribute to the career of Bernie Ecclestone, the person responsible for making Formula One Motorsport as popular as it is today.

Hill climb: A part of the track at Goodwood includes a gradient which sees participants do a timed run on a moderately winding uphill road. While F1 cars were allowed to take part in the hill climb, it is now open only to other cars such as the ones from Le Mans, NASCAR, working concepts and other roadgoing examples.

Forest rally run: Purpose-built cars take on less hospitable terrains in the woods on the Goodwood estate. The rally sees a multitude of roll-caged cars taking on the arduous timed run to the finish line.

Supercar run: This timed run is for road-going supercars and other speciality manufacturers to showcase their latest concepts in working.

Cartier Style et Luxe: It is a Concourse style event, with entry by invitation only. It highlights some of the rarest cars in private possession. However, due to more relaxed participation norms compared to the Pebble beach, it sees a more significant variety of cars.

Moving motor show: The Moving motor show is essentially an auto expose held by automakers, allowing interested individuals to test prospective purchases on the Goodwood track. A press event, it is not a spiritual part of the Festival but attracts the same galore as any other event.

Red Arrows: While the festival is all about track weapons and land yachts, there is a special air show to keep audiences enthralled during breaks. Hawk aircraft of the Royal Air Force scramble from the nearby air station at Lincolnshire and perform acrobatics in the airspace over Goodwood.

THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL
A rendition of the Festival of Speed, the Goodwood revival is held in September every year, to celebrate cars of yore. It is held on the Goodwood motorsport circuit and features period cars from the era of Goodwood’s years of racing from 1948 to 1966. A special pedal car race for the ‘Sterrington Cup’ for children is also a part of the Revival.


During the Revival, except for safety vehicles, no modern cars are allowed on-premises. It is attended by the who’s who of the aristocratic and celebrity world and serves as a good reminder of our genesis.

The Festival of Speed commences today, on 4th July 2019 and shall go on till Sunday, the 7th of July.