Further down was a Wings For Life building, with a Red Bull F1 car covered in people's photos of themselves, presumably people who had donated to Wings For Life.
As much as I saw while I was there (from about 10:30 to 16:45-ish), I also missed quite a lot. It's my punishment really for staying roughly in the middle third of the area. One of those things was the Forest Rally Stage, where you could apparently buy a passenger seat in a rally car, with the money going to the Richard Burns Foundation, which was founded here 5 years ago.
It's the 100th Anniversary of the fabled Indianapolis 500 race, and there was a huge turnout of Indy cars from throughout history (most of them came from the circuits museum and hadn't turned a wheel in years). There was also this 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air Indy 500 Pace Car.
Lotus had a heavy presence, with Lotus-Renault GP, Lotus Cars and a few racers like this Evora were all present and correct, along with loads of classic F1 cars from their heyday. This Evora sports a Gold Leaf-inspired livery.
In fact, many Formula 1 teams were here. Williams, McLaren, Mercedes GP, Renault, and of course Ferrari. Parked near an authentic Ferrari F1 transporter was this optimistically-badged Fiat Cinquecento.
The great thing about this festival is that the cars don't just sit there being photographed; that repainted 2009 car you see on the right was revving its nuts off to whomever would listen. Well, I say that, but it was unavoidable! The sheer loudness of these cars - and indeed all the racing cars within about 50 years of us - can only be compared to live music or jet planes for volume. Needless to say, it was the best splitting headache I've ever had.
It's interesting to get up close to the old F1 cars in "Gasoline Alley", to see how they compare and to look at the advances in aerodynamics, which of course are paramount today. This McLaren M7/C wasn't the only car to have a rear wing on the front. Well, if it pushes down the rear to make the back tyres grip, why not do the same to the front? Visibility? Nah, they'll cope. What do we pay them for anyway?
Apparently F1 drivers in the 1960s were paid to sit in a wooden canoe with cylinders, wings and wheels sticking out of them. They were skinned in metal, but what you see here is no model of an F1 car tub, it's an actual wooden tub that was never made into a car. That's quite something.
Quite close to the McLaren M7/C was this McLaren MP4/7A, originally piloted by none other than Ayrton Senna, in 1992. A yellow helmet once poked out the top of that little cockpit. Sadly, Senna couldn't be there to drive it up the hill, because he's been dead for 17 years...
Across the way was a somewhat chunkier-looking 1993 Benetton B193, driven by Ricardo Patrese, as well as some bloke called Michael Schumacher. It was advanced for its time, featuring an active ride height, a semi-automatic gearbox and traction control.
Perhaps taking inspiration from earlier cars, the 2001 Arrows A22 sported this peculiar second front wing. It wasn't effective enough to get them more than 1 point all year, and unsurprisingly it didn't catch on...
It's not just Formula 1 cars though. This is a 1940 BMW 328 Kamm Coupé that BMW themselves restores last year to celebrate 70 years since it won the Mille Miglia road race in Italy, and subsequently 75 years of the 328 as a whole. The Kamm Tail idea is still used today (look at the Honda CR-Z for a good example) for its low-drag aerodynamic advantages.
I like how the chrome down the middle continues underneath the car. Design over speed-bump-friendliness. I can't imagine there were that many speed bumps in 1940 anyway though...
Another famous road race winner is this Mercedes 300SL, winner of the 1952 Carrera Panamericana that stretches across Mexico. I can say with some confidence that the windscreen has been replaced since then, because during the race it was hit by a vulture!
The "Gullwing" SL has a spiritual descendant in the new AMG SLS, the racing version of which is a massive, beefy, V8-powered beast. Because road races aren't held any more, it currently competes in the FIA GT3 European series alongside Ferrari 458s, Audi R8s, BMW Z4s and of course Porsche 911s.
This is the Lotus 88, Team Lotus's F1 entry for 1981. It was one of the first cars to be made mostly out of carbon fibre, but that wasn't really the technical highlight. That was its "double chassis", where the inner chassis held the driver and had suspension independent of the outer one (that you can actually see), which dealt with the aerodynamics and in essence acted as a ground effect device. For some reason, I really like the shape of the rear wing endplates.
The outer chassis took the force of ground effect aerodynamics so the inner chassis (and the driver) didn't have to, and within the wheelbase. The GE system was within the wheelbase, and its effectiveness meant it didn't need a front wing, or a serious rear one either. Other teams saw this advanced answer to the ban of moveable aero skirts as equally illegal, and had it banned as well. As a result, we'll never know the real potential of the double chassis.
To celebrate 50 years of the wonderful, enchanting Jaguar E-Type, a huge monument to it was placed outside Goodwood House. It's made out of steel pipes donated by Tata Steel, which is part of Jaguar's parent company, Tata. Just the base that held it up was slightly taller than me, even up close to it.
The pipes were completely hollow, and the statue was very, very tall. Looking up it for too long makes you feel funny.
I'll let the information here explain itself.
There were also a few supercars deemed valuable enough to keep the riff-raff at arms length from them. These included a Ferrari F50, a McLaren F1...
...a Porsche 959...
...a Jensen Interceptor Mk.III, a Lamborghini Miura...
...a Mercedes-Benz 300SL and an original Chevrolet Corvette.
After crossing the bridge, I found new cars arranged like a Motor Show, except it was on a field. I decided to go and see an old favourite, the Nissan GT-R, now in DBA-R35 trim (previously C etc.) and sporting front chassis strengthening, retuned suspension and 530 horsepower from this very engine, now with a red cover. Because red is racy.
This picture shows the sum total of the 2011 DBA-R35's facelift: The grille edge is wider (it previously followed the crease that meets up with the chrome's end) and there is a second almost-canard with LED running lights embedded in it. Personally, I prefer the cleaner front bumper of previous years.
The Chevrolet Volt made its UK debut here. I assume you already know what it looks like on the outside, so I looked inside instead. Under the boot floor sit the batteries (I assume, under the black plastic with battery icons on it), a first aid kit and an extension lead, just in case the range-extending hybrid powertrain can't extend the range far enough for you... or you weren't paying attention to the low battery/fuel lights and ground to a halt.
I'm not keen on the door trim on this one. It looks like something you'd find on a Renault ZE rather than a more serious-looking Prius contender.
What I didn't know is that it has fully computerised dials, probably just because that's futuristic. Overall the interior felt okay, but the white plastic (some of which you can see on the 'wheel) was a bit smooth and cheap for a £28,000 car. I also recognised a couple of bits from the Insignia, including the steering wheel and air vents.
From one American giant to another, although this is Ford Europe, so there were no Mustangs or such like. There was this awesome RS200 rally car, which I can safely say isn't a replica for once.
It's only got a 2.0 four pot engine, but it can be turbocharged up to just about any level of horsepower you could possibly want or need. There are Rallycross and hillclimb versions with 700 or 800bhp, sometimes even more.
Inside their little house of cars, there was this year's Focus BTCC entry. Featuring a 300bhp 2.0 turbo engine, its predecessor was so fast the rule makers had to peg it back.
The outside may resemble a road car, but inside the driver is pushed back to improve weight distribution, and the whole interior is pretty serious, with the only road car part being the dashboard, and the rest being nothing but carbon fibre, bare metal and a rollcage.
There was also a non-Ken Block Fiesta WRC, which competed in this year's Acropolis rally in Greece.
Harking back to the past was this Mk.II Escort rally car, fresh from Ford's heyday.
Ah, the Lotus Esprit.
This could be the last truly lightweight Elise, before "New Lotus" replaces it with something heavy and more powerful. It's not bad at pulling off the Storm Trooper look, but that face resembles the Ferrari California's...
Next to the Esprit is a car that many thought would fill the gap it left behind. The Evora didn't quite, but with this supercharged S version, it is at least on a performance par with the similar Porsche Cayman S. Too bad it's priced like a 911...
So here's the new Esprit, getting ready to tackle the finest supercars on the planet in a couple of years' time. What do we think viewers? The beginning of the end or the only valid New Lotus?
As well as the Gold Leaf Evora up near the entrance, there was this great-looking JPS-inspired livery. That said, I don't like how cars with spoilers that cross the back like this one, or the Honda NSX/Jag XJ220/ Porsche Carrera GT get them cut off when a racing wing is put on. It spoils the line. On my car those ends of a spoiler would run along the bodywork in this situation, but integrated flat on the top surface so it didn't count as a second wing. Or they would sink into the car.
Those aren't the 2010/11 wings, so I reckon they've repainted an older F1 car in the new livery and put stretched wings on it so it resembles a new one. But why paint it in black and gold?
Oh yeah, that's why.
Chances are this 1886 Benz Patent Motor Wagen is the same one that usually resides in Mercedes-Benz World. It reaches a dizzying top speed of almost 10mph!
Of course the new AMG SLS took centre stage in Mercedes's area, gullwings a flappin'.
Much like last year's Focus, this year's Honda Civic BTCC car is so fast in a straight line that rivals (particularly Jason Plato) want it to be slowed down a little.
As I wandered in search of food, I saw the REAL Finn McMissile!! Unfortunately, he was smiling for the kids, so I couldn't get him to sign an autograph...
The same proved to be true with Lightning McQueen, who I had also met at TopGear Live. I wonder if he recognised me?
This car was making quite a racket without even turning the engine on. Actually, the Clarion stereo it exhibited was as clear as day, even at a high enough volume for passers by to guess the song.
The interior looks fairly standard for a car like this, but the more pressing question is: what is it?!
Oh, it's the Clarion K1 Attack. I knew that......
It's powered by a Honda Civic Type-R engine tuned to hit 240bhp. Unfortunately they don't mention a weight or performance figures, so I guess it's geared more towards show than go, even if it's very light. It certainly succeeded in drawing me towards the Clarion stand, even if I didn't look at anything else while I was there.
TVR is no longer with us, but they still have a strong, committed following, and they turned up in small numbers this weekend. This Griffith 500 sports a 5.0 V8, British Racing Green paint and was in mint condition, on sale for £21,000. Nice Price or Crack Pipe?
Powered by the same engine is this topless Cerbera, sold as a separate model called the Chimaera.
And here is that engine. Grrr.
This is their short-lived T400R, which is sort of like a bigger Tuscan with a V8 that competed in FIA GT races. The road version was called the Typhon, and was actually more powerful. Because TVR were mad.
Somewhat less mad was this lovely Triumph TR3. Those doors go so low they almost seem unnecessary. You're only stopping your bottom from escaping. All the better for experiencing open air driving, I suppose.
This Chimaera shows off one other distinctive feature of some TVRs, besides being batshit insane: light-sensitive "Chameleon" paint. It was also available in blue that turns purple, green that turns blue, all kinds of stuff.
Behind the Triumph was an exquisite Signal Red Jaguar E-Type S1 convertible. Frankly I could look at it all day...
The interior is equally gorgeous, especially the steering wheel. It was a strange decision to give the passenger the handbrake though. "Ready when you are, darling".
I maintain that the original Series 1 was the prettiest E-Type, and even though it doesn't have a V12 like later models - this one sports the initial 3.8 litre Straight-Six - it's the one I'd have. Later models had the tail lights off a truck stuck underneath the rear bumper and no glass/plastic headlight covers.
That's probably the most aerodynamic 'hood ornament' I have yet seen.
The car it's attached to is a 1936 Hudson Terraplane, which was quite a contrast to the E-Type sat next to it.
Increasing the contrast was this addition to the interior! Very L.A. Noire.
At the back of this little group was the only cool kind of caravan ever: an Airsteam.
Did you see the Eagle Speedster on TopGear and wish there was a similar modern recreation of the Lola T70? Y'know, the successful '60s endurance car? Anyone? Well, someone did, because GD Cars have done just that. Modern tubular spaceframe, modern suspension, neo-classical bodywork. The makeover also includes...
...this GM LS3 V8, which can be left standard at 450bhp, or tuned up to 700bhp, depending on how brave and talented you are. Unless all Corvettes come with a huge K&N filter, my guess is this is somewhere in between.
Are you Richard Hammond? Are you otherwise similarly sized? If so, this child's toy is for you: the Pocket Classics 356. Powered by a teeny tiny petrol-powered engine, you could have this...
...or an E-Type. So, if you looked at the one further up and pined for it, remember that all hope is not lost. As long as you can fit in this. To gauge the scale, the person on the right is a normal-sized man.
When you think of Caterham, you think of their continuation of the genius Lotus 7 of the 1950s/60s/70s that they have built from 1973 to, well, hopefully the end of time itself. What you probably don't think of is this modern-looking car, called the SP/300.R, which was made in conjunction with Lola. Think of it as a rival to the Radical track day cars.
The interior is suitably spartan for a Caterham.
This is the facelift for the Jaguar XF. Frankly, it should've looked like thin in the first place. I continued to wander around for a bit after seeing a few old racers roar off the start line, when something caught my eye...
...A Lancia Stratos!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG...........
....oh.
Yup, turns out the Stratos was a kit car made by Hawk Cars, along with this Shelby Cobra 289 replica. I suppose the huge tent behind it saying "Kit Car Magazine" should've been a clue...
Still, if their Hawk HF is convincing enough to trick an anorak such as myself, it's just as good, in a way, because it looks just like the real Lancia Stratos. That makes it more desirable than just about anything.
What made it more convincing were the accurate decals, which Hawk were keen to point out they didn't supply.
Another thing they don't supply - but you might consider useful - is an engine. This one is packing a 3.0 litre Alfa Romeo V6.
Some may look at this interior and think it's the wrong way round. Others would point out that the Cobra was originally made by AC Cars in the United Kingdom of Englandshire.
Prices for a Hawk HF start at around £11,500 depending on what engine mounts you want. Spoilers, LHD conversion, kevlar bodywork and Group 4-style bodykits are optional, and you have to supply an engine yourself. You can use the 3.0 Alfa V6 here (from a 164), a 2.5 Alfa V6 (from a 155) a Lancia 2.0 engine, an authentic 2.4 Dino V6 or the 3.0 Ferrari Quattrovalvole V8 if you can find one.
A Lancia replica with a Ferrari V8 is pretty fast, but this is faster. In fact, when it's finished it will be faster than any land vehicle on the planet. It's the Bloodhound SSC, and its target and purpose is to hit an unprecedented 1000mph. Yes, really. One Thousand miles per hour.
As you can probably tell, it's pretty big. As well as clearly being longer than a bus, it's also as tall as a full-sized Boffin.
Because it won't be using roads, it doesn't need tyres. Frankly this is a good thing, as tyres would definitely explode long before it hit 1000mph. The 36-inch wheels are solid aluminium and will spin at around 10,500rpm, withstanding 50,000G of centrifugal force. An F1 driver experiences about 4 or 5G and calls it a lot.
This is the fuelling system. The main tank at the back is pretty big (where it says 'ABC Stainless Limited' is halfway up). The fuel pump, however, it more significant. Put in the Bloodhound just to move the fuel is a 750bhp Cosworth V8 Formula 1 engine.
As well as looking back to past eras of motor racing, Goodwood likes to look forward too (maybe it once had an old fogey image about it), so there are "FOS Tech" tents showcasing innovative concepts and potential futures for design and engineering. Th bottom car here looks a little bit like a melted BMW 0-Series (or "Mini").
One of the more peculiar vehicles was this, the Vauxhall EN-V. Based on Segway technology (that's that gyroscopic electric scooter thing that can't fall over), it seats two and ensures you look like a lost extra from a Sci-fi movie. "Urban Transport Solutions" like this are fine if they're relatively car-like, but these little electric pods that hum around at 5-10mph always just make me think "What was wrong with walking?"
You may have come across Porsche's flywheel accumulator that works as a KERS and looks like Iron Man's heart. It all sounds very lovely, but it does add 60kg to the car's weight, which is like adding a healthy passenger to the car all the time. Williams's tech division has gone some way to answer this with one that weighs 40kg.
Join me again for Part Deux!
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