The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the most spectacular auto show, with a dynamic display of sports car, racing machinery, and a mind-blogging assortment of rare vehicles. The Fangio Mercedes that sold for $31 million was one such piece of rolling automotive history.
Some vehicles that are bound to be future classics and collectibles also made their way up the famous Goodwood Hill. Porsche showed off its 918 plug-in hybrid super sports car. The 918 features a mid-engined 4.6-liter V8 with two electric motors. Combined, the 887 hp accelerate the carbon-fiber Porsche from 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds on to a top speed of 337 kph. The car will sell for up to 853,000 Euros.
Porsche celebrated 50 years of the 911 with a stunning sculpture on the Goodwood grounds. Seven generations of 911 were displayed at the event. The brand’s race cars like the 917 and 962 also stormed their way up the hill.
Formula One was well represented with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg driving Silver Arrows old and new on the hill. Nico drove a 1954 W 196, while both F1 drivers ran their current machinery on the 1.85-km hill. Other Mercedes to do the run were an A 45 AMG with its 2.0 liter, 360-hp engine, and an SLS AMG Black Series coupe.
Their rivals Ferrari brought out their V12 flagship F12berlinetta as well as Eric Clapton’s one-off SP12 EC. Clapton’s modern version of the 512BB was created by Ferrari’s cost-no-object Special Projects division. So as not to earn the ire of the FIA, they also drove an older F1 car, the 2010 version driven by Fernando Alonso. Ferrari were also well-represented at the Cartier Style ex Luxe lawn with two particular GT cars standing out. The first was a 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Speciale originally commissioned by actress Ingrid Bergman, who was known as one of Ferrari’s best clients in the 1950s. Bonhams offered John Lennon’s 1965 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Berlinetta for auction, a car that was originally purchased by Lennon in February 1965, the month that he passed his driving test and The Beatles recorded ‘Ticket to Ride.’ The beautiful 330GT, wearing its original number plate, achieved a remarkable £359,000 – approximately double the pre-sale estimate, demonstrating once again the incredible investment potential of a classic Ferrari with “celebrity ownership”.
Ford launched its record-breaking FF1, a 1.0-liter Formula Ford-based road car. The FF1 is powered by an EcoBoost turbo engine, and set a Nurburgring time faster than that of the Ferrari Enzo. The FF1 is powered by a tuned version of Ford’s “International Engine of the Year” winner, the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which achieved the highest score in the award’s history. The honor makes Ford one of only three car manufacturers to win it back-to-back.
For those whose dream is to make it to Goodwood, they can feed their passion by racing up a virtual Goodwood Hill on the Gran Turismo 6 game.
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