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| GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED |
The festival’s roots stretch all the way back to 1936, when the then Earl of March invited the Lancia Car Club to attempt a hillclimb challenge in the grounds of Goodwood House.
That event inspired the Earl’s grandson – the present Earl of March – to hold an annual celebration. And so it was in 1993, the first Goodwood Festival of Speed took place.
That year, 25,000 visitors, mainly from the UK, turned up at Goodwood House to enjoy a relatively modest inaugural festival.
Since then, the event has grown massively: combining thousands of cars and motorcycle displays, the idiosyncratic hillclimb challenge, World Rally Championship races, competitions, live music and even air displays from the Red Arrows.
Entry is now capped at 150,000, and all tickets must be bought in advance.
The four-day event starts on June 28 this year, with the Moving Motor Show – kicking off with the famous hillclimb and annual Bonham’s auction.
During the day, specially-invited guests will be able to get behind the wheel of the new Peugeot 208 for the first time – as well as experiencing the diesel HDi 163bhp front engine and 37bhp rear electric motor of the 508 RXH.
The rest of the weekend is then turned over to the Festival of Speed, with new model displays from car manufacturers alongside historic post and pre-war vehicles, illustrating the journey of automotive evolution right through from steam to hybrid.
Goodwood doesn’t just attract car enthusiasts. Many motoring professionals are seen at the event too – Formula One stars Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button are just two expected to appear in 2012.
Where is Goodwood?
The 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place from June 28 to July 1 at Goodwood House, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0PX.
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