Goodwood gears up for the 2013 Festival of Speed
Billed as the biggest motoring spectacle of its kind in the world, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, with the upcoming event set to take place from July 11th till 14th in the picturesque setting of West Sussex’s Goodwood House.
Needless to say, Lord March and the rest of the team in charge of staging FoS are determined to pull out all the stops and make sure that this year’s occasion is the best yet. The confirmed line-up of cars that will be taking on the famous hillclimb is already whetting the appetite of all who plan on attending or just admiring with envy from afar.
As usual, the festival will be featuring a variety of separate events and, although the classic 1.16 mile hillclimb is always the main draw, plenty of other highlights will serve to keep everyone entertained over the four days.
The first day will be put aside for the Moving Motor Show, which introduces those in the market for a high-end vehicle of their own to the cream of the new supercar crop, with the main action getting started on Friday 12th.
Stars from the World Rally Championship will battle it out on a special Forest Rally Stage over the weekend, whilst the Goodwood Action Sports Area (GAS) is a platform for our two-wheeling friends to remind us why they shouldn’t be forgotten – set to be held for the third time, the latest GAS will boast the finest BMX and FMX riders as they defy gravity and pull off the most daring tricks you could hope to witness.
It will come as no surprise to learn that the Supercar Run is what we look forward to most at FoS, and this year will be no exception. This display of the world’s best high speed models has been a staple feature of Goodwood since the turn of the century and has exhibited some truly extraordinary cars since its inception.
Perhaps our fondest memory of the supercar run was the European debut in 2011 of what became known as the fastest modified car available for mainstream purchase in the world: the Hennessey Venom GT. This now legendary vehicle does have a special place in our hearts, as the first ever example of it to enter the UK was sold at our showroom, and we were delighted to hear that it will be making a return appearance at the 2013 FoS. With only 10 produced each year and having, so far, topped out at 265.7 miles per hour, we feel that the Venom is still in a class of its own with the Bugatti Veyron when it comes to speed.
An amazing selection of 52 sought-after supercars will be looking to make it up the hill fastest in this year’s supercar run, with many of the industry’s biggest names taking to the climb. The McLaren P1 – driven by none other than Jenson Button – as well as four Ferraris, the Maserati Ghibli, and the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster all jump out as highlights, whilst several other luxury car dealers like Alfa Romeo, BMW, Mercedes, and even a Centenary Edition of the Aston Martin Vanquish will also be turning heads.
Whoever ends up winning each of the competitions at the Festival of Speed this year, there’s no doubt that Goodwood is the place to be at what should prove an exciting and sundrenched summer weekend. With roughly 150,000 enthusiasts expected to descend on this normally peaceful corner of the West Sussex countryside over the course of the event, FoS 2013 will once again go down as an expression of the relationship between man and machine.