Throwback Thursday: Mustangs, Cobras, GT40s, and More Mix It Up at Goodwood
Classic Blue Oval race cars take on the rest of the world during the annual Goodwood Revival Festival.
Golden Era Racing
The Goodwood Revival is an annual three-day gathering that is one of the finest showcases of vintage road racing in the world. Since 1998, the Goodwood Circuit located near the southern coast of England in Chichester, West Sussex has hosted this event in celebration of the "golden era" of motorsports. The Festival sees rare and priceless Grand Prix, GT, and sports cars built in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s battle it out in an atmosphere and on a track that has otherwise been untouched by the modern world. It is truly an event like no other.
Cobra Competition
The Goodwood Revival offers various classes of racing that often changes from year to year, but one can typically count on seeing a number of AC/Shelby Cobras duke it out on the track. As many folks know, the British AC Car Company originally used straight-6 engines in their small two-seat roadsters until Carroll Shelby approached them to build a car capable of accepting a big old American V8. The rest is history and Cobras are seen as some of the featured cars that participate in the weekend's events. The photo above is of Tom Kristensen's Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe on his way to victory against various Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Maseratis of the same era.
GT40 Glory
Another highly popular draw for attendees of recent Goodwood Revival events has been the Whitsun Trophy races featuring the Ford GT40. This race pits various evolutions of the GT40 as raced in Le Mans against period Can-Am racers like the Lola T70's and McLaren M1B's. Racing can get a bit dicey as opponents vie for the top step on the podium, often ending in tears and thousands of dollars in damages (see the McLaren-GT40 coming together for an example). The GT40 tends to be so popular (and abundant), they have even had their own one-make feature race in years past. Where else can you see dozens of GT40 mixing it up on a track?
Mustangs - America's Muscle
Mustangs have quite a storied history in the world of racing, so it is no surprise to see them make an appearance at Goodwood from time to time. The first generation Mustangs barely meet Goodwood's model year limitations of the 1960s, but nonetheless, they provide a great view of what 60's sports car racing in the States was like. Mustangs dominated in SCCA between 1965-1967 with drivers like Mark Donohue, Bob Johnson, and Jerry Titus. The Year 2014 saw Goodwood host the Shelby Cup that featured a grid full of early Mustang race cars, but it was actually a 1965 Ford Falcon Sprint that took victory in the 30 lap race.
Fast & Full-Figured Fords
As the entry list changes from year to year, so do the participants and vehicles. Ford has typically had a good showing of vehicles besides its trademark racers including some pretty stout Fairlanes, Galaxies, Falcons, and Thunderbirds. In fact, a '59 T-Bird carved its way through the field and into first place in only a couple laps in the 2017 St. Mary's Trophy race and looked to be running away with things until a broken exhaust pipe forced it to retire.
A Step Back In Time
Racing is at the heart of the Goodwood Revival and features some of the coolest (and most expensive) classic race cars known to man. With that said, Goodwood offers so much more than racing as it quite literally transports guests back in time with classic car exhibits, vintage aircraft Concours d'Elegance, and period-correct clothing sales. It looks and feels as if it is occurring in a bygone era, yet is incredibly refreshing each time around. If you are a car fanatic and ever have the opportunity to make it across the pond during the month of September, this is one awesome event that should not be missed.
And, for information on maintenance and repairs for your Mustang, head on over to our How-Tos at MustangForums.com!