EVENTS + NEWS + OPINION
Goodwood Festival of Speed, 13-16 July
The 2023 event will probably be remembered more for the last-minute cancellation of Saturday’s action due to adverse weather than for the brilliance of the rest of the event. But, in celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Festival pulled out all the stops. The McLaren Solus GT was fastest on the hill in Sunday’s Shootout, setting a time of 45.34sec and with a terminal speed of 149.1mph. Travis Pastrana’s Subaru GL Family Huckster was a popular second, on 46.37sec. Gerry Judah’s massive sculpture at the front of Goodwood House honoured Porsche’s 75th anniversary, plus 60 years of the 911. There were also daily Porsche-themed displays in front of the house, plus parades of Porsche greats up the hill. Famous faces ranged from Sebastian Vettel to Sir Jackie Stewart and Jenson Button, while there was wild action on the rally stage throughout. Overall winner of the Cartier Style et Luxe concours was Simon Taylor’s 1937 Gurney Nutting-bodied Bentley 4.25-litre Rothschild Sedanca Coupé.
Heveningham Concours, 8-9 July
Britain’s best boutique concours may offer only a handful of awards and showcase just 50 or so cars (plus a handful of aircraft) but the quality of those entrants, the sensational setting on Kim Wilkie’s terraced lawn behind the Grade 1 listed Palladian mansion in Suffolk, plus the adjacent events (ranging from a scenic tour to a country fair) give it a very special atmosphere. The 2023 awards for best pre-war car and post-war car were decided by a panel of judges that included Peter Stevens, Tony Hatter, Max Hunt and Marino Franchitti. They selected Mihai Negrescu’s 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans tourer and Andy Prill’s 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR. Best supercar was taken by Jon Hunt’s 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3, while the separate aviation concours was won by a 1943 Supermarine Spitfire. Fastest speed on the short sprint up Horsepower Hill was 117mph, set by James Nicholls in a Ferrari 488 Pista. As is traditional, all the proceeds from the event – which attracted 10,000 people – are distributed to local charities, with this year’s contribution topping £115,000.
