PaddlUp's top picks from Goodwood Festival of Speed
After the success of our visit to Goodwood last year, we thought we'd come back for more in 2022. This time, however, we're exhibiting with contemporary automotive artist PopBangColour – AKA Ian Cook – and, across the weekend we will be running a social media COMPETITION in which you can win a prize box for each day of the event!
The Festival of Speed serves as an annual home for classic motoring and the latest innovative technologies, as well as an event to bridge the gap between road cars and circuit racing with a headlining hillclimb centrepiece as the focal point, introducing an over-arching competitive narrative to the weekend.
As we're on-site once more in 2022, it seemed appropriate to look back at the event's storied history and put together a list of a couple of our favourite examples that have put in an appearance over the years.
Singer DLS
California-based Singer has earned an enviable reputation since its inception of reimaging Porsches, namely the 964 masquerading as a 911. Chiefly, the modifications comprise carbon fibre body panels and a heavily tuned engine, significantly increasing performance, both in a straight line and in the twisty stuff.
Unveiled at Goodwood in 2018, the Singer DLS represents the paragon of the 'restomod' in our humble opinion. Utilising the body of a 964 as its base, the DLS – otherwise known as the Dynamics and Lightweighting Study – is a collaboration project between Williams Advanced Engineering and Singer.
As is the case with many Singer models, power output has been increased to an impressive 500bhp while weight has been reduced to an astonishing 990kg owing to clever use of materials such as magnesium, titanium and carbon fibre.
Mazda 787B
The Mazda 787B is a racing car that truly needs no introduction... but we're going to give it one anyway! Famously powered by a Wankel rotary engine, the 787B – and it's predecessor, the 787 – competed in the World Sportscar Championship, All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1990 to 1991.
In that period, Mazda was very much the David to the Goliaths of the time in the shape of Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Porsche, all of whom boasted superior single-lap pace over the striking orange and green cars. However, the key is in the name of endurance racing, so reliability was key in these battles of attrition and, in 1991 that came good with a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Japanese marque and remained the country's only win until Toyota in 2018.
The 2015 edition of the festival paid homage to Mazda's illustrious history and even featured a 787B on the eye-catching central display, an annual feature in front of Goodwood house that depicts each year's particular theme. Crowds at the event were treated to a 787B hillclimb run with none other than nine-time motorcycle grand prix world champion Valentino Rossi at the wheel.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
The Valkyrie undoubtedly stole the show when it made its public debut at Goodwood last year. From the very beginning of the Valkyrie project, this car has promised other-worldly aesthetics as well as Formula 1-level performance on everyday roads, and it certainly delivered in its inaugural 2021 hillclimb run.
The brainchild of legendary Formula 1 car designer Adrian Newey brought to life by Aston Martin, the Valkyrie is designed purely with performance in mind. An electrically-enhanced, Coworth-developed 6.5-litre V12 engine delivers speed akin to what you'd expect from a spaceship. 0-62mph arrives in a mind-bending 2.5 seconds and continues to a ludicrous 250mph.
Similar to current generation Formula 1 cars, the Valkyrie utilises a distinct underfloor design to suck its aerodynamically sculpted bodywork to the floor, the combination of which generates more downforce than you can shake a stick at.
Ford Mustang Hoonicorn
The Hoonicorn is certainly a recognisable beast. One that Ken Block has honed throughout the years to become something entirely different from the 1965 Ford Mustang on which it is based. Allegedly its appearance is inspired by classic DTM cars and modern-day WRC machines ensuring it looks the part for Block's legions of fans.
A fierce 6.7 litre Ford V8 produces an incredible 845bhp through a six-speed, four-wheel-drive transmission which is accompanied by a hefty hydraulic handbrake enabling Block to perform his trademark drifts and stunts with ease.
This unruly automotive animal was first unleashed on the hillclimb in 2015 and, that same year featured in an epic, crowd-pleasing drift/stunt battle against Made Mike in his rotary-powered RADBUL Mazda MX-5.
McLaren P1 LM
This record-beating monster has become something of a Goodwood legend since its earth-shattering run up the hill in 2016. To this day, the LM holds the record for the fastest road-legal car on the hillclimb and quite convincingly so, with a time of 47.07 seconds, some 2.2 seconds quicker than the next fastest time.
With ex-Indy 500 driver Kenny Brack behind the wheel and prepared by classic car and motorsport specialists Lanzante Limited, the P1 LM was destined to do great things at Goodwood and it did just that.
This car is right up there as far as uniqueness and exclusivity is concerned, with Lanzante commissioning McLaren Special Operations just six examples. The LM was born a P1 GTR before being converted for road use, making it one of the rawest and most savage road-going vehicles available on the market.
