I was out at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race last weekend (best racing livery below), so had a chance to catch up with some friends at Porsche and ask about upcoming event plans. First on the list is this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
This year’s Goodwood theme is Racing Revolutions: Quantum Leaps that Shaped Motorsport. No manufacturer has more to say on the subject than Stuttgart, so the Porsche Museum is sending some epic cars to take part in various parts of the Festival.
First is Semper Vivus: the replica of Ferdinand Porsche’s ground breaking 1900 hybrid petrol/electric creation.
Next is the 718 F2 car (above), mentioned a number of times on the Classic Porsche Blog and driven to victory in the 1960 championship by Graham Hill, Jo Bonnier and Sir Stirling Moss. There’s talk that Sir Stirling may once again take the wheel – we’ll see how that pans out.
Then there’s the 1973 917/30 Spyder. This was Porsche’s first turbocharged car, and it changed the face of racing. The 917/30’s 5.3-litre flat-12 makes 1200 horsepower but weighs less than a modern Boxster Spyder. Average lap speed around Talladega: 220 mph+. In 1973!
Finally there’s the ill-fated 961 (above). Developed from the 959, the car finished seventh at Le Mans but was involved in a fire some time later. It has since been restored and will sit well at Goodwood with the other cigarette-sponsored has-beens. I say has-beens in a highly complimentary way!
Given that Semper Vivus and the 961 will be on site, it’s a shame the 4wd 911 R Hybrid won’t be there, as it’s the best current Porsche for this year’s theme, and is absolutely beautiful. Watching it lap the Nürburgring last weekend was literally electric. They’ve got two of them – surely one must be free?!
The BBC 5-day weather forecast for Goodwood looks nice at the minute: 18 degrees for both Friday and Saturday is a comfortable temperature to walk around in. I’m currently trying to get a ticket. If I manage it, I’ll see you at the Porsche tent.
If you’ve not got tickets, then Porsche have a competition for you. Follow Porsche Origin on Twitter and tweet the hashtag #porschegoodwood by midday on Wednesday June 29th for your chance to win a pair of VIP tickets for Saturday, and a ride up the hill in a GT3 RS 4.0.
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