GOODWOOD REVIVAL 2026

Do you have Goodwood Envy? Maybe I’d better define that before we get too far. I’m referring to the famous Goodwood Revival and Goodwood Festival of Speed (FOS) duo of auto events held in England each summer. Both take place on the estate of Charles Gordon Lennox, Earl of March and on different spots of his family’s vast property. 

And if you haven’t been there, you’ve doubtlessly heard from well-heeled friends how great these are, and how they should be on every car guy’s and gal’s must-do list, and how you’ve come up short if you haven’t been. That’s a lot of pressure. 

And you’re probably thinking yes, but that’s an expensive outing. It’s a long haul from here, and truly expensive once you add in transportation to the remote Chichester area, the sparse-but-expensive hotel rooms, admission tickets, separate grandstand and paddock badges, the program (which includes a tiny radio), and any special lunch tickets. 

And you had better check the currently weak monetary exchange rate. No, one UK pound is not “about equal to a dollar”.  One dollar will only get you about ¾ of a pound these days,

Don’t we wish it wasn’t so far away? Wouldn’t it be great if it were just closer to home…  Hold that thought, more about that later.

Having said all the above, and not to make you jealous, I made the trip for LA Car to Goodwood, to tell you my experience.

Broadly speaking, the Goodwood Revival is really two attractions in one. It’s a gathering and the racing of the finest race cars from a certain era, as well as a fun celebration of life during that era, at and away from the track.

The Revival – Cars

Just what era has the Revival been reviving since 1998? 

Historically, the Goodwood Circuit held auto and motorcycle races starting in 1948. Like many other circuits in England, it’s built on an old wartime airfield, but it used the perimeter road for the 2.367-mile racecourse rather than incorporating any of the runways. 

After a legendary past including being host to F1 (non-championship) races, the circuit was deemed not suitable (not safe) for the increased speeds of the newer race cars. So, they stopped competition there after September of 1966. Hence the cars that compete at the Revival held today date back to those that raced during those active years. 

What classes of cars are included? 

The program lists 17 races, with class descriptions which include wording like: “sports cars that raced up to 1939, in the spirit of the great Brooklands endurance races” and “closed-cockpit GT cars and prototypes that raced in the spirit of the RAC Tourist Trophy races held in 1963 and 1964”.

The Italian theme draped over the entire Revival this year attracted a handsome collection of red, front-engined Maserati and Ferrari 1950s era F1 cars, garaged side by side, posed for picture taking.

 In fact, all the cars are housed in covered but open paddocks, providing great access for the attendees, without a modern transporter or other not-of-the-era accoutrements in sight. Even the rarest and most expensive cars were not roped off, trusting that the fans respected these precious gems as they carefully stepped in to take a pic.

At the circuit’s starting line, the wooden pit box structures and tower remain original with product signage of the time like “Girling”, “Mintex” and “Champion”. You may have seen it featured at one point in the Downton Abbey TV series.

After the cars line up in a 3-2-3 starting order for a standing start, the actual racing is quite spirited. The drivers really pushed those time-machines, and were not afraid to overtake. I kept thinking about the stress on the wire wheels, and lack of seat belts in many open cars. Yet, that didn’t slow them down.

One fond memory I was left with, after each race, on the cool down lap the entire grandstand enthusiastically applauded each passing driver. Ah, a different era indeed.

Were any American cars racing?

Although the fields were filled with European cars, there were a few American exceptions. Two 1960s Ford Galaxies had their hands full keeping up with Mini Coopers in a sedan race. Gotta also love the XKE Jaguars and Ford Cortinas, one driven by Jensen Button, in the same race taking on the Detroit goliaths.

Most surprising for me to see was not one, but two Reventlow Scarab front-engined F1 cars in the original metallic blue and white trim. (They were built right here on Jefferson Blvd. in Culver City around 1960; I‘ll need to check my copy of Preston Lerner’s ‘Scarab’ book for the details.)

In the sports-racing prototypes 1960-1966 category, there were many Lola T70’s, McLaren Mk 1s, Ford GT40s, a Lotus 30 (or 40?), and a California-built Huffaker Genie. Another California connection was one of the white, Dana Chevrolet (of South Gate) sponsored USRRC/Can-Am Lolas. Originally driven by Lothar Motschenbacher and Peter Revson?

And then there was the race for Formula Juniors—not American built, but many reached our shores, including a Lotus 18 owned and raced by our LA Car senior editor, Doug Stokes. Doug’s 18 was fitted with a 1600cc Ford Kent engine for Formula B class in the US.

As for on track exhibitions, there was a tribute parade of Jack Brabham’s race cars. The Australian hero is the only man to win an F1 championship in a car bearing his name.   

Plus, the three original Ford GT40 Mk IIs that finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans sixty years ago, reenacted that side by side finishing formation. On Saturday, the Le Mans winning black car was driven by El Cajon native and NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson.

I can’t leave out the motorcycle race. This event featured a Le Mans start for the 30 odd bikes ridden by champions including Americans Troy Bayliss and Tom Sykes.

Viewing from the various grandstands was excellent, and action on the track runs virtually non-stop from 9 am until dark.

Goodwood Revival – The Lifestyle

Blending seamlessly with the action on the track, the lifestyle element of the Goodwood Revival provides the event’s most iconic imagery.

Lord March has created a village of permanent store and shop structures, with tweaks made every year to reflect a different theme.

Shops include an old Porsche garage, a 1950s beauty shop, a barber shop, a department store, and a reenactment of the Earls Court Auto Show (the big auto show in London in the era). A feature this year was the grand introduction of the Neue Klasse BMW. No, no, not the new 2027 BMW Neue Klasse iX3 and sedan, but the original Neue Klasse BMW, the 1963 BMW 1600!

Stretching "Over the Road", a bit further from the track is an area with circus rides including a Ferris wheel, an outdoor movie theatre, lots of great food choices, and retail offerings. 

In what has to be the greatest auto enthusiast and vintage fan shopping experience ever, neat rows of tents are inhabited with sellers of auto books, car accessories, car art, signs, auto adventure trips, and vintage cars for sale. 

Want an Austin Healy or XKE? Buy it on impulse right here. And of course, there are also wearables if you need to top off your vintage outfit with a new scarf or brolly. 

I tallied up over 250 on-site sellers with booths or stores. And that’s not including food vendors. 

Dressing Up

You have probably heard that everyone dresses up in vintage clothing at the Revival. (I’d estimate that 70-80 percent actually do).  Men and women, young and old really look to be enjoying it too. You’ll see men with knickers, long socks, and braces and women with old fur coats. Some will be dressed in military uniforms as if they have just come home from WWII. Others are in Swinging ’Sixties go-go boots and Carnaby Street fashions.

Rather than just attending events as a spectator, the attendees are getting fully engaged, as they become part of the entertainment at the Revival, and elsewhere. Is that a growing trend? 

Although no one these days gets dressed up to fly, or go out to dinner, or even for the theatre, we do see elaborate costumes at Comic-com, and Burning Man, and the Wasteland Weekend. Dressing up for midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was an early toe-in-the-water for some of us.

To prompt such cosplay at the Revival, Lord March primes the pump with paid actors and invited groups. You’ll spot a large motorcycle “gang” of Rockers in a stand-off with Vespa-riding Mods. A James Hunt impersonator. Women in mini-skirts marching with signs for Woman’s Liberation. Sherlock Holmes and Watson. And for the Italian theme, piasan characters including police, musicians, and two escaped criminals up to no good. 

But at some point, the line blurs between those imported characters and the dressed-up public. You don’t mind it when the aisleways get crowded because everyone around looks so good and are enjoying themselves. It’s a nice break from the daily uniform of T-shirts and jeans we have fallen into.

Bottom line, looking back at all I saw and experienced at the Revival, I have to say it is quite an event, unique in many ways, and worthy of its reputation.

Goodwood Closer to Home

Going back to what I teased at the beginning, wishing that Goodwood was closer to home. Well, good news, you no longer need to wish for it!

Goodwood has announced that they will be creating the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America (GRRC of America), debuting in California in 2027, and hosting its first flagship event at Willow Springs International Raceway in Fall 2028.

Exactly what kind of unique roadshow event will the Goodwood group put on? I ask because we are already pretty good at celebrating automotive culture’s past, being in the heart of America’s enthusiast car culture. That starts with racing at the long running Reunion at Laguna Seca, and other vintage car events. 

Then there are car shows, like the Grand National Roadster Show. You want a celebration of surf culture?  We’ve got Woody gatherings. Meet-ups of old VW Beetles and Vans? Got It. Muscle cars? Check. 

And dressing-up in 1950s fashion … ever been to the Moon Eyes Christmas Party? We can trot out post war racers like sprint cars and midgets, Bonneville cars, formula cars, sports racers, pioneering off-road vehicles. 

Here is where we built them, raced them, restored them and cherish them. We have our own revival collection right in our own local garages. Plus we hold “revival” events every day of the year, if you include cruise nights!

Alternatively, Goodwood may fashion their US venture after their Festival of Speed format. This extravaganza is held in a completely separate area of the estate, near the mansion. This is where cars go rip-snorting up the hill on Lord March’s “driveway”. But these are cars from all eras, both racecars and high-performance street cars. 

With a more modern slant on the activities, it becomes a showcase for car manufacturers to strut their stuff. Often, new vehicles are debuted, or given sneak-peaks. With so many auto manufacturers participating by building elaborate, on-site showrooms, it essentially becomes an outdoor auto show. The FOS has also become home to many, many vendor tents, much like the Revival.

Holding their American event at Willow Springs will give the organizers many opportunities to bring the best parts of both the Revival and the Festival of Speed to the occasion.

What new twist will they come up with to amaze us? Although we already have our own auto enthusiast hardware and events, maybe Goodwood can help us experience our own auto culture in a new way!